
It may be a live oak with tiny, lanceolate leaves, elongated for a willow oak, or multi-lobed, synonymous with northern oaks.

You still have to break it down again to identify the specific plant. While white oaks feature rounded leaf edges, those from red are typically pointed and have bristled tips. The leaf shape will help you determine where the leaf falls between the two major classifications, red and white oaks. They may not be sufficient to tell the exact species, but it helps narrow down to the primary classifications for which other features like bark, flowers, and acorns can help shortlist further to find the species. The leaves are a crucial aspect to consider when classifying and identifying types of oak trees in California. Chestnut oak – has dark yellow-green leaves, serrated at the edges with 7 or more lobesĬalifornia Oak Tree Leaves: How Can Leaves Identify Types of Oak Trees in California?.Black oak – has dark green leaves that widen at the ends and have more than 7 lobes.Shumard oak – has dark green, deeply indented leaves with 7 or more lobes.Pin oak – has thin leaves with several points and 5-7 lobes and they take vibrant colors during fall.Post oak – has dark green leathery leaves with 5 lobes.Red oak – has light green pointed leaves with 6-7 lobes.Bur oak – has flat-ended one-foot long dark green leaves with 7 or more lobes.White oak – has light green leaves that widen towards the tip with 5-7 lobes.You can classify oak trees by their leaf’s color, shape, and number of lobes.

What Are the Types of Oak Trees in California by Leaf? It is a giant tree when mature, reaching over 80 feet. You can also expect some plants to take a reddish shade, and the leaves tend to have pointier ends. Unlike white oaks, reds are darker, and the bark smoother unless some species with a few shallow ridges. They are also slimmer, and their branches are not as expansive, which may be ideal if you have a tiny space to plant. The rough bark makes them aesthetic for planting in your yard, and the size perfect for providing shade and inviting birds to the acorns.Ĭomparatively, the red oaks are not as giant as the white, although their size is still impressive, achieving an average of 70-75 feet but most stop growing at 60 feet.

The wood takes a lighter, ashier color, and the bark is usually rugged, featuring deep ridges, while the leaves are more rounded at the tips. They are also easy to care for and are drought-resistant. These variants are famous for their overwhelming heights, trunks, and span since an average one can reach 80 feet high. One of the easiest ways to identify a white oak is its size. All species fall into either of these groups, and if you want to plant one at your home in California, you should know all their features and how they play out against each other to help you pick a favorite. Oak trees are not the same but they only come in two colors, red or white. Live oaks are common in southern Europe and Asia and don’t necessarily have “live” in their names they are only referred to as that when planted in the US.Ĭalifornia Red Oak Tree vs. These live oaks are various species in different genera Quercus, sharing a common feature of evergreen leaves 7 that always maintain their leaves. It is a common phrase in northern parts of the US since their population in the warm regions is high. The trees symbolize strength with impressive heights of 65- 85 feet and wide canopies.

It means they can “live” through winter, having an advantage over other tree types that lose all their leaves by then. The term live oak comes from the ability of the species to retain its green color all year round, despite the seasons. California Live Oak Tree: Description and Facts
