Hello!

This week, let’s take a look at a fun-looking member of the white oak group: Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana). Its leaves resemble chestnut foliage, and the tree is plentiful in the Appalachians, having filled in the spots the American Chestnut left behind.

Oaks are keystone species: hundreds of insects, especially caterpillars and moths, feed on them and, in turn, feed birds, making them a critical link in the food web. The Chestnut Oak also feeds birds and mammals with some of the largest acorns among North American oaks. They are long and egg-shaped with a cap that covers a third to a half of the nut. But let’s get to the more interesting fun facts about this tree.

The Great Chestnut Oak Schism

In the past, Chestnut Oak was known as Quercus prinus, as it and Swamp Chestnut Oak were lumped under a single botanical name because their leaves and acorns are very similar. But the species was split because they have different living standards.

Now Swamp Chestnut Oak is called Q. michauxii and has a southeastern native range that does not extend to the northeast or the mid-Atlantic. It is also more adapted to bottomlands and floodplains, hence the swamp portion of the common name. In contrast, Q. montana is found on dry ridgetops, and its range extends throughout most of the eastern United States, overlapping with that of Q. michauxii. If you spot a Chestnut Oak in the woods north of Virginia, you’re probably looking at Q. montana. If you’re south of the Mason-Dixon line, you’ll need to look at other factors to make an ID.

In fact, Chestnut Oak has a more descriptive common name that is less used: Rock Oak. The photographed oak is certainly Q. montana because of where it resided: amidst a pile of house-sized sandstone boulders on a mountaintop in Clear Creek State Forest. Given that montana is Latin for mountains, and mountains are rock, let’s adopt the less common, but more sensible, common name of Rock Oak for this tree instead.

Elsewhere:

A reminder that the 2026 Native Perennial Calendar is still for sale! Each month features a color photograph of a native flower and a fun fact. The calendar costs $15, and shipping or local delivery is free! Order one here.

Have a great week,

Julie