Quercus gambelii (kware’-kus gam-bell’-ee-eye)
Family: Fagaceae, Beech

Key Steps

• 1b – Alternate leaf arrangement — go to 18
  • 18a – Leaf simple — go to 19
    • 19b – Thornless — go to 22
      • 22d – All leaves lobed — go to 23
        • 23a – Pinnate venation — go to 24
          • 24a – Leaves clustered toward stem tip. Pith is 5-angled or star-shaped — go to 25
            • 25b – Tips of lobes are rounded or blunt; no bristles at tips of lobes — go to 27
              • 27b – Leaf base is wedge-shaped or round. White-gray and hairy beneath — go to 28
                • 28c – Deep lobes. Somewhat shrub-like, forming a thicket — Scrub Oak

Description

Leaf: Rounded, deep lobes (variable), no bristle tip. Lobes may begin about halfway up from the base of leaf. Sinuses are small and shallow. Leaf is glossy above, slightly hairy beneath.

Bud: 10+ scales overlap each other.

Leaf Scar: Raised, half round. 12 or more bundle scars.

Stem: Fairly slender, light brown-gray.

Pith: Solid, 5-angled or star-shaped.

Flower: Catkins. Male: 1″ long. Female: tiny, in clusters in leaf axil.

Fruit: Acorn. Cap encloses about half the acorn. No fringe on acorn cap.

Habit: Dense thicket. Multi-stemmed. 15-30 feet tall.

Culture: Full sun. Low moisture requirement. Well-drained, low alkalinity preferred.

Resources

• Identifying Broadleaf Flowering Trees and Shrubs, CMG GardenNotes #173
• List of trees in this key
• Glossary of Terms
• Front Range Tree Recommendation List
• Online CSU Extension publications on Tree and Shrub Selection