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Quercus garryana

Garry Oak

At a Glance: Beautiful, deciduous, heavy limbed oak tree.

Height: Up to 82 feet (25 meters).
Growth Form: Tree.
Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, deeply round-lobed oak leaves to 12 cm long, shiny dark green above, greenish-yellow and brown-hairy below; turn dull yellow; size: 12 cm (4.75 in) long.
Flowers: Male and female flowers tiny, inconspicuous; borne in separate inflorescences on the same tree, male flowers in hanging catkins, female flowers single or in small clusters; flowers as the leaves appear.
Flowering Period: April.
Fruits: Acorns, 2-3 cm long, in shallow, rough-surfaced cups; sweet, tannic, edible.


Photo © Heidi Bohan

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACU (facultative upland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

Berries

Seeds

Nectar for hummingbirds

Nectar for butterflies

Host for insect larvae

Thickets and shelter

Thorny or protective cover

Birds: Wood ducks, mallards, turkeys, band-tailed pigeons, quails, grouse, woodpeckers, nuthatches, thrushes, towhees, jays, and Clarks nutcrackers eat the acorns. Cavity nesting birds and other wildlife nest and roost in tree cavities.
Insects: Many insects are associated with oaks, certain butterfly larvae eat the leaves.
Mammals: Black bears, deer, muskrats, raccoons, tree squirrels, gophers, ground squirrels, and mice eat the acorns

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Cowlitz used Garry Oak wood to make combs and digging sticks, and burned it as a fuel.
Medicinal Uses: The Cowlitz boil the bark as a cure for tuberculosis.
Food Uses: Some native peoples used the acorns as food, but because of the lengthy tannin-leeching process, it was not relied on.

Suggested References

Brockman, F.C. 1968. A Guide to Field Identification: Trees of North America. Western Publishing Company. Page .
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 27.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 74.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 76.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 250.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 88.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 50.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 214.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from the Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.