Quercus garryana
Oregon white oak | |
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Mature Oregon white oak | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Fagaceae |
Genus: | Quercus |
Subgenus: | Quercus subg. Quercus |
Section: | Quercus sect. Quercus
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Species: | Q. garryana
|
Binomial name | |
Quercus garryana | |
Natural range | |
Synonyms[2] | |
List
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Quercus garryana is an oak tree species of the Pacific Northwest, with a range stretching from southern California to southwestern British Columbia.[3] It is commonly known as the Garry Oak, Oregon white oak or Oregon oak. It grows from sea level to an altitude of 690 feet (210 metres) in the northern part of its range, and from 980 to 5,900 ft (300 to 1,800 m) in the south of the range in California.[4] The eponymous Nicholas Garry was deputy governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Description
Quercus garryana is typically of medium height, growing slowly to around 80 feet (24 metres) and occasionally as high as 100 ft (30 m), or in
The Oregon white oak is commonly found in the
Individual specimens can grow to around 500 years in age, such as those on Sauvie Island near Portland, Oregon.[5]
Taxonomy
Taxonomic history
David Douglas was the first non-native person who recorded the species (1820s) and named it after Nicholas Garry, who was deputy governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1822 to 1835 and a supporter of Douglas.[5]
Varieties
There are three varieties:
- Quercus garryana var. garryana – tree to 65 (100) ft. British Columbia south along the Cascades to the California Coast Ranges.
- Quercus garryana var. breweri – shrub to 15 ft; leaves velvety underneath. Siskiyou Mountains.
- Quercus garryana var. semota – shrub to 15 ft; leaves not velvety underneath. Sierra Nevada.[8]
Distribution
In Oregon, the tree grows on the west side of the Cascade Range, primarily in the Willamette, Umpqua and Rogue River valleys, and along the Columbia River Gorge, as well as in canyons adjacent to the gorge.[9][10]
In California, the garryana variety grows in the foothills of the
In Washington, the tree grows on the west side of the Cascade Range, particularly in the Puget Sound lowlands, the northeastern Olympic Peninsula, Whidbey Island, the Chehalis river valley, and the San Juan Islands. It also grows in the foothills of the southeastern Cascades and along the Columbia River Gorge.[9][10]
In
Ecology
It is a drought-tolerant tree. Older specimens are often affected by heart rot.[5]
The acorns are consumed by wildlife and livestock.[6] David Douglas recorded that bears consumed them.[13]
In British Columbia, the Garry oak can be infested by three nonnative insects: the jumping gall wasp
While the invasive plant disease commonly called
Quercus garryana woodlands
Oregon white oak is the only native oak species in British Columbia, Washington, and northern Oregon. In these areas, oak woodlands are seral, or early-
Oregon white oak woodlands in British Columbia and Washington are critical habitats for a number of species that are rare or extirpated in these areas, plant, animal, and bryophyte:[15][16][17]
- Propertius duskywing butterfly Erynnis propertius, sole larval food plant is oak
- Bucculatrix zophopasta leaf-mining moth, sole larval food plant is oak
- Lewis woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
- Slender billed nuthatch Sitta carolinensisaculeata
- Sharp tailed snake Contia tenuis
- Western gray squirrel Sciurus griseus
- Western tanager Piranga ludoviciana
- Western wood peewee Contopus sordidulus
- Western bluebird Sialia mexicana
- Sessile trillium Trillium parviflorum
- Banded cord-moss Entosthodon fascicularis
- Apple moss Bartramia stricta
- (liverwort) Riccia ciliata
- Golden Paintbrush Castilleja levisecta
Quercus garryana woodlands create a landscape mosaic of grassland, savanna, woodland, and closed-canopy forest. This mosaic of varied habitats, in turn, allows many more species to live in this area than would be possible in coniferous forest alone. Parks Canada states that Garry oak woodlands support more species of plants than any other terrestrial ecosystem in British Columbia.[18] It grows in a variety of soil types, for instance, rocky outcrops, glacial gravelly outwash, deep grassland soils, and seasonally flooded riparian areas.[15][16]
The
Chionodes petalumensis caterpillars feed on oak leaves, including those of Quercus garryana[20] and valley oak (Q. lobata).[21]
Conservation
Oregon white oaks and their ecosystems are the focus of conservation efforts, including communities such as Tacoma, Washington, where an Oak Tree Park has been established; Oak Bay, British Columbia, which is named after the tree; and Corvallis, Oregon, which has protected the oak savannah remnants around Bald Hill.[22] Oak Harbor, Washington, named after the tree[23] and home to Smith Park that contains a dense grove of mature Garry Oak trees, is actively pursuing conservation of the city's namesake tree with the formation of the Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society.[24][25][26]
In Southwest Washington, significant acreages of Oregon white oaks are preserved in the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, in sites such as the Scatter Creek Unit, which contain some of the few remaining areas of south Puget Sound prairie.[27]
In Oak Bay, British Columbia, a fine of up to $10,000 may be issued for each Garry oak tree cut or damaged.[28]
Uses
The mildly sweet (but perhaps unpalatable) acorns are edible, ideally after leaching.[6][29] The bitterness of the toxic tannic acid would likely prevent anyone from eating enough to become ill.[29] Native Americans ate the acorns raw and roasted, also using them to make a kind of flour.[5]
The hardwood is hard and heavily ring-porous. It has distinctive growth rings and prominent rays. Heartwood can be a deep chocolate brown color and sapwood will vary from golden brown to nearly white. This makes it particularly attractive to woodworkers, however it can be difficult to use in woodworking without experiencing warping and cracking.
References
Footnotes
Citations
- . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Quercus garryana Douglas ex Hook.". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ "What is a Garry Oak?". Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c "GOERT". Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ OCLC 1141235469.
- ^ ISBN 0394507614.
- ISBN 978-0-88192-689-7.
- ^ a b USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Quercus garryana var. garryana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Burke Herbarium". University of Washington. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-87071-356-6.
- ^ "Sand Dune Ecosystems on Savary Island, B.C" (PDF). Savary Island Land Trust. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "Oak | the Canadian Encyclopedia".
- Bonanza Books. p. 426.
- ^ APHIS. "Phytophthora ramorum host list". USDA. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Dunn and Ewing (1997). Ecology and Conservation of the South Puget Sound Landscape. Seattle: The Nature Conservancy.
- ^ a b c Lea; Miles; McIntosh (2006). "Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team Colloquium" (PDF).
- ^ "Garry Oak Ecosystem Plants". Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ Parks Canada. "Garry Oak Ecosystems". Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- ^ "Why Are Oaks Disappearing?". Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ Tatum, J. B. Chionodes petalumensis. Archived 2016-10-29 at the Wayback Machine Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island. 2007.
- ^ C. petalumensis: Host plants. Natural History Museum, London.
- ^ Barnes, Marc (November 2003). "Bald Hill Oak Restoration". Oregon Oak Communities Working Group. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ Renninger, Laura. "Local Garry Oak History". Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ Newberry, Ron (April 11, 2015). "Group aims to save Garry oaks". Sound Publishing. Whidbey News Times. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "Preservation". Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ King 5 Staff (29 November 2016). "Oak Harbor Tries to Stay True to Its Roots". King 5 News. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Wildlife Areas | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife".
- ^ "Trees on Your Property - An Information Guide to Oak Bay's Tree Protection Bylaw" (PDF). Oak Bay B.C. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ^ OCLC 965922681.
- ^ Rudolph H., Knaack. "Woodturning with Garry Oak" (PDF). Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ Padilla, Natalie (21 July 2016). "Whiskey Review: Westland Distillery Garryana (Oregon Oak) Whiskey". The Whisket Wash. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ Dan Dunn (November 14, 2018), "Why Matt Hoffman is Bullish on Aging Whisky in Garry Oak", Robb Report
- ^ G. Clay Whittaker (August 29, 2018), "Westland's Newest Garryana Release Is the Must-buy American Single Malt of the Year", Men's Journal
- ^ "What is the best firewood to burn". Firewoodresource. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
External links
- Media related to Quercus garryana (category) at Wikimedia Commons
- Flora of North America: Quercus garryana
- [1]
- Plants of British Columbia: Quercus garryana
- [2]
- Province of British Columbia – Ministry of Environment: Garry Oak Ecosystem – PDF
- Province of British Columbia – Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations: Garry Oak
- Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team: Information about native plant gardening, propagation, removing invasive plants and events for beginners to professionals.
- Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society: A nonprofit organization devoted to Garry oak conservation on Whidbey Island whose website includes helpful resources on planting and protecting Garry oaks, and contemporary news and updates on issues facing Garry oaks in the Puget Sound Region of Washington State.