Oaks

They have shaped human culture in a myriad of ways, providing sturdy timber to build homes, furniture, and wine barrels. We harvest the bark from cork oak (Quercus suber) to craft corks for fine wine. For thousands of years indigenous peoples have relied on acorns as an important source of food, and ancient manuscripts were written using ink made from oak galls. The name Quercus is possibly derived from two Celtic words, “quer” meaning fine, and “cuez” meaning tree. Indeed, it truly is a ‘fine tree’!

Oaks are considered a keystone species, supporting an ecosystem that largely depends on the tree. Many life forms rely on oaks for their survival including birds, mammals, insects and fungi. Remove the tree and the ecosystem will be altered drastically. Preserving and protecting this iconic genus is critical to maintaining healthy habitats for the planet.

Comprising around 430 species, oaks are found in forest and shrubland ecosystems throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The Garden has 62 different kinds of oaks located throughout the collections, represented by 120 unique accessions. That’s about 14% of the 430 known species. In addition to species from the USA and Mexico, we have trees from China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Japan, Spain, Turkey, Canada and Bhutan.

Oaks are included in 7 of our 9 geographic regions: Asia, California, Deserts of the Americas, Eastern North America, Mediterranean, Mexico/Central America, South America, and one ethnobotanic collection, Crops of the World, where the cork oak (Quercus suber) is located.

California has 19 native oak species plus hybrids. The Garden has 16 of these species and 2 hybrids. Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) is our most abundant evergreen species in the Garden and in Strawberry Canyon. Its acorns mature in 6-8 months.

The Garden’s oak collection is a nationally accredited collection recognized by the American Public Garden’s Plant Collection Network. The Plant Collections Network coordinates a continent-wide approach to plant germplasm preservation, and promotes excellence in plant collections management. The Garden is also a participant in the Global Conservation Consortium for Oaks.

Banner image: Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) by Saxon Holt