| Swamp White Oak is a large overstory tree of wet areas. Quite rare in North Carolina, near the southern limit of its range, it generally grows in areas with basic bedrock; it has been found in six counties in the Piedmont, two in the Coastal Plain. Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Quercus bicolor gets its name from the typically bicolored leaves — dark green above, whitish beneath. Leaf undersides of sun leaves are usually silvery white, but shade leaves show less contrast. Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Female flower/developing acorns. Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Developing acorns. Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Remnant male flowers. Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Leaves below may appear yellowish green or whitish, depending on whether they're shade leaves or sun leaves. At left is a comparison between the undersurfaces of sun leaves (left and right) and a shade leaf (center). Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Swamp White Oak is similar to Swamp Chestnut Oak (Quercus michauxii), but the leaves are less regularly lobed; similar to White Oak (Quercus alba), but the leaf undersides are white-hairy. A hybrid White Oak × Swamp Chestnut Oak might be difficult to tell apart from a Swamp White Oak. The easiest way to tell Swamp White apart from similar oaks is to look for peeling bark on young branches — see photos below for what to look for. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| The photo at left shows shade leaves, which are usually not whitish beneath. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Leaves on saplings may appear more sharply toothed. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Detail of a leaf underside, showing a covering of fine whitish hairs. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| One of the most distinctive traits of Swamp White Oak is the peeling bark of branches. The branch bark starts to peel when the branches are still fairly small. This is perhaps the easiest way to be sure about identifying a Swamp White Oak. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| A larger branch, still with peeling bark. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| A still larger branch, with the bark appearing more flaky than peeling. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Bark of a small tree. The bark is very similar to that of White Oak and Swamp Chestnut Oak. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Bark of a large tree, high above the ground. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Granville Co., NC 5/23/2012.
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| Bark of a medium-sized tree. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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| Bark of a large tree, near the base. Granville Co., NC 5/20/2012.
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