Coast Live Oak
‘Esnyaaw
‘Iipay Aa name: ‘esnyaaw
Common name: coast live oak
Scientific name: Quercus agrifolia
The coast live oak, or ‘esnyaaw in ‘Iipay Aa, stays green year-round. They can grow to approximately 80 feet tall and have a trunk circumference of 20 feet. A coast live oak tree can live for centuries. The leaves look like little upside-down cups and are dark green with spiny edges. The shiny leaves reduce moisture evaporation and reflect the sun’s heat away from the plant. The flowers, which develop in early-to-mid spring, ultimately produce acorns that ripen between August and October. The light brown acorns are about one inch long; they are narrow and have pointy ends.
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The acorns and leaves of the coast live oak provide food for many species of birds and mammals, including acorn woodpeckers, scrub jays, squirrels, woodrats, and deer. The squirrels and jays will eat the acorns as soon as they gather them or they will hide them to eat later. Many animals also use this tree for food-storage and nesting.
Kumeyaay People gather the acorns to use as food. They make a mush by removing the shell and grinding the nut. Before eating, they rinse the ground acorns to remove the bitter tasting tannic acid from them. The tannins from the bark and shells of the acorn were used as a dye for adding color to basket fibers.