Pin Oak
Quercus palustris · Fagaceae (Beech and Oak family)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Simple, deciduous leaf
Shape
Lobed (pinnately lobed), with 5 to 7 deep, narrow lobes and distinctive bristled tips.
Margin
Bristle-toothed and deeply lobed with broad, rounded sinuses that extend more than halfway to the midrib.
Arrangement
Alternate arrangement along the twig, supported by a slender petiole.
Venation
Pinnate venation with a prominent, yellowish-green midrib and branching lateral veins that extend into the bristle-tipped lobe extremities.
Key Features
Deeply cut sinuses extending nearly to the midrib, bristle-tipped leaf lobes, and the characteristic downward-pointing lower branches of the parent tree.
Description
Quercus palustris, commonly known as the Pin Oak, is a medium to large deciduous tree recognized for its distinctive branch habit: upper branches grow upward, middle branches spread horizontally, and lower branches droop downward toward the ground. The bark is grayish-brown and relatively smooth, developing shallow ridges with age. In autumn, the leaves turn a rich russet-brown, bronze, or red before falling, though dead leaves often persist on the tree through winter in a process known as marcescens.
Habitat
Typically found in moist to wet bottomlands, floodplains, along streams, and poorly drained clay soils, though it adapts well to urban conditions and slightly acidic uplands.
Native Range
Native to the eastern and central United States, extending from southern Ontario down to Oklahoma and Arkansas, and eastward to the Atlantic coast.