Originally Posted by
work4bike
It looks like what we have here, in my area -- especially the spread of the crown, which is a Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) . However, as I understand it California doesn't have Eastern Live Oaks, but they have some very similar oaks. My guess is that this may be a Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), but I guess there are a few other possibilities.
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Interesting topic. In general I've only ever differentiated the 'Live Oak' into the 'Coastal' (what we have around here) and 'Interior' (those interior from the Coastal ranges); but apparently there are at least 20 differentiated varieties/species of 'Oak' - of which the evergreen varieties are the most apparent...
per Google AI:
"AI OverviewCalifornia has roughly 20 native species of oak trees, along with over 20 hybrids. Among these, several key evergreen "live" oak species dominate the landscape, notably the Coast Live Oak (
Quercus agrifolia), Interior Live Oak (
Q. wislizenii), Canyon Live Oak (
Q. chrysolepis), and Engelmann Oak (
Q. engelmannii).
Key details regarding California live oaks include:
- Primary Live Oak Species: The most common are the Coast Live Oak (coastal areas) and Interior Live Oak (foothills).
- Key Identification: Live oaks are evergreen, unlike many other California oaks that lose their leaves.
- Other Notable Species: The Canyon Live Oak, often found in rocky canyons, is another significant species.
- Hybrids: In addition to the roughly 20 distinct species, many natural hybrids exist between them. "
and never thought the Live Oaks one sees in canyon would be different...
Ride On
Yuri