Plant DetailShow Menu

Rock Chestnut Oak Quercus montana

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Quercus prinus f. viridis
  • Quercus prinus var. lata
  • Quercus prinus var. monticola
  • Quercus prinus var. oblongata
  • Quercus prinus var. palustris
Phonetic Spelling
KWER-kus MON-tah-nuh
Description

Chestnut oak is a medium to large native deciduous tree in the white oak family. It is native to the eastern and central USA including the mountains and Piedmont of NC. It is often found growing in poor, dry and rocky soils but does best in well-drained loams. Chestnut Oak is drought tolerant once established.

In spring separate male and female flowers appear and are followed by fairly large acorns that have high wildlife value for many birds and mammals. The mature bark is distinctive with tight ridges and is similar to the chestnut tree.

Use as a shade tree in parks or large yards.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Sensitive to soil compaction. 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#shade tree#full sun tolerant#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#native tree#moth caterpillar host#spring flowers#fall interest#flowering tree#showy fruits#small mammals#moist soil#NC native#well-drained soil#acorns#nighttime garden#small and large mammals#spring interest#pollinator plant#Braham Arboretum#parks#larval host plant#deciduous tree#food source fall#food source herbage#Piednmont Mountains UPL#coastal UPL#fall color yellow#sandy soils tolerant#rocky soils tolerant#bird friendly#dry soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#fall color red#butterfly friendly#partial shade tolerant#problem for horses#Audubon#banded hairstreak butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#imperial moth#juvenal’s duskywing butterfly#edward’s hairstreak butterfly#white-m hairstreak butterfly#horace’s duskywing butterfly#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#shade tree#full sun tolerant#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#native tree#moth caterpillar host#spring flowers#fall interest#flowering tree#showy fruits#small mammals#moist soil#NC native#well-drained soil#acorns#nighttime garden#small and large mammals#spring interest#pollinator plant#Braham Arboretum#parks#larval host plant#deciduous tree#food source fall#food source herbage#Piednmont Mountains UPL#coastal UPL#fall color yellow#sandy soils tolerant#rocky soils tolerant#bird friendly#dry soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#fall color red#butterfly friendly#partial shade tolerant#problem for horses#Audubon#banded hairstreak butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#imperial moth#juvenal’s duskywing butterfly#edward’s hairstreak butterfly#white-m hairstreak butterfly#horace’s duskywing butterfly#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Quercus
    Species:
    montana
    Family:
    Fagaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Used as fence posts, fuel, railroad ties and tannin extract used in processing leather
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Mid to southeastern U.S.A.
    Distribution:
    Maine south to Georgia west to Louisianna to Mississippi north to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan throughout the New England States.
    Wildlife Value:
    Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida. Important food source for songbirds, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, mice, deer, and other mammals
    Play Value:
    Wildlife Food Source
    Dimensions:
    Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Perennial
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Coarse
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    more than 60 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Red/Burgundy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Nut
    Fruit Length:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Width:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Description:
    1-1.5-inch acorn with a reddish-brown cup with fused scales that covers 1/3 the length of the acorn. They appear singly or in pairs in the fall and are stalkless or nearly so. In North Carolina, acorns are available from September to November.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Catkin
    Insignificant
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Description:
    Male flowers are yellow-green in catkins. Female flowers are on short stalks. Generally blooms in spring but in North Carolina, flowers are available in April.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Gold/Yellow
    Red/Burgundy
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Lanceolate
    Obovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Dentate
    Lobed
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    4-8 inch long oval dark green leaves have a pointed tip and are coarsely toothed (some say shallowly lobed). The undersides are gray-green with hairs. Reddish-yellow fall foliage.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Dark Brown
    Surface/Attachment:
    Furrowed
    Ridges
    Bark Description:
    Thick dark reddish-brown bark with deeply divided broad rounded ridges.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Buds:
    Smooth/Hairless
    Stem Bud Terminal:
    Cluster of terminal buds
    Stem Lenticels:
    Conspicuous
    Stem Surface:
    Smooth (glabrous)
    Stem Description:
    The twigs are light brown, hairless, and thick with numerous lenticels. Buds light brown and hairless.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Lawn
    Recreational Play Area
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Native Garden
    Nighttime Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Shade Garden
    Design Feature:
    Shade Tree
    Specimen
    Street Tree
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Moths
    Pollinators
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Heat
    Poor Soil
    Problems:
    Problem for Horses