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Boerne Chapter

Chinquapin Oak – a NICE! good looking shade tree

By Carolyn Walden

Last month Bill Ward wrote about tree diversity as a hedge against the spread of “oak wilt” that mostly attacks live and red oaks. He introduced the first of seven trees that are being promoted by the Operation Nice! (Natives Instead of Common Exotics!) in 2011. The chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), the second such tree, is the February Plant of the Month.

Image of a large oak tree
The Chinquapin oak makes a strong statement in any landscape.

Chinquapin oak, a member of the beech family (Fagaceae), is a moderately to rapidly growing medium to large, deciduous shade tree, reaching 30-50 tall feet in the Texas Hill Country. As a young tree, it has a slender upright canopy that spreads becoming more rounded with age, not unlike many of us.

Emerging leaves are reddish to green and turn a glossy, dark green at maturity. They can reach 4”-6” long and have saw tooth edges that resemble leaves of the chestnut or chinquapin trees found in the eastern United States (Castanea spp.). The top of the leaf is shiny and smooth; the underside is fuzzy.

According to Jane M. Bowles, PhD, Herbarium Curator and Arboretum Director at The University of Western Ontario in Toronto, Canada, Quercus muehlenbergii was described by “George Engelman (1809-1884), the German-American botanist whose collections are in the Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis”. The species name honors Gotthilf Heinrich (Henry) Ernst Muhlenberg (1753–1815) who was a Lutheran pastor and amateur botanist in Pennsylvania.

The chinquapin oak’s size and shape make it especially suitable for any landscaping needs, including urban lots. It has also been designated as a Texas Superstar™ plant by Texas A&M AgriLife Research. That means this tree has undergone several years of extensive field trials by Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, both part of the Texas A&M System.

Image of yellow leaves
Chinquapin oak has nice fall color.

Among this oak tree’s attributes is its nice fall color ranging from yellow to a rich bronze. In addition, it is drought tolerant, and grows in a wide range of environmental conditions including well-drained bottomland soils to rocky limestone hills. It can tolerate acidic soils, but grows best in neutral or somewhat alkaline conditions – a plus in the Texas Hill Country.

Close up of acorns
Chinquapin oak leaves and acorns.

Chinquapin oaks produce acorns that are sweet and eaten by wildlife and humans. They are the sweetest of all oak acorns. Ripe acorns can be taken out of the thin, tan to brown shell and eaten. Unripe green acorns will be bitter. Acorn meats can be processed and dried or roasted and used to make bread dough, muffin batter and a coffee substitute.

The hardwood of the chinquapin, although not used widely commercially, is valued for woodworking. The bark of mature trees is thin, shaggy or flakey and brown to grayish in color and resembles that of white oak (Quercus alba).

Growing a diversity of native plants is important to sustain local and migratory wildlife. The chinquapin oak is a larval host for the Gray Hairstreak butterfly and the flowers attract hummingbirds in April and May. What better way to enjoy your own slice of nature than growing native plants that support wildlife and give us shade, color and sustainable enjoyment.

The Boerne chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas provides planting and care instructions for chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) as well as other Plant of the Month! plants and sponsoring nurseries on its website (http://www.npsot.org/wp/boerne/).

Photos courtesy Sally and Andy Wysowski from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center gallery.

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About the Region

New Braunfels, the location of our Fall 2024 Symposium, straddles both the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. Interstate 35 divides the city of New Braunfels; its path through the city closely parallels the boundary of these two ecoregions, with the Edwards Plateau on the west side and the Blackland Prairies region to the east. The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our four host chapters (New Braunfels, Lindheimer, Guadalupe, and the Hill Country chapters) are located in one or both of the ecoregions above. However, the eastern portion of Guadalupe County also falls within the Post Oak Savanna ecoregion. Annual rainfall averages 35 to 45 inches, with higher averages to the east. A wide variety of hardwood trees are found, including several species of oaks, elms, and in the Bastrop area, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Grasses and forbs dominate in the open savannas, with most common grass being little bluestem. Ranching, agriculture, and fire suppression have allowed woody species to encroach on the once-open savannas.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason