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| ## Oregon oak {#oregon-oak .Title-Header}                             |
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| *Quercus garryana* Dougl. ex Hook.                                    |
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| Plant Symbol = QUGA4                                                  |
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Contributed by: Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and USDA NRCS National
Plant Data Center

### ![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.026388888888889in" height="3.035416666666667in"}

# Alternate Names

Oregon white oak, Garry oak, Brewer's oak, chêne de Garry; three
varieties are recognized for this species: *Quercus garryana* var.
*garryana*, *Quercus garryana* var. *breweri*, and *Quercus garryana*
var. *semota*

# Uses

*Wildlife*: Oregon oak is a valuable source of food and cover for
wildlife. Gray squirrels, deer, and livestock eat acorns and the leaves
of young shoots and sprouts.

*Ethnobotanic*: Native Americans used Acorns as a food staple.

*Construction*: In the Pacific Northwest, large trees were preferred for
shipbuilding, railroad ties, and construction. Resistance to decay also
contributed to its use as fence posts. The wood continues to be
important to cottage furniture and cabinet industries.

# Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

# Description

General: Oak Family (Fagaceae). *Quercus garryana*, a native deciduous
tree up to 30 m tall throughout much of its range in the Pacific
Northwest, has an open, rounded crown. However, in the southern part of
its range, including interior California, it also is a shrub up to 5 m
tall, which is treated as var. *breweri* (Engelm.) Jepson. The mature
bark is brownish gray and shallowly fissured in a checker-like pattern.
Leaves are oblong to obovate, 8-15 cm long, and deeply lobed (5-7
rounded lobes). The upper surfaces are shiny and dark green, but the
lower surfaces are pale green. Like all oaks, Oregon oak is monoecious
and wind-pollinated. The acorn cups are composed of thick, tubercled
scales. The one-seeded nuts are 2-3 cm long, ovoid, and mature in one
year. Flowering takes place from March to May. Fruits mature between
August and November. Color images, line drawings, and a description can
be found in Farrar (1995).

# Distribution

This species is known from California, Washington, Oregon, and British
Columbia. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile
page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

# Establishment

*Adaptation*: Oregon oak is best developed as a tree on slopes and
valleys below 1500 m where annual rainfall exceeds 30 inches. The range
in climate is considerable, extending from the relatively cool, moist
Fraser Valley of British Columbia to the summer-dry Coast Ranges north
of San Francisco and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California.
Oregon oak takes the form of a shrub on nutrient-poor soils (e.g.,
serpentine) and drier sites, often forming clonal thickets. It is
tolerant of freezing conditions and also has a broad tolerance of
substrates, which vary from rocky, thin soils of ridges to the deep
loams and clays of valley bottoms. Common associates in mixed forests
include madrone, Douglas fir, tanbark oak, and yellow pines. In the
coastal mountains and in the absence of fire, Douglas fir gradually
replaces Oregon oak. Throughout much of its range, Oregon oak reproduces
extensively by basal sprouts, which often develop after fires. Thus,
Oregon Oak is often associated with local grasslands maintained by fire.
In some areas seedlings develop into multi-stemmed plants, which may
live up to 10 years, until a single shoot becomes dominant. Like most
oaks, Oregon oak has an obligate relationship with mycorrhizal fungi,
which provide additional moisture and nutrients.

*Seed Preparation*: Oak seeds do not store well and consequently seeds
should be planted soon after maturity. Nuts are considered ripe when
they separate freely from the acorn cap and fall from the tree. Care
should be taken to collect local fruits, because they may be adapted to
local environmental conditions. Viable nuts may be green to brown, and
have unblemished walls. Nuts with discoloration or sticky exudates, and
small holes caused by insect larvae, should be discarded.

*Direct Seeding*: Seeds may be planted at the beginning of the winter.
Once the site is chosen, prepare holes that are 10 inches in diameter
and 4-5 inches deep. One gram of a slow-release fertilizer should be
placed in the bottom and covered by a small amount of soil. Place 6-10
acorns in each hole at a depth of 1-2 inches. Rodents or birds should
use temporary enclosures to minimize herbivory. A simple enclosure can
be constructed from a one-quart plastic dairy container with the bottom
removed and a metal screen attached. Towards the end of the first
season, seedlings should be thinned to 2 or 3 per hole and to one
seedling by the second season. Supplemental watering may be necessary if
a drought of 6 weeks or more occurs during the spring.

*Container Planting*: Seeds may be planted in one-gallon containers,
using well-drained potting soil that includes slow-release fertilizer.
Tapered plastic planting tubes, with a volume of 10 cubic inches, may
also be used. Seeds should be planted 1-2 inches deep and the soil kept
moist and aerated. Seedlings should be transplanted as soon as the first
leaves open and become firm, which generally occurs in spring. Planting
holes should be at least twice as wide and deep as the container.
Seedlings may require watering every 2-3 weeks during the first season.
Care should be taken to weed and mulch around young plants until they
are 6-10 inches tall.

# Management

Natural regeneration, through sprouting and seed germination, is
promoted by fire, which contributes to expansion and persistence of
Oregon oak stands. Continued disturbance by fire may result in pure
stands that are often associated with an understory of grasses or
scattered shrubs. Oregon oak is not as susceptible to oak crown and root
rot fungi (e.g., *Inonotus*, *Ganoderma*, and *Laetiporus*) as other
oaks, unless disturbed by changes that include irrigation. Activities
that disturb or compact soil around large trees, especially in urban
settings, should be
avoided.![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.6979166666666665in"
height="2.0729166666666665in"}

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

This species can be acquired from nurseries throughout its range that
deal in native plants. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation
Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more
information. Look in the phone book under "United States Government."
The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the
subheading "Department of Agriculture."

# References

CalPhotos 2000. *Quercus garryana*. Version: 000502.
\<http://www.calflora.org\>. CalFlora, Inc., Berkeley, California.

Farrar, J.L. 1995*. Trees of the northern United States and Canada*.
Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa. 502 pp.

Franklin, J. & C. Dyrness 1973. *Natural vegetation of Oregon and
Washington*. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report PNW 8. 417
pp.

Griffin, J. 1977. *Oak woodland*. pp. 383-415. IN M. Barbour and J.
Major (eds.). *Terrestrial vegetation of California*. Wiley
Interscience, New York, New York. 1002 pp.

Olson, D. 1974. *Quercus L. oak*. pp. 692-703. IN C. Schopmeyer (ed.).
*Seeds of woody plants in the United States*. Agriculture Handbook No.
450. USDA, Forest Service, Washington, D.C.

Thilenius, J. 1968. The *Quercus garryana* forests of the Willamette
Valley, Oregon. Ecology 49: 1124-1133.

USDA, NRCS 2000. *The PLANTS database*. Version: 000502.
\<http://plants.usda.gov\>. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.

# Prepared By

*Dieter Wilken & Julie Burgher*

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, California

# Species Coordinator

*Dieter Wilken*

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, California

Email: dwilken@sbbg.org

Edited 02may00 jsp; 13feb03 ahv; 060809 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*