Scrub Oak

Quercus berberidifolia, the California scrub oak, is a small evergreen or semi- evergreen shrubby oak in the white oak section of Quercus. It is a native of the scrubby hills of California, and is a common member of chaparral ecosystems.

In California, most acorns were an important food of the native Californians. However, acorns of scrub oak were ignored or used only as a last resort. Scrub oak nuts contain higher levels of tannins, and may need more extensive treatment to make them edible.

The Kumeyaay in Baja California and Chumash in coastal central California, used the hard scrub oak wood for firewood and for a variety of constructed products including clubs, bowls, and throwing sticks. The Kumeyaay cut the wood during a full moon, to ensure maximum strength. They heated the wood in a bed of coals to make it more flexible and bent it to shape around rocks.

Quercus berberidifolia grows to 1–2 metres (3 1⁄2–6 1⁄2 ft) tall, rarely to 4 m (13 ft), and has sharply toothed, dull green leaves which are 1.5–3 centimetres (5⁄8–1 1⁄8 inches) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2– 1 in) broad, leathery on their top surfaces and somewhat hairy underneath.