A picturesque oak with stout, rugged branches, the bur oak grows to 80 feet tall or more and has a broad, spreading, rounded crown.
Leaves are dark, lustrous green above and gray or whitish and hairy below.
Fall color is a dull yellow-brown. Male and female flowers are produced in separate catkins on the current year's growth. Male catkins are yellowish, slender and hanging. Female catkins occur in reddish clusters on a short stalk. The broadly ovoid acorns are 0.8 to 2 inches long with the cup covering one-half or more of the nut.