{"slug":"quercus-agrifolia","scientific_name":"Quercus agrifolia","common_names":["Coast live oak","California live oak"],"family":"Fagaceae","type":"broadleaf_evergreen","mature_height_m":15,"mature_spread_m":18,"growth_rate":"slow","lifespan_years":250,"hardiness_zones":[8,10],"sun":"full_partial","water":"low","soil":"Deep, well-draining loam preferred; tolerates many soils but needs dry soil at the trunk in summer","native_range":"Coastal California west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County south to northern Baja California.","description":"The classic oak of coastal California: a broad, dense evergreen with a short gnarled trunk, dark furrowed bark, small holly-like spiny leaves and slender acorns that ripen in one season. Old trees spread wider than tall and live for centuries, sheltering more than 250 wildlife species. In gardens it is a superb shade tree for big lots once you accept that it must not be watered in summer; irrigating under the canopy invites root rot and sudden oak death.","care":"Water weekly in the first year, then monthly until about 10 ft tall, then at most once a month in summer and never at the trunk. Do not fertilize and leave the leaf litter as mulch. Prune in July or August, avoid removing large limbs and do not change the grade or add soil over the roots. Oak moth caterpillars defoliate periodically and trees recover; its spring pollen is a strong allergen.","benefits":["shade","wildlife","birds","pollinators","drought_tolerant","long_lived","erosion_control","edible"],"uses":["yard_shade","parks","street_tree","hedgerow","reforestation"],"cautions":["large_roots","allergenic_pollen","heavy_litter","pest_prone"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/CoastLiveoakSLOCountyCA.jpg","image_credit":"WeirdNAnnoyed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/QUAG","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_agrifolia","https://calscape.org/plant/Quercus-agrifolia","https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/quercus-agrifolia"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-agrifolia","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-agrifolia.md","regions":[{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Endemic to coastal and Coast Range California from Mendocino County south (and into Baja California).","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/QUAG"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Los Angeles","status":"recommended","note":"On the City Plants (Los Angeles) Street Tree Species List","source_url":"https://www.cityplants.org/street-tree-species-list/"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Sacramento","status":"recommended","note":"On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list","source_url":"https://sactree.org/best-trees-for-sacramento/"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"San Jose","status":"recommended","note":"On the Our City Forest Community Nursery tree species list","source_url":"https://www.ourcityforest.org/nursery-species"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}