Chinkapin oak is a slow-growing, large, deciduous tree, with a rounded open crown, eventually reaching 40 to 50 feet tall and wide, though it can eventually grow larger. It has an unusual, oblong, coarsely toothed leaf, shiny, bright green above and whitish underneath. Fall color is orange to bronze. Acorns are oval and about 1 inch long, with half of the nut encloped in its cap. Bark is white to light grey and flaky.
Grow in well drained soil in full sun; though it attains its greatest size in rich, loamy soils, it is adaptive to drier, poorer, and alkaline conditions. Plant the smallest tree you can endure, as it will establish more quickly.