A native we do not grow
California Black Oak
Quercus kelloggii. Large tree, 40 to 80 feet where planted, zones 7 to 9; full sun or part shade; dry or average ground.
We do not grow California black oak, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Kellogg oak |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 40 to 80 where planted; up to 124 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 50 |
| Zones | 7 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Growth | Medium |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value, erosion control |
| Flowers | March to May |
| Fruit | Acorns, August to December |
| First crop | 30 years (large crops seldom before 80 to 100) |
| Pollination | Needs a second, unrelated tree. The flowers are wind pollinated, and an acorn crop wants another oak nearby, since oaks seldom set acorns with their own pollen. |
| Lifespan | Usually lives 100 to 200 years and can live 500, and the oldest dated one reached 356. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Planting season | Fall. The NRCS plant guide finds seedlings planted in fall or winter grow and survive better than spring ones, and Silvics reports good results from unwatered fall plantings. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Dry uplands, rocky ground and rich moist slopes |
| Native in | 2 states |
California black oak is native in 2 states: California and Oregon. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and the Fire Effects Information System.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of California black oak's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, Cal Poly's SelecTree, the Wildflower Center, Calscape and the US Forest Service.