Dendrology Practice: Tree and Shrub Species

Vocabulary flashcards covering Dutch and Latin names, ecological characteristics, and recognition features of trees and shrubs in Belgium.

Alnus glutinosa / Zwarte els

Occurs in elzenbroekbossen with good litter quality; features nitrogen fixation via Frankia-bacteria in root nodules; leaves have a notched margin and an indented top.

Tilia cordata / Winterlinde

Native to beukenbossen with very good litter quality; features heart-shaped leaves that are smaller than summer lime, with red hairs on the underside of the leaf base.

Tilia platyphyllos / Zomerlinde

Native to beukenbossen with very good litter quality; has heart-shaped leaves that are larger than winter lime and lack red hairs.

Salix alba / Schietwilg

Found in zachthoutooibos, often as a pollarded tree; has long, narrow leaves that are grayish-white underneath and a deeply grooved brown trunk.

Magnolia spp. / Magnolia

Park and avenue trees where flowers appear before leaves in early spring; features very large, typical flowers.

Ginkgo biloba / Ginkgo

An avenue tree extinct in the wild (China); a gymnosperm (false fruits) where mainly male trees are planted because female fruits rot and smell.

Ulex europaeus / Gaspeldoorn

Found as undergrowth in eiken-berkenbossen; characterized by an evergreen stem, typical yellow flowers, and leaf thorns (bladdoorns).

Cytisus scoparius / Gewone brem

Found as undergrowth in eiken-berkenbossen; has an evergreen stem and typical yellow flowers but lacks leaf thorns, instead having very small inconspicuous leaves.

Ligustrum vulgare / Wilde liguster

Evergreen undergrowth in eiken-haagbeukenbossen; features opposite branches and leaves with flowers in panicles.

Larix decidua / Europese Lork

Park and avenue tree from the Alps with very poor litter quality; unique among conifers for losing its needles in winter; needles grow in clusters from the same point.

Picea abies / Fijnspar

Found in spruce plantations (especially Wallonia); very poor litter quality and creates heavy shade; needles are attached separately.

Pinus nigra / Zwarte den

Found in pine plantations on acid sandy soils; very poor litter quality; features needles in pairs and a perfectly straight, entirely gray trunk.

Pinus sylvestris / Grove den

Found in pine plantations on acid sandy soils; very poor litter quality; needles in pairs with a trunk that is gray at the bottom and brown at the top.

Taxus baccata / Taxus

Toxic undergrowth in beukenbossen with very poor litter quality; has flat, shiny dark needles, red false fruits, and is highly poisonous.

Clematis vitalba / Bosrank

A liana found in calcareous forest edges (eiken-haagbeukenbossen) and construction sites; features compound leaves and very recognizable fruits.

Humulus lupulus / Hop

A liana found mainly in forest edges; known for its use in beer brewing and has a distinctively recognizable leaf.

Hedera helix / Klimop

An evergreen liana that grows in dark beukenbossen; features flowers and berries in an umbel.

Lonicera periclymenum / Wilde kamperfoelie

A liana found in dark beukenbossen; characterized by opposite leaves and often red-tinted stems.

Takdoorn (Branch thorn)

A branch reduced to a thorn; there are no buds between the thorn and the trunk, and a leaf is present underneath the thorn.

Bladdoorn (Leaf thorn)

A leaf reduced to a thorn; a bud is present between the thorn and the branch from which a new branch can grow.

Berberis vulgaris / Zuurbes

Undergrowth in eiken-haagbeukenbossen; features leaf thorns (bladdoorns), small leaves, typical small yellow flowers, and red berries.

Crataegus laevigata / Tweestijlige meidoorn

Found in forest edges; features branch thorns (takdoornen) and typically incised leaves that are shiny green on the top side.

Crataegus monogyna / Eénstijlige meidoorn

Found in forest edges; features branch thorns (takdoornen) and typically incised leaves that are matte green on the top side.

Prunus spinosa / Sleedoorn

Found in forest edges with fast vegetative spread via rhizomes; features branch thorns and blooms very early before leaves appear.

Rosa canina / Hondsroos

Found on calcareous soils (undergrowth eiken-haagbeukenbos); features prickles (stekels) instead of thorns, compound leaves, and rose hips.

Rubus spp. / Braam

Broad amplitude but can cover nutrient-rich soils completely; features compound leaves and prickles (stekels), with wider leaflets than Rosa canina.

Robinia pseudoacacia / Gewone robinia

Invasive in warm, open forests or edges; features compound leaves with integral elliptical leaflets, prickles, and a deeply grooved trunk.

Platanus x hispanica / Gewone plataan

Avenue tree (cross between Eastern and Western planes); features $3$ main veins, alternate buds, peeling bark, and compound fruit.

Acer campestre / Veldesdoorn or Spaanse aak

Found in eiken-haagbeukenbos with good litter quality; features $5$ main veins, opposite leaves/buds, and samaras in pairs.

Acer platanoides / Noorse esdoorn

Invasive in beukenbos and eiken-haagbeukenbos; features $5$ main veins, opposite leaves/buds, and very pointy leaves.

Acer pseudoplatanus / Gewone esdoorn

Found in beukenbos and eiken-haagbeukenbos with good litter quality; features $5$ main veins and opposite leaves/buds that are less pointy than Norway maple.

Viburnum opulus / Gelderse roos

Found in forest edges; features $3$ main veins like plane trees but without the peeling bark; has a typical inflorescence.

Juglans regia / Okkernoot

Avenue tree with strong wood; compound leaf almost always consisting of $7$ or $9$ leaflets with unbranched side veins.

Sorbus aucuparia / Wilde lijsterbes

Undergrowth in eiken-berkenbossen with good litter quality; features compound leaves with serrated leaflets and many orange-red berries.

Aesculus hippocastanum / Paardenkastanje

Common park and avenue tree; features recognizable palmate compound leaves, white flower panicles, and a spiky husk (bolster).

Fraxinus excelsior / Gewone es

Native to beukenbossen and hardwood floodplain forests with good litter quality; recognizable by thick black opposite buds; currently threatened by Chalara fraxinea (essentaksterfte).

Sambucus nigra / Gewone vlier

Found in forest edges; features drooping branches with prominent lenticels and white flowers or black berries in a cyme (tuil).

Quercus petraea / Wintereik

Found in eiken-berken, beuken, and eiken-haagbeukenbossen with poor litter quality; leaf has a long petiole (lange broek) and acorns are on very short stalks.

Quercus robur / Zomereik

Found in various forests including hardwood floodplain; features poor litter quality, a short leaf petiole (korte broek), and acorns on very long stalks.

Quercus rubra / Amerikaanse eik

Invasive exotic in beukenbossen with poor litter quality; features pointy (not lobed) leaf margins.

Betula pubescens / Zachte berk

Found in berkenbroekbossen with good litter quality; features a white trunk and branches that do not weep.

Betula pendula / Ruwe berk

Native to eiken-berkenbossen with good litter quality; features a white trunk and distinctive weeping (hanging) branches.

Populus nigra / Zwarte populier

Rare and protected native tree of zachthoutooibos; features good litter quality and a very deeply grooved trunk without a white bark.

Populus x canadensis / Canadapopulier

A fast-growing plantation tree (cross between black and American poplar) with a short lifespan of about $40$ years; grows straighter than the black poplar.

Populus tremula / Ratelpopulier

Hardwood floodplain species; features diamond-shaped lenticels on the trunk and typical round leaves with lobed margins.

Rhododendron spp. / Rododendron

Invasive in eiken-berkenbossen with poor litter quality; features leathery, shiny leaves in a spiral arrangement and large conspicuous flowers.

Prunus laurocerasus / Laurierkers or Paplaurier

Lightly invasive undergrowth in beukenbossen with poor litter quality; has glossy thick leaves that are not arranged in a spiral.

Ilex aquifolium / Hulst

Undergrowth in beukenbossen with poor litter quality; features glossy leaves that are only prickly in the lower meters of the plant.

Ulmus spp. / Olm of iep

Native to beukenbos and hardwood floodplain with good litter quality; recognizable by an asymmetrical leaf base; populations reduced by Dutch Elm Disease.

Castanea sativa / Tamme kastanje

Lightly invasive in beuken and eiken-haagbeukenbossen; features long serrated leaves and poor litter quality.

Fagus sylvatica / Beuk

Dominant tree in beukenbossen with poor litter quality; characterized by a smooth trunk, long buds, and round leaves with entire margins; sensitive to drought.

Carpinus betulus / Haagbeuk

Common in eiken-haagbeukenbossen with good litter quality; features a serrated leaf margin and a smooth trunk with vertical light lines.

Corylus avellana / Hazelaar

Undergrowth with a broad amplitude and very good litter quality; multi-stemmed shrub producing hazelnuts.

Prunus padus / Gewone vogelkers

Undergrowth in eiken-berkenbossen with good litter quality; features matte green leaves that do not transition into the petiole.

Prunus serotina / Amerikaanse vogelkers

Invasive in eiken-berkenbossen; features shiny green leaves that transition into the petiole and smells of cyanide when a twig is broken.

Prunus avium / Zoete kers

Found in beukenbos and hardwood floodplain with good litter quality; features distinct horizontal line-like lenticels on the trunk.

Euonymus europaeus / Wilde kardinaalsmuts

Found in forest edges; features young square twigs, pink flowers, and orange fruits that remain through most of winter.

Rhamnus frangula / Sporkehout or vuilboom

Undergrowth in eiken-berkenbossen; young plants and branches are covered with many white dots (lenticels).

Cornus mas / Gele kornoelje

Undergrowth in eiken-haagbeukenbossen; features opposite branches, leaves, and veins (which follow the margin), plus yellow flowers.

Cornus sanguinea / Rode kornoelje

Found in forest edges and undergrowth; recognizable by opposite leaves/branches and red young twigs; has white flowers and black fruits.