[6] Quercus palustris is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 18–22 metres (59–72 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 1 m (3+1⁄2 ft) in diameter.

Overall autumn leaf coloration is generally bronze, though individual leaves may be red for a time, and is not considered particularly distinctive.

[8] The acorns, borne in a shallow, thin cap, are hemispherical, 10–16 millimetres (13⁄32–5⁄8 in) long and 9–15 mm (11⁄32–19⁄32 in) broad, green maturing pale brown about 18 months after pollination.

[9] It develops a shallow, fibrous root system, unlike many oaks, which have a strong, deep taproot when young.

[6] A characteristic shared by a few other oak species, and also some beeches and hornbeams, is the retention of leaves through the winter on juvenile trees, a natural phenomenon referred to as marcescence.

The pin oak is also well adapted to life in Australia (where it has been introduced), and is quite widespread across the Australian continent, especially in the cooler southern States such as Victoria and New South Wales.

However, they do grow extensively on poorly drained upland "pin oak flats" on the glacial till plains of southwestern Ohio, southern Illinois and Indiana, and northern Missouri.

The level topography and presence of a claypan in the soil of these areas cause these sites to be excessively wet in winter and spring.

[6] Pin oak is an associated species in silver maple–American elm forests in the bottom lands along the Ohio, Wabash, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers.

[6] Pin oak also occurs in black ash–American elm–red maple forests in poorly drained bottom lands in northern Ohio and Indiana along with silver maple (Acer saccharinum), swamp white oak, sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), black tupelo, and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides).

It persists on heavy, wet soils because it produces an abundance of acorns which, if released, grow faster on these sites than most of its competitors.

However, as it is naturally adapted to moist, acidic soils, it may develop a condition known as iron chlorosis on less suitable locations, causing the tree to shed leaves during the growing season and rot from the top down.

Mature pin oaks are often too big to treat and this nutrient deficiency on alkaline soil may eventually kill them.

[13][14] The wood is generally marketed as red oak, but is of significantly inferior quality, being somewhat weaker, often with many small knots.