It is often confused with and closely related to Quercus laurifolia (swamp laurel oak), from which it differs in several key characteristics.

The petiole is very short, ranging from 1–5 millimeters (1⁄16–3⁄16 in) long, and the leaf base is obtuse to rounded.

The acorns take 18 months to mature and are a fourth to a third covered by a saucer- to bowl-shaped cap.

[3] Q. hemisphaerica resembles Quercus laurifolia (swamp laurel oak).

[4] It grows in somewhat xeric sandy soils, on sand hills, and sometimes on hillsides.