Pin Oak

Quercus palustris

Family Fagaceae
Notable Features
Leaves: Alternate*, deeply lobed*, smooth-edged leaves with bristle-tips* and approximately 5 to 9 lobes. Each leaf is smooth and hairless, has a glossy top and a somewhat dulled and lighter underside.
Twigs/Buds: Twigs smooth, hairless, and punctuated with alternate, straight, hairless buds*. Each bud is small, under ¼ inch (6 millimeters), and retains a sharp tip.
Bark: Bark a dark gray, with vertical, smooth grooves running up and down the length of the tree. Some horizontal creases break the flow.
Acorns: In autumn, the pin oak produces small acorns with a very thin, tight, and strongly-attached, flat and hairless cap*.
Size/Shape: A large tree, 70 to 80 feet (21-24 meters), with characteristic downward sloping lower branches and small pin-like twigs protruding from them.
Location on Campus

(click for map)
Located on the green at the very entrance of the campus, to the left of the Brandeis University sign when entering the campus. Also found between Pollack and the Goldman-Schwartz Fine Arts building.
Uses
Like all other oaks, the acorns are edible, yet should be leached* so as to dispel the extremely bitter taste of the chemical tannin*. Occasionally the acorns of the White Oak and other members of the White Oak group* can be eaten without leaching. Leached and dried acorns can be candied in a sugar solution, eaten as nuts, or ground into a flour or meal.
Except where specifically noted, all text, photographs, and drawings copyright Chris Bersbach and Lisa Leombruni 2002. No part of this page may be reproduced without the express permission of the authors.