Valley Oak Quercus Lobata
Valley Oak is a large deciduous oak with a spreading round shape that reaches 100 feet in height. Valley Oak is the largest of the California Oaks and perhaps the largest of all North American Oaks. The lobed leaves are typically 2 to 4 inches long and half as wide as they are long. Acorns vary widely in shape and size from 1 to almost 2 inches long.
Over the years and by location this oak has also collected a wide range of names (e.g. White Oak, Roble Oak, Weeping Oak, Water Oak, etc). These trees once cover huge valleys of California. Along the central coast they are most often found on the inland side of the range in gentle hillsides and flat valleys. They can reach an age of up to 600 years old.
Valley Oaks on the eastern side of the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Leaves 2-4 inches long with deep lobes and rounded tips.
The "alligator skin" bark is distinctive
Valley Oak in gentle canyons growing in open grasslands near chamise and ceanothus chaparral on the eastern flank of the Santa Lucias.