Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Size Class: 36-72 ft.
Fruit Type: Nut
Size Notes: 40-60 feet
Leaf Color: Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit Color: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Green , Brown
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , FL , GA , IL , IN , IA , KS , KY , LA , MD , MA , MI , MN , MS , MO , NE , NJ , NM , NY , NC , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VT , VA , WV , WI , DC
Canada: ON
Native Distribution: S. & w. AZ, s.e. CA & adjacent Mex.
Native Habitat: Dry, rocky hillsides; mesas; gravelly slopes and washed
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Alkaline (pH>7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Rocky or sandy soils
Conditions Comments: This very attractive tree is relatively fast growing and relatively free of diseases and pests. Attractive fall color. Does best in well-drained soil and adapts to many different soil types. Grows in full sun.
Texas comments: Chinkapin oak is a very attractive tree with nice fall color. It is relatively fast growing and relatively free of diseases and pests. It is resistant to oak wilt.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Hummingbirds
Use Food: EDIBLE PARTS: Acorns (nuts) are edible after tannins are leached or boiled out. Gather nuts during the fall from September to October. Only gather the ripe tan-to-brown acorns, rather than the unripe green ones. remove bitterness, shell the brown, ripe acorns and remove any corky skin layers, dice the meat, and boil the chunks in water from 15 to 30 minutes until the water turns brown. Then pour off the water and repeat the process until the water clears, indicating that the tannic acid has been removed. During the last boiling, salt water can be added; then the acorns can be deep fried or mixed in a soup. Finely chopped acorn meats can be added to bread doughs and muffin batters. After the leaching process, acorn meat can be frozen. To make flour, the boiled acorn meat can be split in two and dried by slowly baking in a 200 degree oven with the door cracked to allow moisture to escape. Crush or grind and use as a thickener or a flour. Another method is to roast the fresh acorn to work well in a grinder or blender. After grinding, place the flour into a cloth bag and boil to leach out bitterness. Leached acorns, after they are roasted until brittle, can be ground and used as a marginal coffee substitute. (Poisonous Plants of N.C.)
Use Other: Liquid merchandise was commonly rolled onto the boat in barrels made of this oak, for though its pores look large, they are admirably plugged by nature and so proof against leakage. (Peattie)
Warning: POISONOUS PARTS: Acorns (seeds of nuts) and young leaves. Low toxicity if eaten. Symptoms include stomach pain, constipation and later bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst and urination.
Attracts: Birds , Hummingbirds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Gray Hairstreak
Deer Resistant: None

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Quercus muehlenbergii is a larval host and/or nectar source for:

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Description: Seedlings damp off readily.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Scarification or hot water treatment is necessary.
Commercially Avail: yes

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PlantWise: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

Quercus muehlenbergii (Chinkapin oak) is a PlantWise native alternative for:

   Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
   Quercus acutissima (sawtooth oak)

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: We recently added a deck in our backyard which faces west, we live in Circle C (southwest Austin). The afternoon sun is intense so we're looking to plant something along our fence line to provide shade and privacy. We want something quick growing that will grow tall (20 or so feet) but not wide, since we don't want it to take up valuable yard space, maybe a tree? Also, can you recommend a flowering vine that can grow from the ground and climb to cover our brick patio columns. I'd love something fragrant, but nothing poisonous or that would attract bees.
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: We live in Kempner Texas, our land has mostly cedar trees. We would like to make a wildlife habitat on the back side of our property. Can you recommend plants that will grow in shade to partial sun, compatible with cedar and wildlife friendly? Also we want a good shade tree for our front.
click here to view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Patsy Glenn Refuge - Wimberley, TX
Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX

Bibliography

Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
* Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Quercus muehlenbergii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Quercus muehlenbergii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Quercus muehlenbergii