The laurel oak, live oak and willow oak share the category of the untoothed simple leaf shape. All of the leaves lack notches or teeth and possess single blades. Of the three, the willow oak leaves are the most slender, resembling the leaves on a willow tree. Unlike willow tree leaves, the willow oak has a tiny bristle at its tip. Laurel oak and live oak leaves are slightly broader; both are 2 to 4 inches long, but the laurel leaf is more pointed than the live oak leaf.
The swamp chestnut oak is South Carolina's example of a toothed simple leaf. The oak leaf is a simple leaf with rounded notches on all sides and a fuzzy underside. It is an elliptical shape that is both long and wide.
The blackjack, pin, post, Southern red, turkey, water and white oaks all have lobed simple leaves. The blackjack is a big leaf, around 7 inches long, that resembles a footprint. It is narrow at the base and fans out at the top with three points at the end. The pin has five to seven ridged lobes with points at the ends. The post has an unusual five-lobed shape. The leaf features star shaped hairs underneath. The Southern red is another large leaf, around 5 to 9 inches long, that has five to seven lobes and is bell shaped at the base. The deep creased lobes reach out like fingers with bristles at the tips. A smaller leaf is the turkey oak leaf, at 4 to 8 inches long. The base is pointed and has three to five narrow lobes with one to three teeth each. The water oak has small leaves 2 to 4 inches long and rounded, almost indistinguishable, lobes. The leaves have a spatula shape. The white oak has seven to nine lobes. The tips are smooth and rounded.