Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same plant, appearing when the leaves begin to unfold, minute, without petals, the staminate in slender, drooping catkins, the pistillate few together.
Fruit: Acorns solitary or 2 together, with or without a stalk, the nut ellipsoid, about ½ inch long, brown, enclosed for less than ⅓ its length by the cup, the cup finely hairy.
Wood: Strong, hard, coarse-grained, light reddish-brown.
Uses: Interior finishing, furniture, cabinets.
Habitat: Bottomlands and river banks.
Range: Southeastern Virginia to southeastern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The shape of the leaf is distinctive for this oak.
PIN OAK
Quercus palustris Muench.
Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter usually less than 3 feet; crown narrowly rounded or oblong, but with the lower branches drooping; trunk straight, with pin-like stubs developing rather low on the trunk.