Associated Forest Cover
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Swamp white oak is a consistent though mostly a minor component of
hydromesophytic forest communities in which other species usually
dominate. Tree species that commonly grow in association with
swamp white oak are pin oak (Quercus palustris), sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua), red maple (Acer rubrum),
silver maple (A. saccharinum), American elm
(Ulmus americana), eastern cottonwood (Populus
deltoides), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), green
ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), bur oak Quercus
macrocarpa), shellbark and shagbark hickory (Carya
laciniosa and C. ovata), blackgum (Nyssa
sylvatica), black willow (Salix nigra), and American
basswood (Tilia americana) (3,4,6).
Swamp white oak occurs in four forest cover types: Black
Ash-American Elm-Red Maple (Society of American Foresters Type
39), Bur Oak (Type 42), Silver Maple-American Elm (Type 62), and
Pin Oak-Sweetgum (Type 65). It is usually found singly in these
types but occasionally may be abundant in small areas (6).
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Climate
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Within the range of swamp white oak, mean annual temperatures vary
from 16° C (60° F) in Arkansas to 4° C (40°
F) in southern Ontario. Extremes in temperature vary from 41°
C (105° F) to -34° C (-30° F). Average annual
precipitation is from 640 mm (25 in) in southeast Minnesota to
1270 mm (50 in) in northeast Arkansas. The frost-free period
ranges from 210 days in the southern part of the growing area to
120 days in the northern part (4).
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Damaging Agents
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Windthrow may be a problem especially in
recently thinned stands.
Disease and insects affecting swamp white oak are essentially the
same as those found on white oak. Oak anthracnose can be damaging
to individual trees but is generally not fatal. Swamp white oak
is susceptible to the oak wilt fungus (Ceratocystis
fagacearum) and in Illinois Phomopsis canker and Coniothyrium
dieback were found on this oak. In addition, an Alternaria
fungus was found on blighted petioles (4,7).
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Flowering and Fruiting
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Swamp white oak is monoecious;
male and female flowers appear on the same tree in the spring at
about the time leaves are one-third developed (May to June). The
fruit, an acorn, matures in 1 year and is generally paired and
home on slender stalks from 3 to 8 cm (1.25 to 3.25 in) long. The
ovoid acorns, each 19 to 32 mm (0.75 to 1.25 in) long and 13 to
19 min (0.5 to 0.75 in) in diameter, fall during September and
October.
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Genetics
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Two forms of swamp white oak have been described: a mesophytic
form with leaves that are green and velvety on the lower surface
and a more xerophytic form with leaves that are white-tomentulose
beneath. The following six hybrids with swamp white oak are
recognized: Quercus x jackiana Schneid. (Q. bicolor x
alba); Q. x humidicola Palmer (Q. bicolor x lyrata); Q. x
schuettei Trel. (Q. bicolor x macrocarpa) (1); Q. x
introgressa P. M. Thomson (Q. bicolor x
muehlenbergii x prinoides) (11); Q. x substellata Trel. (Q.
bicolor x stellata); Q. x nessiana Palmer (Q. bicolor x
virginiana). Swamp white oak also hybridizes with chestnut
oak Quercus prinus) and English oak (Q. robur).
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Growth and Yield
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On the better drained lowland soils, the
growth rate of swamp white oak is comparable to that of white
oak. The root system is usually shallow, but the tree is
relatively long lived-up to 300 years or more. Normally it is a
mediumsized tree, 18 to 23 in (60 to 75 ft) in height and 61 to
91 cm (24 to 36 in) d.b.h., although trees up to 30 in (100 ft)
tall and 213 cm (84 in) d.b.h. have been reported.
Swamp white oak normally grows in mixtures with other bottom-land
species and is abundant only locally. Individual old growth trees
may contain as much net volume as 3.4 m³ (600 fbm) but this
is uncommon (4).
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Reaction to Competition
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The tree is classed as
intermediate in tolerance to shade, and seedlings become
established under moderate shade. Lowland forests in which swamp
white oak grows are characterized by instability and successional
uncertainty because of the variable effects of flooding, together
with the presence of saturated soils. Swamp white oak may achieve
dominance on the better drained lowland soils together with
basswood, northern red oak (Quercus rubra), American
beech (Fagus grandifolia), and sugar maple (Acer
saccharum) (8). Once established, it is able to compete
effectively with American elm, green ash, and black willow.
Limited current evidence indicates clearcutting to be an adequate
silvicultural system, particularly on the better sites (2,8).
In forest stands swamp white oak has a straight bole with
ascending branches and a narrow crown. However, open-grown trees
are generally poorly formed and often have persistent lower
branches (4).
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Rooting Habit
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No information available.
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Seed Production and Dissemination
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Good crops of swamp
white oak occur every 3 to 5 years, with light crops during
intervening years. The minimum seed-bearing age is 20 years,
optimum age is 75 to 200 years, and maximum age is usually 300
years. Because the seed of swamp white oak is not dormant, it
germinates soon after falling. Seed collections should be made
soon after ripening in order to delay early germination. These
acorns are difficult to store without germination or loss of
viability occurring. Sound acorns have a germinative capacity
between 78 and 98 percent. Gravity, rodents, and water are the
primary dispersing agents (4,10).
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Seedling Development
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Germination is hypogeal (10). After
acorns germinate in the fall, roots continue to develop until
growth is limited by low temperatures. Seedling establishment and
early growth seem to be favored on the better drained lowland
soils rather than on sites that are poorly drained or subjected
to persistent flooding. In any case, adequate moisture and light
are necessary for successful early development (4,8).
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Soils and Topography
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Throughout its range, swamp white oak is typically found on
hydromorphic soils. These may be mineral soils that are
imperfectly to poorly drained, as evidenced by high water tables
and the presence of glei subsurface layers, or both; organic
soils ranging from mucks (well decomposed) to peats (poorly
decomposed) in which high water levels have favored organic
accumulation; or alluvial soils underlain by a glei layer. These
kinds of soils are associated with lands that are periodically
inundated, such as broad stream valleys, low-lying fields, and
the margins of lakes, ponds, or sloughs. Swamp white oak is not
found where flooding is permanent (2,4,5,6,8). In general, the
soils on which this oak most commonly is found are in the orders
Entisols and Inceptisols.
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Special Uses
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The acorns are sweet, like others in the white oak group, and are
eaten by squirrels and other rodents (9). In a study in
Wisconsin, swamp white oak acorns were found to make up 27
percent of the diet of wild ducks. Several nongame bird species
include these acorns in their diet (4).
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Vegetative Reproduction
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Like most oaks, swamp white oak
produces seedling sprouts or stump sprouts when the top is cut or
killed. The frequency of sprouting declines, however, with
increasing d.b.h. (8):
D.b.h.
classes
Stumps
likely to sprout
cm
in
percent
15 to 27
6 to 10
75
27 to 39
11 to 15
30
39 to 52
16 to 20
10
52+
20+
5
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Distribution
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Swamp white oak, a lowland tree, grows from southwestern Maine
west to New York, southern Quebec, and southern Ontario, to
central Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Minnesota;
south to Iowa and Missouri; east to Kentucky, Tennessee,
Virginia, and New Jersey. It is scattered in North Carolina and
northeastern Kansas. This species is most common and reaches its
largest size in western New York and northern Ohio (4).
-The native range of swamp white oak.
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Brief Summary
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Fagaceae -- Beech family
Robert Rogers
Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) is a mediumsized tree of
the north central and northeastern mixed forests. It is found in
lowlands, along edges of streams, and in swamps subject to
flooding. It is rapid growing and long lived, reaching 300 to 350
years. The hard strong wood is commercially valuable and is
usually cut and sold as white oak. Many kinds of wildlife eat the
acorns, particularly ducks.
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