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Oaks of the World

The Sibley Guide to Trees

Common Names

canyon oak, maul oak, canyon live oak, goldencup oak

Canyon Live Oak, Goldcup Oak, Maul Oak, Iron Oak

Geographic Range

Mexico; Southwest United States; to 2700 m; introduced in Europe in 1877 by Ch. Sargent;

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Growth Habit

6-20 m tall; short, broad trunk; crown rounded to spreading; shrubby at high elevations;

Evergreen (leaves persist 3-4 years). Shrub to medium tree typically under 40’. Wide-spreading with dense dark crown, taller and more upright in canyons

Leaves

1.4-5 x 1-3 cm; evergreen; elliptic to oval; flat; apex pointed, base rounded; margins slightly revolute, minutely dentate or sometimes entire; thick, leathery; shiny dark green above; when young with golden tomentum beneath, then becoming bluish-grey with 4-8 rayed stellate hairs and some glandular ones; 8-15 vein pairs at an angle of 50° with midrib; petiole yellowish 3-12 mm, rusty pubescent, flattened underside;

2 1/2”
pointed, oval, flat, leathery
sometimes spiny toothed (especially on juvenile growth - compare to palmeri)
underleaf yellowish downy when fresh, later wearing to pale smooth bluish
usually narrown pointed (underleaf yellowish when fresh)
leaves on vigorous shoots often broader, spiny (underleaf blusih when worn)

Fruits (Acorns)

acorn 2-4 cm, ovoid, blunt-tipped, singly or paired; cup sessile or nearly so, 1.5-4 cm wide, shallow, thick, tomentose inside, with pubescent, flat or warty scales sometimes covered with yellow tomentum (hence the name “golden cup oak”); maturing in 2 years;

1”
extremely variable
cup shallow but often thickened and corky
covered with yellow-white wool

Flowers

in April-May; 7-9 stamens;

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Twigs

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golden brown
hairy to second year

Hardiness & Habitat

hardy; prefers moist, well-drained soils; very slow growing;

Common, especailly in moist canyons and on north-facing slopes.
Uncommon in cultivationb in CA, very rarely in WA
Zones 8-9

Additional Information

– A. Camus : n° 293; – Sub-genus Quercus, section Protobalanus ; – One of the most beautiful Californian oaks; wood hard, heavy; bearing flowers longer than other oaks; lives up to 300 years and more; – Resembles Q.cedrosensis , but the latter is shrubby and has much smaller and mostly entire leaves, and small acorns;

The most commonly seen and most variable oak in CA, and of the most variable oaks in NA.