Saturday, July 16, 2016

Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm, the chinkapin oak.

"Chinkapin oak  (also called Chinquapin) is usually found on warm, moist Udalf Alfisols, Dystrochrept Inceptisols, Udoll Mollisols, and Udult Ultisols over much of its range.  In the extreme southwestern part of the range chinkapin oak also grows on warm, dry Ustoll Mollisols and Astalf Alfisols."  I have no idea what those soils are, but the only  place I've ever seen these trees is Lakeside, Ohio. They have a wide range in northern and Midwestern United States.

The tree's scientific name honors Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753–1815), a Lutheran pastor and amateur botanist in Pennsylvania. He was the son of a German Lutheran missionary Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. In publishing the name Quercus mühlenbergii, German-American botanist George Engelmann mistakenly used an umlaut in spelling Muhlenberg's name, even though Pennsylvania-born Muhlenberg himself did not use an umlaut in his name. (Wikipedia)

There's a very large one on the corner of Third and Walnut, next to Hoover Auditorium, but at Third and Oak I can see 8-10 of them.  Very tall and shady. Our soil is rocky and the roots shallow and spread, so when they fall in a big wind, it is incredible.

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