A picturesque evergreen tree with many large,...

A picturesque evergreen tree with many large, crooked, spreading branches and a broad-shaped crown, the coast live oak enhances the beauty and charm of the California landscape. Also known as the California live oak, the tree has a short, stout trunk and, although it can reach up to 80 feet, it is sometimes shrubby. It also is called the holly leaf oak.

The coast live oak ( Quercus agrifolia ) can be 3 feet in diameter, sometimes more. Its leaves are oblong or elliptical and short-pointed or rounded at both ends. The leaves are 3/4 to 2 1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches wide. They are shiny dark green on the top and yellowish green and often hairy beneath.

The tree’s dark brown bark is thick and furrowed. Its acorns are slender and oval-shaped.

This species is the common oak of the California coast and foothills. It usually is found below 3,000 feet in valleys and canyons.

Oak trees long have figured in the state’s history and folklore, serving as living symbols of enduring strength and permanence, writes Frank T. Hovore of Santa Clarita’s Placerita Canyon Nature Center in his essay “Oak Trees: A Heritage in Peril.”

Numerous cities and towns have been named after them, according to Hovore, including Oakland, Encino, Paso Robles, Sherman Oaks and Thousand Oaks. They are disappearing because of increased development.