chinkapin oak tree facts

Gray bark and gnarled branch structure on old specimens. The common name chinkapin is actually an alternative common name for chestnut which refers to this trees chestnut-like leaves that are rather narrow and broadly serrated.

Chinkapin Oak Department Of Horticulture

Offers a great food source for wildlife.

. Chinkapin oak has a distinctive flaky gray-yellowish bark as it matures leading to one of its other common namesthe yellow oak. An attractive oak with toothed leaves like those of a Chestnut tree. New root pruning and fertilization techniques in nursery production have made oaks easier.

The bur has sharp spines 34 to 1 12 inches in diameter. Separate male and female flowers appear in spring on the same tree. The chinkapins fruit is an interesting small bur covered nut.

Once thought to be extirpated from its range the Ozark chinquapin Castanea ozarkensis is a drought tolerant hardwood tree that reaches up to 65 feet tall and 2-3 feet in diameter. Simple alternate oval to elliptical or oblong in shape 4 to 6 long and 15 to 2 wide leaf edge rather sharply toothed but without bristle-tips teeth slightly recurved. As with all oaks the fruit of the chinkapin oak is an acorn but this species of oak has a small acorn making it a distinguishing feature among other oaks.

The leaves have jagged teeth with a hairy whitish underleaf. Features leaves that will transition through a colorful cycle throughout the year starting with its yellowish green coloring in the spring to its yellowish-orange hue in the fall. Ozark chinquapins bloom in late May to early June and the thumbnail-sized seeds drop every year from September to the end of October.

The leaves of the chinkapin oak are very small which helps distinguish them from similar species. Foliage is green and shiny turning to yellow-orange in fall. Often the burs form in clusters on stems but each bur contains a single.

The tree has a diameter of 1 to 2 feet² and is considered a medium sized tree. Chinkapin or chinquapin oak is a member of the beech family Fagaceae and may also be called yellow oak rock oak or chestnut oak ³. Physical Attributes Grows at a slow to moderate rate.

Chinkapin oak typically grows about 40 to 60 feet but sometimes it can grow up to 80 feet tall and it has an open globular crown ¹. The bark is gray and flaky. Reaches a height of 40 to 50 feet with a spread of 50 to 60 feet.

Grows in limestone soils a rarity amongst oaks.

Chinkapin Oak A Tree Of Many Uses Arbor Day Blog