Oak, Canby

The Canby Oak (Mexican Red Oak) is a medium size oak under 60 feet tall that is highly tolerant to heat, drought, alkaline soil and pests. Other local names for this tree include chisos oak, slender oak or graceful oak. This popular oak was first found near Monterey, Mexico. It has leaves that resemble the Red Oak, but much smaller. It grows to over 40 feet tall. This tree is a fast grower and is quite adaptable. Fall color is subdued, but interesting. It is a fast growing tree and thus shows good growth in a shorter time than other oaks. It produces a small to medium size acorn which is eaten by a variety of wildlife. When young, it has gray bark. Its crown growth habit is it is upright forming a compact pyramid with branches that turn slightly upward.

The LEAVES are 3-4 x 0.79-1.18 in; semi-evergreen or lately deciduous; thick, leathery; lanceolate to narrowly elliptical; apex pointed, attenuate; base rounded or cuneate; margin thick, revolute, with 4 pairs of shallow bristle-tipped dentate lobes, or sometimes entire; shiny green, hairless above; dull, reddish-brown beneath with sometimes axil tufts; 4-8 vein pairs; petiole hairless, slender, flexible, 0.40-0.80 in long.

The FLOWERS bloom April-May; male catkins 1.18-2.0 in long; pistillate catkins 0.20-0.40 in long, 1 or 2-flowered.

The FRUIT is a smallish acorn 0.60 in, narrow; stalkless; singly or paired; cup very shallow covering 1/4 or 1/3 of nut; maturing in 1 or 2 years.

The BARK brown green, smooth, becoming dark grey, warty, sulcate.

TWIGS are red brown, shiny, thin (0.04-0.08 in diameter), soon glabrous, with light lenticels; TERMINAL BUD red brown, ovoid, 0.06-0.20 in, shortly ciliate.