Gifts of the Chinkapin

tom morgan

Chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) is a tenacious tree in the dry, shallow, alkaline soil of limestone bluffs. At the western edge of its range here in Riley Co., KS, it is still an abundant species. Chinkapin oak and another member of the white oak group, the bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), are the dominant oaks of the gallery forests of tallgrass prairie in northeast Kansas. At the Open House of Konza Prairie on Sept. 30^th, I stepped along the trail and saw a gift of small acorns strewn across the trail. Picking one up, I cracked the thin, delicate shell with my teeth and peeled it, discovering the generously plump white meat. I chewed and swallowed, and once again was amazed by this gift of the forest. It is the sweetest of any acorn in the eastern half of the United States. It is quite edible raw, unlike the larger acorn of the bur oak. I have boiled the latter, changing the water several times, and still found my mouth puckering. In contrast, the taste of this acorn was a pure, innocent sensation. It is relished by many including the wild turkey, northern bobwhite, blue jay, wood duck, raccoon and many other mammals. Perhaps these creatures are even more thrilled than I to see, feel, or smell the gift of delicate acorns strewn across the land.

This oak hybridizes with a number of other oaks, including most notably, the dwarf chinkapin oak (Q. prinoides), which also occurs in eastern Kansas. This shrub oak may grow to 15 feet, but begins bearing acorns when four feet tall. It has been grown as an ornamental since 1730 or thereabouts. Similar to its larger sibling, the chinkapin, it has relatively thick, leathery leaves with coarse teeth. The dark, gleaming green of the upper surface contrasts with the flashing white of the lower which has diminutive, silvery hairs. The leaves hang from the twigs in such a manner that they often flutter within a canopy of rustling, gleaming green and flashing white. Yes … a gift to the traveler, who perhaps now will stop to rest his sweat-stained torso against the thin, pale bark of the chinkapin.

Chinkapin acorns, like other white oak acorns, can germinate in the fall, and seed dispersers have little motivation to carry them away and bury them intact since they would likely sprout before onset of winter. Indeed, the acorn-loving animal has little motivation to do anything but savor the pure taste. The dispersal of chinkapin and bur oak acorns is limited. The seedlings do thrive, however, with adequate sunshine and rainfall, and with an emphasis of expenditure on growth of the root mass which comprises 60% of the biomass when the seedling is three months old. The seedlings of the chinkapin are more abundant and successful than those of bur oak on drier sites, perhaps as a consequence of their more limited leaf area, which may lose less water during transpiration. It seems that this modest oak has wisdom, providing gifts with generosity, yet conserving vital resources. These modest trees may live for more than 400 years.