Editing Quercus muehlenbergii

{{Short description|Species of oak tree}}
{{Speciesbox
|image=2494-Quercus muehlenbergii-Arb.Brno-8.12.JPG
|status=LC
|status_system=IUCN3.1
|status_ref=<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Kenny, L. |author2=Wenzell, K. |author3=Jerome, D. |date=2017 |title=''Quercus muehlenbergii'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T194202A111279204 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T194202A111279204.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
|genus=Quercus
|display_parents=2
|parent=Quercus sect. Quercus
|species=muehlenbergii
|authority=[[George Engelmann|Engelm.]]
|range_map=Quercus muehlenbergii range map 1.png
|range_map_caption=Natural range
|synonyms_ref=<ref>{{Tropicos}}</ref><ref>{{ThePlantList |authority=Engelm.}}</ref>
|synonyms={{collapsible list|bullets=true
|''Quercus muhlenbergii'' Engelm.<ref name=FNA>{{eFloras|1|242417084|Quercus muehlenbergii |family=Fagaceae |first=Kevin C. |last=Nixon}}</ref>
|''Quercus mühlenbergii'' <small>Engelm.</small>
|''Quercus acuminata'' <small>(Michx.) Sarg.</small>
|''Quercus acuminata'' var. ''alexanderi''<small>Farw.</small>
|''Quercus alexanderi'' <small>Britton</small>
|''Quercus brayi'' <small>Small</small>
|''Quercus castanea'' <small>Muhl.</small>
|''Quercus castanea'' var. ''macrophylla'' <small>Hampton</small>
|''Quercus muehlenbergii'' f. ''alexanderi'' <small>(Britton) Trel.</small>
|''Quercus muehlenbergii'' var. ''alexanderi'' <small>(Farw.) Farw.</small>
|''Quercus muehlenbergii'' var. ''brayi'' <small>(Small) Sarg.</small>
|''Quercus prinoides'' var. ''acuminata'' <small>(Michx.) Gleason</small>
|''Quercus prinoides'' f. ''alexanderi'' <small>(Britton) Steyerm.</small>
|''Quercus prinus'' var. ''acuminata'' <small>Michx.</small>
|''Quercus rubra'' var. ''muehlenbergii'' <small>(Engelm.) Wenz.</small>
|''Quercus sentenelensis'' <small>C.H.Mull.</small>
}}
}}

'''''Quercus muehlenbergii''''', the '''chinquapin''' (or '''chinkapin''') '''oak''', is a [[deciduous]] species of tree in the [[white oak]] group (''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''). The species was often called ''Quercus acuminata'' in older literature. ''Quercus muehlenbergii'' (often misspelled as ''muhlenbergii'') is native to eastern and central [[North America]]. It ranges from [[Vermont]] to [[Minnesota]], south to the [[Florida panhandle]], and west to [[New Mexico]] in the United States.<ref>{{BONAP|ref |genus=Quercus |species=muehlenbergii}}</ref> In Canada it is only found in southern [[Ontario]], and in Mexico it ranges from [[Coahuila]] south to [[Hidalgo (Mexico)|Hidalgo]].<ref name=FNA />

==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 />

==Taxonomy==
[[File:MuhlenbergGotthilf.jpg|thumb|Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, for whom ''Quercus muehlenbergii'' was named (portrait by [[Charles Willson Peale]], 1810)]]
''Q.&nbsp;muehlenbergii'' is generally regarded as a distinct species from the similar-appearing [[chestnut oak]] (''Q.&nbsp;montana''). The tree's scientific name honors [[Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg]] (1753–1815), a [[Lutheran]] pastor and amateur botanist in [[Pennsylvania]]. In publishing the name ''Quercus mühlenbergii'', [[Germany|German]]-[[United States|American]] [[botanist]] [[George Engelmann]] mistakenly used an [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]] in spelling Muhlenberg's name, even though Pennsylvania-born Muhlenberg himself did not use an umlaut in his name. Under the modern [[International Code of Botanical Nomenclature|rules of botanical nomenclature]], umlauts are transliterated, with ''ü'' becoming ''ue'', hence Engelmann's ''Quercus mühlenbergii'' is now presented as ''Quercus muehlenbergii''. In lack of evidence that Engelmann's use of the umlaut was an unintended error, and hence correctable, the ''muehlenbergii'' spelling is considered correct, although the more appropriate [[orthography|orthographic]] variant ''Quercus muhlenbergii'' is often seen.<ref name="NS Q.muehl.">{{cite web|title=Quercus muehlenbergii|url=http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=131052&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=131052&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=131052|work=NatureServe Explorer|publisher=NatureServe|access-date=7 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kendig |first1=James W. |title=Nomenclatural History of Quercus Muehlenbergii |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41610373 |journal=Bartonia |pages=45–48 |date=1979|issue=46 |jstor=41610373 }}</ref>

The low-growing, [[cloning]] ''[[Quercus prinoides|Q. prinoides]]'' (dwarf chinquapin oak) is similar to ''Q.&nbsp;muehlenbergii'' and has been confused with it in the past, but is now generally accepted as a distinct species.<ref Name="FNA Qprinoides">{{eFloras|1|233501075|Quercus prinoides |family=Fagaceae |first=Kevin C. |last=Nixon |access-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> If the two are considered to be [[conspecific]], the earlier-published name ''Quercus prinoides'' has priority over ''Q.&nbsp;muehlenbergii'', and the larger chinquapin oak can then be classified as ''Quercus prinoides ''var.'' acuminata'', with the dwarf chinquapin oak being ''Quercus prinoides ''var.'' prinoides''. ''Q.&nbsp;prinoides'' was named and described by the German botanist [[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Karl (Carl) Ludwig Willdenow]] in 1801, in a German journal article by Muhlenberg.<ref name=FNA />

==Ecology==

===Soil and topography===
Chinquapin oak is generally found on well-drained upland soils derived from limestone or where limestone outcrops occur. Occasionally it is found on well-drained limestone soils along streams. Chinquapin oak is generally found on soils that are weakly acid ([[Soil pH|pH]] about 6.5) to alkaline (above pH 7.0). It grows on both northerly and southerly aspects but is more common on the warmer southerly aspects. It is absent or rare at high elevations in the Appalachians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm |url=https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/quercus/muehlenbergii.htm |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=www.srs.fs.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sander |first=Ivan |title=Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm |url=https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/USDAFSSilvics/244.pdf |access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref>

===Associated cover===
It is rarely a predominant tree, but it grows in association with many other species. It is a component of the forest cover type White Oak-Black Oak-Northern Red Oak (Society of American Foresters Type 52) and the Post Oak-Blackjack Oak (Type 40) (2).

It grows in association with white oak ''(Quercus alba),'' black oak (''[[Quercus velutina|Q.&nbsp;velutina]]''), northern red oak (''[[Quercus rubra|Q.&nbsp;rubra]]''), scarlet oak (''[[Quercus coccinea|Q.&nbsp;coccinea]]''), sugar maple (''[[Acer saccharum]]''), red maple (''[[Acer rubrum|A.&nbsp;rubrum]]''), hickories (''[[Carya]]'' spp.), black cherry (''[[Prunus serotina]]''), cucumbertree (''[[Magnolia acuminata]]''), white ash (''[[Fraxinus americana]]''), American basswood (''[[Tilia americana]]''), black walnut (''[[Juglans nigra]]''), butternut (''[[Juglans cinerea|J.&nbsp;cinerea]]''), and yellow-poplar (''[[Liriodendron tulipifera]]''). American beech (''[[Fagus grandifolia]]''), shortleaf pine (''[[Pinus echinata]]''), pitch pine (''[[Pinus rigida|P.&nbsp;rigida]]''), Virginia pine (''[[Pinus virginiana|P.&nbsp;virginiana]]''), Ozark chinquapin (''[[Castanea ozarkensis]]''), eastern red cedar (''[[Juniperus virginiana]]''), bluejack oak (''[[Quercus incana]]''), southern red oak (''[[Quercus falcata|Q.&nbsp;falcata]]''), blackgum (''[[Nyssa sylvatica]]''), and winged elm (''[[Ulmus alata]]'') also grow in association with chinquapin oak. In the Missouri Ozarks a redcedar-chinquapin oak association has been described.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=A. O. |date=2010-06-10 |title=Where Life Is Cold, and Kin Are Cruel |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/movies/11winter.html |access-date=2022-05-06 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The most common small tree and shrub species found in association with chinquapin oak include flowering dogwood ''(Cornus {{sic|hide=y|florida}}),'' sassafras (''[[Sassafras albidum]]''), sourwood (''[[Oxydendrum arboreum]]''), eastern hophornbeam (''[[Ostrya virginiana]]''), ''[[Vaccinium]]'' spp., ''[[Viburnum]]'' spp., hawthorns ''([[Crataegus]]'' spp.), and sumacs (''[[Rhus]]'' spp.). The most common woody vines are wild grape (''[[Vitis]]'' spp.) and greenbrier ''([[Smilax]]'' spp.).{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

===Reaction to competition===
Chinquapin oak is classified as [[Shade tolerance|intolerant of shade]]. It withstands moderate shading when young but becomes more intolerant of shade with age. It is regarded as a [[climax species]] on dry, drought prone soils, especially those of limestone origin. On more moist sites it is subclimax to climax. It is often found as a component of the climax vegetation in stands on mesic sites with limestone soils. However, many oak-hickory stands on moist sites that contain chinquapin oak are succeeded by a climax forest including beech, maple, and ash.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quercus macrocarpa |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/quemac/all.html |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=www.fs.usda.gov}}</ref>

=== Diseases and pests ===
Severe wildfire kills chinquapin oak saplings and small pole-size trees, but these often resprout. However, fire scars serve as entry points for decay-causing [[fungi]], and the resulting decay can cause serious losses.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

[[Oak wilt]] (''Bretziella fagacearum''), a vascular disease, attacks chinquapin oak and usually kills the tree within two to four years. Other diseases that attack chinquapin oak include the cankers ''Strumella coryneoidea'' and ''Nectria galligena'', shoestring root rot (''Armillarea mellea''), anthracnose (''Gnomonia veneta''), and leaf blister (''Taphrina'' spp.).{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

The most serious defoliating [[insect]]s that attack chinquapin oak are the [[gypsy moth]] (''Lymantria dispar''), the [[orangestriped oakworm]] (''Anisota senatoria''), and the variable oakleaf caterpillar (''Heterocampa manteo''). Insects that bore into the bole and seriously degrade the products cut from infested trees include the carpenterworm (''Prionoyxstus robiniae''), little carpenterworm (''P.&nbsp;macmurtrei''), white oak borer (''Goes tigrinus''), Columbian timber beetle (''Corthylus columbianus''), oak timberworm (''Arrhenodes minutus''), and twolined chestnut borer (''Agrilus bilineatus''). The acorn weevils (''Curculio'' spp.), larvae of moths (''Valentinia glandulella'' and ''Melissopus latiferreanus''), and gall forming cynipids (''Callirhytis'' spp.) feed on the acorns.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

==Uses==
[[File:Chinkapin oak.jpg|thumb|Mature tree]]
Like that of other white oak species, the wood of the chinquapin oak is a durable hardwood prized for many types of construction.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uky.edu/hort/Chinkapin-Oak |title=Chinkapin Oak |publisher=Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, [[University of Kentucky]] |access-date=2017-10-05}}</ref>

The chinquapin oak is especially known for its sweet and palatable acorns. The nuts contained inside of the thin shell are among the sweetest of any oak, with an excellent taste even when eaten raw, providing an excellent source of food for both wildlife and people. The acorns are eaten by squirrels, mice, voles, chipmunks, deer, turkey, and other birds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://npsot.org/wp/boerne/publications/native-grown-articles/chinquapin-oak-a-nice-good-looking-shade-tree |publisher=The Boerne Chapter of NPSOT (Native Plant Society of Texas) |title=Chinquapin Oak – a NICE! good looking shade tree |date=9 May 2011 |access-date=26 October 2011 |archive-date=25 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225040518/http://npsot.org/wp/boerne/publications/native-grown-articles/chinquapin-oak-a-nice-good-looking-shade-tree |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Silvics |volume=2 |genus=Quercus |species=muehlenbergii |first=Ivan L. |last=Sander}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2611816}}

[[Category:Quercus|muehlenbergii]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1877]]
[[Category:Taxa named by George Engelmann]]
[[Category:Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental]]
[[Category:Oaks of Mexico]]