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| ## swamp white oak {#swamp-white-oak .Title-Header}                   |
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| *Quercus bicolor* Willd.                                              |
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| Plant Symbol = QUBI                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center and the Biota of
North America Program

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6993055555555556in"
height="1.8027777777777778in"}

## Uses

*Industry*: The wood of swamp white oak is light brown, close-grained,
heavy, and hard. It is similar to that of white oak (*Q. alba*) and
usually is cut and sold under that name, but the amount of lumbered
swamp white oak is a small fraction of the total for 'white oak.' Also,
because the lateral branches of swamp white oak tend to persist
(compared to white oak), the wood is knottier and less valuable. The
wood is used for furniture, cabinets, veneers, interior finishing, and
flooring, as well as for boxes, crates, fence posts, railroad ties, and
beams and boards for general construction. As in white oak, the wood
provides tight cooperage and was once widely used in making barrels and
kegs.

*Conservation*: Swamp white oak is planted on highway rights-of-way and
is frequently used as a shade tree for large lawns, golf courses, parks,
and naturalized areas. The crown shape and bi-colored leaves (dark
above, lighter beneath) are attractive features; fall color is yellow,
with occasional red-purple. The trees can grow well in areas that are
dry, poorly drained and wet, or even occasionally flooded, and they will
tolerate significant soil compaction.

*Wildlife*: Trees of swamp white oak provide cover for birds and
mammals. The acorns are sweet and are an important food for wildlife
such as squirrels, mice, white-tailed deer, beaver, black bear, and a
variety of birds, including ducks and turkey.

*Ethnobotanic*: Native Americans and pioneers have eaten the acorns raw
or cooked. They have been ground into a powder and used as a thickening
in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. Roasted acorns have
been ground and used as a coffee substitute. Bitterness of the tannins
is removed by leaching in running water.

Oak galls, caused by the activity of the larvae of various insects, can
be used as a source of tannin and dye. They also are strongly astringent
and can be used in the treatment of hemorrhages, chronic diarrhea, and
dysentery. Some Native Americans used swamp white oak to treat cholera,
broken bones, and consumption. Mulch of the dead leaves is reported to
repel slugs, grubs, and various insects.

## Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

## Description 

*General*: Beech Family (Fagaceae). Native trees commonly growing to
15--20 m, sometimes to 30 m, the lateral branches relatively persistent
(slow in self-pruning), with an open, irregularly shaped crown; bark
dark gray, scaly or flat-ridged, often peeling off in large, ragged,
papery curls. Leaves are deciduous, alternate, obovate to narrowly
elliptic or narrowly obovate, (8--)12--18(--21) cm long,
(4--)7--11(--16) cm wide, usually with regularly spaced, shallow,
rounded teeth, or toothed in distal half only, or moderately to deeply
lobed, upper surfaces dark green and glossy, lower surfaces lighter
green to whitish, softly hairy. Male and female flowers are borne in
separate catkins on the same tree (the species monoecious) on the
current year\'s branchlets. Acorns maturing the first year,
ovoid-ellipsoid or oblong, mostly 1.5--3 cm long, single or clustered in
groups of 2--4, on a stalk (peduncle) 3-8 cm long; cup enclosing
1/3--1/2 of the acorn, scales closely appressed, finely grayish
tomentose, those near rim of cup often with a short, stout, irregularly
recurved spinose tip. The common name is from its typical habitat and
its membership in the white oak subgroup.

Swamp white oak is a member of the white oak subgroup (subgenus
*Quercus*) and hybridizes with related species, including white oak (*Q.
alba*), overcup oak (*Q. lyrata*), and bur oak (*Q. macrocarpa*). Swamp
white oak is distinguished from all similar native species by its
long-stalked acorns.

*Variation within the species*: Formal variants are not recognized.

## Distribution

Swamp white oak occurs mainly in the Midwestern states from Iowa,
Missouri, eastern Kentucky, and southern Wisconsin east to New York,
Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Isolated populations occur
northward in Minnesota, other New England states, and Quebec and
Ontario, and southward to Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. For
current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site.

## Establishment

*Adaptation*: Swamp white oak occurs in a variety of soils (from silty
clay to silt and sandy loams) in swamp forests of river bottoms,
streamsides, depressions, borders of ponds, lakes and swamps, and moist
peaty flats. It also occurs on moist slopes and poorly drained uplands,
at elevations of 0-1000 meters. Swamp white oak grows best in full sun
in moist to wet, deep, acidic soils. Development of a 2-layer root
system allows it to grow well in areas that are flooded in spring but
markedly dry in summer.

Young trees of swamp white oak are tolerant of light shade but become
more characteristic of full sun with maturity. Swamp white oak usually
is a minor component of the forests in which it occurs, perhaps
depending on local disturbance for release into the canopy. Stands of
elm-ash-cottonwood will convert to oak-dominated stands that include
swamp white oak. White oak forests (of which swamp white oak is a
component) will progress towards hickory and beech forests if
undisturbed.

Flowering occurs in May--June, during early development of the leaves,
while fruiting occurs in August--October.

*General*: Seed production in swamp white oak begins at 20--30 years.
The greatest production occurs between 75--100 years; good seed crops
are produced every 3--5 years. The acorns have no dormancy and may
germinate the same season as ripening and falling. The maximum age for
trees of swamp white oak is 300--350 years.

Swamp white oak can sprout from the stump or root crown if damaged or
top-killed.

Swamp white oak can be transplanted or propagated from seed. Young
plants from containers and young trees in ball-and-burlap are best
planted in early spring. Bare-root transplants also are best done in the
spring, but these may be difficult because of the strong and rapid
development of the taproot.

Acorns are capable of germination as soon as ripe and must be collected
for storage shortly after falling from the tree. They retain viability
in storage for only a few months, especially if allowed to dry, and
should be stored over winter in a cool, moist place at 1--4° C.
Germination frequency may be enhanced by stratifying 30--60 days at
1--5° C., but stratification is not required for germination. Acorns
planted in the fall in permanent positions give the best results.

## Management

Swamp white oak is susceptible to various insect pests, fungi, cankers,
and wilts but none are serious. It is relatively resistant to oak wilt
but may be affected by \"oak decline;\" anthracnose may sometimes be a
problem. Growth in alkaline soils (with pH above 7.2) may cause iron
chlorosis.

Because of the slow self-pruning habit of swamp white oak, lower
branches may require pruning in areas where high clearance is necessary.

Severe fires can top-kill mature trees of swamp white oak. Fire-damaged
survivors are susceptible to disease and insect attack. Moderate fires
may kill seedlings and saplings, but young individuals can re-sprout
following fire. Acorns are easily destroyed by fire because of high
moisture content.

## Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

These plant materials are readily available from commercial sources.
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

## References

Anonymous 1998. *1998 Urban tree of the year: Swamp white oak*. IN:
*City Trees, The Journal of The Society of Municipal Arborists*. Vol.
34, No. 1. \<http://www.urban-forestry.com/citytrees/v34n1a07.html\>
Accessed October 2000.

Nixon, K.C. & others 1993. *Quercus*. Pp. 445-506, in Flora of North
America, North of Mexico. Vol. 3. Oxford Univ. Press, New York.
\<http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/Flora/flora.pl?FLORA_ID=12395\>
Accessed September 2000.

Rogers, R. 1990. *Quercus bicolor* Willd. Swamp white oak. Pp. 614-624,
IN: R.M. Burns and B.H. Honkala. *Silvics of North America. Volume 2.
Hardwoods*. USDA, Forest Service Agric. Handbook 654, Washington, D.C.
\<http://willow.ncfes.umn.edu/silvics_manual/Volume_2/quercus/lyrata.htm\>
Accessed September 2000.

Snyder, S.A. 1992. *Quercus bicolor*. IN: W.C. Fischer (compiler). *The
fire effects information system \[database\]*. USDA, Forest Service,
Intermountain Research Station, Intermountain Fire Sciences Laboratory,
Missoula, Montana.
\<http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quebic/\> Accessed
September 2000.

USDA, NRCS 2000. *The PLANTS database*. \<http://plants.usda.gov\>.
001106. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

## Prepared By

*Guy Nesom*

Formerly BONAP, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

## Species Coordinator

### M. Kat Anderson

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Plant Sciences Dept., Davis,
California

Edited: 19jun02 jsp; 29may03 ahv; 060809 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
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