Chinkapin Oak

More info for the terms: natural, swamp, tree

chinkapin oak
chinquapin oak
yellow chestnut oak
chestnut oak
rock chestnut oak
rock oak
yellow oak


TAXONOMY:
The currently accepted scientific name of chinquapin oak is Quercus
muehlenbergii Engelm. [36]. Many authorities recognize this species
under an alternate spelling, Q. muhlenbergii Engelm. [31]. Chinquapin
oak is a member of the white oak subgenus or section (Lepidobalanus) [9]
and is placed within the chestnut oak subsection (Prinoideae Trelease)
[44]. Two forms have been delineated on the basis of leaf and nut
morphology [23]. A form characterized by wide leaves has been
identified as Q. muehlenbergii f. alexanderi (Britton) Trel. [75].

Chinquapin oak hybridizes with many other oak species, including bur oak
(Q. macrocarpa), white oak (Q. alba), Gambel oak (Q. gambelii), dwarf
chinquapin oak, Q. x deamii, Q. x introgressa, and Q. bicolor x prinoides
[36,40]. Hybridization with gray oak (Q. grisea) and swamp white oak
(Q. bicolor) is suspected [68,69]. Q. x deamii (=Q. fallax) is probably
a hybrid of chinquapin oak and white oak or chinquapin oak and bur oak
[7,23]. Q. introgressa may be a natural hybrid of chinquapin oak and
dwarf chinquapin oak. Introgressants and hybrid swarms between chinquapin
oak and dwarf chinquapin oak are common [68].


LIFE FORM:
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status

OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY





DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Quercus muehlenbergii
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Chinquapin oak is widely distributed throughout much of eastern and
central North America [11]. Its range extends from New England and
Pennsylvania southward mostly in the mountains through Virginia and the
Carolinas to northwestern Florida, westward to northern Mexico,
south-central Texas, and Oklahoma, and north to Minnesota, Wisconsin,
southern Ontario, and southern Michigan [23,26].

More info for the term: forest

Chinquapin oak is widely distributed throughout much of eastern and
central North America [11]. Its range extends from New England and
Pennsylvania southward mostly in the mountains through Virginia and the
Carolinas to northwestern Florida, westward to northern Mexico,
south-central Texas, and Oklahoma, and north to Minnesota, Wisconsin,
southern Ontario, and southern Michigan [23,26].



Distribution of chinquapin oak. 1971 USDA, Forest Service map digitized by Thompson and others [79].


Local and disjunct populations occur in western Texas, New Mexico, and
northeastern Mexico [36,69]. In the eastern United States, chinquapin
oak is relatively rare throughout much of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal
plains [32]. It is uncommon or rare in Pennsylvania [32] and in New
England [58]. Chinquapin oak reaches greatest abundance in the
Mississippi and Ohio valleys [23,32].

More info for the terms: prescribed fire, series

Prescribed fire: Prescribed fire can be an important tool for
regenerating oak stands because it tends to promote vigorous sprouting,
reduce competing vegetation [55], and expose mineral soil, which favors
seedling establishment. A series of low-intensity prescribed fires
prior to timber harvest can promote advanced regeneration in oaks [72].
[See Management Considerations]. The effects of fire on oaks may vary;
in some cases fire can kill or injure oaks, but in others fire has
little effect [55]. In the southern Appalachians, biennial summer burns
are often effective in promoting advance regeneration, while single
preharvest or postharvest burns generally have little effect [72].

More info for the term: codominant

Chinquapin oak grows as a codominant with bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) in gallery forests of the Konza
Prairie in northeastern Kansas [3]. In most other locations it occurs
as scattered individuals within a mixed overstory.

More info for the term: tree

Tree

More info for the terms: hardwood, natural, selection, series

Silviculture: Oaks often regenerate poorly after timber harvest.
Hannah [28] reported that the use of natural seedbeds and standard
hardwood silvicultural practices are often ineffectual in promoting oak
regeneration. Vigorous, advanced regeneration is essential for
producing good stands of oak after timber harvest [18,47,57]. For
adequate regeneration of oaks, advanced regeneration at least 4.5 feet
(1.4 m) in height should number at least 435 per acre (176/ha) prior to
harvest. A series of selection cuts can produce stands with several age
classes and can generate sufficient advanced regeneration for
well-stocked, postharvest stands. Initial cuts should reduce overstory
densities to no less than 60 percent stocking. Reduction of competing
understory species may be necessary in some instances [57].

Chemical control: Oaks often produce basal sprouts in response to
herbicide treatments [24]. Herbicides such as tebuthiuron and triclopyr
can reduce crowns of chinquapin oaks by 88 to 98 percent and kill 74 to
94 percent of chinquapin oak trees [67].

Insects/disease: Chinquapin oak is relatively resistant to insects and
disease [48]. It is, however, susceptible to attack by oak wilt, acorn
weevils, and the gypsy moth [23].

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: association, fruit

Chinquapin oak leafs out in mid-spring [52]. Plants flower when leaves
are approximately 25 percent grown [23]. Fruit ripens at the end of the
first growing season [27]. Generalized flowering and fruiting dates by
geographic location are as follows:

Location Flowering Fruiting Authority

WI May ---- Curtis 1959
New England May 21-June 8 ---- Seymour 1985
n-c Great Plains early May September Stephens 1973
NC-SC April October Radford and
others 1968
Great Plains April-May ---- Great Plains Flora
Association 1986
KS May ---- Reichman 1987
Blue Ridge Mtns. April-May ---- Wofford 1989

More info for the terms: caudex, root crown, seed

survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
survivor species; on-site surviving roots
off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2

More info for the terms: natural, swamp

The currently accepted scientific name of chinquapin oak is Quercus
muehlenbergii Engelm. [36]. Many authorities recognize this species
under an alternate spelling, Q. muhlenbergii Engelm. [31]. Chinquapin
oak is a member of the white oak subgenus or section (Lepidobalanus) [9]
and is placed within the chestnut oak subsection (Prinoideae Trelease)
[44]. Two forms have been delineated on the basis of leaf and nut
morphology [23]. A form characterized by wide leaves has been
identified as Q. muehlenbergii f. alexanderi (Britton) Trel. [75].

Chinquapin oak hybridizes with many other oak species, including bur oak
(Q. macrocarpa), white oak (Q. alba), Gambel oak (Q. gambelii), dwarf
chinquapin oak, Q. x deamii, Q. x introgressa, and Q. bicolor x prinoides
[36,40]. Hybridization with gray oak (Q. grisea) and swamp white oak
(Q. bicolor) is suspected [68,69]. Q. x deamii (=Q. fallax) is probably
a hybrid of chinquapin oak and white oak or chinquapin oak and bur oak
[7,23]. Q. introgressa may be a natural hybrid of chinquapin oak and
dwarf chinquapin oak. Introgressants and hybrid swarms between chinquapin
oak and dwarf chinquapin oak are common [68].