Chinquapin Oak

Chinquapin Oak. . , This gnarled old tree, over five feet in diameter, is believed to be the third or fourth largest chinquapin oak in the world. The tree lost its top long ago, probably before 1900. The tree is hollow but still alive. The best estimates of its age suggest that this oak may have begun to grow at about the time English settlers first arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. The tree was certainly well established by the time of the American revolution, and very large by the time of the Civil War., Chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) occurs from New York to Texas. Within most of this range, it is a medium-sized tree found on dry sites. Only in the Ohio River basin does it commonly grow in richer soils and develop into a massive tree. Chinquapin oaks have variable leaves. Large, broad "shade leaves” occur in subdued light. Smaller, much narrower "sun leaves” grow in bright light, high in the crowns of dominant trees., Update , The old chinquapin oak died in 2001. Analysis of annual rings showed its trunk was about two feet in diameter in 1606! The tree almost certainly began to grow before Columbus crossed the Atlantic, and lived in all or part of at least seven centuries.