Introductory
SPECIES: Quercus agrifolia | Coast Live Oak 



ABBREVIATION : 
QUEAGR

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   QUAG


COMMON NAMES : 
   coast live oak
   encina
   California live oak


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for coast live oak is Quercus
agrifolia Nee.  It has been placed in the black oak subgenus
(Erythrobalanus) [10,33,35,46,58].  Recognized varieties are as follows:

     Q. agrifolia var. agrifolia [18]
     Q. agrifolia var. frutescens Engelm. [35,58]
     Q. agrifolia var. oxyadenia (Torr.) J. T. Howell [35,46,58]

Quercus agrifolia variety frutescens is a shrubby chaparral form of
coast live oak.  Quercus agrifolia variety oxyadenia has densely
stellate leaves and occurs in interior cismontane regions of Riverside
and San Diego counties, California [58].

Coast live oak may hybridize with California scrub oak (Q. dumosa), but
the cross is not definite [58].  The following crosses have been
determined:
  
(1)  Q. agrifolia x Q. kelloggii (California black oak) = Q. XChasei McMinn
     This hybrid produces acorn that mature in the second year and is
     found in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties [58].
(2)  Q. agrifolia var. oxyadenia x Q. kelloggii = Q. XGanderi C. B. Wolf
     This hybrid produces acorns that mature in 1 year and occurs in
     San Diego County [10,46,58].
(3)  Q. agrifolia var. frutescens x Q. wislizenii (interior live oak)
     [10,35,85].       


LIFE FORM : 
Tree, Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
The California walnut (Juglans californica) woodland, where coast live
oak frequently codominates, is severely threatened by urbanization.  The
Nature Conservancy, in cooperation with the state of California, has
listed it as one of California's rare and imperiled natural communities
[4,11,34].


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Janet L. Howard, 1992


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Howard, Janet L. 1992. Quercus agrifolia. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Quercus agrifolia | Coast Live Oak