The Trees of Vermont 119 



FAGACEAE 



Swamp White Oak 



Quercus bicolor Willd. [Qiiercus platanoides (Lam.) Sudw.] 



Habit. — A medium-sized tree 40-60 feet high, with a trunk di- 

 ameter of 2-3 feet; forming a rather open, rugged crown of tortuous, 

 pendulous branches and short, stiff, bushy spray. 



Leaves. — Alternate, simple, 5-7 inches long, 3-5 inches broad ; 

 obovate to oblong-obovate ; coarsely sinuate-crenate or shallow-lobed ; 

 thick and firm ; dark green and shining above, whitish and more or less 

 tomentose beneath ; petioles stout, about ^ inch long. 



Flowers. — May, with the leaves ; monoecious ; the staminate in 

 hairy catkins 3-4 inches long ; the pistillate tomentose, on long, tomen- 

 tose peduncles, in few-flowered spikes ; calyx deeply 5-9-lobed, yellow- 

 green, hairy ; corolla ; stamens 5-8, with yellow anthers ; stigmas 

 bright red. 



Fruit. — Autumn of first season; acorns on pubescent stems 1-4 

 inches long, usually in pairs ; cup cup-shaped, with scales somewhat 

 loose (rim often fringed), inclosing one-third of the nut; nut ovoid, 

 light brown, pubescent at the apex, about 1 inch long; kernel white, 

 sweet, edible. 



Winter-buds. — Terminal bud yg inch long, broadly ovoid to 

 globose, obtuse ; scales light brown, pilose above the middle. 



Bark. — Twigs at first lustrous, green, becoming red-brown, finally 

 dark brown and separating into large, papery scales which curl back ; 

 thick, gray-brown on the tnmk, deeply fissured into broad, flat, scaly 

 ridges. Plate IV. 



Wood. — Heavy, hard, strong, tough, coarse-grained, light brown, 

 with thin, indistinguishable sapwood. 



Distribution. — Frequent in the Champlain valley, especially 

 about Lake Champlain. 



Habitat. — Prefers moist, rich soil bordering swamps and along 

 streams. 



Notes. — In beauty and variety of grain this tree nearly equals the 

 white oak and its wood is valuable for similar purposes. As its name 

 suggests it grows in low, moist soil. Unfortunately the swamp oak is 

 not found in Vermont except along the intervales of Lake Champlain 

 and its tributaries. Here it is quite abundant and its majestic size 

 and symmetrical, rounded top make it a conspicuous and beautiful tree. 

 It is more easily identified than many of the oaks because of the scaly 

 bark, the leaves downy on the lower surface and the long, downy stalks 

 of the acorns. 



