chestnut oak
Quercus montana
GCA Plant of the Year 2025
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size50 to 70 feet tall50 to 70 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Yellowish-green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Chestnut oak (Quercus montana) is a tree for specimen planting, shade gardens, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Yellowish-green flowers open in early to late spring and attract butterflies, bees, and birds. The broad, open crown needs plenty of room to grow. Acorns feed turkey, songbirds, and small mammals.
Pairs well with Shagbark hickory, White ash, Sedge, and New England aster.
Native range
Eastern United States.