Quercus berberidifolia

Quercus berberidifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Section: Quercus
Species: Q. berberidifolia
Binomial name
Quercus berberidifolia
Liebm. 1854
Synonyms[1]
  • Quercus agrifolia var. berberidifolia (Liebm.) Wenz.
  • Quercus dumosa f. berberidifolia (Liebm.) Trel.
  • Quercus dumosa var. munita Greene

Quercus berberidifolia, the California scrub oak, is a small evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubby oak in the white oak section Quercus sect. Quercus. It is a native of the scrubby hills of California, and is a common member of chaparral ecosystems.[2]

Description

Quercus berberidifolia grows to 12 meters (40-80 inches) tall, rarely to 4 meters (120 inches or 10 feet), and has sharply toothed, dull green leaves which are 1.53 cm (0.6-1.2 inches) long and 12 cm (0.4-0.8 inch) broad, leathery on their top surfaces and somewhat hairy underneath. The solitary or paired brown acorns are 13 cm (0.4-1.2 inches) long and 12 cm (0.4-0.8 inch) broad, and pointed or egg-shaped with thin caps when mature; they mature in about 68 months after pollination. In cooler, more exposed areas, scrub oak is usually a small, compact shrub, but in warm or sheltered areas the plant can spread out and grow several meters high.[3]

The epithet "berberidifolia" means "barberry-leaved," referring to the spiny leaf margins characteristic of Q. berberidifolia as well as of several species of Berberis.

Other species

Often known simply as scrub oak, though this name is also applied to other Quercus species, especially several which were formerly grouped under the single name Q. dumosa, all are found in scrubby habitats. Many other scrub-type oaks may be found in these regions, and careful inspection is required to identify individuals of Q. berberidifolia and its hybrids.

Quercus berberidifolia sometimes hybridizes with other species.

Chaparral origins

The word chaparral is derived from the Spanish word for scrub oak, chaparro'.' The non-specific meaning of the term is 'short in stature.' Because most scrub vegetation is rather low growing, the term is broadly applied to all of the vegetation in "chaparral" communities.

See also

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.