Plant of the Month

Plant of the Month January 2025 – Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)

Photo source: www.exastreeid.tamu.edu

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Quercus muehlenbergii, Chinquapin Oak, is a Carolinian species, found only in Southwestern and Southeastern Ontario near the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River. Sometimes called Yellow Chestnut Oak, Rock Oak or Yellow Oak, its leaves are distinctly different than most other native oaks. Lustrous, long, alternated blades with 8-15 sharp, pointed and bristled teeth per side, leaves can grow up to 8 inches in length. A mid-size oak tree that produces an abundance of small edible acorns, this member of the white oak family can live for up to 400 years

DETAILS:

Growing Conditions:
Grows best on rocky sites such as shallow soil over limestone, calcareous soils and stable forested sand dunes. Prefers well-drained soil but will tolerate wet conditions and can grow along streams
Sun: Requires full sun but can tolerate some shade when young
Water: Water regularly when young, especially during the first two years to help establish roots. Once established, the tree will become more drought tolerant.
Maintenance: low maintenance
Tolerates: harsh urban sites, especially those with high PH
Zone: 5a – 7b

Description/Characteristics:
Height and Spread: up to 30 meters tall with a narrow, rounded crown made up of many short branches
Bloom Time & Description: flower inconspicuous in late spring
Fruit: 12 -25 mm acorns, cap covers 1/3 to ½ of the acorn. Mature in late summer or early autumn
Pests and Diseases: few diseases and pests, “one of the least trouble-prone oaks” (Waldron)
Susceptible to oak wilt caused by invasive fungus found in Southern Ontario (prune early spring before April or after July, when beetles thought to transport the fungus are less active).
Propagation: rooting stem cuttings and bud grafting are less successful than seed. Chinquapin Oak has a long taproot and can be difficult to transplant as maturing, so it’s best to start them in their permanent site by seed. Easy by seed, however seed must not be allowed to dry out and must be propagated quickly. Do not overwinter seeds, start a tree by sowing seed as soon as acorns are harvested
Special Value: Large shade tree best as a stand-alone specimen, the Chinquapin oak has the sweetest edible acorn of all the oak species in Canada and the US. They can be eaten raw and taste sweet. The tree can produce almost 10 million acorns over their lifetime. Some people consume the nuts roasted or ground into flour, after completing a process of boiling and drying to remove the bitter tannins they contain when raw.
Acorns attract wild turkey, grouse, white-tailed deer, chipmunks and squirrels. Hummingbirds visit the flowers in spring. Tree is a larval host for the Grey Hairstreak Butterfly and the Red Spotted purple Butterfly.
Toxicity: Low
Common Names: Yellow Chestnut Oak, Rock Oak, Yellow Oak, Chinkapin Oak
Origin: Eastern North American