Trees! I am going to start the year learning local tree identification so that when AJ and I walk around the golf course I can show him different trees and show him how to identify them. I think I know, and can identify many myself, but we will see. I am starting out my back door to the golf course and will be walking the holes and picturing trees throughout the next month. Of course I may need some computer help with the pictures of leaves this time of year but that is pretty easy.
First tree out the back door is a Pin Oak. Very prevalent in Ohio.
Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
A deciduous tree from the Beech Family
Pin Oak, is very similar to the Scarlet Oak, in many characteristics, including the shape of its leaves. However, it is known as the Oak with leaves that have U-shaped "open" and spreading sinuses between the lobes, as compared to the "closed" C-shaped sinuses of Scarlet Oak. Unfortunately, variation as well as hybridization occurs, so identification by leaves alone is not sufficient.
This is a picture of the Pin Oak Leaf
This is a picture of the Pin Oak Bark
The bark is relatively thin and does not have deep furrows like burr oak, or black oak. Sometimes it almost looks like a pin oak is growing right out of its bark.
The bark is relatively thin and does not have deep furrows like burr oak, or black oak. Sometimes it almost looks like a pin oak is growing right out of its bark.
A feature of Pin oak (shared by a few other oak species, and also some beeches and hornbeams) is the retention of leaves through the winter. Young trees under 20 ft will often be covered with leaves year-round, though the leaves die in the fall, remaining attached to the shoots until the new leaves appear in the spring. As with many other oak species, dead Pin oak branches will stay on the tree for many years.
The acorns, develop in a shallow, thin cap, are hemispherical, 1 inch long and 3/4 inches broad, green maturing pale brown about 18 months after pollination. The acorn is unpalatable because the kernel is very bitter.
The name comes from the practice years ago of "pinning together" the timbers of a barn. The tough and resilient branches of this tree worked nicely for this task.
The wood of this oak tree is reddish in color and very strong. It will provide very nice firewood when dried. Because it has so many branches that hang on, even when dead, there are a lot of knots in the wood. This sometimes makes it a challenge to split.
It is not a long-lived tree, usually living only 90 to 120 years. It is naturally a wetland tree, and develops a shallow, fibrous root system, unlike many oaks, which have a strong, deep taproot when young. It is confined to acidic soils, and does not tolerate limestone, and grows at low altitudes from sea level up to 350 m. The specific name palustris means "of swamps".
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I wish every one a very happy and a prosperous new year. It is that time of year where we open our hearts and hands and embrace this new year. My Christmas was fantastic as I enjoyed it with parents and relatives.
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