Pin Oak (Swamp Spanish Oak)
Quercus palustris · Fagaceae (Beech and Oak family)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Simple, deciduous
Shape
Oblovate with 5 to 7 deep, bristly-tipped lobes and rounded sinuses
Margin
Lobed with bristly points at the lobe tips
Arrangement
Alternate
Venation
Pinnate with a prominent, pale yellowish-green midrib and branching secondary veins
Key Features
Deep sinuses extending nearly to the midrib, bristly-tipped lobe points, and lower branches that characteristically persist on the trunk even when dead.
Description
The Pin Oak is a medium-sized deciduous tree known for its distinctive growth habit featuring lower drooping branches, middle horizontal branches, and upper ascending branches. It produces small, rounded acorns and features deep green leaves that turn a striking bronze or bright red in autumn.
Habitat
Typically found in moist to wet bottomland soils, floodplains, and along stream banks, though widely adapted to urban well-drained soils
Native Range
Native to eastern and central North America, from New England west to Kansas, and south to Arkansas and North Carolina