Dwarf Chestnut Oak
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Grows as a small tree, 12-20' tall & wide, or sometimes as a stoloniferous, large, multi-stemmed shrub. The tree has grown as large as 33' tall and 50' wide in Missouri. Crown is ovoid to rounded, or irregular in shape. A slow grower. Long-lived, to around 100 years.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Occurs on dry, rocky soils, or at the base of limestone shale outcrops, often growing near black oaks and chestnut oaks. Native to Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee & other states in the Central Forest Region, from Pennsylvania westward to Kansas City.

Flower and Fruit Details

Monoecious spring flowers are pollinated by wind. Male catkins are yellowish-green to brown. Female flowers are small, resembling red flower buds near the tips of young shoots. Small brown acorns, 1/2-3/4" in size, enclosed about 1/3 in a tan, warty, scaly cap/cup. Acorns mature in the fall in the same year as flowers were fertilized. Starts producing acorns at 3-6' of height. Woodpeckers, jays & wild turkeys eat the acorns.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Alternate leaves, 3-8 pairs of very shallow, rounded to bluntly pointed lobes (or large teeth) around margin. Leaves are obovate, ovate or oblanceolate, 2-5" long, 1-2.5" wide, Leaves green above, grayish-green below & slightly pubescent. Petiole 1/4-1". Orange-red fall color. Many dried, brown leaves remain on tree through the winter. Bark is gray to gray-brown, smooth at first, then somewhat flaky, with vertical grooves in-between narrow strips or plates of lighter colored bark. Reddish-brown patches may show up where bark peels away.

Culture and Care

Does best in full sun and dry, acidic, sandy or rocky soils, but tolerates clay and acid or alkaline soil, pH 5.1-8.5. Hardy to Zone 5, or possibly 4. Not tolerant of shade or flooding. Scales, galls, beetles, lacebugs, and anthracnose are potential problems, but usually not serious.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 3-season interest: Spring, summer & fall. Very similar to Chinkapin Oak, but slower growing and with smaller features. Also similar to Chestnut Oak. "Quercus prinoides" means "like Quercus prinus" (the old name for Chestnut Oak, now Q. montana).

Suggested Uses

A good small shade tree or large shrub for tough, dry, sunny sites and poor soil areas.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA