Southern Red Oak is a large natives deciduous tree with a straight trunk and an open rounded crown.  The dark green foliage with pale green undersides are variable on the same tree, ranging from 3-9 bristle tipped lobes and has an insignificant reddish-brown fall color but holds its leaves to late fall.  The round acorns have bowl-shaped cups and take two growing seasons to mature.  Best grown in full sun and humusy, rich, dry to medium well-drained acidic soils.  Tolerates drought, sandy and poor soils, and brief flooding.

Quercus imbricaria supports a wide variety of moths and butterflies, including: the Imperial Moth, Banded Hairstreak, Edward's Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace’s Duskywing, and the Juvenal’s Duskywing.