This tree is growing next to the central library in the corner formed by the library and the retaining wall whose steps lead up to the Divinity School. It is part of a four-way tie for largest tree in the Vanderbilt arboretum. It is also in a three-way tie for tallest tree on campus at a height of 32 meters (104 ft.).

Despite the fact that that many of its branches are high above the ground, this tree provides an excellent opportunity to examine the leaves (and in the fall, acorns) of willow oak. If you take the stairs to the top of the retaining wall, you can examine branches from the tree that overhang the wall. The small, narrow leaves look more like a willow than an oak, but the clustered buds at the end of the twig tell you that it actually is from the Quercus (oak) genus.