Quercus palustris

The well-loved and often-planted pin oak is a 50-80' deciduous oak with an expansive pyramidal crown. It is well known for its form. The upper branches tend to rise and its lower branches tend to incline leaving the middle branches horizontal. The uniformly gray-brown bark usually develops distinct crinkling with maturity. This tree is found in the streambanks, bottomlands and floodplains of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States. Inconspicuous yellow-green flowers in separate male and female catkins appear in spring just as the leaves emerge. The flowers become rounded ½"acorns with small, shallow cups that tightly cap the nuts. These acorns are a very important source of food for wildlife. Glossy, dark green leaves are deeply cut with five pointed lobes. This fine tree is very showy in autumn when the foliage turns deep red. This is a great choice for areas with wet feet or seasonal flooding; palustris comes from the Latin word palus meaning marsh. S/M-W

The Pin Oak is in the Red Oak group and has both very distinctive leaves and an overall form. Unlike most hardwood species, the branches grow horizontally with an overall pyramidal shape that looks more like a conifer than an oak from a distance. The leaves are very narrow with long, thin lobes and develop an attractive red in the fall. Pin Oaks are native to the Midwestern states in moist areas and are tolerant of poorly drained and clay soils.

Widely planted throughout the eastern US because it tolerates wet sites and disturbed, compacted soils around new construction. Pin Oak is sometimes seen with yellow foliage of iron chlorosis caused by high pH soils. In such areas, Quercus ellipsoidalis is a better landscape choice.

Pyramidal shape, good street tree. Red then bronzy fall color. Tolerates damp soils. Zones 5-8.