Dendrology Best ID Characteristics

Norway spruce

evergreen conifer

wizard-like form

needles are four-sided and sharp

cones are large

white fir

evergreen conifer

needles are flat, blunt, and bluish

cones stand upright

eastern white pine

evergreen conifer

needles in fassicles of five

Virginia pine

evergreen conifer

needles in bundles of two that appear twisted

cones are small and prickly, they directly attach to branch

dawn redwood

deciduous conifer

reddish, stringy bark

buttressed base

poison-ivy

vine

thick, hairy rope

sometimes has white berries

red maple

oppositely branched

blunt, reddish buds in clusters

round flower buds

twigs are shiny red

bark is smooth gray, then flaky and ridged

sugar maple

oppositely branched

sharp, pointed, scaly, brown buds

samaras spread at around 60 degrees

bark is long, vertical plates that curl at the edges

silver maple

oppositely branched

shaggy bark, peeling in long strips

buds are red, clustered, and blunt

twigs smell rank when scratched

branches sweep down then up

Norway maple

oppositely branched

fat, plump, blunt buds (especially the terminal bud)

samaras spread at around 180 degrees

bark had tight furrows and appears curled sround the tree

boxelder

oppositely branched

green/purplish twigs with a waxy bloom

buds are white and fuzzy

leaf scars meet in a line across the twig

dangling samara clusters often persist

trunk is usually leaning and has multiple stems

white ash

oppositely branched

leaf scar is deeply notched, U-shaped

bud sits deep in leaf scar

terminal bud is domed and brown

twigs are smooth

bark is tight, diamond-shaped ridges

green ash

oppositely branched

leaf scar is shallow, nearly straight across

bud sits on top of leaf scar and is often rusty

twigs can be slighhtly hairy

bark is diamond-shaped ridges, but less regular

flowering dogwood

oppositely branched

small, alligator-like square blocks on bark

onion-shaped flower buds on twig tips

red berried often persist

candalabra twig form from underneath

blackhaw

oppositely branched

blocky bark like the dogwood, but darker and rougher

buds are slim, pointed, and gray/brown, they are flat against the twig with a peanut look

flower bud looks like it swallowed a pellet

twigs are stiff with short spur shoots, give appearance of a fish skeleton

white oak

alternately branched

bark is light gray, flaky, or scaly

terminal bud clusters are small and round

acorn caps are warty

Chinkapin oak

alternately branched

light, flaky bark similar to white oak

small acorns, thin cap

leaves have course teeth

bur oak

bark is thick and deeply furrowed

twigs have corky ridges

acorns are huge with fringed caps

northern red oak

alternately branched

bark is long, flat-topped, shiny ridges that look like ski tracks

buds are pointed and reddish

acorn cap is flat and saucer-like

black oak

alternately branched

bark is dark and blocky

buds are angular, gray, and fuzzy

acorn cap is like a thatched roof

southern red oak

alternately branched

bark is dark and furrowed

buds are small, rusty, and hairy

leaf undersides are rusty

pin oak

alternately branched

jumping jack form

“pin” twigs

buds are tiny and sharp

willow oak

alternately branched

young bark is smooth and gray

twigs are slender

buds are tiny and pointed

leaves are narrow and willow-like

shingle oak

alternately branched

leaf litter is broader with smoother edges than willow oak

buds are slender and sharp

American beech

alternately branched

bark is smooth and gray

leaves can stay on, 9-11 veins

European beech

alternately branched

bark is smooth and gray

shorter buds than American beech

American chestnut

alternately branched

toothed leaves

Chinese chestnut

alternately branched

form is a wide crown, like a fruit tree

twigs are stouter and hairy

Allegheny chinkapin

alternately branched

form is small and shrubby

one nut per bur

honeylocust

alternately branched

thorns anywhere

bean pods are long and twisted

black locust

alternately branched

bark is deeply furrowed and ropy

paired thorns at nodes

bean pods are short and brown

Kentucky coffeetree

alternately branched

no thorns

twigs are very stout, form looks like a haunted house tree

bean pods are thick and woody

sweetgum

alternately branched

spiky gum balls

leaf scars are star-shaped

corky twig wings

bark has deep gray furrows

American sycamore

alternately branched

bark is mottled and peeling with smooth and white upper limbs

single ball fruits on long stalks

buds are hidden under leaf scar

weeping willow

alternately branched

twigs are long, yellow/green, drooping twigs

black willow

alternately branched

bark is dark and deeply furrrowed

leaning form

twigs easily snap off at base

sweet birch

alternately branched

young bark is dark and cherry-like

twigs smell and taste like mint

river birch

alternately branched

bark is peeling and salmon to cinnamon colored

grows along streams

tulip-poplar

alternately branched

buds are duckbill-shaped

trunk is tall and straight

leaf scars are round, stipule scars ring the twig

bark is diamond-shaped ridges

upright cone-like seed heads stay in the crown

black cherry

alternately branched

bark is burnt potato chips

twigs smell like bitter almond when scratched

buds are small and dark

young bark has lenticels

cucumbertree

alternately branched

magnolia with silky, white-haired terrminal buds

twigs are reddish-brown with ring-shaped scars

sassafras

alternately branched

twigs are bright green

bark is deeply furrowed and orange-brown

bark has spicy root beer smell when scratched

blackgum

alternately branched

branches extend at 90 degree angles

bark is deeply blocky

twigs are zigzag

short spur shoots

pawpaw

alternately branched

grows in thickets

buds are fuzzy, rust-brown, and have no scales

bark is blotchy gray-brown

bigtooth aspen

alternately branched

bark is smooth, chalky green-gray

bark has rough diamond patches at the base

buds are lightly hairy and shiny brown

large catkin buds

eastern redbud

alternately branched

bark is scaly and dark with zigzag twists

flat and brown pods persist

flower buds cluster on twigs and even the trunk

hophornbeam

alternately branched

bark is shaggy, vertical strips

hop-like fruit clusters

pendant catkins

black walnut

alternately branched

bark is dark, deeply furrowed, and diamond

twigs are stout with a chocolate colored chambered pith

large, monkey face leaf scars

Callery pear

alternately branched

bark is dark and ridged

twigs are glossy red with pale dots

wild trees have thorny spur shoots

small, hard, round fruits

spicebush

alternately branched

shrub

twigs are olive-green and have a spicy smell

flower buds are round and button-like

paper birch

alternately branched

bark is white, peely, peels horizontally, has lentisels

twigs have lentisels, smoother than gray birch

buds are pointed teardrops

tip catkins are grouped in 2-5

ornamental

gray birch

alternately branched

bark is grayish, does not peel much, often multiple trunks

twigs have rough lentisels

tip catkin is singular, but sometimes two

hornbeam

bark is smooth, occasionaly cracked, muscular looking

catkins

twigs are slender

buds are tiny, scales have line of white fuzz

fruits look like maple leaves

usually smaller, understory tree

northern catalpa

alternately branched

leaves are whorls of 3 at each node

leaf scar is sunken, oval, saucer

fruit is long bean shapes

trunks are clustered, curved, bent, multiple

bark is brownish gray, shallow furrows, scaly ridges

eastern redcedar

evergreen

two foliage types, younger is needly and pointy, older is a bunch of green scales

male cones are tiny yellowish brown bits all over tree

female cones look like little blueberries

bark is fibrous and vertically striped

form is scrubby

common persimmon

alternately branched

buds are tiny, black triangles

1 vascular bundle

bark is very knobby squares, inside of furrows is orange, ridgy bark like charcoal bricks

fruit is plum shaped, orangeish when ripe

mockernut hickory

alternately branched

7-9 leaflets

twig and rachis are very fuzzy

twig is stout

bud is hershey kiss shaped, brown scales fall and expose silky white inside

second thickest husk, nuts have 4 ridges

bark is interlacing diamonds, rounded ridges, silvery gray, and not shaggy

pignut hickory

alternately branched

5-7 leaflets

no hair anywhere

second thinnest husk, nut is oval shaped and not ridged

no hair anywhere

bud is small and brown

bark is furrowed, looser, and shaggy

shagbark hickory

alternately branched

5, occasionally 7, leaflets

bud is large, ovate, slighly fuzzy, and looks like a football

twig and rachis can be slightly fuzzy

thickest husk

bark is very shaggy

bitternut hickory

alternately branched

7-11 leaflets, usually smaller

valvate bud is bright orangey yellow

thinnest husk, papery

bark is diamond interlacing, tightest and thinnest

European larch

alternately branched

deciduous conifer

needles are soft, feathery clusters on both sides of twig

tigs have little stumps/knobs

cones are small, 1-2 inches, and usually upright

triangular form

hawthorn

buds are small, round, and brick red colored

occassionally thorned

bark is finely scaly

fruit looks like a mini apple, reddish orange

form is usually short and squat

littleleaf linden

alternately branched

heart-shaped leaf with uneven base

bud is beer gut

nut has ridges and is helf on by a leafy bract

ornamental

American basswood

alternately branched

heart-shaped leaf with uneven base

buds are large and one side bulges out

fruit is tiny, hairy nut held on by leafy bract, no ridges and is round

trunk sounds hollow, it likes to sprout at base

white spruce

evergreen conifer

needles connect to woody pegs, less pokey than blue spruce

cones more rigid and look like mini Norway spruce cones

blue spruce

evergreen conifer

needles on woody pegs, sharp

varies from green to blue color

cones are papery, soft, and have tattered edges

Austrian pine

evergreen conifer

very dense foliage when happy

needle does not snap when folden, 4-6 inches long, 2 needles per fassicle

cones are egg shaped and very unarmed

bark is usually platier than Virginia pine

American elm

alternately branched

elm traits: asymmetrical petiole base, serrate or doubly serrate leaves, twigs sometimes zigzag, fruits are like papery confetti, densely splitted branching, terminal bud angles sideways

buds are reddish brown

leaves rub in hands smooth

bark has alternating brown and tan layers when cut into

longleaf pine

evergreen conifer

needles are 12+ inches in clusters of 3

bud is huge, white, and fuzzy

cone is massive

not naturalized

slippery elm

alternately branched

bud is almost black

leaf underside is somewhat sand-papery

bark is only brown when cut into, no layers

less split branchy than other elms

kousa dogwood

oppositely branched

twigs are brown

terminal bud is a brown hershey kiss

bark is orange, splotchy camo

candalabra form!

leaf veins start at petiole and end at leaf tip

fruit looks like a spiky red pompom

southern magnolia

alternately branched

evergreen

leaves look like fake plastic, shiny, underside has rusty brown fuzz

bud is silky white to tan

fruits look like pineapple grenades

ginkgo

alternately branched

twigs have alternate spur shoots

dioecious with stinky fruits

ornamental

Chinese elm

alternately branched

everything is tiny

hella confetti seeds

leaves are serrate

intricate orange and gray puzzle piece bark, you can pull a flake off and place it exactly back in its spot

fruit matures in fall

Japanese zelkova

alternately branched

leaf is extremely serrate

buds are perfectly alternate

bark is orange, messy, paint splotches

branching is extremely dense dichotomous

fruit/drupe looks like a praying mantis head

great rhododendron

alternately branched

keeps leaves

form is dense thickets, tangled up branches

hackberry

alternately branched

leaf has 3 veins that branch from the petiole like a W

fruit is a dark blue, round drupe

side buds oppressed

terminal bus comes out at a 90 degree angle

young bark is smooth with warts

bark has high ridges, looks like a topo map

mountain laurel

evergreen

shrub to small tree

tends to form thickets

cinnamon twigs on recent chutes, grayish on older

leaves cluster at the ends, mid rib is often raised, smooth margin, shiny

flower beads eventually open and release seeds, have stamen filaments

hazel alder

alternately branched

shrub to small tree

leaves finely serrate, wavy, with pinnate veins

female cones and male catkins, numerous terminal

twig is reddish-brown with gray fuzz

buds like a match head, stalked, plump, 2-5 red/purple scales

thin, smooth bark

silky dogwood

oppositely branched

twigs are reddish purple

arcuate veination

shrub to small tree

suckering sprouts - come off the roots, really likes water

cat claw terminal buds, lateral buds sessile and tiny

salmon colored pith

black raspberry

alternately branched

arching canes, will reroot into ground

thorns

thorned petiole, compound serrated leaflets, paler below

lowbush blueberry

alternately branched

below knee height

twigs green to the ground

terminal buds larger and reddish brown

zigzag because no true terminal bud

very finely serrate

bear oak

alternately branched

bristle tips

shrubby form, smallest oak

“bell-shaped” leaves, variable, not very lobed

small, saucer acorn caps

acorn is dark brown with vertical striations

cluster buds and later buds about the same size

chestnut oak

alternately branched

leaves like American chestnut, no lobes, wavy margin

hardened appendage in veins

acidic soils

buds conical + pointed, “upside down ice cream cone”

greenish yellow twigs

tight ridges and furrows, not flaky, fairly thick ridges

Table Mountain pine

evergreen

fire reliant

sturdy cones in whorls of 3

2 needles per fassicle, longer and stouter

hangs onto lower branches

platy bark, some scaliness you can flake off

thick, stout branches

sourwood

alternately branched

shrub to tree

limited foliage on lanky stems

enitre margine, simple, lancelate leaves

newest twig is greenish-red

oppressed lateral bud

leaf scars pretrude from stem

sour leaf taste

nutlet fruits

flame azalea

alternately branched

simple, pinnately veined leaf, short hairs below

fruit is an oblong woody capsule that splits in late summer

twig is slender, reddish brown, very hairy, single bundle scar

buds occur in clusters at end of twigs, flower bud is larger

bark is gray-brown and thin, may become finely shreddy

form is a tall shrub, twigs often appear in whorls from central stem

shining sumac

alternately branched

sumac traits: large shrub to small tree, open/sunny/old fields/successional areas, compound leaf, weird branching - twigs die off when no fruit or flower

rachis has leafy wings, shiny waxy leaflets

“speckled” - bark and twigs covered in tiny lenticels

horseshoe leaf scar surrounds bud

older bark gets peely, younger is smooth with lenticels

looser fruit cluster

native, but less common than other sumac

denser crown with lower spreading branches

post oak

alternately branched

cruciform leaf, side lobes have squared edges

twig is dusty gray

short, orange buds

acorn cap warts are more like scales and at a higher density than white oak caps

acorn is small and somewhat pumpkin-shaped, often striated

cankers from chestnut blight

loblolly pine

evergreen

long needles in fassicles of 3

cone is medium-sized and has prickles

tall and straight form

sheds dead branches

apple

alternately branched

planted at homesteads, near house ruins, old fields

leaves simple, elliptical, serrate

bud is tear-shaped, plump, and has white fuzz

form is fruit tree, messy, trunk sprouting, not very tall

silvery bark, scales peel off and leave indentations

yellow birch

alternately branched

similar to sweet birch

leaves usually larger, doubly serrate, and somple

bark has yellowy glow in the sun, gets peely, and has thick lenticels

also tastes like mint

larger catkins and cones

likes higher elevations - likely will not see this one again

alternate-leaf dogwood

all dogwood characteristics, but alternate

dark blue berries

only one type of bud - small, pointed, and marroon

twigs turn bright yellow when dead

smooth bark

red pine

evergreen

similar to Austrian pine

4-6 inch dark green needles in fassicles of 2

needles snap when folded

cones are smaller and unarmed

bark has a reddish hue

staghorn sumac

alternately branched

11-31 leaflets (shining has 7-14)

fuzzy twig and rachis (deer horn in velvet)

horseshoe leaf scar that almost encompases bud

tighter fruit cluster

bark has lanticels

top heavy and thinner crown

red spruce

evergreen

likes cold and high elevations

angular needle, sharp and pointy, shorter, dark green

small 2 inch cones

platy scales but smoothish bark