Chestnut oak

''Quercus montana'', the chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is one of the most important ridgetop trees from southern Maine southwest to central Mississippi, with an outlying northwestern population in southern Michigan. It is also sometimes called "rock oak" because of its presence in montane and other rocky habitats. As a consequence of its dry habitat and ridgetop exposure, it is not usually a large tree, typically 18–22 m tall; occasional specimens growing in better conditions can however become large, with trees up to 40–43 m tall known. They tend to have a similar spread of 18–22 m . A 10-year-old sapling grown in full sun will stand about 5 m tall. This species is often an important canopy species in an oak-heath forest.