Swamp Chestnut oak is a tall tightly crowned oak with a very large trunk. The common name of the chestnut oak comes from the resemblance of the leaves to those of a chestnut. Generally growing between fifty and one hundred feet tall, the Swamp Chestnut Oak has been know to reach heights of up to one hundred and fifty feet. The bark of mature trees is a distinctive light grey and deeply ridged. The leaves of the Swamp Chestnut Oak turn bright yellow to scarlet in the fall. Alternately know as the Basket Oak historically the fibers in this oak were used to make baskets used in the cotton industry. The acorns of the Swamp Chestnut Oak are sweet and can be eaten raw. The acorns are an important winter food source for birds, squirrels, deer and cows which have lead some to call it the Cow oak.