Medium tree to about 50 ft. Leaves narrow oval to shield-shaped, with 8-13 pairs of large, sharp teeth. Flowers are catkins, high in the tree, rarely seen. Fruit a narrow acorn with a shallow bowl having tight scales. Bark, dark gray, scaly.

A native tree with unusual leaves for an oak. Prefers drier upland sites, so will be found on the upper slopes.

White oak (Q. alba) has lobes on its leaves,instead of large teeth. Chestnut oak (Q. prinus) is similar, but the teeth on the leaves are usually rounded, and the bark is distinctively furrowed, not scaly.