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Engelmann Oak

Quercus engelmannii

Engelmann oak is a rare, broad-crowned oak of southern California's inland valleys and foothills, semi-evergreen with blue-green leaves. A signature tree of vanishing oak savanna, prized and increasingly protected. Its acorns have served as food when better options were scarce, ground into flour once the bitter tannins are leached out.

Family

Fagaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

30–50 ft

Spacing

40–60 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

neutral

Bloom

March, April, May

Bloom colors

green, brown

Wildlife value

songbirds, mammals, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~557 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

specimen

Native states

CA