This occurs mostly on the southeastern Coastal Plain, but it also occurs upstream along some lowlands. In Ky. it extends into the Shawnee Hills, where it is locally abundant on alluvial terraces or deeper residuum with much loess (generally subhydric or submesic). Q. pagoda has often been overlooked and confused with falcata; both have relatively small acorns; persistently hairy lower leaf surfaces (except perhaps on sprouts in shade, where leaves may resemble those of velutina); terminal buds light reddish brown and more or less uniformly pubescent with minute stellate hairs (FNA 3, W). [In shade leaves, these hairs are sometimes largely shed by end of growing season, causing potential confusion with velutina, which sheds larger stellate hairs.] There may be occasional introgression with falcata, but pagoda is generally distinct in its leaves (Jensen 1989). These have 5-9 (11) more or less equal moderately deep lobes (versus 3-7 shallow or deep lobes, the terminal one much longer in sun leaves); bases are cuneate to concave-rounded or truncate leaf base (versus usually convex-rounded); surfaces have a bluish green hue (versus dull or brownish green), with pale grayish hairs below (versus pale rusty brownish). According to FNA 3, terminal buds are somewhat 5-angled (versus almost terete). Bark is usually blackish, with flaky ridges (versus brown to blackish, with more persistent ridges and furrows). There are no consistent diagnostic differences in the acorns (Jensen 1989). Large tree are common in western regions, especially as old wolf trees in fields and fencerows. The state champion is in OHIO (KDF 2020): 229 cm dbh, 33 m tall, 31 m wide.