Quercus bicolor differs from Q. alba and Q. macrocarpa in the very shallow lobes of its leaves, in the long stalks of its fruit, and often in the presence of conspicuously peeling bark on the branches. The remaining three common oak species have sharp-pointed lobes. Click here to compare the leaves of our 6 commonest species of oaks (but be warned that there is considerable variation in each species).

The main range of Quercus bicolor is from Ohio to Missouri and Iowa, with scattered locations to North Carolina and Maine. It is widely distributed in southern Wisconsin, but seldom abundant, and uncommon to rare in the northern third of the state. It is usually found in moist to wet soil.