Pin Oak
Quercus palustris · Deciduous Broadleaf Hardwood
Plant Family
Fagaceae
Tree Category
Shade Tree / Street Tree / Forest Tree
Variety / Cultivar
Species type; the distinctive downward-sloping lower branches are a hallmark of Quercus palustris.
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 8.
About This Tree
A large, fast-growing oak with a distinctive pyramidal shape in youth that becomes more oval-rounded with age. Known for its unique branching pattern: upper branches point upward, middle branches are horizontal, and lower branches droop downward. It has a dense crown and a straight trunk.
Leaf Characteristics
Simple, alternate, 3–6 inches long. Deeply lobed with 5 to 7 U-shaped sinuses and bristle-tipped lobes. Dark green and glossy above, turning a brilliant russet or red in the fall. Some dead leaves may persist through winter (marcescence).
Bark Characteristics
Relatively smooth and gray-brown when young, developing narrow, shallow ridges and furrows with age. It does not become as deeply furrowed as Red Oak or White Oak.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Central and Eastern United States and parts of Southern Canada; well-adapted to bottomlands and moist plains.
Growing Season
Bud break and flowering (catkins) occur in mid-to-late spring. Foliage matures in summer, turns bronze/red in autumn, and acorns ripen over two seasons. Enters dormancy in late fall.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full Sun (minimum 6 hours daily). Prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soils; however, it has excellent tolerance for wet soil and occasional flooding. Susceptible to iron chlorosis in high pH (alkaline) soils.
Mature Size
Mature height of 60–70 feet with a spread of 25–40 feet. Growth rate is considered fast for an oak. Can live 120–200 years.
Special Characteristics
Excellent shade tree with strong wood. High tolerance for urban pollution and compacted soils. Distinguished by its prolific small, sharp-pointed dead branchlets (the 'pins') along the main limbs.
Wildlife & Ecology
Provides critical habitat and food. Produces small, rounded acorns (~0.5 inch) with a thin, saucer-like cap that are a major food source for wood ducks, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and squirrels. Supports hundreds of species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) larvae.