The Nuttall Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa), or Encinillo in Spanish, is native to southern California and is a dense, short, and stocky drought-resistant evergreen shrub. It is found in coastal sage scrub habitats near the coast and on the hillsides of chaparral habitats below 700 feet in altitude.

Though threatened by coastal development, it is a good plant for helping with erosion control and can be found in limited ranges from San Quintin Baja California, Mexico north to southern California and into San Diego County.

To see more photos of the Nuttall Scrub Oak, visit the San Diego Natural History Museum’s San Diego County Plant Atlas.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken Bowles, SDNHM