Water Oak is an fairly common medium-large tree of bottomland forests in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont of North Carolina.

Falls Lake, Granville Co., NC 4/27/08.

Similar to Willow Oak (Q. phellos) in tree shape and bark, but easily distinguished by the club-like lobes of the leaves. Also compare with the semi-evergreen Laurel Oak (Q. laurifolia) and Sand Laurel Oak (Q. hemisphaerica) of the Coastal Plain.

The Blackjack Oak (Q. marilandica) also has club-shaped leaves, but is not otherwise similar -- it's a coarse small tree of drier areas, with much larger, glossier leaves that are hairy beneath and rough bark.

Granville Co., NC 4/27/08.

Chatham Co., NC 5/26/05.

Greenville, NC 11/1/05.

Greenville, NC 11/1/05.

The acorns are small with a flattened cap.

Columbia, NC 10/2/05.

Bark of a small tree.

Greenville, NC 11/1/05.

Bark of a medium-sized tree.

Hybrids of different species in the red oak group are not too unusual. Here's an apparent hybrid Q. nigra x Q. phellos in Duke Forest, Durham Co., NC.