View source for Quercus engelmannii

{{Short description|Species of oak tree}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Quercus_englmannii_sillouette.jpg
| image2 = Engelmannoak.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Beckman, E. |date=2017 |title=''Quercus engelmannii'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T34020A2840625 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T34020A2840625.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = G3
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref = <ref name = NatureServe>{{cite web |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.133490/Quercus_engelmannii |title=''Quercus engelmannii'' |access-date=24 June 2025 |work=NatureServe Explorer |publisher=[[The Nature Conservancy]]}}</ref>
| genus = Quercus
| display_parents = 2
| parent = Quercus sect. Quercus
| species = engelmannii
| authority = [[Edward Lee Greene|Greene]]
| range_map = Quercus engelmannii range map 1.png
| range_map_caption = Natural US range of ''Quercus engelmannii''
}}

'''''Quercus engelmannii''''', the '''Engelmann oak''' or '''Pasadena oak''', is a [[species]] of [[oak]] in the [[white oak]] section (''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''), native to [[Southern California]] and northwestern [[Baja California]], [[Mexico]].<ref name=Calflora>{{Calflora|Quercus engelmannii}}</ref><ref>{{Jepson Manual |first=John M. |last=Tucker |taxon=Quercus engelmannii}}</ref>

==Description==
''Quercus engelmannii'' is a small [[tree]] growing to {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=off}} tall, generally [[evergreen]], but may be drought-[[deciduous]] during the hot, dry local summers, and has a rounded or elliptical canopy. The bark is thick, furrowed, and light gray-brown. The [[leaves]] are leathery, {{convert|3|-|6|cm|frac=4|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|1|-|2|cm|frac=4|abbr=on}} broad, of a blue-green color, and may be flat or wavy, with smooth margins. The [[flower]]s are [[catkin]]s; the [[fruit]] is an [[acorn]] {{convert|1.5|-|2.5|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long, maturing 6–8&nbsp;months after pollination.<ref>{{eFloras|1|233501029|Quercus engelmannii |first=Kevin C. |last=Nixon |volume=3}}</ref>

The wood is dark brown and strong, but tends to warp and split upon drying, and is of low value as timber.

==Distribution==
The Engelmann oak ranges from the foothills of the [[San Gabriel Mountains]] in eastern [[Los Angeles County]] through the [[Santa Ana Mountains]] of [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] and the western foothills and mesas of the [[Peninsular Ranges]] in [[Riverside County, California|Riverside]] and [[San Diego County, California|San Diego]] counties, extending into the [[Sierra de Juárez|Sierra Juárez]] and [[Sierra de San Pedro Mártir]] ranges of northern Baja California. It is generally found in [[savanna]]s and [[woodland]]s above the dry [[coastal plain]], but below the {{convert|1300|m|ft|abbr=on}} elevation where colder winters prevail. The Engelmann oak has a smaller range than most California oaks, and [[suburban sprawl]] in the [[San Gabriel Valley]] has eliminated the oaks from most of the northern part of the range. The largest remaining stands of Engelmann oaks are on the [[Santa Rosa Plateau]], near [[Murrieta, California|Murrieta]] in Riverside County, and on [[Black Mountain, San Diego County, California|Black Mountain]] near [[Ramona, California|Ramona]] in San Diego County.<ref name=iucn/>

Fossil evidence shows that Engelmann oaks once had a wider range, extending through what is now the [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]] and [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]] deserts into eastern California and [[Arizona]]. The Engelmann oak is most closely related to the [[Arizona white oak]] ''(Q.&nbsp;arizonica)'' and [[Quercus oblongifolia|Arizona blue oak]] ''(Q.&nbsp;oblongifolia)'', which are native to the subtropical [[Madrean pine-oak woodlands|pine-oak woodlands]] of Arizona and northern Mexico. The Engelmann oak is considered to be the northernmost species of subtropical oak, which was isolated from its closest relatives to the east by the drying of the southwestern deserts.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Catalogue of Life | id=4R4VG | title=''Quercus engelmannii'' Greene}}
*{{CalPhotos|Quercus|engelmannii}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3009480}}

[[Category:Quercus|engelmannii]]
[[Category:Flora of California]]
[[Category:Flora of Baja California]]
[[Category:Oaks of Mexico]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands]]
[[Category:Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges]]
[[Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate]]
[[Category:Garden plants of North America]]
[[Category:Drought-tolerant trees]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1889]]