Scientific Name
Quercus turbinella ‘Shrub Live Oak’
Shrub live oak, also known as turbinella oak, is a shrubby and sometimes tree-like xeric-adapted oak found naturally in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and in a few small, isolated habitats in Colorado. Especially when propagated from material originating in the coldest parts of its native range, it has proven cold hardy here at Denver Botanic Gardens and elsewhere in our region, even prior to the warmer winters that have become the norm.
This is a member of the white oak group whose ¾-inch acorns mature in one year. It readily hybridizes with other southwestern oak species, most notably Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii). The species name turbinella means “little top” and refers to the shape of the acorn. The holly-like leaves are mostly evergreen and are edged with prominent spine-tipped teeth. The foliage is gray-green, tough and leathery, and may be woolly or hairy on the undersides.
This plant may mature as a shrub no more than 6 feet tall, but it can also develop into a single-stem tree reaching about 20 feet. It is extremely drought-tolerant and can grow in poor, rocky soils. It will often reproduce from root runners and form thickets.