Canyon Live Oak

Canyon Live Oak

One of the West Coast’s finest evergreen oaks, the Canyon Live Oak, also known as the golden cup oak for its beautiful golden acorns cupules or caps that cover the acorn, is a large growing and extremely drought tolerant evergreen tree. Growing on slopes and canyons throughout the California Coast Range, Siskiyou Mountains, and Sierra Nevadas all the way down into Mexico this is a variable and diverse species that takes many different forms. A proven street tree in Portland and far superior to the overly planted New England species that are slowly suffering towards a less-than-elegant death due to the lack of summer water. If every Red Maple in town were replaced with Quercus chrysolepis we’d find ourselves in a much more lush city in winter and a cooler one in summer.

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Latin Name: Quercus chrysolepis
Site and Soil: Oaks like 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile. Will freely hybridize with some other Quercus species planted nearby
Hardiness: Likely hardy to 5F.
Bearing Age: 4-5 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 10-20 ft.
Bloom Time: June
Ripening Time: October
Yield: 100+ lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Sudden Oak Death can be an issue for Quercus species in Southwest Oregon and California but so far we have not seen it affecting the oaks in the Portland Metro area
USDA Zone: 7