How To Identify Plants At The SRP: How Species Are Defined

• A non-indented couplet key to distinguish the four most common species of oaks at the SRP:

  1. plant a tree (go to 2)
  1' plant a shrub (go to 3)

  2. leaves flat, bluish-gray or grayish-green .... Engelmann oak, Quercus engelmannii
  2' leaves with edges curled downward, green ..... coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia

  3. leaf margin mostly with no teeth or very minor teeth, leaves often longer than 30 mm (1.2") .... hybrid scrub oak, Quercus berberidifolia X Q. engelmannii
  3'. leaf margin mostly with evident teeth, leaves mostly less than 30 mm (1.2") long .... scrub oak, Quercus berberidifolia