Posted by
ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Dec 9, 2017 2:11 PM concerning plant:
The scientific name is all Latin and means Swamp Oak. I think it is called Pin Oak because the lower branches often bear sharp short branches that hurt if one bumps into them. I've seen them growing wild in swamps in southern Illinois and along low creek areas in Maryland. So it does usually grow in bottomlands, but it occasionally is found in open upland sites from Long Island and New Jersey down into North Carolina to northeast Oklahoma & southeast Kansas to northern Illinois through southern Michigan back through much of Pennsylvania. Its lustrous dark green leaves get to about 6 inches long and almost as wide are 5 to 7 lobed with the sinuses being sort of uneven and U-shaped, and develop good orange to red fall color. It bears small round acorns to about 1/2 inch long with a thin, scaly, shallow cup that mature every two years like other members of the Black Oak subgroup. It grows about 2 feet/year and lives about 150 to 200 years. It grows in a triangular form for a long time until really mature. It does not develop a taproot and is easily transplanted. Pin Oak is abundantly planted over the Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and upper South of the USA. It is available at many nurseries. This species does have to have acid soil. I think the breaking point is about pH 6.8 where above that point it develops iron chlorosis. I would say that more than half of the trees planted in the neutral reaction soils of northern and central Illinois do well, but there is a good number that die from the soil not being acid enough because they don't get enough iron micronutrient. I've some seen trees die in southeast Pennsylvania where the parent rock of the soil is limestone, where the pH can be 6.9 or 7.0. Treat with iron chelate injections in the trunk or lay down iron sulfate and/or sulfur granules over the ground if chlorosis of yellowing leaves happens.
Posted by
SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Feb 22, 2012 5:25 AM concerning plant:
Pyramidal through early maturity, its form turns more oval in older age.
Fast-growing, tolerates wet soils, likes full sun. Glossy dark green leaves turn russet, bronze or red. Grows to 60' to 70', 25-45' spread.
Posted by
Bonehead (Planet Earth - Zone 8b) on Oct 25, 2016 12:34 PM concerning plant:
Nicely shaped pyramid oak. Tolerates wet soil well. Mine is in a field that is saturated most of the year. The leaves turn a spectacular red/orange in the fall and hang on to the tree well into winter. As noted by others, it takes quite some time to develop acorns.
Posted by
Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Feb 6, 2012 11:54 PM concerning plant:
When I was growing up in Centerville, OH (a southern suburb of Dayton, OH), my parents planted two Pin Oaks in the backyard. One on the left side and the other on the right side on their quarter-acre lot, as well as other types of trees. My dad planted it within a year of building the house and they had the house for 16 years. I don't know how old the trees were when they were planted as they were bearing acorns for many years they lived there. In the fall, the leaves were a beautiful red color! I loved seeing the fall color, the acorns, and the trees themselves! The trees kept their leaves late into the year. They seemed to be the last ones to drop. A wonderful and beautiful tree!