Quercus kelloggii

Common Name:
Black oak
Plant Type:
Deciduous tree
Family:
Fagaceae (The Oak and Beech Family)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes

Plant Size:
40-70 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

This is the most dramatic of our deciduous California oaks. It grows up to 75 feet high and wide but is usually half that or less. Often it has a nearly round overall form, with sculptured, arching branches and beautiful dark bark. The leaves are deeply and sharply lobed and up to 8 inches long. They are often pink to orange in new growth, then deep green when expanded, turning once again, this time to vivid gold, in the fall. They are one of the things that make fall walks in the countryside a treasured experience. The acorns are relatively short and broad. This is a spectacular tree for open hillsides. It could be controlled forever by pruning, but that would defeat some of its natural majesty.