Chestnut oak is a medium to large native deciduous tree in the white oak family. It is native to the eastern and central USA including the mountains and Piedmont of NC. It is often found growing in poor, dry and rocky soils but does best in well-drained loams. Chestnut Oak is drought tolerant once established. In spring separate male and female flowers appear and are followed by fairly large acorns that have high wildlife value for many birds and mammals. The mature bark is distinctive with tight ridges and is similar to the chestnut tree. Use as a shade tree in parks or large yards. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Imperial moth ( Eacles imperialis ) , as well as numerous butterflies, including Banded hairstreak ( Satyrium calanus ) , Edward's hairstreak ( Satyrium edwardsii ) , Gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ) , White-m hairstreak ( Parrhasius malbum ) , Horace's duskywing ( Erynnis horatius ) , and Juvenalis duskywing ( Erynnis juvenalis ) . Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Sensitive to soil compaction.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
more than 60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in. | Width: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Rounded
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Obovate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
4-8 inch long oval dark green leaves have a pointed tip and are coarsely toothed (some say shallowly lobed). The undersides are gray-green with hairs. Reddish-yellow fall foliage.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower detail
Male flowers are yellow-green in catkins. Female flowers are on short stalks. Generally blooms in spring but in North Carolina, flowers are available in April.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
1-1.5-inch acorn with a reddish-brown cup with fused scales that covers 1/3 the length of the acorn. They appear singly or in pairs in the fall and are stalkless or nearly so. In North Carolina, acorns are available from September to November.
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
Thick dark reddish-brown bark with deeply divided broad rounded ridges.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
The twigs are light brown, hairless, and thick with numerous lenticels. Buds light brown and hairless.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Mid to southeastern U.S.A.
Distribution
Maine south to Georgia west to Louisianna to Mississippi north to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan throughout the New England States.
Wildlife value
Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward's Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida. Important food source for songbirds, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, mice, deer, and other mammals
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Nut
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used as fence posts, fuel, railroad ties and tannin extract used in processing leather