Quercus turbinella

Common Names

Sonoran Scrub Oak, Turbinella Oak, Shrub Live Oak, Scrub Oak, Scrub Live Oak, Desert Scrub Oak, Arizona Shrub Oak, Gray Oak, Encino, Encinillo, Shrub Oak, Turbinella

Summary

Sonoran scrub oak is an evergreen shrub or small tree that commonly forms dense thickets, typically 3–12 ft tall though taller individuals occur, with rigid branches and leathery leaves that are oblong-elliptic with sharp spinose teeth; new growth is reddish before maturing to gray-green with yellow-green undersides, and leaves persist through winter. Flowers are greenish and unisexual, and fruits are acorns about 12–25 mm long with turbinate cups; native to dry desert slopes and chaparral, it occurs in the pinyon–juniper woodlands at elevations around 600–2300 m in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, often forming putative hybrid swarms with other oaks.

For cultivation, it prefers sun and well-drained soils and is highly drought-tolerant, thriving in sandy to clay loams and tolerating a wide range of conditions; in landscapes it functions as a low-water evergreen shrub or screen and provides wildlife browse, while acorns have historical edible uses after processing and wood has been used for tools and fuel. Propagation is via acorns and rhizomes, with thickets maintained by vegetative spread; it is fire-adapted, frequently resprouting after fire, and may require management such as prescribed burns to reduce sprouting; drought can limit seedling establishment, but the plant offers erosion control and long-term revegetation benefits in suitable arid landscapes.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

3-18 feet

Spread

4-8 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5-10

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun; tolerates partial sun.

Soil Type

Well-drained soil, sandy to clay loams

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

slightly acidic to mildly alkaline soils

Bloom Color

Greenish

Bloom Time

Spring (March–June)

Foliage Color

Gray-green to yellow-green above; yellow-green below.

Fall Foliage Color

Green (evergreen)

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

2–4 ft per year

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, and birds