Quercus palustris | Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum

This large pin oak, located outside of Perry Hall, is the oldest tree on campus.

The shiny, slender, pointy leaves of a pin oak.

A woody gall on a pin oak twig.

The bright green leaf stems of a pin oak.

The base of a pin oak is littered with half-eaten acorns.

The bark of a pin oak covered in lichens.

Scientific name: Quercus palustris

Common name: Pin Oak

Native: Yes

Native range: Native to southern New England and the Midwest [1,2,3].

Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for Q. palustris.

USDA Zones: 4A-8A [2]

Maximum age: Reaches maturity between 80-100 years of age and perishes soon after, but it may live up to approximately 195 years of age [3,5].

Ecology: It is the preferred host for the larvae of many butterflies and moths, leafrollers, and gall wasps, including the larvae of the wasp-mimicking pin oak clearwing moth, Paranthrene pallucida [3,6]. Deer, ducks, turkeys, and a variety of other animals depend on the pin oak's acorns for food - so much so that the tree is often planted on hunting grounds to attract them [1,3].

Ethnobotany: The pin oak's wood is knotty and warps easily, best lending itself to rougher applications such as railroad ties [1,3]. The Delaware people use tea made from the inner bark to treat stomach pain [4].