Taxon Report

Quercus parvula Greene var. tamalpaisensis S.K. Langer

Tamalpais oak

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Taxon Summary

Quercus parvula var. tamalpaisensis, commonly known as Tamalpais oak, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Fagaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 100 to 750 meters. Quercus parvula var. tamalpaisensis is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Quercus parvula Greene var. tamalpaisensis S.K. Langer
Common Name:	Tamalpais oak
Family:	Fagaceae
Element Code:	PDFAG051Q3
USDA Plants Symbol:	QUPAT
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-Apr	Mar-Apr
Elevation:	100-750 (330-2460)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G4T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	19
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	16

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bolinas (3712286), San Geronimo (3812216), San Rafael (3712285)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	16 %
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	10%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	1	5%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	5%
Improper burning regime	1	5%
Other	1	5%

Notes



Known only from Mt. Tamalpais. May hybridize with Q. wislizeni var. frutescens. Not in The Jepson Manual. See Four Seasons 9(3):21-30 (1993) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 October 2025].