Chestnut oak is a tree that is usually 60-70 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 3-4 feet. It has dark reddish-brown bark that is divided into broad ridges covered in scales. The leaves are alternate, simple, and irregularly crenulate-toothed, measuring 4 1/2 to 9 inches long. The acorns are bright chestnut-brown and 1-1 1/2 inches long, about half enclosed in a cup-shaped cup. Chestnut oak is mainly found north and east of a line through central Alabama.