The Swamp White Oak tree, Quercus bicolor, is a beautiful native tree with lustrous, heavy textured leaves with wavy margins. This rugged oak grows well in either upland or swampy areas. It is tolerant of poorly drained sites and frequently is found in heavy mucky soils. The Swamp White Oak is a rapidly growing tree that flowers in spring. The acorns mature and are shed in September or October of the same year.
The Swamp White Oak is a long-lived tree that may reach 300 to 350 years old. The name bicolor refers to the two-colored leaf, shining dark green above and velvety white pubescence below, turning golden in the fall. This deciduous tree has a rounded open habit. Swamp Oak trees transplant easily. It casts dense shade. The sweet acorns are eaten by whitetail deer, mallards, wood ducks, wild turkeys, squirrels, woodpeckers, and smaller rodents.