Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Quercus dumosa is a species of plant in the Fagaceae family. This shrub/small tree goes by the common name Coastal sage scrub oak. It is found in Mexico and the United States. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species Quercus dumosa lends its name to the eponymous plant community Quercus dumosa chaparral, in which Coastal sage scrub oak and toyon often co-dominate. It is easily confused with other scrub oaks such as Quercus berberidifolia, with which it may hybridize.

This plant is an evergreen shrub growing 1 to 3 meters tall from a large, deep root network. The leaves have spiny or toothed edges. The fruit is an acorn up to 1.5 centimeters wide. Some individuals produce large crops of acorns, and some produce very few fruits. The acorns are dispersed by gravity as they fall from the tree, and by animals that pick them up, such as squirrels and jays. Animals eat them immediately or cache them for later. The acorns tend to germinate easily. Reproduction via seed generally occurs only in very moist years.

This oak grows primarily in sandy soils such as sandstone near the coast. Its habitat is often chaparral. This oak sprouts vigorously from its stump and root crown after wildfire and develops a large canopy within a few years after a fire event. It sometimes codominates with Ceanothus species as early as four years after a fire. This oak also does well in the absence of fire.

Plant type

Tree, Shrub

Size

3 - 10 ft Tall
8 - 10 ft Wide

Form

Upright, Mounding, Spreading

Growth rate

Very Slow, Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

None

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Color

Yellow, Cream, Green

Flowering season

Spring, Winter

Special uses

Bank stabilization, Hedge

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to -5° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Often but not always found on eroded gabbro or sandstone soils.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Propagation

Can be propagated from acorns.  For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds sow in fall outdoors or stratify to hold for spring sowing. If started indoors or in glasshouse, stratify first for 1-3 mos. (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Site type

Flats, canyon bottoms, bottoms of slopes, mesas

Plant communities

Chaparral

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

16 confirmed and 150 likely

Confirmed Likely

Sallow Button

Acleris hastiana

Acrobasis comptella

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

Andromache Underwing Moth

Catocala andromache