The pin oak is a deciduous tree in the red oak group of the Quercus genus. A fast-growing, medium-sized species of oak on the shorter-lived side, it is a riparian (situated by rivers) species that prefers wetlands and poorly drained soil. Palustris, meaning “of swamps” or “of marshlands,” references this.
Due to the variations in the shape of its leaves and bark furrows between young and old pin oaks, it is often mistaken for other red oak species, such as scarlet oaks and black oaks, over the course of their lives. The distinguishing factor throughout is the bare branches on the lower part of the trunk, referred to as pins. A pin oak can hybridize with other red oaks, as it bears similar acorns and catkin-style flowers. Pin oak leaves are the only food eaten by the caterpillars of the Bucculatrix domicola, a small, narrow, yellow-brown moth native to Washington, DC. Not much is known about its life cycle outside of its exclusivity to the pin oak.
FAMILY: Fagaceae
NATIVE STATUS: Native
NATIVE RANGE: Mid-Atlantic United States
FOLIAGE: Deciduous
MAX. HEIGHT: 72 ft.
MAX. AGE: 120 yrs.
Stop #12 on the Congressional Tree Walk
