Swamp White Oak

Swamp White Oak Quercus bicolor   Full sun; wet to medium moisture level; grows in a range of soils including fine sandy loams, fine sandy clays, silty clay and stiff hard pan clay; requires acidic soil or will develop iron chlorosis (a yellowing of the leaves while the veins remain green). 60-80 feet height by 30-40 feet spread; blooms in May with male flowers in pendulous catkins, 2-3 inches long, and with inconspicuous female flowers in green to red spikes; tan brown acorns, ¾ to 1 ½ inches long, in fall. Growth Rate: Medium to fast, slowing with maturity. One of the faster growing oaks. Maintenance: All oaks are susceptible to a large number of diseases, including oak wilt, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots and powdery mildew. Potential insect pests including scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils. Notwithstanding these problems, oaks are generally considered to be low maintenance trees. Propagation: Seed germination code A. Seeds may germinate the same season as falling. Unlike many oaks, it has a fibrous root system rather than a deep taproot and therefore is easier to transplant. Native Region: Primarily Middle and East Tennessee with very limited presence in West Tennessee Large canopy tree with broad, rounded crown and short trunk. Fall color is yellow and sometimes reddish purple. Native to swamp forests of river bottoms, stream banks, depressions, borders of ponds, lakes and swamps, and moist peaty flats. Also occurs on moist slopes and on poorly drained uplands. Not drought tolerant but will tolerate significant soil compaction as well as heavy, low-oxygen soils. Seed production begins at 20-30 years of age, and good seed crops are produced every 3-5 years. Cultivars available. Very high wildlife value. Provides food for a wide variety of songbirds, game birds, turkey, ducks and mammals. tree;sun;medium;loam tree;sun;medium;clay tree;sun;medium;sand tree;sun;dry;loam tree;sun;dry;clay tree;sun;dry;sand

Photo Courtesy of Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org Photo Courtesy of John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/ Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org Photo Courtesy of John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/