Chestnut Oak

LEAVES: Alternate, simple, 5″-9″ long, to 3″ wide; with course, rounded teeth. Dark green and smooth above, paler and occasionally downy beneath.

TWIGS: Smooth, orange-brown to reddish-brown. Buds light brown, sharp pointed, edges of scales hairy, ¼ to ½” long.

FRUIT: An acorn, 1 to 1½” long; rich dark brown, shiny. Cup thin, hairy inside, enclosing 1/3-1/2 of the nut; cup scales knobby. Fruit ripens in one growing season with kernels moderately sweet.

BARK: Grey and smooth on young trees, later brownish gray to dark gray, thick, tough, deep-fissured.

GENERAL: Also called Rock oak and Basket oak this tree grows to 80′ on dry slopes and ridgetops throughout Pennsylvania. Large crops of acorns produced every 4-7 years are important food for deer, bear, turkey and many other birds and animals. The bark is very rich in tannin and the wood heavy and strong. It is used for furniture, flooring, millwork, and railroad ties.