Taxon Report

Quercus turbinella Greene

shrub live oak

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Quercus turbinella, commonly known as shrub live oak, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Fagaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1200 to 2000 meters. Quercus turbinella is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Quercus turbinella Greene
Common Name:	shrub live oak
Family:	Fagaceae
Element Code:	PDFAG05270
USDA Plants Symbol:	QUTU2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	1200-2000 (3935-6560)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	IUCN_LC
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ivanpah (3511533), Pinto Valley (3511523), Whipple Wash (3411433)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Known in CA only from the New York Mtns. Formerly considered more closely related to Q. john-tuckeri, which was based on Q. turbinella ssp. californica. See Illustrations of Western American Oaks p. 37 (1889) by E.L. Greene 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].