Handbook of Trees of the Noetiieen States and Canada. 173 



The Swamp White 0:ik is a tree commonly 

 60 or 70 ft. in height with trunk 2 or 3 ft. 

 in thickness, but when crowded by other trees 

 in forest growth has been known to attain 

 the height of 90 or 100 ft. The short stout 

 trunks of isolated trees are sometimes 6 or 

 8 ft. in thickness. The tops of these are usu- 

 ally broad or rounded, with numerous tortu- 

 ous branches, and more or less pendulous 

 branchlets which often fringe the trunk above. 

 As its name implies it inhabits the low grounds 

 •of bottom-lands growing in company with the 

 Red and Silver Maples, King-nut Hickory, 

 Sweet and Sour Gums, Over-cup, Pin and Burr 

 Oaks, Green and Black Ashes, etc. 



Its wood is heavy, hard and tough, a cubic 



foot when absolutely dry weighing 47.75 lbs. 



and is applied to the same uses as that of the 



White Oak, no distinction being made between 



the two in commerce.^ 



Leaves obovate to obovate-oblong, wedge-shaped 

 at base, rounded or obtuse at apex, coarsely 

 sinuate-crenate with 6-8 pairs of primary veins 

 or sometimes pinnately lobed witb rounded entire 

 lobes, tomeutose at first but at maturity dark 

 green and lustrous above, whitish and more or 

 less tomentose beneath ; petioles stout ^-1 in. 

 long. Flowers staminate aments 2-4 in. long with 

 light yellow and deeply 5-9-lobed calyx ; pistillate 

 with long tomentose peduncles and short red 

 stigmas. Fruit commonly in pairs with peduncle 

 2-6 times as long as the petioles ; nut ovoid, 

 %-l in. long, pubescent at apex and about one-third 

 enveloped by the hemispheric tomentose cup, some- 

 times tuberculate at base but smooth near rim and 

 with tips of scales free and contorted. 



1. Syn. Quercus Wcolor Willd. 



2. A. W., HI, 66. 



