NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Quercus michauxii [= Quercus prinus]

Swamp Chestnut Oak, Basket Oak, Cow Oak

Scientific Name:	Quercus michauxii [= Quercus prinus]
Genus:	Quercus
Species Epithet:	michauxii
Common Name:	Swamp Chestnut Oak, Basket Oak, Cow Oak
Plant Type	Tree
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Fagaceae (Beech Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	72-100 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Red, Yellow
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	April
Growing Area:	Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Bottomland forests, especially in fertile soils of upper terraces where flooded only infrequently and for short periods, upland depression ponds, sometimes on moist lower slopes. Uncommon in NC Piedmont, common in Coastal Plain.
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Suitable for home landscapes
State Rank:	S5: Secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	This tree is mildly resistant to damage by deer. Host plant for Banded Hairstreak, Edward's Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace's Duskywing, Juvenal's Duskywing butterflies, and many moths. Acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, Blue Jays, ducks, small mammals, Wild Turkeys, white-tailed deer, and black bears.
Leaves The leaves are roughly diamond-shaped, wider above the middle, and pale underneath. Up to 6" wide and 9" long. Jack Spruill, Hampstead, July, 2010 Q. michauxii grows best in bottomlands that are periodically flooded. The acorns are sweet and prized by small mammals and by livestock (thus the Cow Oak name.)
Bark Bark is pale gray with scaly plates, similar to White Oak, Q. alba. Strips of wood were used to make baskets. The lumber is hard and strong and used in furniture and flooring. Jack Spruill, Hampstead, July, 2010
Fall leaves Jack Spruill, Hampstead, Nov 2010
Margins are wavy with rounded teeth that are also sometimes described as small lobes. Confluence Natural Area, Orange Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Early Fall color. Confluence Natural Area, Orange Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record