Coastal Sage Scrub Oak vs Emory Oak

Quercus dumosa compared with Quercus emoryi

Key Differences

• Coastal Sage Scrub Oak is Endangered while Emory Oak is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Sage Scrub Oak	Emory Oak
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)
Family same	Fagaceae (Beech Family)	Fagaceae (Beech Family)
Genus same	Quercus (Oaks)	Quercus (Oaks)
Species	Quercus dumosa	Quercus emoryi

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Sage Scrub Oak and Emory Oak share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Quercus. (Oaks)

Conservation Status

Coastal Sage Scrub Oak

EN — Endangered

Emory Oak

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Sage Scrub Oak	Emory Oak
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Sage Scrub Oak

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Emory Oak

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Coastal Sage Scrub Oak

Coastal sage scrub oak (Quercus dumosa) is a small evergreen oak in the family Fagaceae, endemic to the California Floristic Province, occurring in fragmented populations across coastal and foothill areas of southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. It grows in coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities on thin, rocky, or sandy soils, typically below 900 metres elevation. This shrubby oak rarely exceeds 2 metres and produces small, spiny-margined evergreen leaves and acorns that provide critical food for acorn woodpeckers, scrub jays, mule deer, and other wildlife. Quercus dumosa is assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, with its range having contracted severely due to urbanisation of the Southern California coast, fire suppression altering vegetation dynamics, invasive annual grasses, and prolonged drought associated with climate change. Many populations are now isolated fragments in remaining coastal sage scrub, one of the most threatened plant communities in North America. The species is protected under various Californian conservation plans, and seed banking and restoration planting efforts are ongoing to bolster declining populations.