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Swamp chestnut oak

Quercus michauxii

Also called Basket Oak, Cow Oak

Swamp chestnut oak
Photo: Jaknouse at English Wikipedia, Public domain

A large, long-lived white oak native to wet bottomlands and swamp edges of the eastern and central United States, grown as a shade or street tree. It does best with ample moisture and room to grow.

Family
Fagaceae (Beech & oak family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply during dry spells while young; tolerates wet soil better than most oaks.
Soil
Moist, deep, slightly acidic loam; tolerates periodic flooding.
Temperature
Hardy to about -25 °C; thrives in warm summers typical of the southeastern US.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
C. & E. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Quercus michauxii, the swamp chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus section Quercus in the beech family. It is native to bottomlands and wetlands in the southeastern and midwestern United States, in coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland primarily in the Mississippi–Ohio Valley as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.

Where it grows

The acorns of the swamp chestnut oak are eaten by generalist species like chipmunks, squirrels, white-tail deer, wild hogs, and black bears. They are also readily eaten by cattle, and the species is sometimes called the "cow oak" for this reason.

Uses

The wood of the swamp chestnut oak is similar to, and usually marketed mixed with, that of other white oaks. Swamp chestnut oak is also called basket oak, since the wood is easily split into long, thin, flexible strips excellent for basket weaving.

Other Quercus plants

Quercus affinis · Coast Live Oak · White Oak · Golden Oak · Scrub oak · Brant's oak · Turkey Oak · Canyon Live Oak · Scarlet Oak · Daimyo oak · Blue oak · Leather oak

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Quercus michauxii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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