Plant Guide Woody Plants

Euonymus Obovata

• Family: Celastraceae

• Running Strawberry-Bush

• Very small

• Evergreen twig

• Reddish-Pink Capsules

• Nothing is similiar to it

Fagus grandifolia

• Family: Fagaceae

• American Beech

• Smooth, silver bark

• Eyed bark

• Cigar buds

Morus alba

• Family: Moraceae

• White Mullberry

• High leaf variability

• Big serrations

• Orange in trunk with black spots

• Buds at the nodes

Lindera benzoin

• Family: Lauraceae

• Spice Bush

• Smelly (unhelpful)

• Green buds

• Will have others near by

• Oblong-lanceolate leaves

Carya cordiformis

• Family: Juglandaceae

• Bitternut Hickory

• Alternate, pinnately compund

• Coarse, serrated leaves

• Has a naked, exposed fuzzy bud

• Figure 8 on bark

Ostrya virginiana

• Family: Betulaceae

• Ironwood

• Simple, alternate leaves

• Looks like iron

• “Cat scratch” bark

Malus pumila

• Family: Rosaceae

• Common Apple

• small, leaning tree

• Serrated, urbicular

• Leaves are “spur shoots”

Carpinus caroliniana

• Family: Betulaceae

• Muscle wood

• Bark looks like muscle

• Feels like muscle?? thats what my notes say but is kind of freaky

• Simple, alternate double serration

• Curvy trunk, way smaller than ironwood

Fraxinus americana

• Family: Oleaceae

• White Ash

• Leaves grow off petiole not right off twig

• Chocolate chip buds

• Pinnately serrated leaves

Ailanthus altissima

• Family: Simaroubaceae

• Tree of Heaven

• Have glands on the base of the leaves

• Leaves will stay on

• Elephant skin bark

Acer nigrum

• Family: Sapindaceae

• Black Maple

• 3 lobed (as opposed to to 5 lobe)

• Feels fuzzy

• Arc de triomphe bud

• Droopy asf

Acer saccharum

• Family: Sapindaceae

• Sugar Maple

• 5 lobed (as opposed to 3)

• Not fuzzy

• Most likely to be this Maple if it under a canopy

Tilia americana

• Family: Malvaceae

• Basswood

• If someone knocks on the tree its this tree

• Heart-shaped leaves look lopsided

• Green or red “ice cream” buds

Aesculus glabra

• Family: Sapindaceae

• Ohio Buckeye

• Smells “Skunky”

• Opposite, palmate leaves

• Buckeye present or near the tree

Carya glabra

• Family: Juglandaceae

• Pignut Hickory

• Five sharp, serrated, dark green and shiny leaflets

• Slender dark purple to light purple twigs

• Onion bud

• Some bark plates sloping off tree (not like its cuz)

Carya ovata

• Family: Juglandaceae

• Shagbark Hickory

• Bark is shaggy (scaly)

• Can you hide a squirrel under the bark?

• Thick husk around the nut

• Bud if football shaped - NOT onion

Juglans nigra

• Family: Juglandaceae

• Black Walnut

• Alternate, pinnate leaves

• Leaves remind me of tree of heaven but will look much different

• Only black walnuts near by - allelopathy

LONICERA MAACKII

• Family: Caprifoliaceae

• Maack’s Honeysuckle

• Red, bundled fruit

• Lanceolate - ovate leaves

• Hollow stems

• Tapers to point at top

• Hairy on underside of leaves

• Bark looks like rainstick

LONICERA TATARICA

• Family: Caprifoliaceae

• Tartarian Honeysuckle

• Opposite, obtuse with round at the top of leaves

• Long, hairless stem

Prunus serotina

• Family: Rosaceae

• Black Cherry

• Glossy leaves (as opposed to normal leaf feel)

• “Burnt potato chip” bark texture

• Can get very light grey

Prunus virginiana

• Family: Rosaceae

• Choke Cherry

• Does not have glossy leaf

• Leaf stalks have two gland dots

• Smooth bark, but becomes scaly

• Serrations/teeth go away from leaf, not outward

• More of a shrub

Quercus alba

• Family: Fagaceae

• White Oak

• Shiny, hairless twigs

• Often twigs are red or have a purplish hue

Quercus macrocarpa

• Family: Fagaceae

• Bur Oak

• Alternate, obovate leaves that are usually dark green

• Hippie acorns!

• Wasp waist leaves - leaf comes close to midrib

Quercus rubra

• Family: Fagaceae

• Northern Red Oak

• Bristle tips on leaves

• Very pointy oak tree

Quercus velutina

• Family: Fagaceae

• Black Oak

• Darker trunks

• Green lobes with bristles

Vitis riparia

• Family: Vitaceae

• Riverbank grape

• Woody vine

• Long strips of crimson colored bar

Hamamelis virginiana

• Family: Hamamelidaceae

• Witch-Hazel

• Alternate leaves with inequilateral base

• Flowers in fall

• Shrub with multistem clusters

• Zig zag twig

• Knobby white lenticils

• Longish flat bud

Cornus florida

• Family: Cornacea

• Flowering Dogwood

• Alligator stem bark

• Opposite leaves

• “Telescope” twigs - thick at node

• Small tree

• Upswept branches

• Veins curve with the circular leaves

Sassafras albidum

• Family: Oleaceae

• Sassafras

• Polymorphic leaves - high variability in leaves

• Lobed, alternate leaves

• Ridges with orange bark

• Lower shade leaves are lobed

• Leaves in sun are entire

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

• Family: Vitaceae

• Virginia Creeper

• Alternate, compound leaves

• Older bark doesn’t flake off

• Aerial roots interspersed on vine

• Suction cup tendrils

• Round, scaly bud

Populus tremuloides

• Family: Salicaceae

• Quaking Aspen

• Finely serrate with 30 teeth on each side

• Flat Petiole (all salicaceae)

• Small, glossy buds

• Lots of bud scales

• Bark tissued at eye level

Rhus glabra

• Family: Anacardiaceae

• Smooth Sumac

• Shrub or small tree

• Pinnately, compund, alternate leaves

• Coarsly serrate leaf margins

• White latex on veins

• Glabrous (smooth)

Elaeagnus umbellata

• Family: Elaeagnaceae

• Autumn-olive

• Alternate leaves

• Silvery scales on both sides of leaves (bottom is silver)

• Twig also has scales??

• Leaves remain on branch along time

Celastrus orbiculatus

• Family: Celestraceae

• Asian Bittersweet

• Twining at vine

• Alternate, orbicular leaves

• Acuminate tip prominent in young buds

• Point buds

Populus deltoides

• Family: Salicaceae

• Eastern Cottonwood

• Triangle leaves

• Fast growing tall tree

• Spade leaves

• Shiny fragemtns

• Flat petioles (populus)

• Tooth seeration

• Glabrous, stout twig

• Large buds (important)

• Really fissured bark

Viburnum acerifolium

• Family: Adoxaceae

• Opposite, tiny maple leaves

• Slender, slight pubescence

• No glands at petiole base

• Serrated margins

• Soft downy leaves

• Small bud with 4 scales

Robinia pseudoacacia

• Family: Fagaceae

• Black locust

• Pinnately compound, alternate leaves

• Entire margins

• Top of leaves has little indent

• Each node has paird spines

• Deep furrows on bark

• Sunken bud, covered by petiole

Ilex verticillata

• Family: Aquifoliaceae

• Michigan Holly

• Shrub/small tree

• Obovate, serrated alternate leaves

• Serrations point upwards

• Brown twig with white lentils

• Veins make leaf look scaly

Toxicodendron vernix

• Family: Anacardiaceae

• Poison sumac

• Small shrub to small tree

• Pinnately compound opposite leaf

• Orange to scarlett midrib

• Bud is triangular and brown

• White fruit

Betula alleghaniensis

• Family: Betulaceae

• Yellow Birch

• Doubly serrated, with leaves growing in bunches of two

• Greenish, reddish brown bud

• “Candy cane” bud

• Horizontal strips on bark

Acer rubrum

• Family: Sapindaceae

• Red Maple

• Long, red petioles

• Green and red, scaled bud

• Ridges on the end part of leaves

Amelanchier arborea

• Family: Rosaceae

• Downy Serviceberry

• Doubly serrated, alternate leave

• Pinnate veins, young twigs are often pubescent

• Buds are often red with hairy margins

• Buds “hug” the twig

Castanea dentata

• Family: Fagaceae

• American Chestnut

• Alternate, sharply serrated , hooked leaves

• Pointed bud sticking out from end

• Big leaves

Cephalanthus occidentalis

• Family: Rubiaceae

• Buttonbush

• Multistem shrub / small tree

• Opposite, entire leaves

• Leaves found usually in whorls of three

Cornus foemina

• Family: Cornaceae

• Gray Dogwood

• Pink shoots with berries coming off very branched

• Smooth, opposite leaves

• Upper leaves are smooth

Decodon verticillatus

• Family: Lythraceae

• Swamp Loosestrife

• Shrub

• Opposite leaves with smooth, lance-shaped leaves

• Whorls of three

• Purple or pink stem

Dirca palustris

• Family: Thymelaeaceae

• Leatherwood

• Wide branching, usually several stemmed shrub

• Sometimes look like a mini tree

• Simple, alternate, oval leaves 

• Bark is mostly smooth and grey, but roughened toward base

Fraxinus nigra

• Family: Oleaceae

• Black Ash

• Gray bark on on older parts of tree 

• Furrow into thin scales that flake off

• No Petiole

• Opposite, pinnately compound leaves

• Large, pointed terminal bud

Liriodendron tulipifera

• Family: Magnoliaceae

• Tulip Tree

• Big tree

• Large alternate, four lobed leaves

• Big, green terminal bud that resembles duck bill

• V to leaf midrib

Rhus typhina

• Family: Anacardiaceae

• Staghorn Sumac

• Opposite leaves coming straight off branch

• Toward base of twig is red

• Twig looks like a red and yellow, fuzzy candy canes

• Leaves are serrated

Quercus ellipsoidalis

• Family: Fagaceae

• Northern Pin Oak

• Very slender, pointy leaves (red oak family) for an oak

• Alternate leaves with lots of buds

• Terminal bud has 4 buds with visible scales

Salix amygdaloides

• Family: Salicaceae

• Peach-leaved Willow

• Alternate leaves with a pink petiold

• Very tiny serrations with veins curving upward

• Green on top, silvery on bottom

Salix exigua

• Family: Salicaceae

• Sandbar Willow

• Upright shrub or small tree

• Many petioles from one point

• Twigs grow upward

• Alternate, slender leaves with tiny serrations

Sambucus canadensis

• Family: Adoxaceae

• Elderberry

• Shrub/bush

• Opposite, doubly serrated compound leaves

Thuja occidentalis

• Family: Cupressaceae

• Arbor Vitae

• Fern-like appearance

• Opposite “leaves”

Corylus americana

• Family: Betulaceae

• Hazelnut

Gaylussacia baccata

• Family Ericaceae

• Huckleberry

Nyssa sylvatica

• Family: Nyssaceae

• Tupelo

Quercus bicolor

• Family: Fagaceae

• Swamp White Oak

Quercus palustris

• Family: Fagaceae

• Pin Oak

Rhus coppalina

• Family: Anacardiaceae

• Winged Sumac

Ribes cynosbati

• Family: Grossulariaceae

• Prickly Gooseberry 

Rosa multiflora

• Family: Rosaceae

• Multiflora Rose

Rubus alleghaniensis

• Family: Rosaceae

• Highbush Blackberry

Rubus occidentalis

• Family: Rosaceae

• Black Raspberry

Smilix hispida

• Family: Smilacaceae

• Bristly Green-brier

Spirae alba

• Family: Rosaceae

• Meadowsweet

Vaccinium angustifolium

• Family: Ericaceae

• Low Sweet Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosom

• Family: Ericaceae

• Highbush Blueberry

Zanthoxylum americanum

• Family: Rutaceae

• Prickly-ash