PLANT NATIVE: CHINKAPIN OAK

Chinkapin oak, Quercus muehlenbergii Height: 50-60’ Spread: 40-50’ Sun: Full Sun Water: Moist to Dry, well-drained soils; Very drought tolerant

Chinkapin oak grows naturally throughout much of the eastern and midwestern United States, ending in the southeastern corner of Nebraska. Along the Missouri bluffs it grows on dry wooded hillsides, low slopes and even limestone outcroppings. As a shade tree it is a sturdy, well-formed oak and a reliable grower, even in the poorest of sites. The handsome leathery leaves offer a unique texture to any landscape; they’re shiny on top with “sawtoothed” serrated edges. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow before falling, revealing its picturesque branching structure and ashy-gray bark. The small, chestnut brown acorns are relished by a variety of birds and mammals. This native oak is the larval host for a variety of native butterflies and moths, whose caterpillars become an important supply of protein for nesting birds to feed their young.

Native plant recommendations from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, plantnebraska.org