Accession Count: 1
Common Name:
chinkapin oak
Family Name:
Fagaceae
Botanical Name:
Quercus muehlenbergii
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Quercus muehlenbergii is a medium to large-sized deciduous oak with an open rounded-crown habit which forms during its middle age, further developing a dense spreading habit in maturity (1). It may grow up to 40 to 90 feet tall. The trunk bark is light gray, scaly, and fissured, whereas branch bark is smooth and extends into twigs that are yellow-brown and glabrous, with white lenticels. The ovate leaves of this oak are simple, alternate, and serrated, turning a rich copper color in the fall. Q. muehlenbergii is monoecious with a staminate catkin inflorescence that is separate from its pistillate inflorescence, which form in small, inconspicuous spikes on the axils of young leaves (2). During the summer season, pistillate flowers develop into half-inch, oval-shaped acorns which fall during the winter.
Compound:
Que mue
Geographic Origin:
North America
Ecozone Origin:
Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
The Chinkapin Oak is native to and distributed in much of Eastern and Central North America. It may be found growing in areas ranging from Eastern North America to Southeastern New Mexico and all across Texas. It is most abundant in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, thriving in deciduous and pine forests and in soils rich in limestone and calcium carbonate (3).
Cultivation Notes:
This species is typically found in forests, and serve as a great landscape ornamental and shade tree, ideal for estates, parks, and lawns. Chinkapin Oaks also make an excellent drought tolerant species. For optimal germination, seeds should be scarified and left to soak in water for a day. This should be followed by treating it to short, cold, moist stratification for 60 days (until a radicle emergence) and then sown one to two inches deep with mulch on the seed bed. It may withstand only a moderate amount of shading as a young tree, and prefers limestone soils over acidic soils (4).
Ethnobotany:
The Chinkapin Oak is highly valued for its tannins and medicinal uses in various cultures. The dried leaves of the Chinkapin oak are used by Cherokee Indians to aid headaches, fevers, chills, cold sweats and fever blisters. The roots are also used by Koasati Indians to create a decoction that treats stomachaches. Galls, which are produced in reaction to insect damage, may be taken internally to treat dysentery, diarrhea, and hemorrhages. It may be used externally to treat toothache, gum problems, and applied to the skin to treat cuts, burns, blisters, and a variety of other irritations (5).
Height:
50 - 100 feet
Width:
20 - 50 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
Green
Function:
Habitat
Spread:
Spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Semi-hardy
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
