Quercus bicolor

Leaves: Alternate, simple, 3 to 7 inches long with shallow rounded lobes, lower surface whitish. Fruit: Acorn about 1 inch long, frequent/v borne in pairs on a very long stalk, a key identification feature. A mossy-like fringed cap covers from one-third to one-half of the acorn. Bark: Light gray, very thick, deeply furrowed into long, flat ridges.

Swamp white oak, true to its common name, is most often found bordering swamps and wet areas. Of medium size, reaching heights of 50 to 90 feet and diameters of 2 to 4 feet, this native tree may live 300 to 350 years.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Latin name bicolor means two-colored, and refers to the contrast between the dark green upper surface of the leaves and the silvery undersides, especially noticeable in a breeze. This is the only oak tree acorn to have a long stalk. The tree must be at least 20 years old to start producing nuts, with good crops of acorns occurring every 3 to 5 years and light crops during intervening years. The winter silhouette is very striking and coarse, the result of many secondary branches and small spur branches along the trunk.

VALUE TO MAN – YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Swamp white oak is a heavy, hard wood that is commercially valuable and is frequently cut and sold as white oak. It has the same tight cooperage qualities as white oak and is used for barrels, kegs, and other containers which hold liquids. The wood is also prized for furniture, crates, boats, and especially floors. The Iroquois used swamp white oak to treat cholera, broken bones, and tuberculosis.

VALUE TO WILDLIFE

The sweet acorns are an important food source for mallards and wood ducks and are also eaten by many other kinds of wildlife found in the swamp, including turkeys, woodpeckers, squirrels, deer, and beaver.