20 Interesting Facts about the Swamp White Oak Tree

Swamp white oak, with the scientific name of Quercus bicolor, is a medium-sized tree that can be found in forests throughout the north central, and northeastern parts of the United States. You can find this interesting tree along the edges of rivers and streams, in lowlands, and of course, in swamps that flood easily, hence the name swamp white oak.

Below are 20 detailed facts about this amazing tree.

1. Long Live the Swamp White Oak

This tree grows very rapidly and can live for a really long time, as in 300 to 350 years. Obviously, the swamp white oak trees have been around for centuries already and will still be here for centuries into the future.

2. Commercially Valuable

This tree produces very hard, strong, and durable wood so it is very valuable when it comes to the commercial arena and it is normally cut and then sold as white oak. It also produces acorns that many different kinds of wildlife like to munch on, especially ducks that live in the wild.

3. Oh, the Places it Grows

The swamp white oak tree grows in a variety of different states, from southwestern Maine clear over to New York in southern Quebec as well as southern Ontario. You can also find these trees in the central part of Michigan, the northern area of Wisconsin, and the southeastern portion of Minnesota, as well as the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Virginia. You can even find some scattered throughout North Carolina and even northern Kansas, but this particular species of tree is the most common and will grow to its largest size in the western area of New York and the northern part of Ohio.

4. The Climate has to be Right

The best climate for the swamp white oak tree to grow and thrive in has a median annual temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit down to as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It can also suffer through below 0 weather but prefers not to. It likes areas that have a lot of rainfall, especially areas in which there are at least 25 inches to 50 inches of rainfall that comes down each year. It can even withstand periods of frost, but it needs a good 200 days without any to really thrive.

5. Soil is Swampy

The swamp white oak normally favors hydromorphic soils and some of these may even be mineral soils that are not drained properly and have high water tables. It even enjoys organic soils that range from mucks that are well decomposed to peats that are poorly decomposed, so that there are high water levels that facilitate organic accumulation. These types of soils are normally associated with areas of land that are at least periodically underwater, such as broad stream valleys, the edges of ponds, lakes, sloughs, and lower-lying fields. These trees are not found, though, in areas that are always flooded and underwater.

6. Acorns and Rounded Leaves

The Swamp White Oak tree is a member of the broad white oak family that includes white, swamp white, bur, Chinkapin, and post oaks. You can identify all of these trees by their very characteristic rounded lobes on their leaves and the acorns that mature in one single growing season and sprout after they fall during the autumn time of the year.

7. Very Hardy

The White Swamp Oak Tree boasts a hardiness zone that ranges from zone three to zone nine. It also has a slow to moderate growth rate and after it is matured, the tree’s crown is rounded and broad.

8. Grows Tall and Wide

The white swamp oak tree will mature to about 50 feet to 75 feet tall and is capable of growing up to about 100 feet. While its width can vary with the different species of this tree, it is usually about 40 to 70 feet wide after it is fully matured.

9. Seeds and Leaves

This tree’s leaves with rounded tips will flower every year in the middle of spring and it will bear seeds after it is around 20 years old. Its seed dispersal normally takes place every year in October. It will produce seeds every three to five years. The leaves have a leathery feel to them and will grow to be about three to seven inches long.

10. Native State

The Swamp white oak tree is native to eastern Iowa, from as far west as the Wapsipinicon River to the Iowa River and streams in Decatur and Taylor counties in the southern part of Iowa.

11. Common Associates

The common associates with this tree that will grow in the same areas and under the same conditions as the White Swamp Oak tree are pin oaks, shingle oaks, river birch, black walnut, American elm green ash, silver maple, and hackberry trees. The swamp white oak tree grows within four different cover types. These include Black Ash-American Elm-Red Maple, which is part of the Society of American Foresters Type 39, Bur Oak, which is Type 42, Silver Maple-American Elm, known as Type 62, and Pin Oak-Sweetgum, referred to as Type 65.

It is normally found as a single tree within these types, but sometimes it can be found as part of an abundant group of Swamp White Oak trees in smaller areas. There are many tree species that commonly grow in association with the swamp white oak tree and those include Pin Oak-Sweetgum, silver Maple, Pin Oak, American Elm, Red Maple, eastern cottonwood, Sycamore, Bur Oak, green ash, shellbark Hickory, shagbark Hickory, Black Gum, American basswood, and Black Willow.

12. Two Colors

The leaves of the swamp white oak tree will grow to about five to seven inches long and, as stated above, the leaves are rounded with shallow lobes. They are dark green in color on the top side but the leaves are gray to a shiny white color below. The botanical name for the swamp white oak tree has the meaning of “two color” which refers to the two different colors of each leaf. The twigs on this tree are green and lustrous and in the fall time of the year, they turn a light orange or brown before the first signs of winter.

13. Acorns Grow in Pairs

The acorns produced by the swamp white oak tree are oblong and grow in pairs. They are usually about one inch to four inches in length. Wildlife will come to eat them since they are nutritional and have a good taste to them.

14. Insects that Can Adversely Affect the Swamp White Oak

There are several insects that can cause damage to the Swamp White Oak tree and some of those include the Oak Sawfly, Lace Bugs, Acorn Weevil, giant Bark Aphid, Yellownecked Caterpillar, and the Walking Stick.

15. Food Source for Wildlife

The swamp white oak tree may resemble other white oak trees, but its wood is heavier, harder, and moderately more durable. This tree keeps its lower branches, which makes the wood a little less valuable than the wood is of other white oak trees. Since it is a relatively more scarce tree in comparison to the timber tree and other native oaks, it is used less for lumber. Because it grows in lower lying areas and the branches hang down lower, it makes a great food source for a variety of wildlife animals, such as turkeys, deer, wood ducks, squirrels, and other rodents.

16. Diseases that Can Adversely Affect the Swamp White Oak

There are several diseases that can have a detrimental effect on the Swamp White Oak Tree and some of those include Oak Leaf Blister, Pin Oak Chlorosis, Lace Bugs, Oak Wilt, Oak Tatters, Anthracnose, and Giant Bark Aphid.

17. Smooth Bark

The bark of the Swamp White Oak tree is very smooth on its small branches. The smaller branches tend to boast a purplish brown color and are able to separate into large scales that are thin and feel like paper. The tree’s larger branches, along with its trunk, break into very broad, flat ridges that have deep fissures throughout. These larger branches have more of a gray-brown or reddish-brown color to them. The acorns that this tree is known for producing tend to be about three-quarters of an inch long to about one and one-quarter inches long and the pairs can be seen on a very long stalk that is about one to four inches long throughout the branches.

18. Urban Tree Too

This tree is normally found in the wooded areas and major forests of the many states in which it grows, but it can also be grown, and even flourish, in suburban and urban settings. The reason is that the swamp white oak tree has a great tolerance to compacted soil and even drought, though it is surprising since it normally likes extra wet soil. It cannot only tolerate compacted soil and drought but also some amount of salt exposure. It does prefer acidic soil, though.

19. Bringing the Shade

The swamp white oak tree is a wonderful choice for your yard and for parks since it provides a great amount of shade. This also makes it a great St tree since it has the ability to grow at a moderate pace and can live for more than three centuries. The white swamp oak tree is the type of tree that you plant for your own enjoyment as well as for the benefit of the many generations to come who can enjoy it. It makes a great shade tree if it’s planted on the correct soils and, keep in mind, it is a bottomland species so it has a pretty high requirement for iron to be able to grow and thrive properly.

20. Fall Colors

This magnificent tree will turn shades of bronze, yellow, red, and purple throughout the fall months of the year and it grows in a rounded shape, so it is pretty easy to identify when you are taking a walk or hiking through the woods. It can experience chlorosis, which is the yellowing of leaves while the veins of the leaves stay green in color. This happens if the soil is not acidic enough. This is the reason you should avoid planting a swamp white oak tree on calcareous soils, since it really must be planted in acidic soil that is at least moist, but prefers wet soil, for it to reach its optimum development and growth levels. Sometimes the fall color is not as fun and exciting and is just a bland brown color.

The Swamp White Oak tree is pretty and obviously a great shade tree. They are not difficult to grow in your own yard if you prefer and will live for generous to come. It is important to take proper care of this tree, though, since it is used to a more swampy and wet environment. It does produce acorns, which can sometimes be a hassle when they fall throughout your yard, but they do allow the opportunity for you to check out the many different animals and other wildlife that will come to feed on them.

When you are walking through a forest in any of the many states mentioned above in which the Swamp White Oak tree grows, keep your eyes open for the many characteristics that are described above and you will be able to spot this amazing tree.