Dendrology Lab

Spring 2025

Location: Bottomlands species, prefers to be near water

Bark: Smooth, grey, with deep indentions (muscle like)

Leaf: simple, alternate, doubly serrated

musclewood

Carpinus carolinina

BETULACEAE

flowering vine, modified leaflet, Alternate, pinnately compound with 3-5 leaflets, entire margins

crossvine

Bignonia capriolata

BIGNONIACEAE

Location: kinda generalist but grows best in well drained bottoms

Leaf: simple, alternate, deciduous, irregularly lobed and each leaf can look different

Bark: Light brown, rough and scaley with smooth plates, sometimes orange in ridges

water oak

Quercus nigra

FAGACEAE

Location: lowlands and swamps, common ornamental

Bark: Smooth, light grey

Leaf: simple, entire margin, smooth with white waxy coating on underside

• Showy white flowers with 6-15 petals

sweetbay magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

MAGNOLIACEA

Multi-stem, shrubby, bush

Location: bottomlands, typically on the water

Bark: young-thin and smooth older- scaley and fissured

leaf: simple, opposite or whorled, margin entire

common buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

RUBIACEAE

Location: bottomlands

Leaf: compound leaf, serrated, yellow/green drooping flowers

Twig: Shinny green, opposite, can be found low on tree

Bark: branches low, greyish brown

boxelder

Acer nugundo

ACERACEAE

Vine

Leaf: compound 3 leaflets, alternate

Often has no leaves and woody looking

poison-ivy

Toxicodendron radicans

ANACARDACEAE

multi-stem large shrub

Location: understory, swamps

Leaf: alternate, sometimes evergreen, simple, rounded

Fruit: drupe, red berry looking, white small flowers

Bark: smoothish, white bumps

deciduous holly

Ilex decidua

AQUIFOLIACEAE

bush

Twig: Square, green, matte, winged

Leaf: simple, smooth

Fruit: red capsule

strawberry bush

Eunonyomus americana

CELESTRACEAE

Leaf: opposite, simple, arcuate venation, smooth

Flower and Fruit: small yellow/green flowers in center of four white modified leaflets (looks like a white flower) red clustered drupes, onion shaped buds

Bark: scaley plated

flowering dogwood

Cornus florida

CORNACEAE

Leaf: scale like

Bark: shreddy peeling off

easter redcedar

Juniperess virginiana

CUPRESSACAE

location: mid slope

Leaf: lobed, entire margin, no bristle, smooth and rounded

Bark: light colored (typically), irregular, usually plately, peels from side

white oak

Quercus alba

FAGACEAE

Location: upland, often midslope

Leaf: alternate, simple, 7-11 bristle tipped lobes

Bark: smooth but develops ridges, ski tracks

northern red oak

Quercus rubra

FAGACEAE

location: dry uplands

leaf: kind of cross shaped, leathery, 5 lobes, stellate shaped hairs on bottom

Bark: defined ridges

post oak

Quercus stellata

FAGACEAE

Shrub or small tree, ofter ornamental

Leaf: palmately compound, opposite, deciduous

Flower: large red

Bark: light grey/brown, warty lenticels

red buckeye

Aesculus pavia

HIPPOCASTANACEAE

Leaf: typically 5 leaflets, glabrous, yellow green

Bark: smooth when young, develops long plates, peeling top to bottom

southern shagbark hickory

Carya ovata var. australis

JUGLANDACEAE

location: generalist, shade intolerant

Leaf: thorn where leaf attaches, simple, smooth margin, pointy tip

Bark: tree grows in very poor form, orange in fissures, branches low, very ugly

osage-orange

Maclura pomifera

MORACEAE

Leaf: opposite, compound, 5-9 leaflets

Twig: lateral buds sit inside the leaf scar and kinda look like a smiley face

Bark: lighter grey, diamond shaped fissures

white ash

Fraxinus americana
OLEACEAE

Leaf: needles, 4-9in

Bark: rectangular plates

loblolly pine

Pinus taeda

PINACEAE

understory, can be found most places

Leaf: opposite, hairy on bottom, when torn apart it will have thin hairs holding it together

Flower: four petals always, white

Twig: red/maroon

Bark: thin and blocky, smooth when young

roughleaf dogwood

Cornus drummundii

CORNACEAE

Location: understory, bottomlands and mesic uplands (small tree)

Leaf: long, simple, drooping, oblong, smells like bell peppers when crushed

Bark: smooth grey with warts

Twig: almost rust colored with long pointy terminal buds

Fruit: berry, large, smooth green

pawpaw

Asimina trilobia

ANNONACEA

shrub or small tree

Location: upland

Leaf: opposite, glossy, oval, brown hairs on underside

Twig: maroon, especially bright petiole

Fruit: red/maroon drupe

rusty blackhaw

Viburnum rufidulum

CAPRIFOLIACEAE

Leaf: tooth like, no bristles, shiny, smooth

Bark: light grey, small square, flakey

chinkapin oak

Quercus muelenbergii

FAGACEAE

Location: bottomland or moist upland

Leaf: simple, alternate, 5-11 bristle tipped lobes, pagoda shaped

Bark: narrow, flakey ridges

cherrybark oak

Quercus pagoda

FAGACEAE

location: typically bottomland, can be found on moist upland

leaf: simple, alternate, bristle tipped, shiny on top

Bark: smooth, tight, almost white on top of ridges, gets deeper furrows when older

Shumard oak

Quercus shumardii

FAGACEAE

Location: wet soils typically, can be found on well drained uplands

Leaf: alternate, 7-9 leaflets, glabrous, thin rachis

Twig: stout, orange/brown lenticels, somewhat pubescent, sulfur yellow terminal bud

Bark: thin, tight, interlacing ridges

bitternut hickory

Carya cordiformis

JUGLANDACEAE

leaf: alternate, pinnately compound, 12-24 leaflets

twig: stout, scary face leaf scar, short and hairy buds

bark: chocolate brown, deep diamond pattern

black walnut

Juglans nigra

JUGLANDACEAE

Grass

Leaf: alternate, smooth margin, thin

picture

switchcane

Arundinaria gigantea

POACEAE

invasive small tree/shrub?

Leaf: alternate, compound, 3 leaflets, smooth margins

Flower & Fruit: white flower 5 petals, orange fuzzy fruit

Twig & Bark: 1 in thorns (covered) light grey/ brown smooth bark

trifoliate orange

Poncirus trifoliata

RUTACEAE

Location: floodplains

Leaf: simple, alternate, serate entire margin

Bark: very distinct, light grey, covered in warts

sugarberry

Celtis laevigata

ULMACEAE

Location: primarly notable in bottomland but can be found anywhere

Leaf: alternate, simple, margin is sharply doubly serrate, slightly hairy

Fruit: found, flat, hairy

Bark: grey, flat topped, reddish/brown patches

American elm

Ulmus americana

ULMACEAE

Location: well drained bottomlands and moist uplands

Leaf: alternate, simple, margin is sharply doubly serrate, sand paper like

Fruit: samara, hairless and smooth

Bark: very tight

slippery elm

Ulmus rubra

ULMACEAE

Invasive shrub

Leaf: alternate, evergreen, tripinately compound, redish in spring and fall

Fruit: red, round, clusters

Twig/bark: red, smooth

nandina

Nandina domestica

BERBERIDACEAE

vine

Leaf: Bright green, smooth, heartish shaped

Twig: green, thorns

dr. granger will probably be eating it

greenbriar

Smilax spp.

SMILACEAE

Location: shade, likely near water

Leaf: Simple, alternate, lobed, doubly serrate

Flower: 5 petals

Twigs & bark: Covered in red spines, smooth peely bark

parsley hawthorn

Crataegus marshalli

ROSACEAE

Location: bottomland hardwoods

Leaf: simple, alternate, shiny, smooth, pointy tip, marcesent

Bark: very distinct, smooth, very light grey

American beech

Fagus grandifolia

FAGACEAE

can be found basically anywhere

Leaf: smooth, shiny green, alternate

Twig&bark: 3 distinct bundle scars, blocky grey bark

if you don’t know, put this

blackgum

Nyssa sylvatica

NYSSACEAE

Leaf: alternate, simple, doubly serrated, marescent

Bark: peely, almost cedar like

eastern hop-hornbeam

Ostrya virginiana

BETULACEAE

Leaf: needle, short

Cone: tiny

Bark: large deep, blocky plates, more square than elongated

shortleaf pine

Pinus echinada

PINACEAE

shrub

Location: moist upland and streamside

Leaf: alternate, simple, entire margins

Flower: funnel shaped clusters

Bark: smooth

wild azalea

Rhododendron canescens

ERICACEAE

Small/medium tree, often shrub

Leaf: often deciduous, thick green, sharp points

Fruit: red showy berries

Bark: smooth, often appears camo

common ornamental

American holly

Ilex opaca

AQUIFOLIACEAE