Pin Oak

Pin Oak

Pin oak - also called swamp oak - is a common component on wet clay soils, often on sites that are flooded for some time during the growing season. The tree does make an easy transition to dryer sites, where it is quick to establish and makes an excellent street or park tree. The pin oak can be easily identified by its unique silhouette; the straight trunk has ascending upper branches, horizontal middle branches, and drooping lower branches. It is the most common oak in Central Park.

Pin Oak Bark Gray with shallow furrows.	Pin Oak Flower Male and female grow on same tree: male borne on slender drooping yellow-green catkins, female reddish-green on short spikes appearing in spring when tree leafs out.
Pin Oak Fruit Acorn 1/2 inch long, matures after 2 years. Striated with thin, saucer-like cup. Some young trees have a tendency to keep their leaves long into the winter.	Pin Oak Leaf 3 to 6 inches long with 7 to 9 deep lobes with pointed tips. In fall turns red, russet, or bronze. Leaves remain on tree through most of the winter.