Anyone seen very large leaved (>9cm/3.5" long) Quercus agrifolia (Coast live oak)?

[yerbasanta]

I’ve gathered some observations of Quercus agrifolia with very large leaves–much larger than The Jepson Manual describes for Coast live oak, in the southern Monterey Bay.

Does anyone else have similar observations for this species in this or other areas of CA?

If so, please post them here since I’m interested in the distribution and other factors associated with such oaks.

My observations are here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9545170
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101799711
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101733697
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101670027
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/80419918
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66940944
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66500030
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68442584

[dlevitis]

Q. agrifolia has among the most variable leaves, in both size and shape, of any tree I’ve seen. I’ve even seen different twigs off the same limb with vastly different leaves. One bunch of leaves might be 1cm long and simple ovals and another nearby might have leaves that are lobed, spiny, and 6cm long. I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like 9cm except on resprouts from large root systems.

[jasonhernandez74]

I’m just surprised they weren’t bumped back to Genus Quercus. Certain people seem to feel obligated to do that to every Coast live oak.

[yerbasanta]

@dlevitis

Q. agrifolia has among the most variable leaves, in both size and shape, of any tree I’ve seen. I’ve even seen different twigs off the same limb with vastly different leaves.

@dlevitis vitis I agree, they’re quite variable, for many of these, I have the abaxial axillary hairs, so they’re definitely Q. agrifolia.

For this observation I checked against my thumb to pointer span, and it’s ~15 cm (6") in length, and this isn’t even the biggest one I’ve found!

@jasonhernandez74

I’m just surprised they weren’t bumped back to Genus Quercus

@jasonhernandez74, not sure if this was your exact point, but you can see the axillary hairs on the leaf underside here and other observations, so these are certainly Q. agrifolia (at least in part).