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Blue Oak
Quercus douglasii
  
41 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) 41 Nurseries Carry This Plant The majestic blue oak is a drought-tolerant deciduous tree that provides food and shelter for local wildlife. It supports birds, squirrels and insects. It is a host plant for several species of butterflies and moths.

This tree gets its name from its blue-green leaves. The bark is pale gray and textured. Blue oaks are slow-growing, but can grow to 80+ feet in height. The canopy can spread to a width of 30 feet or more. It requires a good-sized planting area and does best on dry, well-drained slopes.
SelecTree: A Tree Selection Guide. (n.d.). Selectree.calpoly.edu. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/1234
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
16 - 82 ft tall
30 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Slow

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Cream, Green

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
A very large variety of wildlife is attracted to oaks. Many insects are attracted to Oaks generally, including the following butterflies, which use Oaks as host plant: California Sister, Propertius Duskywing, Mournful Duskywing, Golden Hairstreak, and Gold-Hunter's Hairstreak.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 11 confirmed , 159 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Erynnis tristis Image
Mournful Duskywing Erynnis tristisErynnis tristis
Satyrium auretorum Image
Gold Hunter's Hairstreak Satyrium auretorumSatyrium auretorum
Archips argyrospila Image
Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila
Malacosoma constricta Image
Pacific Tent Caterpillar Malacosoma constrictaMalacosoma constricta
Feralia februalis Image
Feralia februalisFeralia februalis
Dyseriocrania auricyanea Image
Dyseriocrania auricyaneaDyseriocrania auricyanea
Decodes fragariana Image
Decodes fragarianaDecodes fragariana

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 41

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as adequate drainage is provided. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Coffeeberry (Rhamnus species), Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus), Chaparral Whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis), Big Berry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca), Buckeye (Aesculus californica), Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides), other oaks (Quercus species), pines (Pinus species), and native grasses.

Maintenance
Maintenance
Young trees should be pruned for desired shape

Propagation
Propagation?
From acorns, although hybridization is common.For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds sow in fall outdoors or stratify to hold for spring sowing. If started indoors or in glasshouse, stratify first for 1.5 mos. (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8, 9*, 10, 11, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Rocky, hot, dry hillsides and slopes usually below 3,500 ft. in the Coast Ranges and foothills of the Sierra, often in large stands of Blue Oak Woodland or Blue Oak Savannah.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 7.8" - 71.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.08", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 56.2", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 80.0", Humidity: 0.53" - 27.98", Elevation: 6" - 11310"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Iron Oak, Mountain Oak


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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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