Valley Oak, also known as California White Oak, is a large deciduous oak native to California's interior valleys and known as California's mightiest oak best for shading a big outdoor area. The massive trunk and limbs have uniquely checked grey bark. Picturesque limbs are long and twisted often drooping to sweep the ground. Dark green leaves are rounded and deeply lobed covered in downy hairs. Found in the valleys, a water source is preferred and can tolerate seasonal flooding but not waterlogged conditions.