February 5, 2006
Pin Oak, Quercus palustrus
The distinctive shape of young pin oaks makes them easy to identify from afar. They have a conical shape, with the upper branches pointing up, the middle branches pointing out, and the lower branches pointing down. In winter many, like this one near the Water Department, hold their leaves. As the trees mature, they lose their symmetric shape. There are a number of large pin oaks near the end of Beech Path that abuts the road close to Lusitania Field.