Oak, Chestnut

This tree is known scientifically as the Quercus prinus, but most people call it the Chestnut Oak. A medium sized tree, the Chestnut Oak usually reaches heights of 75 feet and lasts for 300 years. Due to its large acorns with a thin saucer-shaped cap, it plays a crucial role in the forest ecosystem. The cap is made of fused, warty scales to enclose the acorn that ripens in the fall. Mature bark of the Chestnut Oak is a brownish-gray color and segmented with deep, continuous, V-shaped ridges. The yellow-green, smooth leaves of the Chestnut Oak are roughly 8 inches long with ten or more rounded teeth on each edge. Its fall colors, ranging from red and orange to yellow brown, are a breathtaking sight.