Dendrology Cones and Fruit

tag alder

female catkin woody, very tough, cone-like

musclewood

seed-like nut, 3-lobed bract on little stalks

ironwood

little hops with nutlet inside

northern catalpa

long pod, dark brown, string bean

eastern redcedar

berry-like, scales, dark blue

baldcypress

9-15 scales, little ball with triangular panels

northern white-cedar

short stalked w/ double post, 4-8 pairs of scales, open widely

ginkgo

one-inch seed, light tan with dark brown shell

balsam fir

cones, long, flat scales, light to dark brown gradient on scales, deconstructed cone on test

tamarack

cones, scales thin, up to 20 scales, less pronounced short-stalk

european larch

cone, reddish brown, apex curving, uneven scale edge, look almost catkiny

Norway spruce

long, cylindrical, slightly tooth, thin edge on scale

white spruce

cones, narrowly oblong, thin and flexible, thin edge on scale

black spruce

cones, irregular toothed margin, small, tough, thin edge on scale, dark almost black color

Colorado blue spruce

cones, long, scales thin and loose, papery, thin edge on scale

jack pine

cones, variable shape, open curved upward, smaller, will have both open and closed cone, thick scale edge

red pine

cones, ovoid-conic, open down curved, larger, thick edge on scale

Eastern white pine

long, narrow, slightly curved and stalked, often sticky/sappy, thick scale edge

scotch pine

cones, scarcely armed, little point on scales, thick scale edge

Douglas-fir

cones, exerted bract

eastern hemlock

cones, smooth scale edges, loose scales

honeylocust

pod, long, twisted, shaky seeds

kentucky coffeetree

pod, reddish-brown, wide

black locust

pod, 2-4” long, smooth, green bean

american chestnut

covered with spines, nearly flat, sharp

american beech

nut, triangular at cross section, 4-parted bur (banana peel)

white oak

acorn, short stalked, cap 1/4-1/3 of acorn w/ bumpy scales

swamp white oak

long peduncles, cap 1/3 of acorn

bur oak

acorn, stalked, cap ½ or more of acorn, fringed on edge of cap

northern pin oak

acorn, cap 1/3-1/2 of acorn, striate lines down nut, small

northern red oak

acorn, cap thick and like little hat

black oak

acorn, cap 1/4-1/3, cup scales fuzzy, loose scales

bitternut hickory

nearly globose, thinnest husk, partially dehiscent in the middle

shagbark hickory

nut nearly round, thick husk, dehiscent along 4 seams

butternut

oblong-ovoid, greenish/bronze husk, largest

black walnut

nut w/ black husk, globose, golfball sized

tuliptree

conelike aggregate of samaras, papery

white ash

thin “canoe paddle” samara, wing ends at seed

black ash

wider samara, flattened seed surrounded by wing

green ash

lanceolate, thinnest samara, wing goes around seed

sycamore

globose, long peduncle, textured, light brown

trembling aspen

cottony mass

boxelder

samara in pairs, V-shaped, small

Norway maple

samara in pairs, 180 degrees

red maple

samara in pairs, slightly divergent, in groups

silver maple

samara single or pairs, largest

sugar maple

samara in pairs, nearly parallel to slightly divergent, seeds pea-like

american basswood

winged braced fruit, ridged nutlike fruit, peduncle

American elm

samara, disc-shaped, edge with fringed hairs