Small or medium-sized tree to 20m (65 ft) tall and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter. Bark light gray, fissured, scaly. Leaves variable in size and shape, 10-20 cm (4-8 in) long, broadly or narrowly obovate, usually 5-lobed with the upper pair of lobes broad and blunt, glabrous above and brownish-downy below. Stellate hairs are present on the lower surface of leaves and on the young twigs. Acorn cup deeply saucer-shaped and fine-scaled, about 1/3 to 1/2 as high as the ovoid acorn.
Distribution: The species is found from the Gulf Coast north to Massachusetts, west to southern Illinois and eastern Kansas.
Habitat: dry upland to well-drained floodplain.
NWI status: none
Comment: Post oak is a major component of the Cross Timbers vegetation type of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. Quercus is the ancient classical name for the European oaks; stellata refers to the dense covering of stellate hairs on the leaves and young twigs.
Distribution in Oklahoma: 
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Last update: 9/17/99
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