438 NEW ENGLAND TREES IN WINTER. 



SWAMP WHITE OAK 



Quercus bicolor Willd. 

 Q. platanoides Sudw. 



HABIT A medium sized tree, 40-60 ft. high, with trunk diameter 

 of 2-3 ft.; in the open with round-topped open head, sometimes broader 

 than high, upper limbs ascending, lower limbs rather small, horizon- 

 tal or declined even to the ground, with numerous tufted, small, 

 scraggly, lateral, pendant branchlets. The scraggly branchlets in 

 connection with the peeling of the bark give a very rough unkempt 

 appearance to the tree. Trunk erect, generally continuous, sometimes 

 forking above to give somewhat the aspect of an Elm in respect to 

 main limbs. 



BARIC Flaky, grayish-brown, divided by deep longitudinal fissures 

 into -rather long, flat ridges. Bark on small branchlets, dark reddish- 

 brown to black, peeling into long, persistent, stiff-papery layers,, 

 which curl back and expose the lighter bark beneath. 



TWIGS Mediumly stout to slender, yellowish-green to reddish- 

 brown, smooth (seldom slightly downy). Medullary rays generally absent 

 in branchlets even of 6 to 8 years growth. LENTICELS pale, raised. 

 LEAVES which may persist obovate-oblong, wedge-shaped at base, 

 wavy-margined to blunt-lobed, with 6-8 pairs of primary veins. PITH 

 5-pointed, star-shaped. 



BUDS Broadly ovate to oval to spherical; blunt-pointed; small, 2-4- 

 mm. long. BUD-SCALES brown, at times slightly hairy above middle. 



FRUIT Maturing in one year, single or in pairs or groups of 3, 

 generally with long stalks, 2.5 to 10 cm. long. NUT light chestnut,. 

 ovate to oblong, 2-3 cm. long, apex covered with pale down, rounded 

 or pointed. CUP thick, cup-shaped, about % enclosing nut; scale* 

 pale woolly, those at base more or less thickened, at rim of cup tips 

 of scales elongated, narrow, awn-pointed, often forming short fringe. 

 Meat sweet, edible. 



COMPARISONS The sycamore-like peeling of the bark from the- 

 young branchlets easily distinguishes this species from all other Oaks. 

 The bark somewhat resembles that of White Oak but is somewhat 

 darker and the ridges are longer. 



DISTRIBUTION Borders of swamps and streams. Quebec to Ontario 

 where it is known as the Blue Oak; south to Delaware along the- 

 mountains to northern Georgia; west to Minnesota, Iowa, East Kansas 

 and Arkansas. 



IN NEW ENGLAND Maine York county; New Hampshire Merrimae 

 valley as far as the mouth of the Souhegan, and probably throughout 

 Rockingham county; Vermont low grounds about Lake Champlain; 

 Massachusetts frequent in the western and central sections, common 

 eastward Rhode Island common. 



IN CONNECTICUT Frequent. 



WOOD Similar to that of White Oak, and used for same general 

 purposes; sapwood, thin, hardly distinguishable from heartwood. 



