Leaves are simple, alternate, deciduous, elliptical to obovate, and shallowly lobed with smooth lobes. Bark is gray and deeply grooved on larger trees.
Terminal buds are brown, stout, and smooth.
The acorn is yellow-brown and the cap covers half the nut. Chestnut oak can be distinguished from swamp chestnut oak and chinkapin oak by deeply grooved bark and lack of mucrunate tips on lobes. Intermediate shade tolerance. Click on photo to enlarge. All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.