Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizeni) is a slow-growing, evergreen tree with a distinctive broad crown. The glossy dark green leaves and reddish-brown bark give it a formal look.


In winter and spring, the oak blooms with green and white flowers. The tree's long, narrow acorns serve as a food source for deer.


Interior Live Oak is a resilient and adaptable species. It thrives at elevations ranging from sea level to 5,000 feet, making it an essential part of diverse ecosystems throughout California. Interior Live Oak grows in part to full shade and prefers dry, loamy soil.

Plant type

Tree

Size

15 - 50 ft Tall
10 - 50 ft Wide

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

Green, Cream

Flowering season

Spring, Winter

Special uses

Bank stabilization, Deer resistant

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Very Low, Moderate

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerant of a variety of soils.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Propagation

For propagating by seed: Sow fresh acorns in fall outdoors or stratify to hold for spring sowing (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Site type

Hillsides, canyons and floodplains across most of California in locations where winters are wet but not freezing and summers are hot and dry.

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland

This oak is compatible with a very wide ranges of native trees, shrubs, vines, perennial herbs and annual wildflowers.

Bats
Birds
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

14 confirmed and 158 likely

Confirmed Likely

Caloptilia agrifoliella

Caloptilia reticulata

Andromache Underwing Moth

Catocala andromache