Oak, Swamp White
Quercus bicolor
Fagaceae - Beech and Oak

Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; 5" to 7" long, 2" to 4" wide; deciduous; shallowly lobed to coarsely serrate margin, teeth rounded; dark green and glossy above; paler and hairy to woolly beneath.

Twigs/buds: Bark peeling into curly, papery scales on older twigs.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious. Fruit an acorn; 1" to 4" long stalk; 3/4" to 1-1/4" long, cap hairy, fringed, covers 1/3 of the acorn; matures in one season.

Bark: Light grayish-brown or dark brown; scaly, papery, and curly when young; in strips similar to Q. alba, but rougher; thick and furrowed into scaly, deep, longitudinal ridges with age; blocky, rugged-looking.

Wood: Moderately important; like Q. alba; a member of the white oak group which has the following characteristics: heartwood gray-brown, pores usually plugged with tyloses or bubbles, resistant to decay; sapwood almost white; heavier than red oak; used for lumber, veneer, railroad ties, mine timbers, cooperage (barrels and tubs), fence posts, fuel, planking and parts of boats and ships, furniture, flooring, pallets, millwork, and agricultural implements.

General: Native to northern half of the eastern U.S. Naturally found on moist or low lying sites, though fairly drought resistant. Intermediate shade tolerance.

Landscape Use: Though native to fairly moist sites, needs only moderate water. Definitely worth planting more in Utah because of its pleasing form and good cultural characteristics. Dead, brown leaves stay on the twigs into the winter. Again, seldom planted in Utah and may be hard to find. Yellow fall color. Zones 3-8.

Comments & Limitations: Acorns can be a nuisance.

Characteristics

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