Northern Pin Oak
Quercus ellipsoidalis
Northern pin oak thrives on dry, sandy, acidic soils of the upper Midwest, lighting up in deep red each fall. A tough, fast red oak for poor ground where many shade trees fail. Its acorns are traditional food once the bitter tannins are leached out and the seed ground into flour.
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 50–70 ft
- Spacing
- 40–60 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- acidic
- Bloom
- March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- green, brown
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, mammals, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~557 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen
- Native states
- IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, ND, OH, WI
Related native plants
More Quercus species
- Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
- Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
- White Oak (Quercus alba)
- Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
- Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)
- Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)