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Tanoak
Notholithocarpus densiflorus
  
6 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) 6 Nurseries Carry This Plant Notholithocarpus densiflorus, commonly known as the Tanoak or Tanbark-oak, is an evergreen tree in the family Fagaceae which includes Beeches, Oaks and Chestnuts. Despite its common name and the fact that it produces acorns, it is not a true Oak. This genus was formerly known as Lithocarpus and some sources may still refer to it by that name. It is native to the western United States, in California as far south as the Transverse Ranges and north to southwest Oregon. It is slow growing but can reach 40 meters tall (though 15-25 meters is more usual) and can have a trunk diameter of 60-190 centimeters. It is one of the species most seriously affected by "sudden oak death" (Phytophthora ramorum), with high mortality reported over much of the species' range.There are two recognized Varieties: Var. densiflorus is the more common. Var. echinoides is found in the more northerly part of the range.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
49.2 - 131.2 ft tall
50 ft wide

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate, Slow

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed , 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Habrodais grunus Image
Golden Hairstreak Habrodais grunusHabrodais grunus
Rectiostoma fernaldella Image
Stenomid Oak Leaf Tier Rectiostoma fernaldellaRectiostoma fernaldella
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Phryganidia californica Image
California Oak Moth Phryganidia californicaPhryganidia californica
*
Epinotia emarginana Image
Epinotia emarginanaEpinotia emarginana
*
Telphusa sedulitella Image
Telphusa sedulitellaTelphusa sedulitella
*
Perigonica angulata Image
Perigonica angulataPerigonica angulata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 3x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 6

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers deep woodland soil with high organic content and good drainage. Soil PH: 5.1 - 6.6

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Can be used with a wide variety of forest trees and shrubs such as Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Bull Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Fir (Abies sp.), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant), Ceanothus sp., Silk Tassel (Garrya elliptica or fremontii), Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor), Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), California Rose Bay (Rhododendron macrophyllum), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes sp.), Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) and California Grape (Vitis californica).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Follow guidelines for management of Phytophthora ramorum.

Propagation
Propagation?
Acorns

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Forests of the Coast Ranges and Sierras below 5,000 ft.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.9" - 153.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 4.96", Coldest Month: 10.0" - 58.8", Hottest Month: 33.4" - 87.5", Humidity: 0.01" - 38.31", Elevation: 7" - 13977"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Lithocarpus densiflorus
Common Names: Mutant Tanoak


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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