Scrub oak is a common name for several species of small, shrubby oaks. It may refer to:

  • the Chaparral plant community in California, or to one of the following species.

In California

  • California scrub oak (Quercus berberidifolia), a widespread species commonly referred to as scrub oak
  • Coastal scrub oak (Quercus dumosa), although currently defined in a narrow sense, has been applied to other scrub oaks now considered separate species

;Other California species referred to as "scrub oaks"

  • Leather oak (Quercus durata)
  • Tucker oak (Quercus john-tuckeri)
  • Island scrub oak (Quercus pacifica)

In the Southwestern United States

  • Coahuila scrub oak (Quercus intricata), in the US, it is reported at only two sites: One in the Chisos Mountains inside Big Bend National Park, and the other 15 miles SW of Van Horn.
  • Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii)
  • Gray oak (Quercus grisea), in the mountains of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
  • Emory oak (Quercus emoryi)
  • Pungent oak (Quercus pungens)
  • Sonoran scrub oak (Quercus turbinella)