Pin Oak, Swamp Oak, Spanish Oak

Latin name: Quercus palustris

Etymology: Quercus palustris gets its name from the natural habitat of the tree. Quercus is the Latin word for ‘oak’ while palustris is the Latin word for ‘marshy’.

Family: Fagaceae (Beeches)

Origin: North-eastern US and south-eastern Canada

Native habitats:Wet woods and bottomlands

Pin oaks thrive in the wetter areas of Herrontown Woods, and prefer acidic soils. The lower branches often have a distinctive downward tilt. Its leaves, with their pointed lobes, are smaller and more deeply lobed than those of black and red oaks.

Description: Pin oaks grow to 70-110 feet, with a diameter of 2-5 feet. Leaves are deeply lobed with 5-7 lobes and hairless. They measure between 3-7”. The mature bark is light gray-brown, smoother on a large scale, with narrower ridges and furrows. Pin oaks have a single-trunk habit with numerous side branches. The lower branches are descending, the middle branches are horizontal, and the upper branches are ascending. Flowers indistinct and yellow-green and appear in spherical heads between March and April. Acorn cups are brownish and hairless, shallow and saucerlike. They cover 1/4 to 1/3 of the fruit and appear in October and November.

Similar species: Northern red oak has larger leaves with much shallower lobes. The lobes close to the base of each leaf are angled forward towards the leaf tip while those in pin oak often extend nearly perpendicular to the midrib.

Wildlife value: Pin Oak is the host plant for hundreds of moth and butterfly larvae. Its acorns are a high value food source for many mammals and birds and it is a good cavity tree.

Uses: The bark of Pin Oak was used by some Native American tribes to make a drink for the treatment of intestinal pain and the acorns were ground to make coffee.

Nowadays, Pin Oak is commonly planted as an ornamental due to its fast growth and tolerance to urban stresses. Its rather low quality wood is used for fence posts, fuel, and general construction.