[2] Together with Quercus brantii, it forms a clade of distinct, closely related species within the oak section Cerris.

[5] Quercus ithaburensis is a small to medium-sized semi-evergreen to tardily deciduous tree growing to a maximum height of around 15 metres (49 feet) with a rounded crown and often with a gnarled trunk and branches.

The leaves are 4–9 centimetres (1+1⁄2–3+1⁄2 inches) long and 2–5 cm wide, oval in shape, with 7 to 10 pairs of either teeth (most common) or shallow lobes (rare) along a revolute margin.

[1] Before the 20th century, the Plain of Sharon was covered by open woodland dominated by Quercus ithaburensis, which extended from Kfar Yona in the north to Ra’anana in the south.

The intensification of settlement and agricultural development, as well as the exploitation of native woodlands along the coastal plain by the Ottoman Empire (primarily in the form of timber for railroad construction) during the 19th century led to deforestation and subsequent environmental degradation - a theme commonly discussed in Hebrew sources.