Quercus dumosa
Quercus dumosa is a species of plant in the family Fagaceae, belonging to the white oak section of the oak genus (Quercus). This tree goes by the common names coastal sage scrub oak and Nuttall's scrub oak. Description Quercus dumosa is an evergreen shrub growing 1 to 3 metres (40–120 inches or 3–10 feet) tall from a large, deep root network. The leaves have spiny or toothed edges. The fruit is an acorn up to wide. Some individuals produce large crops of acorns, and some produce very few fruits. The acorns are dispersed by gravity as they fall from the tree, and by animals that pick them up, such as squirrels and jays. Animals eat them immediately or cache them for later. The acorns tend to germinate easily. Reproduction via seed generally occurs only in very moist years. Taxonomy The name Quercus dumosa was formerly widely applied to nearly all the scrub oaks of the white oak group of California and Baja California. The concept of this species has gradually narrowed as phylogenetic research and taxonomic treatments have segregated out several species. Oaks previously placed under Q. dumosa include: Q. turbinella Q. john-tuckeri Q. cornelius-mulleri Q. berberidifolia Q. pacifica However,