Swamp white Oak

Swamp White Oak

(Quercus bicolor)

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

▲ ▼ young and older mature trees

▲ ▼ leaves

▲ ▼ trunk and bark; younger tree above, older tree below

Quercus bicolor: Swamp White Oak

Location on Missouri State University campus: north of Magers Health and Wellness Center; retention basin area at southeast corner of Grand and National

• leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, obovate with shallowly to moderately lobed margins; dark green above and white pubescent below
• stems yellow-brown to reddish-brown when young, bark exfoliating on larger twigs
• bark is gray-brown and scaly, becoming ridged and furrowed with flat ridges on older trees
• grows 50-60' tall and 2/3 to equally wide in oval to rounded or irregular crown shape
• acorns 1" long and shiny brown, enclosed about 1/3 by cap; acorns often in pairs on long stalks
• prefers full sun and moist, high-organic matter, acid soils; tolerates clayey and dry soils; may show chlorosis on higher pH soils
• medium growth rate
• native to southeast Missouri