Pin Oak - Quercus palustris Beech Family (Fagaceae)
Pin oak’s common name comes from the many short or pin-like branchlets on the main branches. Unlike most oaks, it does not have heavy horizontal branches. Instead, it has many slender branches that arch out, with the lower branches bending down.1
One of the few oaks not used for lumber; it warps badly so it is used for pellet wood for smokers.
Other regional names for a pin oak are swamp oak, or water oak.
Since they can grow 2 feet a year, they spend 50 years growing and 30-50 years just hanging in there.
References:
- Pin Oak. University of Kentucky Department of Horticulture. https://www.uky.edu/hort/Pin-oak. Publication date unavailable. Accessed December 4, 2023.
- https://www.thetreecenter.com/wp-content/uploads/pin-oak-1.jpg
- https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxonimages-1000s1000/Fagaceae/quercus-palustris-ba-atal.jpg
- https://nfs.unl.edu/images/wood-plant/hqupa2-lfseveral12443.jpg
- https://www.pfw.edu/microsites/nativetrees/images/trees/o-r/full/pin-oak-fruit-fall-01.jpg
- https://c8.alamy.com/comp/B33M2T/pin-oak-flowersblooming-quercus-palustris-B33M2T.jpg
