English oak is a majestic tree with a very wide spreading crown, a short sturdy trunk, and deeply fissured gray brown bark. It can grow to 140 ft (42.7 m) tall with a rounded spread of 80 ft (24.4 m) or more, but is usually smaller in cultivation. English oak has small deciduous leaves, 3-5 in (7.6-12.7 cm) long, with 3-7 pairs of rounded lobes, and extremely short petioles (leaf stems). They remain deep green long into autumn before turning brown and then persisting on the tree well into winter. The typical oak flowers are hanging catkins which appear with the emerging leaves in early spring. The acorns are elongate, about 1 in (2.5 cm) long, with a cup that covers 1/3 of the nut. They are borne singly or in clusters of 2-5 which dangle on a single long 1-4 in (5.1-10.2 cm) peduncle. English oak can be distinguished from the similar North American species, white oak (Q. alba), by its leaves which have earlike lobes on the bases and extremely short petioles.