CHESTNUT OAK
Quercus Prinus, L.
Form.—Height 60-90 feet, diameter 3-5 feet; trunk long but usually more or less bent and often divided, forming a loose, open irregular crown.
Leaves.—Alternate, simple, 6-8 inches long, usually obovate, coarsely crenate, firm or leathery, smooth, dark green above, paler and finely pubescent beneath.
Flowers.—May, with the leaves; monoecious; the staminate flowers in long catkins; the pistillate in short spikes.
Fruit.—Acorns mature in autumn after the flowers; cup thin, deep, enclosing about ½ of the smooth, light brown, oblong-ovoid nut.
Bark.—Very rough with deep fissures and long, dark gray, continuous or broken ridges; rich in tannin.
Wood.—Heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, durable in contact with the soil, dark brown with light sapwood.
Range.—Maine to West Virginia and south along the mountains to Georgia and Alabama.
Distribution in West Virginia.—Common except at high elevations.
Habitat.—Prefers dry gravelly hillsides and ridges.
Notes.—The Chestnut Oak is one of our common trees in the hilly sections and can easily be distinguished by its thick, dark-colored bark, crenate-margined leaves and large, deep-cupped acorns. Many of the best stands have been cut for tan bark. Rock Oak is a common name in some localities.