Chinkapin Oak

Description

Cultural Information:

Plant in full sun.  Found primarily on limestone soils and does best in rich, deep soil.  A fast growing oak in the nursery.  Seems to have few insect pests or disease problems.  An easy tree to recommend for a home landscape or reclamation projects.  Give it a lot of space as it can get tall and wide.

Associated Species:^[6]

White Oak, Black Oak, Northern Red Oak, Scarlet Oak, Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Hickories, Black Cherry, Cucumbertree, Black Walnut, Butternut, Tuliptree, Beech,  Blackgum

Field Observations:

This is a magnificent tree!  Young leaves come out with a touch of bronze and purple with red stems.  Fast growing with a fine, straight leader.  Leaves are atypical for an oak in that they are not so much lobed as they are coarsely toothed.  A small almost black acorn is produced about the third week of September.  Our seed trees are from Union County and are 4 feet in diameter (at least!).  Along the Scioto River a few giants are growing along the river bank and one in particular must be nearly 8′ wide.  Not well represented in the trade but, to us, a real gem.  Application of a little bit of fertilizer can result in 4′ of growth in a single year in the home landscape.  Have found large Polyphemus moth caterpillars on this species which are fun to rear for the summer and watch emerge as beautiful adults in late Spring.