Chinkapin Oak

The Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) is a medium- to large-sized shade tree. It has a pyramidal form in youth before developing a more rounded, open crown as it matures, eventually having a wider canopy than it is tall. The foliage is narrow and shiny green with coarsely toothed edges and smaller than most other oak species. They turn mild shades of yellow-orange to yellow-brown in the fall. This tree produces small acorns that have scaly cups that cover half of the nut. It has a pale gray, scaly and ridged central trunk.  

The Chinkapin Oak is the oak of the Midwest, its native range stretching from New England down to northwestern Florida and over to southern Ontario and Minnesota, Oklahoma and south-central Texas. It is found growing in the wild in dry, limestone outcrops. This tree will look great standing alone in the yard and is a great conversation piece with its wide-spreading canopy that can provide excellent shade. It also does well planted in groupings in parks and large spaces. It does best in full sun and can grow in a wide range of conditions but prefers dry to averagely moist alkaline soils.