Chinkapin Oak-Quercus montana

Did You Know?

Chinkapin Oak-Quercus muelhenbergii, is a deciduous species of tree in the White Oak group. Native to eastern and central North America, the tree can reach a height of 40 to 50 feet in the landscape. Its leaves are narrow, shiny and 4 to 6 inches long with coarse marginal teeth. Leaves somewhat resemble the leaves of a chestnut whose nut is sometimes called a chinquapin, hence the common name of this oak whose acorn is sweet and edible. Also sometimes commonly called Yellow Chestnut Oak. Early pioneers used its straight wood to make thousands of miles of fences in the states of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Later on, the trees were used to fuel the steamships that ran from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.