Flower Notes:
Green (Monoecious catkins in spring; not ornamentally important)
Foliage Notes:
Green (Glossy, deep green summer foliage); Multi-Colored (Fall color can vary from an insignificant yellow-brown to handsome red and russet)
Stem Notes:
stout, pubescent originally
Fruit Notes:
Brown (0.75-1" long, oblong acorns covered halfway by cap; attractive to wildlife)
Soil Notes:
Very adaptable to poor, dry, infertile sites, but not poorly drained situations
Range:
Central and southeastern United States
Diagnostic Characteristics:
The lustrous, leathery, dark green leaves (4-8" long) are simple and alternate with 3-5 very broad and shallow bristle-tipped lobes near the wide apex. Stems are reddish and pubescent initially, becoming grayish-brown and lenticelled with age. Bark becomes plated on older trees.