Quercus ilex holm oak, holly oak

Quercus ilex branchlet showing leaves (note pale undersides and pointed tips) and acorns, opposite 382 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto. Sairus Patel, 28 Oct 2018

Quercus ilex leaf and acorn. From: Howard E. McMinn & Evelyn Maino, An Illustrated Manual of Pacific Coast Trees

An evergreen oak with lanceolate leaves of variable size and toothiness, like coast live oak; smooth dark green above, furry below. The large edible acorns are (almost) half enclosed by a cup covered with fine scales. The holm oak was in good repute with Ovid, who sang its praises for having dripped with honey in the Golden Age.

On campus, three small holly oaks are at the west end of Braun Music Center. A larger one, on Panama Mall, is pressed against the southwest corner of Mitchell Earth Sciences; another, nearby on Lomita Mall between Panama Mall and Santa Teresa Street, is likewise crowded by coast live oaks. A somber trio stands midway between Yost and Anderson, and several grow near 705 Frenchmans Road. The most recent planting, from 2020, lines the Escondido Road sidewalk at Duan Family Hall, where the holly oaks may be compared directly with coast live oaks along the street. In Palo Alto, Q. ilex serves as the street tree near 377 Diablo Court and on Florence and Gilman Streets, with large specimens behind the Post Office. Old trees line San Antonio Avenue around Dake Avenue.