It is more shade tolerant than Pacific madrone but not as much as the associated Douglas-fir, tanoak, and golden chinkapin. The species is often sympatric with Quercus agrifolia and several other oak species. In areas of moderate to high rainfall, it occurs on south facing slopes, and in the hotter, drier parts of its distribution, on northerly slope faces.įossil data supports a much wider distribution throughout the western United States during the early Holocene period. chrysolepis can be the dominant tree on steep canyon walls, especially in locations of shallow rocky soils. Canyon live oak grows at elevations of about 500 to 1,500 meters in southwestern Oregon in Northern California, from 100 to 1,400 meters and in Southern California, up to approximately 2,700 meters. An example of very rocky and serpentine soil tolerance is the species occurrence at the Cedars of Sonoma County, California. It is hardy to cold temperatures down to −11 ☏, and will grow in neutral to moderately acidic soils with pH ranges of 4.5 to 7.5. Ĭanyon live oak is tolerant of a variety of soil types, including very rocky or cobbly environments. Those populations tend to be intermediate in overall morphology, but all lack the diagnostic trichomes and biochemical markers of Q. Southwestern New Mexico population are most likely the result of introgression from Quercus palmeri to Q. It is common in the mountainous regions of California ( Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, Klamath Mountains, Cascades, San Gabriel Mountains, etc.) with additional populations in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, western Nevada, northern Baja California, Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and Chihuahua. chrysolepis is found in a variety of forest communities in the southwestern United States. Distribution and habitat The trunk bark is gray and rough. Acorns occur solitarily or in pairs, exhibiting lengths of 2–5 cm these fruits are variable in size and shape, but generally ovoid, turban-like with a shallow, thick cup of scales densely covered with yellowish hairs the stalk is barely evident. The bark of the canyon live oak is grayish brown, and rather smooth or sometimes scaly. These leathery leaves are a glossy dark green above, with a nether surface a dull golden down, often becoming gray and nearly glabrous the second year. Although the leaves appear generally flat, they may have edge margins slightly turned under, typically with spiny teeth, particularly on young twigs. The elliptical to oblong leaves are 2.5 to 8 cm (1 to 3 + 1⁄ 4 in) in length and about half as wide they are short-pointed at the tip, and rounded or blunt at base. The largest known in the San Bernardino Mountains measures 38 m (124 ft) high, with a trunk circumference of 12 m (39 ft 4 in) and a crown spread of 30 m (98 ft). Exceptionally large specimens are found in the mountains of Southern California, and rank among the largest oaks in North America. The trunk diameter typically ranges from 30 to 100 centimeters (12 to 39 inches). Quercus chrysolepis is an evergreen tree with significant-sized spreading, horizontal branches, and a broad, rounded crown it attains a height of 6–30 meters (20–100 feet) and often forms as a shrub. It is placed in Quercus section Protobalanus. Its leaves are a glossy dark green on the upper surface with prominent spines a further identification arises from the leaves of canyon live oak being geometrically flat. This tree is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats. Quercus chrysolepis, commonly termed canyon live oak, canyon oak, golden cup oak or maul oak, is a North American species of evergreen oak that is found in Mexico and in the western United States, notably in the California Coast Ranges.
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