Quercus palustris

Mature Size: 50 to 70 feet in height, 1 to 2 feet in diameter

The Pin Oak is a popular landscape tree because of its fast growth, tolerance of urban stresses, and scarlet fall color. This tree may grow in river edges but just as typically on clay soils. Its form is a straight trunk with a pyramid-like crown and is noted to have a spiky-like appearance. Leaves are alternate, simple, 3-5 inches long, and 2-5 inches wide, with 5-9 pointed lobes. The bark on young trees is smooth and gray-brown, later developing to dark gray with flat top ridges and shallow furrows.

Fun Facts: The wood is hard and heavy. It is used for rough lumber and firewood. The half-inch, rounded, striped acorn matures in two seasons. Waterfowl, turkeys, jays, woodpeckers, and squirrels eat the acorns. This tree’s common name, Pin Oak, comes from its pin-like twigs.

For more information: http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=74