Plant Name:  California Black Oak

Botanical Name:  Quercus kellogii (California Black Oak)Native Name:  Qwinyily (California Black Oak).  This oak tree is one of the four primary oak varieties that provided food for the Cahuillan Indians.

Height/Physical Description:  Deciduous tree that grows 30 to 80 feet in height and width, new leaves pink/dusty rose and turn dark, glossy green that are 4 to 10 inches long.  Produces acorns that are 1 to 1.5 inches in length.  Sunset zones:  5,6,7 and 14-21.

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.

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

Watering Requirement:  Regular water until established.  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.

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.