May 12, 2011
The UC Hopland Research & Extension Center has quite a medley of oak species at the Center with over a dozen species occurring (19 species currently accepted as native in California). The Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) is a deciduous (looses its leaves in winter) oak, and this photo shows the bright, new foliage that has just emerged. Found in mixed evergreen forests, oak woodlands, and coniferous forests in California and Oregon, this oak produces acorns that were historically a favorite food of Native American tribes because of lesser amounts of tannins as compared to other oak species' acorns.
