This species has been wrongly referred to as Quercus prinus in the past[].

Common Name: Swamp Chestnut Oak

General Information

Quercus michauxii is a deciduous tree with a narrow, round and compacted crown; it usually grows up to 20 metres tall[], with reports of specimens 30 - 40 metres tall. The bole is typically 60 - 100cm in diameter, occasionally to 220cm[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is a valuable timber, harvested on a commercial basis.
It is assumed that this species has a large population size given its widespread distribution along with its abundance throughout. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant contain tannins. Whilst tannins are found in many foods, and have a range of medicinal uses. They are usually only present in low concentrations. In some foods made from oaks (particularly the seeds), the tannin content can be quite high unless the food is treated to reduce tannin content.
Tannins are only of low toxicity and, because of their bitter taste and astringency, are unlikely to be eaten in large quantities. However, if they are taken in excess, they can cause stomach pains; constipation followed by bloody diarrhoea: excessive thirst; and excessive urination[].

Botanical References

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Range

South-eastern N. America - Illinois to New Jersey, south to eastern Texas and northern Florida

Habitat

Inundated bottoms, stream borders and swamps[]. Forming forests on well-drained silty clay, loamy terraces, and rocky deposit sites in the bottomlands of large and small streams[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Quercus michauxii is a moderately cold-hardy tree, tolerating temperatures down to around -20°c when dormant. It grows best in areas with hot summers. In areas with cooler summers, such as the maritime regions of the temperate zone, it often grows poorly, failing to properly ripen its wood and suffering frost damage over the winter[, ].
Prefers a sunny position, but tolerates some shade[], though young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[]. Prefers a good deep fertile loam which can be on the stiff side[, ]. Tolerant of somewhat alkaline soils[]. It grows best in moderately well-drained silty clays and loams; it can tolerate saturated or flooded soils for a few days to a few weeks during the growing season[]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[].
Closely related to Quercus prinus[]. This species is often confused with Quercus prinus, Quercus prinoides and Quercus muehlenbergii[].
The tree flowers on new growth produced in spring, the seed ripening in its first year[, ].
Older trees usually survive forest fires if they are not too severe, younger trees will often resprout from the base if top-killed[].
Seedlings soon develop a taproot and become intolerant of root disturbance, they should be planted into their permanent positions whilst young[].
Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[, , ]. The seed is large, 25 - 35mm long and 20 - 30mm wide[, ], but contains bitter tannins[]. Other reports say that the acorns are sweet and edible[, ]. The seed can be roasted then dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread[].
In some species, especially many of those classified as 'white oaks', the seeds are low in tannins and have a more or less sweet and agreeable flavour. The seed of most species, however, have a very bitter flavour, due especially to the presence of tannins. In these species there are various processes that can remove or at least reduce the amount of these bitter substances (although other water-soluble substances, including some minerals, will also be removed).
Tannins are water-soluble and therefore the easiest way to remove or reduce tannin levels is by soaking in water. A few different methods are listed:-
A traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter and allow the wet soil to gradually leach the tannins. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency and bitterness.
Another method was to wrap the seeds in a cloth bag and place them in a stream for several weeks.
Drying the seed and grinding it to a powder before soaking speeds up the process. The fastest method is to use hot water, by cooking the powder and changing the water several times until the cooking water is no longer bitter. Alternatively, you can use cold water (which is reported to produce the best quality flour). In this case, you soak the powdered seed in cold water for 12 - 24 hours then discard the water. Repeat this process for a number of times until the soak water is no longer bitter.

The roasted seed of many Quercus species has been used as a coffee substitute.

Medicinal

Quercus (oak) species are used in the traditional medicine of many cultures, being valued especially for their tannins. Various parts of the plant can be used, most frequently it is the leaves, bark, seeds, seed cups or the galls that are produced as a result of insect damage. A decoction or infusion is astringent, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, styptic and haemostatic. It is taken internally to treat conditions such as acute diarrhea, dysentery and haemorrhages. Externally, it is used as a mouthwash to treat toothache or gum problems and is applied topically as a wash on cuts, burns, various skin problems, haemorrhoids and oral, genital and anal mucosa inflammation[]. Extracts of the plant can be added to ointments and used for the healing of cuts[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree has been used in restoring degraded bottomland hardwood forests of the Southeastern USA[].

Other Uses

The leaves of most species in this genus are more or less rich in tannins. A mulch of the partially decayed leaves can be placed around vulnerable plants in order to repel slugs, snails, grubs etc, and these will in time break down to add humus and nutrients to the soil. Fresh leaves should be used with caution, however, since as these decay they utilize some of the nitrogen in the soil and thus can inhibit plant growth[, ].

Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff and is also used by many cultures to make ink[, ].
The bark of oak trees is also usually rich in tannins and can be used as a dyestuff and for waterproofing rope[, ].

The wood is heavy, hard, very strong, tough, dense, durable, easy to split[, , ]. It weighs 50lb per cubic foot[]. It machines well, but is subject to checking and warping if not dried properly. It i is largely used for flooring, furniture, boxes, barrels, boat making and veneer[, ].
The wood is a favoured fuel - burning well and giving off a lot of heat[, ]

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.