Dendrology Twigs

Alternate, Buds – Ovate, acute, imbricate, ciliate bud;

Twig – Slender, aromatic with slight order and taste of wintergreen, ciliate on the margin; Fruit –

Catkin, male pendulous, female upright and conelike; Habit – 60 to 70’; Bark – Appears

yellowish-golden, peeling in thin curly strips

yellow birch

Opposite, Twig – Bright red (yellow twig cultivar), raised white lenticels, white pith; Fruit – White; Habit – Loose broad

spreading, multi-stemmed, 7 to 9’ tall by 10’ wide, suckering

redosier, redstemmed dogwood

Alternate, Buds – Large leaf scar, terminal absent, laterals small; Twig – Very stout,

brown or slightly greenish, glabrous to slightly velvety; Fruit – Pod, reddish-brown, 5 to 10” long,

1 ½” to 2” wide, contains large blackish brown seeds; Habit – 60 to 75’ by 40 to 50’ wide;

Flowers – Greenish-white

Kentucky coffeetree

Alternate, Bud – Imbricate, pubescence covers entire bud, often stipular structures arising from buds; Twig –

Stout, yellowish brown, develops corky ridges on some trees on 1 year or older stems; Bark –

Rough, developing deep-ridged-and-furrowed character, dark gray to gray-brown; Fruit – Acorn,

Solitary, usually stalked, cup covers ½ or more and conspicuously fringed; Habit – Weakly

pyramidal to oval in youth, 70 to 80’ tall, becoming broad crown of stout branches

bur oak

Leaf – Linear needle, two-ranked, ½ to 1” long, slight notch at

apex, stomatal bands below, persistent; Cones – Erect, 1½ to 3¼” long, oblong-cylindrical,

deciduous; Bark – Resin blisters

balsam fir

Leaf – 4-sided needle, ½ to ¾” long, tip acute not sharp, on

sterigmata, pungent odor to crushed foliage; Cones – Pendent, 1¼ to 2½” long, narrowly

oblong, truncate to slightly rounded scale

white spruce

Leaf – 4-sided needle, ¾ to 1¼” long, sharp-pointed, stiff, on sterigmata; Cones – Pendent, 2½ to 4” long, cylindrical, sessile or

short-stalked, apex of scale toothed

blue spruce or Colorado blue spruce

Leaf – acicular, 5 needles per fascicle, 2½ to 5” long,

slender and flexible, persist 2-3 years; Cones – Long-staked, 3 to 8” long, pendent, narrowly

oblong-conic, umbo terminal unarmed

Eastern white pine

Opposite, Twig – Stout, smooth, lustrous olive-brown; Bark – Grayish black, ridges with shallow furrows; Flower – Yellowish or greenish, before leaves, very

floriferous; Fruit – Samara in pairs, widely divergent (180 degrees), Habit – Rounded

symmetrical crown, 40 to 50 foot tall

Norway maple

Opposite, Buds – Vegetative buds obtuse, red, 2 to 4 pairs visible

scales; Twig – Similar to silver maple except mostly odorless when crushed, dark red, lustrous;

Fruit – Vernal, double samara, slightly divergent

red maple

Opposite. Buds – Vegetative buds flattened, red, 2

outer scales form “V” shaped notch; Twig – Similar to red maple except rank odor when

crushed, lustrous red to brown; Fruit – Vernal, double samara, ~90°; Habit – 60 to 80’

Silver maple

Opposite, Twig – Slender, shiny, and

brownish; Fruit – Autumnal, double samara, nearly parallel to slightly divergent horseshoe-

shaped; Habit – 60 to 80’

sugar maple

Buds – Large, imbricate, ovoid, light to dark brown,

sticky/gummy or glabrous depending on species; Twig – Stout; shrub to small tree form

dependent on species and variety; round, leathery capsule that features a spiky or smooth outer

husk and contains one to three large, glossy, mahogany-brown seeds;

buckeyes and horsechestnuts

Leaf – Linear needle, ½ to 1” long, persistent; Fruit – Ovoid, seed

surrounded by fleshly and reddish aril, ¼” long

yew

Alternate, Bud – Long pointed, ¾ to 1” long, imbricate, pseudoterminal bud; Twig – Slender, zigzag; Bark

– Smooth and stays such, grayish to light blue gray,

American beech

Opposite, Buds – Naked, long, round, thin; Twig- Young light gray, scruffy pubescent, older gray heavily lenticelled

Nannyberry

Alternate, Buds up to ½ inch long, pointed, covered with scales, usually with hairy margins, light yellow-green to red in color; Twig – Slender, flexible, red-brown in color, may be covered with fine hairs when young; Flower – late March to June before or with leaves, showy white, 5 petals

Serviceberry

Opposite, Rusty to dark brown to almost black, inset in leaf scar; Twig – Smiling leaf scar

White ash

Linear, 5/8 to 1¼” long, somewhat 2-ranked, rounded apex, stomatiferous below, persistent

Douglas fir

1/16” long, opposite pairs, awl-shaped juvenile spiny, pointed, scale-like adult with pointed apex, dark bluish-green becoming yellowish-brown in winter

Eastern red cedar

Linear, 3/8 to 5/8” long, tapered base to apex, 2 prominent rows stomata, persist 3 years

Eastern hemlock

Alternate, Stout, yellowish to brown, round, winged on some younger stems

Eastern cottonwood

Alternate, Slender, dark red-brown; Bark – Fluted appearance, smooth, bluish grey

Musclewood

Opposite, Newest growth with glaucous bloom, turning purplish to green

Boxelder

Opposite, distinct corky ridges or “wings”

Burning bush

Alternate, Greenish or purplish with bloom

Alternate-leaved dogwood

Alternate, Buds – Imbricate, ¼ to ½” long, pointed, divergent; Twig – Smooth or somewhat hairy, lightly glandular; Bark – Older chalky white peeling or easily separated into paper strips

White birch

Opposite, Silky pubescence on current growth, turning purplish to yellowish-greenish, conspicuous groups of raised lenticels, tan pith

Silky dogwood

Alternate, large shrub to small tree

Autumn-olive

Alternate, Stout, brown to purple, angled, sometimes with a waxy bloom; Bark – Becomes light ashy brown, often broken into small and vertically arranged blocks, scaly on surface, becoming irregularly plated and deeply fissured

White oak

Alternate, Bud – Imbricate, shiny reddish brown; Twig – Covered with hairs becoming smooth; Bark – Dark gray-brown with shallow fissures, producing thin plates, inner bark light yellow

Northern pin oak

2 needles per fascicle, small needles 0.75 to 2”, divergent

Jack pine

acicular, 2 needles per fascicle, 4 to6” long, brittle and break clean, persist 4-5 years

Red pine

Alternate, Buds – Imbricate, appressed, brownish-black; Twig – Slender, grayish

Common buckthorn

Alternate, Buds – Small,1/5”, imbricate, reddish brown to greenish scales; Twig – Slender, reddish brown, sometimes a greyish epidermis is noticeable, bitter almond twig taste

Black cherry

Alternate, Buds – Imbricate, dusty fine pubescent; Twig – Stout, round, reddish brown becomes grey

Bigtooth aspen

Alternate, Buds – Imbricate, small shiny bud, sometimes slightly resinous; Twig – Slender, lustrous, reddish brown; Bark – Smooth, greenish-white to cream-colored, becoming furrowed brown or gray

Trembling aspen

Alternate Buds – Imbricate, small; Twig – Warty excursions, pubescent 1st year twig; Bark: – Light reddish-brown to cinnamon-brown, peeling freely, with age becomes irregular plate-like scales

River birch

Alternate, Twig – reddish-brown, deeply grooved, with unbranched spines; Fruit – small, red, ellipsoid, persisting into winter

Japanese barberry

Whorled, Buds – Terminal absent, lateral small 1/12” tall, hemispherical; Twig – Stout, leaf scar round and sunken, lenticels large and numerous

Northern catalpa

Leaf – Yellow-green, fan-like 1/16-1/8” long, scale-like and flattened

Northern white-cedar

Alternate, Twig – Moderately stout, terminal bud sulfur-yellow, valvate; Bark – Smooth when young, developing shallow furrows and interlacing ridges

Bitternut hickory

Opposite, Buds – Dark brown to nearly black, laterals buds set some distance from terminal; Twig– Flat-topped leaf scar

Black ash

Opposite, e, pinnately compound, 5 to 9 leaflets; Buds – Dark rusty brown, set above leaf scar; Twig – Flat-topped leaf scar

Green ash

Leaf – 4-sided needle, ½ to 1” long, tip blunt, on sterigmata

Norway spruce

Buds – Red woolly buds, in-between spines; Twig – paired stipular spines, toothache reliever;

Prickly-ash

Alternate, Buds – Terminal naked, foliose (leaf-like); Twig – Slender, prominent gray rectangular vertical lenticels

Glossy buckthorn

Stem - high climbing; bark typically shredding and peeling in large strips

Wild grape

Alternate, Buds – small, 1/16”, smaller than leaf scar, Twig – slender, gray, scattered light lenticels

Winterberry

Opposite, Buds – tiny, often 3 or more scales, imbricate; Twig – light brown, peeling

Honeysuckle

Alternate, Buds – Terminal absent, laterals minute; Twig – Spiny with paired stipular thorns, zig-zag twig, moderately stout

Black locust

Alternate, Bud – Imbricate, broadly ovate, light chestnut brown, coated with pale down; Twig – Stout to slender, glabrous, yellowish brown to reddish brown

Swamp white oak

Alternate, Bud – Imbricate, oval to ovate, large about 1/2 “ long, grayish at tip becoming brown at base, sharp pointed, slight hairs; Twig – Stout, greenish to reddish-brown, glabrous

Northern red oak

Alternate, Buds – Pale silky-downy, elevated (obcordate) notched leaf scar, ½ to 1” terminal; Twig – Stout, greenish- gray to reddish-brown, chambered pith dark (chocolate-brown) colored

Butternut

Leaf – Acicular, in 2’s, twisted, 1 to 3” long, persistent

Scotch Pine

Alternate, Buds – Solitary or collaterally branched in thorn formation, sessile, round, 6 exposed

fleshy and bright red to brownish red scales; Twig – Armed with thorns except thornless

varieties/cultivars

Hawthorn

Alternate, Buds – Small, 1/3”, imbricate, brownish scales; Twig – Slender but stouter than black cherry, light brown to gray, unpleasant strong odor when broken

Choke cherry

Alternate, Buds – Terminal absent, slightly flattened more or less oppressed to stem; Twig – Slender, zig-zag, 3 prominent bundle scars making cat face appearance, red-brown

American elm

Alternate, Buds – Imbricate, small< ¼” long; Twigs – Long stalked glandular hairs on twigs; forms thickets, tolerates dry sites, excellent wildlife species, separated from beaked hazel (C. cornuta) which lacks glandular hairs

American hazelnut

Alternate Buds – Imbricate, small, pointed; Twig – Slender, dark-reddish; Bark: – Grayish-brown, peeling into longitudinal strips

Ironwood

Alternate, Buds -- Terminal bud usually absent, lateral buds ovoid, acute, brownish; Twig – stout, lustrous, yellow-green becoming olive and finally dark brown

American chestnut

Alternate, Buds – Naked, brownish, tomentose, flower buds 3 to 4 paired globose, stalked buds; Twig – Slender, older glabrous, younger brownish and pubescent

Common witchhazel

Alternate, Buds – Pale silky-downy, notched leaf scar, 1/3” terminal; Twig – Stout, light brown to

orange-brown, chambered pith light (buff) colored

Black walnut

Alternate, Buds – small 1/8”; Twig – Slender, shiny, reddish-brown, mild bitter almond taste when chewed

Pin cherry