Swamp White Oak
Arbor Walk #105, Treekeeper ID #6088
Like its Latin name suggests, this native oak is recognizable for its opposing dark green leaf and silvery-white leaf underside. It is a deciduous tree with broad and rounded crown, which is good for shading. Leaves turn to golden or orange brown in fall. The mature bark is a dark gray-brown with blocky ridges. Young trees develop a flaky, peeling bark that reveals an orange inner bark. The acorns are 1 inch long and enclosed halfway with a warty cup. The cup often remains attached to a stalk (peduncle) once the fruit is ripe and falls from the tree.
| Common Name | Swamp White Oak |
|---|---|
| Latin Name | Quercus bicolor |
| Indigenous Name(s) | |
| Cultivar/Variety | |
| Commercial Name |
Global Distribution
GPS Coordinates
N/A
Percent Concrete
N/A
Distance to Buildings
| Year | Close Building #1 | Close Building #2 | Close Building #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Distance to Other Species
| Year | Close Species #1 | Close Species # 2 | Close Species # 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Standard Measurements
| Year | Height (m) | DBH (cm) | Caliper (m) | Crown Diameter N-S (m) | Crown Diameter E-W (m) | Average Crown Diameter (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6.4 | 9.9 | N/A | 3.42 | 2.7 | 3.06 |
Nests and Pests
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 cm galls Bird’s nest Numerous spider webs |
Leaf Identification
The Swamp White Oak has simple (no leaflets), alternately arranged leaves. The leaves have 5-10 barely differentiated lobes, almost more like large rounded teeth on some leaves. The sinuses are vary shallow, especially at the tip. The leaf is obovate in shape, dark green above, and whitish-green below.
Twig and Bud Identification
Information coming soon
Bark Identification
The bark is light brown with raised thin rectangular plates, with shallow furrows between the plates.
Fruit Identification
The fruit of the Swamp White Oak is an acorn. The Swamp White Oak acorn is ovoid, with a protruding mucronate tip. The cup has a thick shell of warty scales and a minute hairy fringe, but the cup only extends down 1/3 of the nut. The acorns are often in pairs. They ripen in the fall.
Flower Identification
The flowers of the Swamp White Oak are, like most oaks, monoecious. The flowers are in green catkins, but the staminate (male) flowers are in much longer hanging clusters than the pistillate (female) flowers, which sit on small spikes. The flowers bloom in the spring.
