Quercus douglasii

Common Name:
Blue oak
Plant Type:
Deciduous tree
Family:
Fagaceae (The Oak and Beech Family)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes
Plant Size:
25-60 feet high
Landscape/Garden Uses:
naturalizing
Flowering Season:
Spring
Flower Color:
Green/Greenish
Exposure:
Full sun
Soils:
Well-drained soil
Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate to no watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 0 degrees F. or less
Blue oak is the smaller, usually more upright tree you will see after you have left the valley oaks behind and drive into the sun-baked foothills of California. It grows erect to somewhat fountain-shaped, as much as 60 feet high but usually much less, with interesting bark made up of many small plates. The leaves are thick but winter-deciduous, blue-green during the growing season and often painted in pastel oranges, yellows and pinks in fall. It is an ideal tree for sunny, open hillsides and other untended areas.