Dendrology and Botany Flashcards

A collection of flashcards identifying European tree and shrub species based on the provided lecture notes, including scientific names and diagnostic features.

Alnus glutinosa

Zwarte-els

It performs nitrogen fixation via root nodules containing Frankia bacteria and features notched leaf tips with woody fruits.

Tilia cordata

winterlinde

characterized by heart-shaped leaves with reddish hairs on the underside at the leaf base and is smaller than the summer lime.

Tilia platyphyllos

Zomerlinde

Summer Lime; features heart-shaped leaves without reddish hairs that are larger than those of the winter lime.

Salix alba

Schietwilg

A tree of softwood floodplain forests, often planted as a pollard tree, with long, narrow leaves that are grey-white on the underside and a deeply grooved brown trunk.

Magnolia spp.

Magnolia soort

Park and avenue trees known for very large typical flowers that appear in early spring before the leaves emerge.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginko

A gymnosperm avenue tree extinct in the wild; it is dioecious with male trees preferred over females because the pseudo-fruits of female trees decay and smell.

Ulex europaeus

Gaspeldoorn

Gorse; an evergreen shrub found in oak-birch forests featuring yellow flowers and leaf spines.

Cytisus scoparius

Brem

Common Broom; found in oak-birch forests, it has evergreen stems and yellow flowers but lacks leaf spines, having very small, inconspicuous leaves instead.

Ligustrum vulgare

Wilde liguster

Wild Privet; an evergreen undergrowth plant in oak-hornbeam forests with opposite branches and leaves, and flowers arranged in panicles.

Larix decidua

gewone lariks

European Larch, a park tree from the Alps that loses its needles in the winter and features many needles originating from the same point.

Picea abies

Fijnespar

Norway Spruce: Used in plantations, it creates heavy shade and is characterized by individual needles.

Pinus nigra

Zwarte den

Black Pine; found on acidic sandy soils with a perfectly straight grey trunk and needles growing in pairs of $2$.

Pinus sylvestris

Grove den

Scots Pine; features needles in pairs of $2$ and a trunk that is grey at the bottom and brown at the top.

Taxus baccata

Venijboom/Taxus

Yew; a toxic undergrowth tree in beech forests with glossy dark needles arranged in one plane and red pseudo-fruits.

Clematis vitalba

Bosrank

Old Man's Beard; a liana of calcareous forest edges with compound leaves and many free carpels and stamens.

Humulus lupulus

Hop; a liana common in forest edges used in beer production, recognizable by its distinct leaf shape.

Hedera helix

Ivy; an evergreen liana that grows on trees in dark beech forests, featuring flowers or berries in an umbel.

Lonicera periclymenum

Wild Honeysuckle; a liana in dark beech forests with opposite leaves and often a red-tinged stem.

Berberis vulgaris

Barberry; an undergrowth plant in oak-hornbeam forests with leaf spines, small leaves, yellow flowers, and red berries.

Crataegus laevigata

Midland Hawthorn; found at forest edges with branch thorns and shiny green lobed leaves.

Crataegus monogyna

Common Hawthorn; found at forest edges with branch thorns and matte green lobed leaves.

Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn; characterized by many branch thorns, early blooming before leaves appear, and spreading via rhizomes.

Rosa canina

Dog Rose; found on calcareous soils, it features prickles (not thorns), compound leaves, and rose hips.

Rubus spp.

Bramble; a plant with a broad amplitude that can cover the ground on nutrient-rich soils, featuring prickles and compound leaves with wide leaflets.

Robinia pseudoacacia

Black Locust; an invasive species in bright forests or edges, featuring compound leaves with elliptical entire leaflets, prickles, and a deeply grooved trunk.

Platanus $x$ hispanica

London Plane; a cross between Oriental and Western planes featuring peeling bark, $3$ main veins, and aggregate fruits.

Acer campestre

Field Maple; found in oak-hornbeam forests with $5$ main veins, opposite buds, and samaras occurring in pairs of $2$.

Acer platanoides

Norway Maple; an invasive species in beech or oak-hornbeam forests with $5$ main veins, opposite buds, and pointed leaves.

Acer pseudoplatanus

Sycamore Maple; found in beech and oak-hornbeam forests with $5$ main veins, opposite buds, and less pointed leaves than the Norway maple.

Viburnum opulus

Guelder Rose; found at forest edges with leaves having $3$ main veins and a characteristic inflorescence.

Juglans regia

Walnut; an avenue tree with compound leaves usually consisting of $7$ or $9$ entire leaflets with unbranched lateral veins.

Sorbus aucuparia

Rowan; features compound serrated leaves, flowers in panicles, and many orange-red fruits.

Aesculus hippocastanum

Horse Chestnut; identifiable by its palmately compound leaves and fruit husks with fewer prickles than the sweet chestnut.

Fraxinus excelsior

Common Ash; features compound leaves, opposite black buds, and is currently threatened by invasive ash dieback fungus.

Sambucus nigra

Elderberry; found at forest edges with compound leaves on drooping branches covered in lenticels, producing white flowers or black berries.

Quercus petraea

Sessile Oak; leaves have a long petiole (long pants) and the acorns are on very short stalks.

Quercus robur

Pedunculate Oak; leaves have a very short petiole (short pants) and the acorns are on very long stalks.

Quercus rubra

Northern Red Oak; an invasive exotic with pointed leaf lobes and a grooved trunk.

Betula pubescens

Downy Birch; features a white trunk and branches that do not droop.

Betula pendula

Silver Birch; features a white trunk and drooping branches, which distinguishes it from the downy birch.

Populus nigra

Black Poplar; a protected species in Belgium with a very deeply grooved trunk and leaves similar to birch species.

Populus $x$ canadensis

Canada Poplar; a fast-growing hybrid between the black poplar and an American species, often harvested after only $40$ years.

Populus tremula

Aspen; found in hardwood floodplain forests, characterized by diamond-shaped lenticels on the trunk and round leaves that rattle in the wind.

Rhododendron spp.

Invasive in oak-birch forests with leathery, glossy, elongated leaves arranged in a spiral and large, striking flowers.

Prunus laurocerasus

Cherry Laurel; slightly invasive undergrowth in beech forests with thick glossy leaves that are not arranged in a spiral.

Ilex aquifolium

Holly; undergrowth in beech forests with glossy leaves that are only prickly in the lower meters of the plant.

Ulmus spp.

Elm; recognized by an asymmetrical leaf base and samara fruits, now rare due to Dutch Elm disease.

Castanea sativa

Sweet Chestnut; slightly invasive in beech and oak-hornbeam forests, featuring long, serrated leaves.

Fagus sylvatica

European Beech; the dominant tree in beech forests with smooth bark, round entire leaves, and long buds; it has poor tolerance for heat.

Carpinus betulus

Hornbeam; found in oak-hornbeam forests with serrated leaf margins and smooth bark containing vertical lighter lines.

Corylus avellana

Hazel; characterized by multiple stems, large thin leaves, and producing hazelnut fruits.

Prunus padus

Bird Cherry; features matte green leaves that do not transition gradually into the leaf stalk.

Prunus serotina

Black Cherry; an invasive species with glossy green leaves that transition into the stalk and a scent of cyanide when twigs are broken.

Prunus avium

Wild Cherry; features horizontal line-shaped lenticels on the trunk and high-quality litter.

Euonymus europaeus

Spindle; found at forest edges with square young twigs, pink flowers, and persistent orange fruits.

Rhamnus frangula

Alder Buckthorn; undergrowth in oak-birch forests with many white lenticels on young branches and berries that turn from red to black.

Cornus mas

Cornelian Cherry; features opposite branches, yellow flowers, and leaf veins that follow the leaf margin.

Cornus sanguinea

Common Dogwood; features red young branches, opposite leaves, and white flowers followed by black berries.