This species is commonly referred to as Quercus prinus in forestry literature. The name Quercus prinus is considered ambiguous by Flora North America vol. 3 (1997), possibly applying instead to the plant otherwise known as Quercus michauxii. However, the name, Quercus prinus, has never been formally rejected. The US Forest Service states that in the past, Quercus prinus was applied to the Swamp Chestnut Oak (Quercus michauxii) and Quercus montana was applied to Chestnut Oak. Quercus prinus was restored to Chestnut Oak by Fernald in 1950[].

Common Name: Mountain Chestnut Oak

General Information

Quercus montana is a deciduous tree that usually grows 19 - 24 metres tall, though larger specimens in excess of 30 metres are recorded[, ]. The bole is usually around 50 - 75cm in diameter, exceptionally to 180cm[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is harvested on a commercial basis for its wood.
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant contain tannins. Whilst tannins are found in many foods, and have a range of medicinal uses. They are usually only present in low concentrations. In some foods made from oaks (particularly the seeds), the tannin content can be quite high unless the food is treated to reduce tannin content.
Tannins are only of low toxicity and, because of their bitter taste and astringency, are unlikely to be eaten in large quantities. However, if they are taken in excess, they can cause stomach pains; constipation followed by bloody diarrhoea: excessive thirst; and excessive urination[].

Botanical References

Range

Eastern N. America - Michigan to New Hampshire, south to northern Mississippi and Georgia

Habitat

Mixed hardwood/conifer forest communities, often on rocky slopes, and forming a full or only partial canopy; at elevations up to 1,400 metres[]. Rocky upland forest, dry ridges, mixed deciduous forests on shallow soils; at elevations up to 1,400m[]

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	22.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in a sunny position, though it is tolerant of some shade. Seedlings are tolerant of considerable side shade, but grow best if they can see light above them[, ].The plant grows best in rich, well-drained soils along streams, but it is more commonly found in the wild on dry, rocky, infertile soils with a low moisture-holding capacity[].
A long lived and slow growing tree[].
Seed production begins when the tree is about 20 years old. Acorn crop sizes vary considerably from year to year with heavy crops occurring only once every 4 - 5 years[]. The seed matures at the end of the first growing season[].
Good crops of acorns are infrequent in the wild, with this species usually having smaller crops than other upland oak species. Occasionally, a tree will produce 45 - 136 kilos of acorns, but this is rare. Often a tree will produce less than 4.5 kilos[, ].
If the plant is top-killed by fire, it usually sprouts vigorously from dormant buds at the root crown. These sprouts can grow faster than seedlings - 10 years after clearcutting, some stump sprouts were more than 6.4 metres tall[].
This species is one of the two most preferred host species of the introduced Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar), which defoliates trees. Additionally, it is susceptible to wood-boring beetles and many oak diseases including Oak Wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum), Twig-blight Fungus (Diplodia longispora) and stem cankers (Neonectria galligena and Strumella coryneoidea)[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[, , , ]. Somewhat sweet according to some reports[, , , , ] whilst another says that it contains bitter tannin[]. The light brown, ovoid-ellipsoid seed is 15 - 30mm long and 10 - 25mm wide[]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread[]. The seed contains around 79% carbohydrate, 10% fats and 5.8% protein[].
Although we have no specific information for this species, the seeds of all the species of oak are edible - indeed, several species have been used as staple foods, whilst most if not all have been used for food in times of shortage, when better foods were not available[].
The seed is usually cooked before eating, though it can also be eaten raw. It can be eaten whole, though it is more commonly dried, then ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread.
In some species, especially many of those classified as 'white oaks', the seeds are low in tannins and have a more or less sweet and agreeable flavour. The seed of most species, however, have a very bitter flavour, due especially to the presence of tannins. In these species there are various processes that can remove or at least reduce the amount of these bitter substances (although other water-soluble substances, including some minerals, will also be removed).
Tannins are water-soluble and therefore the easiest way to remove or reduce tannin levels is by soaking in water. A few different methods are listed:-
A traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter and allow the wet soil to gradually leach the tannins. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency and bitterness.
Another method was to wrap the seeds in a cloth bag and place them in a stream for several weeks.
Drying the seed and grinding it to a powder before soaking speeds up the process. The fastest method is to use hot water, by cooking the powder and changing the water several times until the cooking water is no longer bitter. Alternatively, you can use cold water (which is reported to produce the best quality flour). In this case, you soak the powdered seed in cold water for 12 - 24 hours then discard the water. Repeat this process for a number of times until the soak water is no longer bitter.

The roasted seed of many Quercus species has been used as a coffee substitute.

Medicinal

Quercus (oak) species are used in the traditional medicine of many cultures, being valued especially for their tannins. Various parts of the plant can be used, most frequently it is the leaves, bark, seeds, seed cups or the galls that are produced as a result of insect damage. A decoction or infusion is astringent, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, styptic and haemostatic. It is taken internally to treat conditions such as acute diarrhea, dysentery and haemorrhages. Externally, it is used as a mouthwash to treat toothache or gum problems and is applied topically as a wash on cuts, burns, various skin problems, haemorrhoids and oral, genital and anal mucosa inflammation[]. Extracts of the plant can be added to ointments and used for the healing of cuts[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

Chestnut oak has performed well in the past when planted on mine spoils in Ohio and on cast overburden in Illinois and Indiana. However, more recent plantings on mine spoils have not been as successful since current USA regulations on reclamation practices (including seeding with herbaceous covers and grading the soil) are often unfavourable for the establishment of oak trees[].

Other Uses

The leaves of most species in this genus are more or less rich in tannins. A mulch of the partially decayed leaves can be placed around vulnerable plants in order to repel slugs, snails, grubs etc, and these will in time break down to add humus and nutrients to the soil. Fresh leaves should be used with caution, however, since as these decay they utilize some of the nitrogen in the soil and thus can inhibit plant growth[, ].

The seed cups are used as buttons[].

The bark is a commercial source of tannin[, ]. On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 9.7% tannin[]. Tannin is also found in the leaves and wood[].

Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[].
A red dye is obtained from the bark[]. Tan-coloured according to another report[].

The wood is close-grained, heavy, hard, rather tough, strong, durable in contact with the soil[, , , ]. It weighs 47lb per cubic foot[]. Used commercially like the white oak (Quercus alba), it is suitable for furniture, cabinet making, interior finishes, fence posts etcl[, , ].
The wood is a good fuel[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.