The world would be a better place.if there were more stewartia. paperbark maple. not much of flowers but selections can have incredible fall color (in particular see girard nurseries) and the bronze exfoliating bark is nearly unexcelled. I say nearly because of two selections of pekin tree lilac. copper curls and i forget the other name, from j. frank schmidt. large white panicles about memorial day and richly colored bark that peels like birch. the beeches are never to be underestimated. slow to start but magnificent once established. ther are some truly striking selections norway spruce with new growth or cones richly colored.

The only one I can think of at the moment would be 'Lecont Hican', which is a hybrid between Pecan and Water Hickory (maybe it would get the wet soil tolerance of it's Water Hickory parent). From what I hear the nuts can still be quite bitter though, so I'm not sure if you would actualy want to eat them or not. Overcup Oak would be a great choice if you didn't need something with edible nuts. Here is a link that might be useful: Oikos

I have six large white oaks in my yard and I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon (lucky in every way). Oaks are allelopathic but certain plants in Oregon are adapted to grow near and under the trees. Ferns, hostas, heucheras all grow under Oak trees naturally in Oregon. The trees are very sensitive to water especially along the base and mushrooms will grow on the base of the trunk as well as the root lines if irrigated/watered heavily. It is important to keep plants a distance away so that water doesn't creep onto the tree base. The roots spread equally about 3 feet down with some deeper rooting at the center - one fell in the oak grove behind my house last winter...very unusual. It is important not to disturb these roots when planting around the tree as injured roots make the tree more susceptible to disease. I have planted Astilbe, coral bells, azalias, rhododendron, Hydrangeas, heliotypes, forsythia and hellebores, coleus and begonias in addition to plants mentioned previously, under the canopy of the oaks, but I have so many I have a larger area to plant in without disturbing the trees. I am trying Japanese Anemone, but it is poisonous so it requires more care to assure animals (dogs, cats) don't get into it. These plants do well in dappled shade under the oaks rather than total shade. I try to supplement my soil with mulch every year. I carefully cultivate by hand the 7 foot by 45 foot garden under my trees with a special rake to break up the soil, add in commercial mulch and organic soil by hand and use a drip watering system with small water lines going to the base of each plant to prevent over watering. The first year is the worst, it gets better as the soil gets more an more conditioned, especially because my soil is a bit "clay" like. Hope this was helpful.

After attempting to rip it out, it appears to be a tree. I cut out 2ft long pieces of root and the root kept going. I'll be looking in my yard and neighboring yards for the parent.