Forms a broad crown with branches growing horizontally. The bark is dark grey to almost black and is moderately rough. Q. coccinea bears a strong resemblance to Q. palustris. But Q. coccinea's young twigs are yellowish brown while those of Q. palustris are olive-green. The leaves are elongated to oval (sometimes obovate) and pinnated with 7 - 9 projecting serrated lobes. They are less deeply incised than those of Q. palustris and are 9 -15 cm long and 6 - 11 (15) cm wide. In the autumn the leaves turn a deep scarlet red. This Quercus coccinea selection is distinguished from the species by its even more intense autumnal colour. Once the leaves have turned brown they remain on the tree until halfway through winter. The acorns are single and one-third enclosed by the cupule.
Quercus coccinea 'Splendens' môže dorastať do výšky 8 m v závislosti od podmienok stanovišťa a klímy.
Quercus coccinea 'Splendens' rastie priemerne rastúci a môže dorastať do výšky 8 m v závislosti od podmienok stanovišťa a klímy.
Listy stromu Quercus coccinea 'Splendens' sa na jeseň sfarbia do červená."
Správny čas na výsadbu stromu je mimo vegetačné obdobie. V strednej Európe môže byť Quercus coccinea 'Splendens' so zemným balom vysadený od polovice novembra do konca apríla, avšak závisí to veľmi od klimatických podmienok a druhu stromu.