The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: chinkapin oak, chinquapin oak, yellow chestnut oak

Family: Fagaceae (beech family)

Synonym: Quercus prinoides var. acuminata

Distribution: e. United States and adjacent Canada, to n. Mexico

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5

Life form: Deciduous tree

Comments: This oak is a medium sized deciduous oak of the white oak group that typically grows 40-60' tall with an open globular crown. It is typically found on dry upland sites often in rocky, alkaline soils. Insignificant monoecious yellowish-green flowers in separate male and female catkins appear in spring as the leaves emerge. Fruits are small oval acorns (to 3/4" long), with scaly cups that extend to approximately 1/2 the acorn length. Acorns are valued food for a variety of wildlife. Narrow, oblong-lanceolate, shiny green leaves (4-7" long) have coarse marginal teeth. Leaves somewhat resemble the leaves of chestnut (Castanea) whose nut is sometimes called a chinquapin, hence the common name of this oak. Fall color is variable, but usually undistinguished shades of yellow and brown. Species honors Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg, 18-19th century Lutheran minister-botanist from Pennsylvania.