Valley Oak
Quercus lobata
The largest oak in North America, a majestic deciduous giant of California's valleys with deeply lobed leaves and long acorns. Needs deep soil and plenty of room. Its acorns are unusually sweet and low in tannin among oaks, needing little leaching before grinding into flour.
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 100–100 ft
- Spacing
- 30–50 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- butterflies, pollinators, mammals, songbirds
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~557 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen
- Native states
- CA
Related native plants
More Quercus species
- Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
- Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
- White Oak (Quercus alba)
- Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
- Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)
- Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)