Tree to 25 m (80 ft) tall and 1 m (3 ft) diameter, with broad rounded crown. Bark light gray, thick, rough, furrowed into scaly plates and ridges. Twigs thick, sometimes winged, gray-hairy, ending in a cluster of eggshaped gray hairy buds. Leaves alternate, obovate, tapering to base, 10-25 cm (4-10 in) long and 6-12 cm (2.4-4.8 in) wide, widest above the middle, deeply divided below the middle, dark green above, gray-green below, turning yellow or brown in fall. Fruits are large acorns maturing in the first year, 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) long and wide, with a deep thick fringed cup covering most of the acorn.
Distribution: Native to about the eastern half of the United States except for coastal areas.
Habitat: mostly found in well-drained bottomland forests.
Comment: The wood is marketed as white oak. Quercus is the ancient classical name for the European oaks; macrocarpa refers to the very large acorns.
NWI status: FAC-
Distribution in Oklahoma: 
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Last update: 9/16/99
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