Editing Quercus muehlenbergii (section)

==Description==
Chinquapin oak is [[monoecious]] in flowering habit; flowers emerge in April to late May or early June. The staminate flowers are borne in catkins that develop from the leaf axils of the previous year, and the pistillate flowers develop from the axils of the current year's [[leaves]]. The fruit, an [[acorn]] or nut, is borne singly or in pairs, matures in one year, and ripens in September or October. About half of the acorn is enclosed in a thin cup and is chestnut brown to nearly black.<ref name=FNA />
[[File:Ruth the chinkapin oak.jpg|thumb|"Ruth" a Chinquapin White Oak Tree]]
Chinquapin oak is closely related to the smaller but generally similar [[Quercus prinoides|dwarf chinquapin oak]] (''Quercus prinoides''). Chinquapin oak is usually a tree, but occasionally shrubby, while dwarf chinquapin oak is a low-growing, [[cloning|clone-forming]] shrub. The two species generally occur in different habitats: chinquapin oak is typically found on [[calcareous]] soils and rocky slopes, while dwarf chinquapin oak is usually found on [[soil pH|acidic substrates]], primarily sand or sandy soils, and also dry shales.<ref name=FNA /><ref Name="FNA Qprinoides" />

Chinquapin oak is also sometimes confused with the related [[chestnut oak]] (''Quercus montana''), which it closely resembles. However, unlike the pointed teeth on the leaves of the chinquapin oak, chestnut oak leaves generally have rounded teeth. The two species have contrasting kinds of bark: chinquapin oak has a gray, flaky bark very similar to that of [[Quercus alba|white oak]] (''Q.&nbsp;alba'') but with a more yellow-brown cast to it (hence the occasional name yellow oak for this species), while chestnut oak has dark, solid, deeply ridged bark. The chinquapin oak also has smaller acorns than the chestnut oak or another similar species, the [[swamp chestnut oak]] (''Q. michauxii''), which have some of the largest acorns of any oaks.<ref name=FNA />

Key characteristics of ''Quercus muehlenbergii'' include:<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barnes |first1=B. V. |last2=Wagner Jr. |first2=W. H. |date=2008 |title=Michigan Trees |publisher=University of Michigan Press}}</ref>

*Leaf base is typically rounded<ref name=FNA />
*Veins and sinuses are regular<ref name=FNA />
*Acorns with no stalks or with short stalks less than 8&nbsp;mm long. The acorns turn chestnut brown in the fall<ref name=FNA />
*The leaves have sharp teeth but no bristles, as a member of the white oak subgenus of ''Quercus''<ref name=FNA />