| Quercus muehlenbergii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Quercus |
| Subgenus: | Quercussubg. Quercus |
| Section: | Quercussect. Quercus |
| Species: | Q. muehlenbergii |
| Binomial name | |
| Quercus muehlenbergii | |
 | |
| Natural range | |
| Synonyms[3][4] | |
List
| |
Quercus muehlenbergii, thechinquapin (orchinkapin)oak, is adeciduous species of tree in thewhite oak group (Quercus sect.Quercus). The species was often calledQuercus acuminata in older literature.Quercus muehlenbergii (often misspelled asmuhlenbergii) is native to eastern and centralNorth America. It ranges fromVermont toMinnesota, south to theFlorida panhandle, and west toNew Mexico in the United States.[5] In Canada it is only found in southernOntario, and in Mexico it ranges fromCoahuila south toHidalgo.[2]
Chinquapin oak ismonoecious in flowering habit; flowers emerge in April to late May or early June. The staminate flowers are borne in catkins that develop from the leaf axils of the previous year, and the pistillate flowers develop from the axils of the current year'sleaves. The fruit, anacorn or nut, is borne singly or in pairs, matures in one year, and ripens in September or October. About half of the acorn is enclosed in a thin cup and is chestnut brown to nearly black.[2]
Chinquapin oak is closely related to the smaller but generally similardwarf chinquapin oak (Quercus prinoides). Chinquapin oak is usually a tree, but occasionally shrubby, while dwarf chinquapin oak is a low-growing,clone-forming shrub. The two species generally occur in different habitats: chinquapin oak is typically found oncalcareous soils and rocky slopes, while dwarf chinquapin oak is usually found onacidic substrates, primarily sand or sandy soils, and also dry shales.[2][6]
Chinquapin oak is also sometimes confused with the relatedchestnut oak (Quercus montana), which it closely resembles. However, unlike the pointed teeth on the leaves of the chinquapin oak, chestnut oak leaves generally have rounded teeth. The two species have contrasting kinds of bark: chinquapin oak has a gray, flaky bark very similar to that ofwhite oak (Q. alba) but with a more yellow-brown cast to it (hence the occasional name yellow oak for this species), while chestnut oak has dark, solid, deeply ridged bark. The chinquapin oak also has smaller acorns than the chestnut oak or another similar species, theswamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii), which have some of the largest acorns of any oaks.[2]
Key characteristics ofQuercus muehlenbergii include:[7]
Q. muehlenbergii is generally regarded as a distinct species from the similar-appearingchestnut oak (Q. montana). The tree's scientific name honorsGotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753–1815), aLutheran pastor and amateur botanist inPennsylvania. In publishing the nameQuercus mühlenbergii,German-AmericanbotanistGeorge Engelmann mistakenly used anumlaut in spelling Muhlenberg's name, even though Pennsylvania-born Muhlenberg himself did not use an umlaut in his name. Under the modernrules of botanical nomenclature, umlauts are transliterated, withü becomingue, hence Engelmann'sQuercus mühlenbergii is now presented asQuercus muehlenbergii. In lack of evidence that Engelmann's use of the umlaut was an unintended error, and hence correctable, themuehlenbergii spelling is considered correct, although the more appropriateorthographic variantQuercus muhlenbergii is often seen.[8][9]
The low-growing,cloningQ. prinoides (dwarf chinquapin oak) is similar toQ. muehlenbergii and has been confused with it in the past, but is now generally accepted as a distinct species.[6] If the two are considered to beconspecific, the earlier-published nameQuercus prinoides has priority overQ. muehlenbergii, and the larger chinquapin oak can then be classified asQuercus prinoidesvar. acuminata, with the dwarf chinquapin oak beingQuercus prinoidesvar. prinoides.Q. prinoides was named and described by the German botanistKarl (Carl) Ludwig Willdenow in 1801, in a German journal article by Muhlenberg.[2]
Chinquapin oak is generally found on well-drained upland soils derived from limestone or where limestone outcrops occur. Occasionally it is found on well-drained limestone soils along streams. Chinquapin oak is generally found on soils that are weakly acid (pH about 6.5) to alkaline (above pH 7.0). It grows on both northerly and southerly aspects but is more common on the warmer southerly aspects. It is absent or rare at high elevations in the Appalachians.[10][11]
It is rarely a predominant tree, but it grows in association with many other species. It is a component of the forest cover type White Oak-Black Oak-Northern Red Oak (Society of American Foresters Type 52) and the Post Oak-Blackjack Oak (Type 40) (2).
It grows in association with white oak(Quercus alba), black oak (Q. velutina), northern red oak (Q. rubra), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (A. rubrum), hickories (Carya spp.), black cherry (Prunus serotina), cucumbertree (Magnolia acuminata), white ash (Fraxinus americana), American basswood (Tilia americana), black walnut (Juglans nigra), butternut (J. cinerea), and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). American beech (Fagus grandifolia), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), pitch pine (P. rigida), Virginia pine (P. virginiana), Ozark chinquapin (Castanea ozarkensis), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), bluejack oak (Quercus incana), southern red oak (Q. falcata), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica), and winged elm (Ulmus alata) also grow in association with chinquapin oak. In the Missouri Ozarks a redcedar-chinquapin oak association has been described.[12]
The most common small tree and shrub species found in association with chinquapin oak include flowering dogwood(Cornus florida), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana),Vaccinium spp.,Viburnum spp., hawthorns(Crataegus spp.), and sumacs (Rhus spp.). The most common woody vines are wild grape (Vitis spp.) and greenbrier(Smilax spp.).[citation needed]
Chinquapin oak is classified asintolerant of shade. It withstands moderate shading when young but becomes more intolerant of shade with age. It is regarded as aclimax species on dry, drought prone soils, especially those of limestone origin. On more moist sites it is subclimax to climax. It is often found as a component of the climax vegetation in stands on mesic sites with limestone soils. However, many oak-hickory stands on moist sites that contain chinquapin oak are succeeded by a climax forest including beech, maple, and ash.[13]
Severe wildfire kills chinquapin oak saplings and small pole-size trees, but these often resprout. However, fire scars serve as entry points for decay-causingfungi, and the resulting decay can cause serious losses.[citation needed]
Oak wilt (Bretziella fagacearum), a vascular disease, attacks chinquapin oak and usually kills the tree within two to four years. Other diseases that attack chinquapin oak include the cankersStrumella coryneoidea andNectria galligena, shoestring root rot (Armillarea mellea), anthracnose (Gnomonia veneta), and leaf blister (Taphrina spp.).[citation needed]
The most serious defoliatinginsects that attack chinquapin oak are thegypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), theorangestriped oakworm (Anisota senatoria), and the variable oakleaf caterpillar (Heterocampa manteo). Insects that bore into the bole and seriously degrade the products cut from infested trees include the carpenterworm (Prionoyxstus robiniae), little carpenterworm (P. macmurtrei), white oak borer (Goes tigrinus), Columbian timber beetle (Corthylus columbianus), oak timberworm (Arrhenodes minutus), and twolined chestnut borer (Agrilus bilineatus). The acorn weevils (Curculio spp.), larvae of moths (Valentinia glandulella andMelissopus latiferreanus), and gall forming cynipids (Callirhytis spp.) feed on the acorns.[citation needed]
Like that of other white oak species, the wood of the chinquapin oak is a durable hardwood prized for many types of construction.[14]
The chinquapin oak is especially known for its sweet and palatable acorns. The nuts contained inside of the thin shell are among the sweetest of any oak, with an excellent taste even when eaten raw, providing an excellent source of food for both wildlife and people. The acorns are eaten by squirrels, mice, voles, chipmunks, deer, turkey, and other birds.[15][16]
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