Chinkapin oak is seen at 70 to 90 feet in height when found in the wild but is more often seen at 40 to 50 feet in height with an equal or greater spread when grown in cultivation. It grows at a moderate rate when young but slows considerably with age, eventually developing into a broad, rounded canopy with strong branches. Young trees often exhibit a straight central leader with numerous branches originating at the same node. The yellow/green, deciduous, lobed leaves turn shades of red, yellow, orange, and brown before dropping in fall. Veins are distinctly prominent on the undersides of the coarse-textured leaves. The acorns which are produced are edible.