A classic California oak confirmed growing on an Oakland street
iNaturalist: jaylonniei
Native Plants
The gnarled evergreen oak shading an Oakland sidewalk is a living remnant of the woodland that once covered the East Bay hills, and every confirmed sighting helps track how well this native tree is holding on amid development.
Someone walking around Oakland spotted a coast live oak and snapped a photo, uploading it to a nature app where other plant lovers checked the ID and agreed it was correct. That agreement makes it 'research grade,' meaning scientists can actually use this exact sighting, with its date and location, in real studies about where this tree grows.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist through community identification consensus
Location recorded as Richmond Blvd, Oakland, CA, placing the tree within its native coastal California range
Species confirmed as Quercus agrifolia, an evergreen oak native to the California coast
chevron_right Technical Summary
A coast live oak spotted on Richmond Blvd in Oakland was confirmed by other naturalists as a verified sighting, adding one more data point to the map of where this iconic California tree still grows in city neighborhoods.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) observed in Richmond Blvd, Oakland, CA, US
Research-grade observation of coast live oak in Richmond Blvd, Oakland, CA, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Street trees cut heat deaths by 39 percent in European cities
Trees in your local park or street aren't just pretty — they are literally keeping people alive during heatwaves, and planting even a modest number of the ri...
The coast live oak, also called the California live oak, is a live oak native to the California Floristic Province. Live oaks are so-called because they keep living leaves on the tree all year, adding young leaves and shedding dead leaves simultaneously rather than dropping dead leaves en masse i...