Trees , to 39 m. Twigs reddish brown, often turning black by fall or upon drying, slender, glabrous. Terminal buds reddish brown to black, ovoid, 6-15 mm, mainly glabrous. Leaves 2-3 dm; petiole 4-12 cm, mainly glabrous. Leaflets 4-19 × 1-6.5 cm, terminal petiolules 3-12 mm; blades abaxially with a few hairs, and with small 2- and 4-lobed peltate scales. Staminate catkins to 6 cm. Fruits 2.5-3 × 2.5-3 cm; husks 5-8 mm thick. Flowering spring. Wet bottomlands, rocky hillsides, and limestone outcrops; 150-200 m; Ala., Ga., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tenn.