Shrubs , spreading and clonal, to 2-3 m, multitrunked. Twigs reddish, sparsely puberulent, often glabrate, without spreading hairs. Buds reddish brown, ovoid, 2-5 mm, glandular-puberulent. Leaf blade abaxially light green, velvety to touch, sparsely to densely covered with erect (2-)4-6-rayed hairs 0.2-0.5 mm.

Flowering late spring-early summer. Montane conifer forests and chaparral; 1400-1900 m; Calif., Oreg.

Quercus garryana var. breweri appears to be endemic to the Siskiyou region of California and Oregon; it may extend into the northern Sierra Nevada of California. Specimens sometimes placed here from the Coast Ranges of northern California are probably shrubby forms of Q . garryana var. garryana or hybrids between the latter and Q . durata (see treatment). It should be noted that key characteristics separating Q . garryana vars. breweri and semota from var. garryana (clonal habit, smaller, glabrate, brown buds, montane habitat of the former two varieties) suggest a relationship of these two varieties with the Rocky Mountain Q . gambelii . The latter species has smaller fruit than Q . garryana , but the extent of variation in this characteristic in Q . garryana var. breweri is unknown.