Quercus bicolor??

[eliahd24]

Hi ENTS,
I've been exploring an exceptional floodplain forest on a tributary of Peachtree Creek here in Atlanta and have found an oak species that I need help IDing. My best guess is Quercus bicolor- Swamp White Oak (see leaf pic). It has fairly light colored bark that is slightly flaky, but nothing like Q. alba. It's on the edge of a floodplain, but it's the only one of it's kind there and it's on the edge of a person's backyard, so it could have been planted. Well over 100' tall and probably 9'+ CBH. If it is Quercus bicolor it will be a state champ by a LOT. My main hesitation is that most field guides show GA as being well beyond the normal range for this species...
~Eli

Q. bicolor?

[Rand]

The bark and habitat makes it sound like Swamp Chestnut Oak, Quercus michauxii. The leaves look a little off though.

[AndrewJoslin]

Doesn't look like Quercus bicolor leaf, at least what's in the northeast. The crown form of Q. bicolor is unique, photos would help. Not saying that its a white oak but it's closer to Q. alba than bicolor.
-AJ

[eliahd24]

I'll get some additional pix. Also the leaf undersides are quite fuzzy.

[James Parton]

It looks different than the typical Quercus Alba. Maybe it is a hybrid of two different oak types?

[Steve Galehouse]

Here is a photo of typical swamp white oak foliage, showing the shallower lobes and glossier upper leaf surface compared to white oak.

and another of the form of the tree

I agree with Rand that the first sample is probably swamp chestnut oak.

Steve

[eliahd24]

I'm leaning towards hybrid... i'll post the new pix tomorrow.

[DougBidlack]

I agree with Randy, Andrew and Steve that it is not swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor. As you and James suggest, it seems likely to be a hybrid...Most likely between Q. alba and Q. michauxii (Q. x beadlei according to Miller and Lamb in Oaks of North America).

Doug

[Will Blozan]

Eli,

Any reason you have ruled out Q. michauxii?? Sounds like a perfect fit. Bark of the species is nearly a match for "classic" white oak. Q. bicolor is not much at all like white oak- more like Q. macrocarpa.

Will

[eliahd24]

Okay guys,
I'm really leaning towards a hybrid now, based on other oaks present and the leaf litter. Will- I did think about Q. michauxii, but the leaf structure is different than others of the species in Atlanta. There are other Q. michauxii specimen around the area though. Now I think it may be a cross between Q. alba x Q. michauxii, which is apparently known as Q. bealei or "Beale Oak". See additional pic's and lemme know what y'all think.

crown shot

Oak hybrid- Beale?

oak leaf variation

Do we maintain data on hybrid species in any ENTS databases?
~Eli