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29-566: Quercus agrifolia , the California live oak , or coast live oak , is an evergreen live oak native to the California Floristic Province . Live oaks are so-called because they keep living leaves on the tree all year, adding young leaves and shedding dead leaves simultaneously rather than dropping dead leaves en masse in the autumn like a true deciduous tree. Coast live oaks may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but

58-497: A cold or dry/wet season. Evergreen trees also lose leaves, but each tree loses its leaves gradually and not all at once. Most tropical rainforest plants are considered to be evergreens, replacing their leaves gradually throughout the year as the leaves age and fall, whereas species growing in seasonally arid climates may be either evergreen or deciduous. Most warm temperate climate plants are also evergreen. In cool temperate climates, fewer plants are evergreen. In such climates, there

87-731: A higher soil acidity and lower soil nitrogen content. This is the case with Mediterranean evergreen seedlings, which have unique C and N storages that allow stored resources to determine fast growth within the species, limiting competition and bolstering survival. These conditions favor the growth of more evergreens and make it more difficult for deciduous plants to persist. In addition, the shelter provided by existing evergreen plants can make it easier for younger evergreen plants to survive cold and/or drought. Evergreen plants can have decorative as well as functional uses. In months where most other plants are dormant, evergreens with their sturdy structure, and vibrant foliage are popular choices to beautify

116-517: A landscape. Additionally, evergreens can serve as a windbreak , stopping heat loss from buildings during cold months when placed on the northwest side of a structure. Luigi Anguillara Luigi Anguillara , actually Luigi Squalermo , (born c. 1512 in Anguillara Sabazia , died September 1570 in Ferrara ) was an Italian botanist . Little is known about Anguillara's early life. From 1539, he

145-420: A larger volume of parenchyma and air spaces per unit leaf area. They have larger leaf biomass per unit leaf area, and hence a lower specific leaf area . Construction costs do not differ between the groups. Evergreens have generally a larger fraction of total plant biomass present as leaves (LMF), but they often have a lower rate of photosynthesis. Deciduous trees shed their leaves usually as an adaptation to

174-640: A much-branched trunk and reaches a mature height of 10–25 metres (33–82 feet). Some specimens may attain an age exceeding 1,000 years. Examples of this include the Grand Oak of Cherry Valley, California , the Encino Oak Tree , which died in the 1990s (part of the stump has been preserved) and the Pechanga Great Oak. The tree is extremely drought-tolerant. [3] The trunk, particularly for older individuals, may be highly contorted, massive and gnarled. The crown

203-464: A single layer of photosynthetic cells. The convex leaf shape may be useful for interior leaves which depend on capturing reflected light scattered in random directions from the outer canopy. The leaf shape may be also useful as condensation surfaces for "dew and mist, which would allow the tree to survive years with limited rainfall". The flowers are produced in early-to-mid spring; the male flowers are pendulous catkins 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long,

232-454: A very detailed knowledge of Mediterranean plants as a result. He may also have taught medicine in Ferrara and he probably died there from the plague. Anguillara is known for his sole work, Semplici , which was written between 1549 and 1560. It describes 1,540 plants, their medicinal properties, and where they are found. The descriptions are clear enough that historians are able to identify most of

261-438: Is a predominance of conifers because few evergreen broadleaf plants can tolerate severe cold below about −26 °C (−15 °F). In addition, evergreen foliage experiences significant leaf damage in these cold, dry climates. Root systems are the most vulnerable aspect of many plants. Even though roots are insulated by soil, which tends to be warmer than average air temperatures, soil temperatures that drop too low can kill

290-835: Is attested at the private botanical gardens of Luca Ghini in Bologna and in 1544 in Pisa . In 1546, he was the first director of the Botanical Gardens in Padua . There he remained until 1561, when an argument with the botanists Ulisse Aldrovandi (Director of the Orto Botanico di Bologna ) and Pietro Andrea Mattioli led him to depart for Ferrara , where he served as Botanist of the Duke of Ferrara and continued his travels. Anguillara ranged widely over Greece , Italy , France , and Asia Minor and developed

319-475: Is broadly rounded and dense, especially when aged 20 to 70 years; in later life the trunk and branches are more well defined and the leaf density lower. The oldest specimens might exceed 6 m (20 ft) in trunk circumference and 30 m (100 ft) in height. The leaves are dark green, oval, often convex in shape, 2–7 centimetres ( 3 ⁄ 4 – 2 + 3 ⁄ 4 inches) long and 1–4 cm ( 1 ⁄ 2 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) broad;

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348-571: Is generally a medium-sized tree. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range from Mendocino County , California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section of oaks ( Quercus sect. Lobatae ). This species is commonly sympatric with canyon live oak ( Q. chrysolepis ), and the two may be hard to distinguish because their spinose leaves are superficially similar. Coast live oak typically has

377-514: The Pacific Ocean at elevations less than 700 m (2,300 ft), in southern California it occasionally occurs at up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in elevation. It is the only California native oak that thrives in the coastal environment, although it is rare on the immediate shore; it enjoys the mild winter and summer climate afforded by ocean proximity, and it is somewhat tolerant of aerosol-borne sea salt. The coastal fog supplies relief from

406-495: The 18th century, Spaniards in the San Fernando Valley used the wood for charcoal to fire kilns in making adobe . Later this form of charcoal would be utilized in the baking, gunpowder and electric power industries. In the 18th and 19th centuries shipbuilders sought out the odd angular branches to make special joints. Pioneers moving west would harvest small amounts for making farm implements and wagon wheels, but

435-591: The Coast Live Oak. In 8–10 year cycles, the caterpillar will appear in sufficient abundance to denude healthy trees. The trees recover, and botanists speculate that the species provide mutual benefit, possibly in the form of fertilizer for the oak. The coast live oak is also the only known foodplant of Chionodes vanduzeei caterpillars . Live oak trees, among other western oaks, are also known to support acorn woodpeckers, which store their acorns in tree trunks and remove them when they want to eat. The pollen of

464-587: The Los Angeles community of Encino , Encinitas near San Diego , and Encinal del Temescal, now the city of Oakland . Paso Robles (fully 'El Paso de Robles' or 'Pass of the Oaks') also refers to the ubiquitous live oaks in the region as a geographical place name. Evergreen There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, including trees , shrubs , and vines. Evergreens include: The Latin binomial term sempervirens , meaning "always green", refers to

493-479: The Modern Italian ' Agrifoglio ,' meaning ' holly .' Normally the tree is found on well-drained soils of coastal hills and plains, often near year-round or perennial streams . It may be found in several natural communities including coast live oak woodland, Engelmann oak woodland, valley oak woodland and both northern and southern mixed evergreen forests. While normally found within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of

522-476: The area in which they reside. The excellent water economy within the evergreen species is due to high abundance when compared to deciduous species. Whereas deciduous trees lose nutrients whenever they lose their leaves. In warmer areas, species such as some pines and cypresses grow on poor soils and disturbed ground. In Rhododendron , a genus with many broadleaf evergreens, several species grow in mature forests but are usually found on highly acidic soil where

551-405: The coast live oak is a severe allergen. Pollination occurs in spring. At least twelve distinct cultures of Native Americans are known to have consumed the acorns as a dietary staple. The seeds were ground into meal, which after being washed was boiled into mush or baked in ashes to make bread. A particular usefulness of the tree lies in its ability to yield acorns in winter season as well [4] . In

580-546: The evergreen nature of the plant, for instance: The longevity of individual leaves in evergreen plants varies from a few months to several decades (over 30 years in the Great Basin bristlecone pine ). Japanese umbrella pine is unique in that it has its own family of which it is the only species. Evergreen and deciduous species vary in a range of morphological and physiological characters. Generally, broad-leaved evergreen species have thicker leaves than deciduous species, with

609-888: The female flowers inconspicuous, less than 0.5 cm ( 1 ⁄ 4  in) long, with 1–3 clustered together. The fruit is a slender reddish brown acorn 2–3.5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) long and 1–1.5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 8 – 5 ⁄ 8  in) broad, with the basal quarter enclosed in a cupule ; unusually for a red oak, the acorns mature about 7–8 months after pollination (most red oak acorns take 18 months to mature). There are two varieties of Quercus agrifolia : Several hybrids between coast live oak and other red oak species have been documented. Hybrids with interior live oak ( Q. wislizenii ) are known in many areas in northern California. Coast live oak also hybridizes with Shreve oak ( Q. parvula var. shrevei ). All these oak species show evidence of introgression with one another. In naming

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638-418: The greatest impact was the wholesale clearing of oak woodlands to erect sprawling cities such as San Diego and San Francisco . The irregular shape often let the tree escape widespread harvest for building timbers, and also led the early settlers to endow the coast live oak with mystical qualities. Its stateliness has made it a subject of historical landscape painters throughout California modern history since

667-420: The leaf margin is spiny-toothed (spinose), with sharp thistly fibers that extend from the lateral leaf veins. The outer layers of leaves are designed for maximum solar absorption, containing two to three layers of photosynthetic cells. These outer leaves are deemed to be small in size to more efficiently re-radiate the heat gained from solar capture. Shaded leaves are generally broader and thinner, having only

696-435: The mid-19th century. Coast live oak has also become a common addition to western US landscaping . It is however sensitive to changes in grading and drainage; in particular, it is important to respect the root crown level and avoid adding soil near the trunk when construction or landscaping occurs. Also, if incorporating it into a landscaping scheme with artificial irrigation, it is important to avoid regular watering within

725-423: The nutrients are less available to plants. In taiga or boreal forests , it is too cold for the organic matter in the soil to decay rapidly, so the nutrients in the soil are less easily available to plants, thus favoring evergreens. In temperate climates, evergreens can reinforce their own survival; evergreen leaf and needle litter has a higher carbon-nitrogen ratio than deciduous leaf litter , contributing to

754-493: The oak's drip line (canopy), since wet soil in the summer increases infection rates by soil-borne Phytophthora diseases like sudden oak death . Santa Maria–style barbecue is grilled over coals of coast live oak. The coast live oak, especially in its Spanish forms encino or encina , encinitas "little oaks", and encinal "oak grove", gave its name to seven land grants across California and to many communities and geographic features. These include Rancho Los Encinos ,

783-448: The plant. The exact temperature which evergreen roots can handle depends on the species, for example, Picea Glauca (White Spruce) roots are killed at −10 °F (−23 °C). In areas where there is a reason for being deciduous, e.g. a cold season or dry season, evergreen plants are usually an adaptation of low nutrient levels. Additionally, they usually have hard leaves and have an excellent water economy due to scarce resources in

812-410: The rainless California summer heat. It is the dominant overstory plant of the coast live oak woodland habitat, often joined by California bay laurel and California buckeye north of Big Sur . Associated understory plants include toyon , various manzanitas and western poison-oak . The California oak moth ( Phryganidia californica ) caterpillar subsists entirely on living and fallen leaves of

841-484: The species, Née compared it to a species illustrated in Leonard Plukenet 's Phytographia under the descriptive name " Ilex folio agrifolii americana, forte agria, vel aquifolia glandifera " which Plukenet had compared, in his Almagestum botanicum , to Luigi Anguillara 's Agrifolia glandifera , the noun ' Agrifolia ' being a Medieval Latin form of ' Aquifolium ' meaning a holly or holly-leaved oak, and related to

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