Basket Oak Quercus michauxii Nuttall    Synonyms: Swamp Chestnut Oak.
Kingdom Plantae   >   Division Tracheophyta   >   Class Magnoliopsida   >   Order Fagales   >   Family Fagaceae   >   Genus Quercus   

Status:

Grows in wet soils and along stream borders. It is a common tree of lowland forests on the Eastern Shore.

Basket Oak (Quercus michauxii) was named after André Michaux, an 18th-century French botanist who explored the eastern United states.

Description:

The bark resembles that of White Oak; it is furrowed, with ridges that are scaly or flaking. The leaves are generally widest above the middle, and have many (10-15) pairs of shallow lobes.

Where to find:

You can find very large Basket Oaks along the forested trails of LeCompte WMA in Dorchester County.

There are 140 records in the project database.

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Basket Oak in Worcester Co., Maryland (8/24/2018). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Basket Oak leaves in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (8/4/2013). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/26/2012). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/9/2017). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

A Basket Oak in Kent Co., Maryland (6/7/2014). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

A Basket Oak growing in Howard Co., Maryland (8/27/2015). Photo by Jim Wilkinson. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Howard Co., Maryland (6/2/2017). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Dorchester Co., Maryland (12/30/2012). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

The bark of a small Basket Oak in Somerset Co., Maryland (1/20/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (10/5/2012). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Basket Oak leaf in Somerset Co., Maryland (1/20/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

The buds of Basket Oak in Caroline Co., Maryland (3/23/2013). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (4/29/2011). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

National champion Basket Oak in Kent Co., Maryland (7/11/2010). Photo by Danny Poet. (MBP list)

National champion Basket Oak in Kent Co., Maryland (7/11/2010). Per Danny Poet: "Declared the National Champion in 2010 due to the death of the long time champ of the same species in Missouri. Located on Sandy Bottom Road, Kent County, Maryland in the Old Saint Pauls Church Yard between Chestertown and Rock Hall Maryland. Last measured in 2007 tree stats are 350 to 400 years old trunk. Circumference is 24 feet 6 inches. Average crown spread is 92 feet. Tree height is 106 feet. Other common names are Basket Oak or Cow Oak." Photo by Danny Poet. (MBP list)

The national champion Basket Oak at St. Paul's Church on Sandy Bottom Road in Kent Co., Maryland (12/9/2015). Unfortunately it was taken down in December 2015 due to failing health and a falling limb with people nearby. It was estimated to be over 400 years old (D. Poet, pers. comm.). Photo by Danny Poet. (MBP list)

Remains of the former National Champion Basket Oak in Kent Co., Maryland (12/26/2015). Photo by Danny Poet. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Montgomery Co., Maryland (4/21/2017). Photo by Bill Hill. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Baltimore City, Maryland (5/11/2019). (c) Charlie Davis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Charlie Davis. (MBP list)

Basket Oak in Baltimore City, Maryland (5/11/2019). (c) Charlie Davis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Charlie Davis. (MBP list)


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