Oracle Oak

[Anonymous]

Has anyone had experience propagating the Oracle oak, which is a hybrid cross between a black oak and an interior live oak? In particular, will acorns from an Oracle oak germinate and produce a viable tree similar to the parent. I'm aware of at least two large specimens near where I live in Auburn and would like to attempt to grow new seedlings from acorns, if that is possible.</p>

[Anonymous]

Greetings -

Have you checked out the book, Oaks of California, to see if there is any information there? You might also send an email to the California Oak Foundation and ask them.

I would think the character of the plants growing from the oracle acorns would depend on what type of oak provided the pollen. It might favor one of the oracle oak's parent species more than another.

Here's a suggestion: Be adventurous - try it! If you collect a number of acorns and plant them, keep a record of how many germinate and that there characteristics are. In a few years, this might make an interesting article, perhaps for the newsletter of the local CNPS chapter. I'm sure there would be other people who would be interested in your results.

Good luck,

Lori</p>

[Anonymous]

Lori, thanks for your suggestions. I have 'Oaks of California' and it briefly discusses the oracle oak in a section on hybrid oaks. I can infer from their comments that the oracle oaks do produce acorns which result in new plants, and they do mention that offspring are variable depending on the characteristics of the parents.

As you suggested, the easiest way to find out is to just plant some and see what happens. That was going to be my next step but I was just curious if someone else had any experience with trying to grow them and what I might expect.

Thanks again.</p>