Swamp Oak Quercus palustris
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Quercus rubra var. dissecta
- Quercus rubra var. palustris
- Phonetic Spelling
- KWER-kus pa-LUS-tris
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Pin oak is a medium-sized, deciduous tree in the Fagaceae (beech) family and is one of the faster-growing red oaks, generally reaching a height of 50 to 70 feet with a trunk about 3 feet in diameter. The genus name, Quercus, is the Latin name for oak trees. The epithet, palustris, is from the Latin word palus, which means of marshes or swamps and refers to its native habitat. This tree is native to the northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern Canada.
Pin oak prefers medium to wet, loamy, acidic soils and full sun. It can tolerate poorly drained soils and some flooding, but it is adaptable to drier and urban conditions. It is shallow-rooted and easily transplanted.
Pin oak has a more slender and graceful appearance than some oaks. The crown is pyramidal when young and becomes more rounded and oval with age. The branching pattern is unique with the lowermost branches being angled sharply downward, the middle branches horizontal, and the upper branches ascending. Young trees and lower branches of older trees hold leaves throughout winter. The fall foliage is orange, or bronze to red. This oak won’t begin producing acorns until around 15 to 20 years old.
Pin oak is very popular and frequently used as a shade tree for home landscapes, urban streets, parks, and woodland gardens. It is tolerant of many soil conditions, heat, and air pollution, but it is toxic to horses. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), as well as numerous butterflies, including Banded hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), Edward's hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), White-m hairstreak (Parrhasius malbum), Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), and Juvenalis duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis).
Quick ID Hints:
- Medium-sized deciduous tree with a pyramidal habit when young, rounded and oval with age
- Smooth, gray bark
- Dark-green leaves on both sides with five to seven sharply pointed lobes and deep U-shaped sinuses, vein piercing through the margin at the tip of the leaf, bristles at the tip, and small tufts of tan-colored hair at the axils of the leaf veins
- Long pendulous chains of yellow to greenish-yellow male flowers in the spring
- Tan, rounded, acorn fruits with a thin smooth cap that covers one fourth to one third of the fruit
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Pin oak is infrequently attacked by the common diseases of oaks. It is susceptible to iron chlorosis due to alkaline soils, which cause yellow coloration in the leaves through the summer months and can eventually kill the tree. Insect pests include gypsy moth, obscure scale, oak leaftier, pin oak sawfly, scarlet oak sawfly, forest tent caterpillar, leaf roller, horned oak gall wasp, and gouty oak gall wasp. Disease problems include oak wilt, oak leaf blister, pin oak blight, and Dothiorella canker.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Green Pillar'
- 'Green Pillar'
- 'Green Pillar'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Green Pillar'
- 'Green Pillar'
- 'Green Pillar'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Quercus
- Species:
- palustris
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Due to its hardy stature, it is used often for an ornamental tree. In the past, Native Americans used this tree to make fasteners and even medicine.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South Ontario to North Central & Eastern U.S.A
- Distribution:
- Native: United States--AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, TN, VA, WI, WV. Canada--Ontario Introduced: Austria, Denmark, Germany Hungary, and Romania
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts songbirds, water birds, ground birds and mammals. Acorns are an important food source for many animals. 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.
- Play Value:
- Easy to Grow
- Edible fruit
- Shade
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Mildly resistant to damage by deer. Heat, drought, and soil compaction tolerant.
- Edibility:
- Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out
- Dimensions:
- Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Oval
- Pyramidal
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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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
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- 1/4-1/2-inch acorns are round and short-stalked occurring singly or in clusters of 2-3, from light brown to reddish-brown with a shallow and thin cup. The fruits are initially green and then tan. The cap is thin and smooth and covers 1/4 to 1/3 of the fruit. Displays from October to November. It may take up to 15 to 20 years before the tree produces acorns.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- It has both male and female flowers on each tree. Male pollen flowers are in pendulous, drooping, elongated yellow or yellowish-green clusters, and female flowers are on short spikes. Pistillate flowers on short stalks from the axils of the current year’s leaves. Blooms from March to April.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 5-inch glossy green leaves have 5 bristle-tipped lobes and U-shaped sinuses, which cut deeply to the midrib. At the tip of the leaf, the vein pierces through the margin of the leaf. The leaf shape is elliptic with the widest area in the middle of the leaf. The leaves are the same color green on both sides and are not glaucous. There are small tufts of tan-colored hairs at the axil of the leaf veins. Fall color is dark red to russet and leaves persist into winter on younger trees.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Fissured
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- The bark is smooth and reddish to grayish-brown when young, then darker with shallow fissures as it ages.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stems are smooth, slender and reddish-brown.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Recreational Play Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Native Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heat
- Pollution
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination if young leaves and raw acorns eaten.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Gallotannins, quercitrin, and quercitin.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
- Leaves
