Practical
Plants

Quercus palustris

Pin Oak

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Quercus genus in the family Fagaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Fagaceae
Genus
Quercus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
25 m
Spread
8 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked[3]. The seed is about 15mm long[7], it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

Product or use
Coffee
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An infusion of the inner bark has been used to treat intestinal pains[11]. Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[12].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Stomachic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth[6]. Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[12]. A black ink is made from the galls[8]. Wood - strong, hard, coarse grained, heavy, often knotty owing to the persistence of many small limbs[14][16][17][4][9]. It weighs 43lb per cubic foot[9]. It is occasionally used for shingles, clap-boards, furniture, wooden nails etc and as a fuel[14][16][17][4][9][10].

Product or use
Ink
Product or use
Repellent
Product or use
Tannin
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
North-eastern and Central N. America - Massachusetts to Michigan, Virginia and Arkansas.
Habitat
Deep rich soils[9][10] in swampy woods and bottoms at low elevations[13]. Often found in wet, poorly drained claypan soils typical of floodplains, tolerating short periods of spring flooding[10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Average germination rate is about 68%[9]. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[2]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[1][2]. Lime tolerant[5]. Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[7]. Withstands atmospheric pollution[9]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[7]. A fairly fast growing tree[7], it is occasionally cultivated for timber in eastern central Europe[15]. It coppices fairly well[9]. The tree seldom lives longer than 150 - 200 years in the wild, commencing to bear seeds when 15 - 25 years old[10]. Seed production is cyclic, a year of high yields being followed by 2 - 3 years of low yields[10]. The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed taking two summers to ripen[10]. There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value[7]. Intolerant of root disturbance, trees should be planted in their permanent positions whilst young[2]. This species has a relatively shallow tap-root, making it easier to transplant[8]. Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[7]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩

  4. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

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  6. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

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  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  8. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2

  9. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  10. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  11. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  14. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  15. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  16. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  17. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

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