[4] Quercus dentata is a deciduous tree growing up to 20–25 metres (66–82 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter.

Its foliage is remarkable for its size, among the largest of all oaks, consisting of a short hairy petiole, 1–1.5 centimetres (3⁄8–5⁄8 inch) long, and a blade 10–40 cm (4–15+1⁄2 in) long and 15–30 cm (6–12 in) broad, with a shallowly lobed margin; the form is reminiscent of an enormous pedunculate oak leaf.

The female flowers are sessile, growing near the tips of new shoots, producing acorns 1.2–2.3 cm long and 1.2–1.5 cm broad, in broad, bushy-scaled cups; the acorns mature in September to October.

[3] Quercus dentata was introduced to the British Isles in 1830, where it is occasionally grown in botanical gardens.

It is usually smaller in cultivation than in the wild, growing to a small angular tree or large irregular shrub.