Swamp Chestnut Oak
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Gets 70-100' tall and 40-70' wide in landscapes, with an oval to rounded shape. National champion in Missouri is 140' tall and 115' wide. Moderate rate of growth. Oaks generally have a long lifespan.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Usually occurs in moist habitats such as river bottoms, swampy areas and ravines from New Jersey and Delaware to Florida, and west to Indiana, Missouri and Texas, including scattered stands in Kentucky. Introduced in 1737.

Flower and Fruit Details

Monoecious, with male flowers in catkins, female flowers smaller and held close to the stem. Acorns dark brown, 1-1.5" long, provide food for songbirds, browsers, game birds, migrant waterfowl and small mammals. Acorns have a bowl-shaped, light brown, scaly cap that covers about 1/3 of the nut.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves are leathery textured and quite pubescent on the lower surface, alternate, simple, obovate, to 8" long, with coarsely serrated margins, with about 9-12 pairs of shallow, rounded teeth. Leaves are medium green on top, but white and hairy beneath. Good red or bronze-red fall color. Bark on young trees is scaly. Bark is light in color, gray to silvery-gray, thin and platy on mature trees.

Culture and Care

Transplants well. Zones 5-8(9). Needs full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, but not wet, well-drained soil. Can tolerate poor drainage for short periods of time, and usually does well on fairly dry sites, but does not tolerate extended drought. Tolerates acid or alkaline soil. If needed, prune in March while still dormant. Scale, borers and galls are possible problems, but usually not serious. Trees in some regions may develop oak wilt disease.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 3-season interest: Spring, summer & fall. In the white oak group. Similar to Chestnut Oak, but Swamp Chestnut Oak grows in wetter soils and is a larger tree. Difficult to find in commercial nurseries.

Suggested Uses

Good for parks and large properties. Should be used more. Could be used as a parkway tree or in larger residential yards. Makes a good specimen tree or shade tree.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA