# Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia)

> 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.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/quercus-agrifolia · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: California live oak
- Family: Fagaceae
- Type: Broadleaf evergreen
- Mature height: 15 m; spread 18 m
- Growth: Slow growing; lives about 250 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Low water
- 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.

**Benefits:** Shade, Wildlife, Birds, Pollinators, Drought tolerant, Long lived, Holds soil, Edible

**Good for:** Yard shade, parks, Street tree, Hedgerow, Reforestation

**Watch out for:** Large roots, Allergenic pollen, Heavy litter, Pest prone

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** CA, United States (Endemic to coastal and Coast Range California from Mendocino County south (and into Baja California).)
- **Recommended:** Los Angeles, CA, United States (On the City Plants (Los Angeles) Street Tree Species List); Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list); San Jose, CA, United States (On the Our City Forest Community Nursery tree species list)

## 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