A red oak type, the cherrybark oak has mature leaves that are downy on the lower surface, with 5 to 11 bristle-tipped lobes. The buds are deep red and pointed. The cap encloses about one-third 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, the cherrybark oak is found only in the south.