Water Oak by its name does imply that it grows in bottomlands in much of the South USA, from Maryland to all of Florida to east Texas. The deciduous leaves are 2 to 4 inches long by 1 to 2 inches wide which are variable in their shape; often with the near tip of the leaf being widest like in Bur Oak, but not with any kind of rounded lobe. It is in the Black Oak subgroup. The fall color is towards orange and lower leaves often remain all winter on the tree still in color. The acorns are small, ovoid, dark, with a shallow scaly cup and about 1/2 inch long. If given room it gets usually about 60 to 70 feet high with a rounded crown and a trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The bark is sort of smooth and gray for a long time until it eventually forms scaly ridges. While driving along Route 95 along the East Coast, I saw lots of Water Oaks growing upright and slender being close to each other and to Loblolly Pines.

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Larval host of the Horaces duskywing, White M hairstreak, & Northern hairstreak.
Considered a weed tree in some areas, but used effectively as a shade and street tree elsewhere. More weak-wooded and susceptible to wind and ice damage than most oaks. Older trees are susceptible to rot. Susceptibe to oak wilt, often with fatal consequences. Pine-oak rusts and leaf blister are two leaf ailments. Fast-growing.
Water Oak has a spreading, rounded, open canopy, and is most often used for a naturalized landscape. The acorns are particularly abundant on Water Oak and make good food for wildlife. They badly stain asphalt and concrete for several months in fall and winter. The leaves vary tremendously, from rounded and entire to three-lobed with several bristle tips but are most frequently spatulate. Water Oak is deciduous in the North, semi-evergreen in the Deep South.

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