Dendro Tree study

Study tool for tree identificatioon

waxy buds, green twig, leaf scar in upside down V

boxelder Aceraceae Acer negundo

flat samara seeds, large purplish buds, ridgy curved bark pattern

Norway maple Aceraceae Acer platanoides

reddish buds, scaly bark, grows near water, deep sinuses

silver maple Aceraceae Acer saccharinum

green pepper smell, flexible skinny buds, rounded brown fuzzy flower bud, bell shaped flowers

pawpaw Annonaceae Asimina triloba

pointy green bud, sectioned piths, 90’ branches off the trunk, 3 dots in the leaf scar, blocky bark

blackgum Cornaceae Nyssa sylvatica

dawn redwood

small spiky husk fruits, small pointy buds, smooth grey bark

American beech Fagaceae Fagus grandifolia

large spiky husky seeds, large pointy buds, smooth grey bark

European beech Fagaceae Fagus sylvatica

spike ball seeds, furrowed bark, young trees have warts, shiny bud

sweetgum Hamamelidaceae Liquidambar styraciflua

leaves with one or more lobes, twigs and leaves have scent, purplish fruit with red stalks, alternate green twigs, bright cinnamon inner bark

sassafras Lauraceae Sassafras albidum

red glands at leaf base, bigger buds, smooth bark with lines on it

sweet cherry Rosaceae Prunus avium

flattened pediole, tear shaped buds, furrowed milky bark with diamond shaped cracks,

bigtooth aspen Salicaceae Populus grandidentata

long drooping branches, oppressed bud that lies flat on the twig, bitter twig

weeping willow Salicaceae Salix babylonica

young branches that are bright yellow, oppressed buds

black willow Salicaceae Salix nigra

red pediole, small rounded yellowish bud, red flowers, flaky bark

red maple Aceraceae Acer rubrum

sharp pointy buds, helicopter seeds, vertical bark plats that roll out

sugar maple Aceraceae Acer saccharum

leaves of three, greenish white berries, comes in vine or shrub or carpet

poison-ivy Anacardiaceae Toxicodendron radicans

cluster of twigs that are pointed upright, fruits that will turn red, flower buds are Hersey kiss shaped, bark is tight and blocky

flowering dogwood Cornaceae Cornus florida

acorn caps are warty, flaky bark, terminal buds

white oak Fagaceae Quercus alba

4 sided lateral buds, terminal bud clusters, acorns with scaly thatch patterns, dark ashy bark, yellow-orange inner bark with distinct taste

black oak Fagaceae Quercus velutina

duck bill buds, big tall and straight, bright white inside bark cracks, cluster of helicopter seeds in cone looking structure

yellow poplar Magnoliaceae Lirodendron tulipifera

females produce winged seeds, chocolate colored buds, lateral bud on top of leaf scar, interlocking diamond shaped bark

green ash Oleaceae Fraxinus pennsylvanica

pointed flat needles that are not sharp, singly attached needles, removing the needles leaves a circular scar, smells lemony, cones are upright

white fir Pinaceae Abies concolor

flat triangular and spiky needles that are attached individually to twig, orange-brownish rose like buds, drooping cone seeds, branches droop down then up with needle branches drooping down

Norway spruce Pinaceae Picea abies

slender flexible needles that come in bunches of 5, elongate cones with unbarbed scales, dark furrowed in between plates

eastern white pine Pinaceae Pinus strobus

hollow pediole, leaf scar completely covers lateral bud, zigzag pattern because no terminal bud, seeds are little puffballs, white and brown camo bark

American sycamore Platanaceae Platanus occidentalis

ripe fruits are a deep purple color, pair of glands by the pedioles, flaky bark, twigs have bitter almond taste

black cherry Rosaceae Prunus serotina

twig tastes like mint, red-brown green buds, no terminal buds, skinny elongated seed

sweet birch Betulaceae Betula lenta

peely salmon colored bark, 3 skinny elongated seeds, no terminal buds

river birch Betulaceae Betula nigra

sunken leaf buds, dark colored twigs, snow pea sized bean pods, chocolate undertone bark, bright pink flowers

eastern redbud Fabaceae Cercis canadensis

sunken buds, thorns, long wavy bean pods, orange hue to bark

honeylocust Fabaceae Gleditsia triacanthos

large potato sized seeds, sunken buds, salmon colored pith, naked limbs

Kentucky coffeetree Fabaceae Gymnocladus dioicus

spiky burr husk around seeds, seeds are very large

American chesnut Fagaceae Castenea dentata

dull buds, big spiky burr husk fruits, not perfectly straight

Chinese chesnut Fagaceae Castenea mollissima

marble sized seeds, buds are the size of a grain, twigs are slightly fuzzy

Alleghany chinkapin Fagaceae Castenea pumila

tight thatch pattern around acorn caps, retains leaves for a while, clustered buds, bloated orange willow buds

shingle oak Fagaceae Quercus imbricaria

frilly acorn cap, large acorn, raised ridges on younger twigs

bur oak Fagaceae Quercus macrocarpa

very tight acorn caps that look like gnome hats, very small buds

pin oak Fagaceae Quercus palustris

bright orange buds, orange acorn caps, straight tall tree

southern red oak Fagaceae Quercus falcata

pea sized acorns, tiny buds, willow like leaves

willow oak Fagaceae Quercus phellos

cat claw shredded bark, small egg shaped buds that are finely scaled

hophornbeam Betulaceae Ostrya virginianna

dark purple fruit, stout stiff looking twigs, numerous opposite twigs that look like a fish skeleton, blocky bark that looks like alligator hide, flower bud is fat in the middle

blackhaw Caprifoliaceae Viburnum prunifolium

spines in pair next to lateral bud, bark looks like ropes, pediole closes terminal bud

black locust Fabaceae Robinia pseudoacacia

warty egg shaped acorn cap with a tattered fringe that is more elongated, white oak looking bark,

chinkapin oak Fagaceae Quercus muehlenbergii

large non-angular bud, cap sits on top of acorn resembling a frisbee, flat smooth ridges

northern red oak Fagaceae Quercus rubra

fuzzy leaf stems, cluster of terminal buds that look like prayer hands, chambered pith, leaves drop before leaf stem, smooth green husk, interlocking bark, hard ridged nut

black walnut Juglandaceae Juglans nigra

aromatic smell, bright red berries that have peppery taste, numerous pores, yellow flower, very small buds

spicebush Lauraceae Lindera benzoin

large fuzzy terminal buds, cucumber looking fruits that turn red when ripe, spicy sweet smell, scars and light pores on twig, grey spongy blocky bark

cucumbertree Magnoliaceae Magnolia acuminata

plum samara, hairless twig, lateral bud nestled in leaf scar, “u” shaped leaf scar, interlacing bark ridges

white ash Oleaceae Fraxinus americana

two needles that are twisted, no base at the cone, sharp pricks at the end of cone scales, orange-brown bark that has thin scaly plates

Virginia pine Pinaceae Pinus virginianna

fuzzy terminal buds, reddish brown fruit and twigs

Callery pear Rosaceae Pyrus calleryana

peely bark that peels horizontally, white bark, reddish underbark, might have chalky residue, tear shaped buds, 3-5 male and female catkins

paper birch Betulaceae Betula papyrifera

rough twigs, green brown buds, 2 different catkins, 1 male catkin, gray white non-peely bark

gray birch Betulaceae Betula populifolia

Betulaceae Carpinus carolinana

hornbeam