Quercus montana Willdenow. Rock Chestnut Oak, Mountain Oak. Phen: Apr; Sep-Nov (of the same year). Hab: Xeric forests of ridges and slopes, shale barrens, occasionally in mesic situations especially where rocky. Dist: Primarily Appalachian but broadly distributed in e. North America: s. ME, NY, MI, s. UN, s. IL, and se. MO (Smith & Parker 2005) south to c. GA, c. AL, ne. MS (and LA?).

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: The proper application of the Linnaean "Q. prinus" has been controversial and unclear, having been debated and variously applied for well over a century. The name "Q. prinus" has nomenclatural priority over either "Q. montana" or "Q. michauxii", but it is not clear which species was intended; after centuries of uncertainty, Whittemore & Nixon (2005) proposed its formal rejection and the proposal was formally and unanimously accepted (Brummitt 2007).

Synonymy: = FNA3, K3, K4, Mi, NE, NY, Pa, S, Tn, Va, W; = Quercus prinus L. – C, F, G, Il, K1, RAB, WV, name rejected (probably misapplied, and a source of confusion)

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