Garry Oak
The Garry Oak , also known as Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern
California to extreme southwestern
British Columbia, in particular on
Vancouver Island and the
Gulf Islands. It grows at 60-210 m altitude in the north of the range in British Columbia, and at 300-1800 m in the south of the range in California. The tree is named after Nicholas Garry, deputy governor of the
Hudson's Bay Company, 1822-35.
It is a drought tolerant
tree, typically of medium height, growing slowly to around 20m or just a
shrub to 3-5 m tall, with the characteristic oval profile of other
oaks when solitary, but is also known to grow in groves close enough together that their crowns form a canopy.
Encyclopedia
The
Garry Oak , also known as
Oregon White Oak or
Oregon Oak, has a range from southern
California to extreme southwestern
British Columbia, in particular on
Vancouver Island and the
Gulf Islands. It grows at 60-210 m altitude in the north of the range in British Columbia, and at 300-1800 m in the south of the range in California. The tree is named after Nicholas Garry, deputy governor of the
Hudson's Bay Company, 1822-35.
It is a drought tolerant
tree, typically of medium height, growing slowly to around 20m or just a
shrub to 3-5 m tall, with the characteristic oval profile of other
oaks when solitary, but is also known to grow in groves close enough together that their crowns form a canopy. The
leaves are
deciduous, 5-15 cm long and 2-8 cm broad, with 3-7 deep lobes on each side. The
flowers are
catkins, the
fruit a small
acorn 2-3 cm long and 1.5-2 cm broad, with shallow, scaly cups.
The Oregon White Oak is commonly found in the
Willamette Valley hosting the
American Mistletoe . It is also commonly found hosting a green or yellow ball of up to 5 cm in size, attached to the underside of some of the leaves. This abnormal growth is formed by the oak around a colony of wormlike larvae belonging to one of several species of tiny
wasps. The most common species responsible for these galls is
Cynips maculipennis.
There are three varieties:
- Quercus garryana var. garryana – tree to 20 m. British Columbia south along the Cascades to the California Coast Ranges.
- Quercus garryana var. breweri – shrub to 5 m; leaves velvety underneath. Siskiyou Mountains.
- Quercus garryana var. semota – shrub to 5 m; leaves not velvety underneath. Sierra Nevada.
History and uses
Before the European
settlers came into the Willamette Valley, the oaks were mostly open-grown individual trees due to periodic summer
wildfires, and the burning practices of the native Calapuya people. Since the settlers did not continue this practice, and actually suppressed most naturally occurring fires, the intervening land was soon covered with seedling oaks which grew vertically and formed a closed canopy. Remnants of the old open-grown oaks are still found in these closed oak stands.
Although the wood has a beautiful grain, it is is difficult to season without warping and therefore the Garry Oak has not historically been regarded as having any commercial value and is frequently destroyed as land is cleared for development. However, Garry Oaks and their ecosystems are the focus of conservation efforts, including in communities such as Oak Bay, British Columbia, which is named after the tree, and
Corvallis, Oregon. Moreover, recently the
wood, which is similar to that of other white oaks, has been used experimentally in
Oregon for creating
casks in which to age wine.
References and notes
Cited references
General references
