A red oak type, mature leaves are downy on the lower surface, with 5 to 11 bristle-tipped lobes. Buds are deep red and pointed. The cap encloses about 1/3 of the acorn which is striated with alternating light and dark lines. The bark on old trees is Black Cherry-like, blackish and scaly. In Indiana, Cherrybark Oak is found only in the south.