Dwarf Hackberry
Celtis tenuifolia Small tree Zones 4–9 15–30 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Gambel Oak
Quercus gambelii. Small tree, 10 to 40 feet where planted, zones 4 to 8; full sun; dry or average ground.
We do not grow Gambel 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 | Rocky Mountain white oak, Utah white oak |
|---|---|
| Form | Small tree |
| Height, feet | 10 to 40 where planted; up to 114 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 30 |
| Zones | 4 to 8 |
| Sun | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Growth | Slow |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value, edible, erosion control |
| Flowers | March to June |
| Fruit | Acorns, August to October |
| 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 | Typically lives 90 years, and the oldest dated one reached 406. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Toxicity | The leaves, young ones blackened by frost most of all, and the young shoots are poisonous to cattle. |
| Ground | Dry uplands and rocky ground |
| Native in | 8 states |
Gambel oak is native in 8 states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from the Fire Effects Information System and the Woody Plant Seed Manual. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in South Dakota, where it is naturalized, not native.
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 Gambel oak's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Little Walnut
Juglans microcarpa Small tree Zones 5–9 20–30 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Plateau Live Oak
Quercus fusiformis Small tree Zones 5–10 20–40 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Gum Bumelia
Sideroxylon lanuginosum Small tree Zones 5–10 15–45 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Rusty Blackhaw
Viburnum rufidulum Small tree Zones 5–9 10–20 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Ozark Chinquapin
Castanea ozarkensis Small tree Zones 5–8 15–30 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the Wildflower Center, Cal Poly's SelecTree, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, Utah State University Extension, Colorado State University Extension and Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research.