Plant Name:  Coast Live Oak Tree

Botanical Name:  Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak)Native Name:  Wi’asily (Coast Live Oak).  This oak tree is one of the four primary oak varieties that provided food for the Cahuillan Indians.

Use by the Cahuillan People:  Food and construction materials.  Acorns are produced by oak trees and were one of the most important food staples of the Cahuillan people.

Height/Physical Description:  Evergreen tree 20 to 70 feet in height and width.  The leaves are dark green with “teeth” on the outer edges, with ¾ to 1½ inch acorns.

Planting Requirements:   Requires fertile soil with good drainage and regular moisture.  Plant in Fall or Winter to allow tree to get established.

Watering:  Requires regular moisture and fertile soil especially between the months of March through May to support the tree’s new growth.  Do not water next to the base of the tree as this could result in root diseases.  Water only over the outer third of the root system to encourage roots to grow outward.  

‍Fertilizing:  Compost can be added but away from the base of the tree.

Pruning:  Periodic grooming may be required to remove dead or cross branches.  Prune trees only when they are dormant.  For deciduous trees, prune when leaves have completely dropped off; for evergreens, prune during the dry season (mid to late Summer) to avoid mildew and fungal diseases.

Harvesting:  There were primarily four oak species where acorns were collected:  Black Oak, Coast Live Oak, Scrub Oak, and Canyon/Maul Oak.  The harvest took place in October and November.  This was a great occasion.  Families camped by the oak groves for weeks during this harvest. The men would climb the trees and knock the acorns down so they could be collected.  Large sticks or poles could also be used to knock them down.

Native Preparation:
• Crack the shells and remove soft meats.
• Allow meats to dry.
• Crush meats on rock mortars to flour.
• Acorns have a high amount of bitter tannic acid.  To leach out this acidity from the flour, holes were dug in sandy ground and lined with leaves or the use of a basket lined with leaves.  Flour was placed and water poured slowly through the flour.
• Acorn flour was used to make bread (sawish) and porridge (wiwish).
• It is said that Black Oak acorns were the tastiest.

Additional Information:  Sunset zones:  7-9, 14-24.