Quercus bicolor, swamp white oak
Snyder, S. A. 1992. Quercus bicolor, swamp white oak. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/quebic
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| QUEBIC | swamp white oak | Quercus bicolor | Life Form: Plants/Tree Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Fagales Family: Fagaceae Genus: Quercus | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The currently accepted scientific name of swamp white oak is Quercus bicolor Willd. (Fagaceae) [10]. There are no recognized varieties or forms. Swamp white oak hybridizes with the following [10,14]:
- Q. alba (Q. X jackiana Schneider)
- Q. stellata (Q. X substellata Trel.)
- Q. lyrata (Q. X humidicola E.J. Palmer)
- Q. macrocarpa (Q. X Hillii Trel.)
Q. X introgressa is a hybrid cross formed with another hybrid parent [28]. Q. meuhlenbergii is introgressed by Q. prinoides and Q. bicolor. For more information on swamp white oak hybrids see Little [36].
Synonyms
- None
Other Common Names
None
General Distribution
Swamp white oak occurs mainly in the midwestern states from Iowa, southern Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio south to northern Kentucky. Isolated populations occur in Minnesota, New England, Quebec, Ontario, Tennessee, and North Carolina [18].
States and Provinces
- United States: CT DE IL IN IA KS KY ME MD MA MI MN MO NH NJ NY NC OH PA RI TN VT VA WV WI
- Canada: ON PQ
Site Characteristics
Swamp white oak, Chautauqua County, New York. (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Swamp white oak occurs in river bottomlands, depressions, along streamsides, swamp borders, and on moist peaty flats [10,20]. It is a minor component in tamarack (Larix laricina) swamps of southwestern Michigan [16]. Along the Ohio shores of Lake Erie, swamp white oak grows in Toledo soil, a very poorly drained, silty clay. It also grows on Nappanee soils, which are somewhat poorly drained silt loams [13]. Along the Kankakee River on the Illinois and Indiana border, swamp white oak is a major overstory component of the floodplain forest. Here the soils are highly permeable, frequently flooded sandy loams [21]. In Quebec, swamp white oak occurs on sandy and loamy sand alluvium between 68 and 87 feet (22.6 and 28.9 m) in elevation [30].
Plant associates include pin oak (Quercus palustris), northern red oak (Q. rubra), hickory (Carya spp.), beech (Fagus spp.), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), red maple (Acer rubrum), silver maple (A. saccharinum), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanicum), tamarack, dogwood (Cornus spp.), sumac (Rhus spp.), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), grape (Vitis spp.), holly (Ilex spp.), and viburnum (Viburnum spp.) [3,5,9,12,30].
Plant Communities
No entry.
Botanical Description
Swamp white oak acorns. (CC BY 3.0 US)
Swamp white oak is a native deciduous tree that reaches heights of 50 to 70 feet (15-20 m) and diameters of 2 to 3 feet (0.6-1 m) [31]. It has a limby bole and an open, irregularly shaped crown. Its bark is flakey and grey. Its leaves resemble those of chestnut (Castanea spp.); they are shallowly lobed with serrate margins [22]. The fruit is an acorn 0.75 to 1.25 inches (2-3 cm) long. A mossy-like fringed cup covers from one-third to one-half of the acorn [10]. Acorns are one seeded (rarely two) and form singly or in clusters [25].
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Phanerophyte
Seasonal Development
Swamp white oak acorns ripen from August through December [25].
Regeneration Processes
Sexual: Swamp white oak reproduces by seed, which mature in 1 year [31]. Good seed crops are produced every 4 to 7 years, but many acorns are infested by insects [33]. Acorns must be collected shortly after falling to prevent early germination. Viability can be tested by dumping acorns into water. Those that float are not viable. Acorns cannot be stored for more than a few months. Cleaned seed averages 120 per pound (108/kg). One hundred pounds of fruit will average between 60 and 75 pounds (54-67.5/kg) of seed [25]. Seedlings grow slowly at less than 6 inches (15 cm) per year [33].
Vegetative: Swamp white oak can sprout from its trunk [33].
Successional Status
Swamp white oak is intermediate in shade tolerance but not very drought tolerant [20]. It is a dominant tree in wetlands on infertile to fertile soils of oak ecosystems in southeastern Michigan [2]. Without disturbance elm (Ulmus americana)-ash (Fraxinus spp.)-cottonwood (Populus spp.) types will convert to oak-dominated types that include swamp white oak [23]. White oak (Quercus alba) forests of southern Ohio (of which swamp white oak is a component) will progress towards hickory and beech forests if undisturbed [5].
Immediate Fire Effects
Severe fires can top-kill swamp white oak [33]. Moderate fires may kill seedlings and saplings, but older trees usually survive. Fire-damaged surviving trees are susceptible to disease and insect attack.
A prescribed burn on an Indiana savannah did not kill swamp white oak saplings and larger trees [1]. However, trees did not sprout following the burn. Average fuel loads were 560 g/sq m before the fire and from 400 to 650 g/sq m 1 year after the fire.
Fires during the dormant season are less damaging to oaks because of lowered ambient temperatures and the tree's physiological state [32]. Crooked trees may be killed more easily than straight trees if the crooked trees are leaning towards the flames. Overstocked stands may suffer more damage from fire due to reduced vigor and size of individuals [32]. Fire appears to affect acorn crops only in that, dying trees tend to produce a massive crop. Acorns themselves are easily destroyed by fire because of high moisture content [32].
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2
- survivor species; on-site surviving root crown
Fire Adaptations
All oaks can resprout from stems when top-killed by fire. The ability to sprout decreases with an increase in age and tree size [33]. Many seedlings develop an "S"-shaped crook in their stems, which protects dormant buds from fire heat and enables seedlings to sprout [32]. With repeated fire stems become calloused. This tissue is filled with dormant buds that resprout.
Plant Response to Fire
Swamp white oak stems can resprout following fire. Sprouts can grow as much as 3 to 6 feet (1-3 m) per year for the first 2 to 3 postfire years [33].
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name on the Advanced Search page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
Fire can reduce litter depth, allowing oak seedlings to become established [32]. Fire can also reduce stocking rates of other species, allowing oak species to increase in basal area. Fire can induce vigorous sprouting from older root stock, which may be a preferred reproductive method [32].
Federal Status
None
Other Status
None
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
Swamp white oak acorns are an important food for wildlife such as squirrels, white-tailed deer, beaver, black bear, and a variety of birds [3,12,24]. It provides cover for birds and mammals [6].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
Percent oven-dry weight nutrient values for swamp white oak leaves are as follows [4]:
| Nutrient | Oven-dry weight (%) |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen | 2.02 |
| Potassium | 1.20 |
| Phosphorus | 0.26 |
| Calcium | 1.07 |
| Magnesium | 0.31 |
Cover Value
No entry.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
Swamp white oak is planted on highway rights-of-way [15].
Other Uses
Oak species account for one-third of the hardwood sawtimber volume in the United States [34]. Swamp white oak is a heavy, hard wood that machines well, but it can check and warp if not dried properly. It is used for furniture, flooring, boxes, crates, barrels, kegs, ships and boats [27].
Other Management Considerations
Swamp white oak is a component of forested wetlands, many of which are being converted to agricultural lands and subdivisions [7]. Oaks are susceptible to many insect pests, fungi, cankers, and wilts. Refer to Solomon and others [34] for information on how to recognize and control these diseases [34]. Oak species can suffer from what is known as "oak decline." This is when trees die or limbs die back due to environmental stresses [35].
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES15 Oak - hickory
- FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
- FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
- FRES19 Aspen - birch
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- No entry.
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K098 Northern floodplain forest
- K099 Maple - basswood forest
- K100 Oak - hickory forest
- K101 Elm - ash forest
- K102 Beech - maple forest
- K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
- K106 Northern hardwoods
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 26 Sugar maple - basswood
- 14 Northern pin oak
- 38 Tamarack
- 39 Black ash - American elm - red maple
- 52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
- 53 White oak
- 59 Yellow poplar - white oak - northern red oak
- 60 Beech - sugar maple
- 62 Silver maple - American elm
- 64 Sassafras - persimmon
- 65 Pin oak - sweet gum
- 92 Sweetgum - willow oak
- 94 Sycamore - sweetgum - American elm
- 108 Red maple
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
- No entry.
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