Chinquapin Oak

Quercus muehlenbergii

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Chinquapin Oak is a large tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 50–70 ft tall and 30–40 ft wide. It wants full sun and low water. Blooms yellow in mid spring. Good for birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Upright white oak with glossy, coarsely toothed leaves and pale flaky bark.

Why it works here

Native to limestone hillsides — it wants our soil rather than tolerating it. Good yellow fall color and strong wildlife value.

Watch out

Slow to establish. Transplant shock is real; smaller stock catches up faster than large stock.

The facts

10 sources

Type: Large tree
Sun: Full sun (6+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 50–70 ft
Spread: 30–40 ft
Bloom: Mid Spring · yellow
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Recorded on calcareous, dry, limestone, rocky, well drained
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Saplings browsed. Cage until the leader clears five feet.
Wildlife: Supports birds, butterflies and hummingbirds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsNorthern Blackland Prairie

619 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

4 and 9.5 inch pots3, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 65, 95, 200 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.