Quercus × morehus facts for kids

Quercus ×morehus, also known as Abram's oak or oracle oak, is a special kind of tree. It is a natural hybrid, meaning it's a mix of two different parent oak trees. These parents are the California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) and the interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni).

This unique oak tree is mostly found in California. You might also see it in southern Oregon. It usually grows in areas where its two parent trees live close together.

What is Abram's Oak?

Abram's oak was first described by a scientist named Kellogg in 1863. He thought it was a new species of oak tree. However, later studies showed it was actually a hybrid. This means it's a cross between two existing types of oaks.

A Mix of Two Oaks

The two parent trees of Abram's oak are quite different. The California black oak is a deciduous tree. This means it loses its leaves in the fall. The interior live oak, on the other hand, is an evergreen tree. Evergreen trees keep their leaves all year round.

Because Abram's oak is a hybrid of these two, its leaves are a mix. They can be deciduous, partially deciduous, or somewhere in between. The shape of its leaves also looks like a blend of its two parents.

Naming Hybrids

The scientific name for Abram's oak is Quercus ×morehus. The "×" symbol in the name shows that it is a hybrid. Sometimes, it can be tricky to tell exactly which parent trees created a hybrid. This is because some oak species look very similar to each other.

For example, there's another oak called Shreve oak (Quercus parvula var. shrevei). It looks a lot like the interior live oak. Because of this, some trees that look like Abram's oak might actually be a hybrid of California black oak and Shreve oak. Scientists have even suggested a special name, Q. בwootteni’, for this specific mix.

An early drawing of Quercus morehus by Kellogg from 1863.