Plant Details

Quercus palustris

Pin Oak, Swamp Oak

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Common names

31 names · 22 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Pin Oak[1]
  • QUEPAL[1]
  • Swamp Oak
+1 more nameShow fewer names
  • Swamp Spanish oak[1]
Other languages (21)
Dutch
French
  • Chêne des marais[1]
Afrikaans
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
  • dub bažinný[1]
Estonian
Finnish
German
  • Boulevard-Eiche[1]
  • Nagel-Eiche[1]
  • Spree-Eiche[1]
+1 more nameShow fewer names
  • Sumpf-Eiche[1]
Hungarian
  • amerikai mocsártölgy[1]
  • mocsártölgy[1]
Italian
  • Quercia palustre[1]
Japanese
  • アメリカガシワ[1]
Korean
  • 대왕참나무[1]
  • 핀참나무[1]
Lithuanian
  • Pelkinis ąžuolas[1]
Polish
  • Dąb błotny[1]
Portuguese
  • carvalho-dos-pântanos[1]
Russian
  • Дуб болотный[1]
Slovak
  • dub močiarny[1]
Swedish
Tuscarora
Ukrainian
  • Дуб болотяний[1]
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Quercus palustris — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • pin oak — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • carvalho-dos-pântanos — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • chêne des marais — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Moeraseik — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • 대왕참나무 — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • 핀참나무 — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Cúheʔ — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • アメリカガシワ — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • dub bažinný — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • QUEPAL — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Дуб болотный — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Dąb błotny — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • sootamm — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • 沼生栎 — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • 沼生櫟 — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • kärrek — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Swamp Spanish oak — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • 針橡 — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • moeraseik — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Pelkinis ąžuolas — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Дуб болотяний — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • amerikai mocsártölgy — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • mocsártölgy — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Quercia palustre — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • otatammi — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • dub močiarny — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Sumpf-Eiche — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Spree-Eiche — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Boulevard-Eiche — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.
  • Nagel-Eiche — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 54785; Quercus palustris.

General information

Scientific name: Quercus palustris
Accepted name (Kew): Quercus palustris Münchh. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [3]
Botanical family: Fagaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Quercus (WCVP v16).

Sources [3]
Also known as: Pin Oak, Swamp Oak
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Nut tree
Catalogue size class: Large
Height: 15.24–21.34 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [1]
Spread: 12.19–18.29 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [1]
Growth rate: Fast

A typical growth category; growth varies with age, climate and growing conditions.

Sources [1] [2]
Foliage: Deciduous
Sources [1]
Growth habit: Oval, Pyramidal, Rounded

Whole-plant habit and form as described by NC State.

Sources [1]
Life cycle: Perennial
Sources [1]

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b

USDA zones listed by NC State; winter survival does not establish reliable cropping.

Sources [1]
Soil moisture:
Well-drained, Moist, Occasionally Dry, Occasionally Wet

Moisture and drainage conditions listed by NC State.

Sources [1]
Soil:
Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand
Sources [1]
pH:
Acid (<6.0)
Sources [1]
Light:
Full sun, Partial Shade
Sources [1]

Uses

Edible parts:
Coffee, Seed
Edibility rating:
(3)
Medicinal rating:
(2)
Functions:
Adhesive, Dye, Repellent, Wood, Carbon farming

Description

Cooked seeds are used by various indigenous North American tribes as a staple food. They have a bitter taste and can be dried, ground into a powder, and used as a thickening agent in dishes or mixed with grain for bread. The seeds contain bitter tannins, which can be removed by thorough washing in running water, although this can also remove minerals. The whole seed or the ground powder can be used. One method to remove tannins more quickly is to place them in a cloth bag and submerge it in a stream. A simple taste test can indicate when the tannins have leached out. Traditionally, the seeds were buried in moist soil to germinate, after which they were dug up in the spring for use. Roasted seeds serve as a coffee substitute.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/10
Harvest ends: 31/03

Crown

Crown shape: Pyramidal when young; rounded to oval with age
Sources [1]
Crown density: Dense crown

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. NC State Extension, North Carolina State University Quercus palustris (Oaks, Pin Oak, Swamp Oak, Swamp Spanish Oak) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
    Supports: Growth rateCrown shapeHeightSpreadFoliageGrowth habitLife cycleLightSoil moistureSoil textureSoil pHUSDA hardiness
    Relevant sections
    • Growth rate: Growth Rate
    • Crown shape: Description: crown architecture
    • Height: Dimensions > Height; Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
    • Spread: Dimensions > Width; Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
    • Foliage: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
    • Growth habit: Habit/Form
    • Life cycle: Life Cycle
    • Light: Light
    • Soil moisture: Soil Drainage
    • Soil texture: Soil Texture
    • Soil pH: Soil pH
    • USDA hardiness: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

    Source checked on .

  2. Native Plant Trust; Go Botany Quercus palustris (pin oak): Go Botany
    Supports: Growth rate
    Relevant sections
    • Growth rate: Facts and species identification characteristics

    Source checked on .

  3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 152857; name ID 171386; Quercus L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1088619; name ID 174242; Quercus palustris Münchh..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.