"Quercus" is the classical Latin name for Oaks and "gambelii" honors William Gambel, 19th century Western plant collector and Assistant Curator of the National Academy of Sciences. (More biographical information.)  

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Foothills, montane. Shrublands, woodlands. Spring.
Robertson Pasture Trail, Abajo Mountains, Utah, May 30, 2006.

Gambel Oak forms open stands in meadows and, as the next photograph show, it forms thick, almost impenetrable short scrub stands on canyon sides.  If water is plentiful, the trees will grow to several feet in diameter and 35 feet tall, but most often they are about eight inches in diameter and sixteen feet tall.  Gambel Oak spreads from underground roots and therefore sprouts after fires and regenerates quickly.  Gambel Oak produces an abundance of acorns that are a major source of food for wild turkey, deer, bear, and squirrels.

Foothills, montane. Shrublands, woodlands. Spring.
Dolores River Canyon, June 19, 2008.

The male pollen-bearing catkins are nearly ready to open in the top picture.  Numerous clusters of these exotic looking chains produce abundant yellow pollen ensuring pollination of the female (acorn-producing) flower (see pictures below).  Since male and female flowers are on the same tree, Oaks are said to be "monoecious".  Pollen from the male flowers is so abundant that it coats everything around – cars, roads, picnic tables, household furniture, noses.

Foothills, montane. Shrublands, woodlands. Spring.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, May 14, 2006. (Top two photographs)
Echo Basin Road, June 7, 2004.

Quite inconspicuous red female flowers, tucked into the axels of the just emerging leaves at the tip of the stem, mature slowly into acorns; the tiny acorns pictured in the bottom photograph are less than a quarter of an inch across and the red flowers in the top two pictures are about a sixteenth of an inch across. 

Foothills, montane. Shrublands, woodlands. Spring.
Lower Stoner Mesa Trail, June 12, 2000.

New spring leaves of Gambel’s Oak are often red (as is the case in many other plants) because chlorophyll has not yet masked the original colors.  In the fall, the chlorophyll fades and the reds reappear.

Click for more Quercus gambelii photographs.