Pin Oak
Quercus palustris
A medium to large deciduous tree featuring deeply lobed, glossy green leaves with bristle-tipped lobes and characteristic drooping lower branches.
- Light
- Full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily
- Water
- High moisture requirements; prefers deep, regular watering and performs well in moist soils, showing sensitivity to prolonged drought and alkaline soils.
- Growth
- Large deciduous perennial tree with a pyramidal growth form when young, developing an irregular, open crown with drooping lower branches at maturity. Height reaches 60 to 70 feet with a comparable spread, and growth rate is medium to fast.
Care instructions
Provide full sun and consistently moist, well-draining acidic soil. Water regularly during dry spells and apply a balanced tree fertilizer in early spring.
Growing details
Sunlight
Full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily
Watering
High moisture requirements; prefers deep, regular watering and performs well in moist soils, showing sensitivity to prolonged drought and alkaline soils.
Soil
Prefers rich, moist, acidic soils with good drainage, optimal pH range between 4.5 and 6.5.
Hardiness zone
USDA zones 4 through 8
Growth habit
Large deciduous perennial tree with a pyramidal growth form when young, developing an irregular, open crown with drooping lower branches at maturity. Height reaches 60 to 70 feet with a comparable spread, and growth rate is medium to fast.
Bloom season
Spring; flowers are inconspicuous yellow-green catkins.
Propagation
Propagated primarily from seeds sown in autumn or stratified over winter, and occasionally through grafting or stem cuttings for cultivars.
Common pests & issues
Prone to iron chlorosis in alkaline soils, oak wilt, anthracnose, leaf miners, and scale insects.
Similar species
Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) and Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra); distinguished by the particularly deep sinuses and bristle-tipped lobes characteristic of pin oak leaves, as well as its habit of retaining lower branches that droop downward.