The leaves are very similar to Scarlet oak but the acorns are about 1/2 the size and center of leaf smaller.
It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 60 –72 ft tall, with a trunk up to 3.3 ft in diameter. It has a 26–46 ft spread .
It is one of the few Quercus species extensively used as a landscaping tree due to its ease of transplant and faster growth than most oaks.
The leaves are 2.0–6.3 in long and 2.0–4 .7 in broad, lobed, with five or seven lobes. Each lobe has 5-7 bristle-tipped teeth. The glossy dark green leaves turn russet, bronze or red.
The acorns, borne in a shallow, thin cap, are hemispherical, 0.39–0.63 in long and 9–15 0.35–0.59 in broad, green maturing pale brown about 18 months after pollination.
USDA Hardiness Zone : 4 - 8
Medicinal use of : An infusion of the inner bark has been used to treat intestinal pains. Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of hemorrhages, chronic diarrhea, dysentery etc.
Edible parts of : Seed - cooked. The seed is about 15 mm long, it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost.
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
Other uses : A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these 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. A black ink is made from the galls. Wood - strong, hard, coarse grained, heavy, often knotty owing to the persistence of many small limbs. It weighs 43 lb per cubic foot. It is occasionally used for shingles, clap-boards, furniture, wooden nails etc and as a fuel .