Growth form: Pin oak usually ranges from 50 to 75 feet tall
Leaves, twigs, and bark: Leaves of pin oak tree are simple, alternate, and lobed, typically 2 to 4 inches long, with pinnate venation and ovate, oblong leaf shape. In fall, leaves turn a red or copper. Twigs are green or brown and thin. Bark is brown
Leaves of Pin Oak #549, showing alternate leaf arrangement, simple lobed leaves (Photos by Rose Afiriyie)
Flowers: Pin Oak tree blooms from March to May. Flowers bloom color are usually yellow, green or brown.
Close up of leaf arrangement of the pin oak tree #530. (Capture by Rose Afiriyie)
Fruits: Fruits are typically oval shaped and round. They are typically dry and hard and attracts squirrels/mammals for food.
Acorn fallen from the tree (Photo by Rose Afiriyie)
Native range and habitat: Pin Oak appears at floodplain forests, alluvial swamps wet flat-woods, ponds. It is common in the n. Piedmont and n. Coastal Plain. It is very common and native in VA.
Distribution of Pin Oak tree across Virginia counties (VA Plant Atlas 2019)
Plant Family: Pin Oak is part of the Beech family with a genus of about 10 species of deciduous ornamental and timber trees. It is native to temperate and subtropical regions. The wood is durable underwater and good to use indoor.
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Edible and Medicinal Uses: The nuts are food for the animals and used to fatten poultry as well as edible oil.
Wildlife: Pin Oak tree acorns are food for songbirds, water and ground birds and mammals.
Gardens and Landscaping: Pin Oak tree grow nicely on moist soils can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 7. It is very sensitive to soil pH above 6's
Campus Specimens - Pin Oak Trees
State and national champions? The largest Pin Oak tree in the country is located in Arlington, Virginia. This national champion has a trunk circumference of 208.3 , height of 82.08 feet, and crown spread of 66.5 feet. Resulting in a total of 307 points. The Virginia state champion Pin Oak tree is located in Arlington, VA, and has a circumference of 192 inches, height of 126 feet, and crown spread of 112 feet, for a total of 346 points.
At Radford University, There are about 20 Pin Oaks all scattered around on campus, the one highlighted below is right by Moffett Hall.
Tree #549
Notes: This beautiful Pin Oak was captured across from the back of Young hall and Davis Hall. It is very healthy and tall.
Tree #545
Trunk circumference: 109.0 inches
Tree height: 65.0 feet
Crown spread: 75 feet x 56.8 feet Average crown spread = 65.9 feet
Total points: 190.5
Notes: This tree is fairly large, it is very healthy and tall
Tree #544
Trunk circumference: 81 inches
Tree height: 63.8 feet
Crown spread: 77.0 feet x 57.0 feet Average crown spread = 67.0 feet
Total points: 161.5
Notes: This one was smaller than the others.
References
Elpel, T. J. (2018). Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, Edition 6.1. Hops Press, Pony, MT.