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Chêne bicolore

Quercus bicolor

Summary 2

Distinguishing Features: Deep narrow and pointed lobes, small acorns

Shape: 65 to 80 feet tall, round when mature
Branching: Alternate
Leaf: Lobed, 4 to 6 lobes, 3 to 6 inches long, dark green color, turns deep red in fall
Flower: Insignificant yellowish-green flowers in separate male/ female catkins
Bark: Shallow ridges and furrows, color is gray-brown
Fruit or Seed: Acorns, 1 to 3 inches long

Source URL:
http://phillytreemap.org/
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/

Description 3

Family:
Fagaceae (Beech)

Height:
60 to 80 feet at maturity

Habit:
Single-stemmed tree; Mature crown is rounded with spreading branches, younger crowns typically more upright to nearly conical; Straight trunk with DBH up to 3½’; Long-lived

Leaves:
Leathery-textured, medium to dark green leaves (up to 8” long and 4½” wide) are alternately attached and have a typical oak shape - obovate (reaching their broadest around ⅔ of the way up the length of the leaf) and multi-lobed. Leaves have a narrow, V-shaped base, gradually widening to meet 4-8 pairs of lobes with rounded or blunt tips. Compared with other native oak species, Swamp White Oak typically has much shallower leaf sinuses, giving its lobes a less divided appearance.

Bark:
Mature bark is brown to gray in color and rough-textured, with deep, irregular furrows and flattened, corky ridges that take on a scaly, peeling appearance with age. Younger bark is smooth and often somewhat flaky.

Flower:
Male flowers grow in groups of yellow-green to green, dangling, string-like clusters (1-4” long) called catkins. Female flowers (up to ⅛” across) are green and inconspicuous, growing on stout stalks in clusters of 2-4 from the newest leaf axils.

Fruit:
Fruit (⅔-1” long) is a reddish-brown, round to egg-shaped nut (acorn) growing from a stiff stalk (up to 2” long). The cap covers around ⅓ of the nut, and has pointed, fringe-like scales.

Bloom time:
April-May

Fall color:
Red to Orange

Nicknames:
Bicolor Oak

Habitat:
Swamp White Oak prefers full to partial sun, and moist to wet, silty soils, but will grow in well-drained soils that contain sand, clay, or loam. It is also tolerant of nutrient-poor soils, slightly acidic soils, and flooding. It is commonly found growing in forested wetlands, floodplain woodlands, swamp edges, shorelines, and in other poorly drained areas. This species has also become a popular choice for urban landscaping, and is often planted in rain gardens, boulevards, and parks.

Wildlife Benefits:
Acorns are a food source for deer, squirrels, beavers, bears, mice, raccoons, and many species of song and gamebirds. Foliage is a food source for many species of aphids, leafhoppers, caterpillars, and beetles, in turn providing an important food source for insectivorous birds. Host plant for several species of leafhoppers and wood-boring beetles. Provides habitat and cover for many species of birds and mammals.

Notes:
Swamp White Oak is listed by the state of Minnesota as a species of “Special Concern” - while the species itself is in little danger due to its popularity in urban landscape plantings, its floodplain habitat is rapidly disappearing as a result of agriculture, development, and a long history of damming.
Historically, the yellow-orange inner bark of Swamp White Oak was used for dye-making and leather tanning. It was also utilized for its medicinal qualities by Native Americans.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/swamp-white-oak
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/swwh_oak.html
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-bicolor/
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quebic/all.html

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quercus_bicolor_JPG1L.jpg
  2. (c) earthwatchtrees, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/228522
  3. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/1425379

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