National Botanic Garden of Wales, United Kingdom

Common name: island oak, Channel Islands oak, island live oak

Family: Fagaceae (Beech)

Distribution: California to Mexico

Habitat: Forest

IUCN Red list: Endangered

Life form: Evergreen tree • Coeden bythwyrdd

Geirdarddiad / Etymology: Quercus (KWER-kus): The old Latin name for an oak.

Geirdarddiad / Etymology: tomentella (toh-men-TELL-a): Tomentous; covered with short dense hairs.

Description: A fast growing, 10-15 metre tall tree with smooth gray bark that ages to a rougher brown with age. It is generally upright and nearly conical in its youth and broadening with a pyramidal crown with age. It has leathery 5 to 10 centimetre long elliptical shaped leaves, dark green on top and blue-green with tan hairs below with the margins having sharp widely spaced teeth. The large 2.5 centimetre long acorns with a rounded apex sit in a warty thick walled cup and ripen in autumn.