Quercus lobata
From California Natives Wiki
Species Name: Quercus lobata
Common Name: Valley Oak or Roble
- Said to be America's largest oak. Beautiful lobed leaves emerge bright green in spring; good fall color too. Prefers deep, rich soil and takes more water than other native oaks. It is a larval food plant for the Mournful Duskywing butterfly.
- Plant Family: Fagaceae
- Plant Type: Tree
- Height by Width: 30-90' H x 30' W
- Growth Habit: Broad-crowned, stout
- Deciduous/Evergreen: Winter deciduous
- Growth Rate: Moderate
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade
- Soil Preference: Adaptable
- Water Requirements: Infrequent to occasional
- Cold Hardy to: 5500'
- Flower Season: Spring
- Flower Color: Yellow
- Endangered?: Not Listed
- Distribution: Central Valley and surrounding foothills, Coast Ranges to Los Angeles County
- Natural Habitat: Rich loam in valleys and in foothills, savannahs
- Care and Maintenance
- History
- Introduced into cultivation in California by Theodore Payne.
- From California Native Plants, Theodore Payne's 1941 catalog: "Large deciduous tree of graceful habit with open head and often drooping branches. Rough brown bark; leaves deeply divided into 3 to 5 paris of lobes, green above, paler beneath. Foun in rich valleys and foothills. The largest of all the American oaks. Gallon cans, 50c; 5 gallon cans, $1.75. Bare roots December to March 3 to 4 feet, $1.50. Large boxed specimens, $75.00 to $150.00."
- Other Names
- References
- Bornstein, Carol, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien. California Native Plants for the Garden. Los Olivos, CA: Cachuma Press. 2005.
- Links
