Shingle oak once furnished wood for the production of shingles, but is valued today for its durability and shiny green unlobed leaves. These trees are pyramidal in youth, developing a broad rounded crown with age. A favorite in the yard, it can be pruned into a hedge. Its acorns ripen in the fall, when colors can range from dark yellows to deep reds. The leaves finally turn brown and persist on the tree well into winter. The glossy, dark-green leaves of this tree are very unusual for an oak: oblong and unlobed. Shingle oak is adaptable to drier, slightly alkaline sites and may even be used as a hedge, though it makes a good specimen as well.

Illinois native species.