Short flash cards

Acer platanoides Sapindaceae- Norway maple

Opposite arrangement, conical imbricate buds, milky sap, ridges and furrows, shade tolerant

Catalpa speciosa Bignoniaceae- northern catalpa, cigar tree

Whorled arrangement, huge simple leaves w/undivided blade, shade intolerant, cigar-like fruit

Acer saccharum Sapindaceae- sugar maple, hard maple

Sharp/pointy, small, imbricate buds w/ rusty brown hairs; fruit roll-up or chunky/patchy bark

Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vitaceae- Virginia creeper

Ubiquitous smooth vine with serrate to serrulate palmately compound leaves; adhesive discs at contact points

Robinia pseudoacacia Fabaceae- black locust

Clonal and colonial, ridged and (orange) furrowed bark, obligate shelf fungus, paired stipular spines, alternately odd pinnately compound leaves with pulvinus, no visible buds till spring

Juglans nigra Juglandaceae- black walnut

Fuzzy naked buds, even (many) pinnately compound leaves, old spice smell, spongy fruit, ET leaf scars, latticed ridges and furrows, allelopathic

Carya ovata Juglandaceae- shagbark hickory

Strongly rocking, open canopy, 5 leaflets with dramatically large terminal 3, loose (roselike) scales on conical buds, thick woody fruit

Carya tomentosa Juglandaceae- mockernut hickory

Low rocking, pubescence (long, woolly) on rachis + petiole + leaflets, 5-7 leaflets (large terminal 3), open canopy, thick woody fruit, tight scales on buds with one loose

Carya cordiformis Juglandaceae- bitternut hickory, yellownut hickory

Very long pointy buds, raised ridge on fruit suture (woody and thin), net-like ridges and furrows (zero rocking), busy canopy with ~9 leaflets (large terminal 3), likes moisture

Carya glabra Juglandaceae- pignut hickory

Notable rocking, busy canopy with ~7 leaflets, smooth petiole + rachis, thin woody fruit, conical tight buds

Acer rubrum Sapindaceae- red maple, soft maple

Very variable bark, red imbricate clustered conical buds, samaras gone by now, coarse serrate leaves with 3-5 V lobes

Gleditsia triacanthos Fabaceae- honey locust

Restricted to riparian areas, bi-pinnate to doubly bi-pinnate compound leaves w/crenulate teeth, giant spines along trunk in wild, smooth to fruit roll up silver-grey bark w/small lenticels

Prunus avium Rosaceae- sweet cherry, bird cherry, Mazzard cherry

Definitive short/spur chutes, abundant lenticels (long horizontally) on smooth silver/grey bark

Prunus serotina Rosaceae- black cherry

Scaly/shingly bark, slender twigs, brown and green bicolor buds, mustached leaflets, black knot fungus

Quercus coccinea Fagaceae- scarlet oak

Checkerboard and ski trails, junk on the trunk, uniform deep sinuses, “poor sites“, tight inbricate scales on capsule that covers most of the meat nut

Castanea dentata Fagaceae- American chestnut

Very serrate leaves with mild marcessence, slightly divergent pointy buds with a red-yellow-brown color, non-diagnostic bark, round capule covering entire nut with sharp spines

Rhododendron maximum Ericaceae- great laurel, rhododendron

Multistem layering small tree, thick entire lancealate evergreen leaves,

Kalmia latifolia Ericaceae- mountain laurel

Shrub, small thick elliptical evergreen leaves

Quercus rubra Fagaceae- northern red oak

Ski trails, light and shade leaves with varying sinusing, large globos acorn with thin disc capule, smooth large pointy conical buds with accessories surrounding

Quercus montana Fagaceae- chestnut oak

Chunky bark, wavelike sinusing, fuzzy buds

Quercus alba Fagaceae- white oak

White cast on bark and leaf undersides, mid deep sinuses w/o bristletips, upper trunk has accordion/baklava plates

Sassafras albidum Lauraceae- sassafras

Lime green branch tips that arc upwards, fruit loops smell, clonal and colonial, elliptical or mitten or trident leaves

Populus tremuloides Salicaceae- quaking aspen, trembling aspen

Tinkling wave of leaves, sharply conical buds with dark smooth to shiny scales, tiny teeth on leaves, smaller form, smooth chalky white bark on upper trunk

Populus grandidentata Salicaceae- bigtooth aspen

Large serrate to crenate teeth, white hairs on bud scales that are otherwise pointy and dark, larger form, smooth chalky white bark on upper trunk

Quercus velutina Fagaceae- black oak

Pentagonal thin hairy imbricate buds (true terminal and accessory), sun and shade leaves with bristletips, dark broken up bark with a mustard yellow interior, loose scales at edge of capule that covers ~1/2 of round meatnut

Prunus virginiana Rosaceae- choke cherry

Multistem (from base) shrub to small tree, dark-ish bark with subtle-ish lenticels, broad elliptical un-mustached leaves with very fine sharp serrulate teeth, black knot, green/brown bicolor imbricate buds, likes disturbance but found anywhere

Acer pensylvanicum Sapindaceae- striped maple

Valvate smooth stalked buds, bright green or purple smooth new growth, chains/strips of dried up samaras on mature specimens, striped bark, found anywhere

Nyssa sylvatica Cornaceae- blackgum

Very shade tolerant, branching at 90° concentrated at upper trunk, ridged and furrowed with older specimens having alligator skin, medium sized but always slender, notable spur chutes making for a busy canopy, waxy reflective cuticles, silver-white hairs develop on buds to hide imbricate green to brown scales, found anywhere but most competitive at extremes (wet and dry)

Ostrya virginiana Betulaceae- hop-hornbeam

Small tree with rectangularly scaly bark of various earthy colors, puffy nutlets on a small chain, no aroma, turky foot staminate catkins

Carpinus caroliniana Betulaceae- musclewood, hornbeam

Small single- or multi-stemmed tree, undulating tendonlike smooth bark, facultative wetland species, flat nutlet chain with clearly visible seeds, divergent conical bicolor buds, no staminate catkins

Cornus alternifolia Cornaceae- alternate-leaf dogwood, pagoda dogwood

Long vertical sections between layers of pseudo-whorled (alternate) branches, passes dogwood test, golden canker, sharp conical slightly imbricate bicolor buds (green to red/purple), persisting red infructescence

Cornus florida Cornaceae- flowering dogwood

Rounded scaly shingles for bark, small tree, opposite arrangement, waxy white coating on new growth, sun buds are onion shaped, shade buds are pointy small green slightly imbricate buds, has a spreading form, passes dogwood test

Amelanchier spp. Rosaceae- serviceberry

Small multi-stem tree, bark is ashy to dark gray with swirling pinstripes along trunk, busy fine canopy with epicormic sprouts along long naked stem, lateral buds are strongly appressed, terminal buds are sharp narrow imbricate and slightly hooked, leaves are generically simple and alternate

Crataegus spp. Rosaceae- hawthorn

Large spines (>1”) along branches and trunk, spur chutes, clustered or singly hanging pomes (crab apple-y), shade intolerant, varying leaf shape, small round buds with 1-2 scales

Acer negundo Sapindaceae- box-elder

Junky form, valvate buds covered in silver hairs at maturity (hiding scales), lateral buds enclosed by petiole and strongly appressed, leaf scars form a full circle around twig, glaucus coating on green or purple new growth, shallow irregular ridge and furrow- almost scaly, pumpkin tint, persistent split samaras, opposite compound leaves with either 3 or 5 leaflets

Rhus typhina Anacardiaceae- staghorn sumac

Velvet on new growth (rachis and petiole), fuzzy fruit bundles, small tree, shade intolerate, ashy grey bark with short lenticels, alternately odd pinnately compound leaves, milky sap, petiole encloses buds, buds sit centered in leaf scars

Rhus glabra Anacardiaceae- smooth sumac

Multistem shrub to small tree, smooth new growth with glaucus coat that looks bluish, non-fuzzy fruit clusters, ashy grey bark with short lenticels, alternately odd pinnately compound leaves, milky sap, petiole encloses buds, buds sit centered in leaf scars

Tsuga canadensis Pinaceae- eastern hemlock

Cool moist sites, extremely shade tolerant, shallow flat topped ridges and furrows, x-mas tree shape, single needled, flat and 2-ranked with an occasional 3rd, deep green top, light underside with two stripes, smallest cones (thumb sized) that are almost globos when open, uniform scales

Pinus strobus Pinaceae- eastern white pine

5 needles per fascicle, round needles with a flat side with a white line, soft and pom-pom like, yellow needles behind new growth due to regular shedding habits, cones are unarmed and large and long and narrow with a thick umbo and a dark base, windswept appearance

Pinus virginiana Pinaceae- Virginia pine

Poor sites, shade intolerant so a trainer tree with a bushy crown at the top, all needles need sunlight, short bluish needles (~1”), 2 per fascicle, stiff and twisted, small egg-shaped cone (2”-3”) slightly armed

Pinus pungens Pinaceae- table-mountain pine

Well armed cones that are large and fat and hang in whorls of 3, bark has large flat chunks, needles are deep green and medium length, 2 per fascicle, stiff and twisted

Pinus rigida Pinaceae- pitch pine

3 needles per fascicle along branches, epicormic sprouts, armed cones, snaking form, big fat platey bark with dark furrows, upland and dry areas

Liriodendron tulipifera Magnoliaceae- tulip-poplar

Shade intolerant and fast growing, simple alternate leaves with 4 lobes, cheshire cat leaf shape, valvate beak-like terminal buds (green turning red), narrow ridge and white furrow bark, best sites

Pinus resinosa Pinaceae- red pine

2 very long snappy!! per fascicle, shade intolerant so bushy fox tail, noticeable buds, small unarmed egg-shaped cone, red platey bark

Picea abies Pinaceae- Norway spruce

single, square, sterigmata, ski tip cones, swooping sleeves, pitchy bark, bright orange new growth/buds

Fagus grandifolia Fagaceae- American beech

widely divergent lateral buds that look like amelanchier but not hooked, triangular nuts in a casing, smooth thin grey bark (frequently carved), shade tolerant, less extreme castanea dentata leaves

Fraxinus pennsylvanica Oleaceae- green ash

deep ridge and furrow diamonds, keeled blade, opposite arrangement, yellow/red fall color, skinny seed, very round lateral buds, 2 short triangular terminal buds

Fraxinus americana Oleaceae- white ash

deep ridge and furrow diamonds, long petiolule, opposite arrangement, purple/brown fall color, fat seed, very round lateral buds, 2 short triangular terminal buds

Larix spp. Pinaceae- larch

single short soft fine needles, abundant spur chutes, deciduous, telephone pole, pendulous branches, shade intolerant

Tilia americana Malvaceae- American basswood

Fibrous material, lateral twigs are 2 ranked, new growth is zig zagged, brown bracts, vertically striped/furrowed bark with pink splotches, large simple alternate uneven cordate serrate leaves, hollow resonance, beer belly buds

Celastrus orbiculatus Celastraceae- Asian bittersweet

bright red berries with orange casing, no tendrils; wraps itself around host, older vine gets silver and peels and has lenticels, new leaves are narrow with acuminate tip, old leaves are orb-like and larger and serrate to crenate

Toxicodendron radicans Anacardiaceae- poison ivy

trifoliate compound, aerial rootlets so gets super hairy and vine can be super fat, variable margins, no tendrils or discs but climbs straight up, buds like a bitternut hickory

Rhamnus cathartica Rhamnaceae- European buckthorn

Small tree to multistem shrub, dying twigs look like thorns on branchtips, sub-opposite arrangement, new growth twigs are very straight and tan colored with tightly appressed dark buds, older growth has spur chutes and more conical buds, black drupes, leaves are simple elliptical to round and crisped with sunken veins

Morus alba Moraceae- white mulberry

vertically linear ridge and furrow runs, often with horizontal lines breaking it up, gets wetwood, pumpkin orange aura, nonsensical branch layering, roots under surface bright orange, new leaves weirdly sinused, mature leaves large cordate serrate, zig zagged new growth, small round orange buds

Vitis spp. Vitaceae- wild grape

Reddish orange vine, shreds with age, thick thigmotropic tendrils without adhesive discs or aerial roots, simple palmately lobed serrate leaves with occasional white hairs on underside, discreet small triangular reddish brown buds

Ulmus rubra Ulmaceae- slippery elm, red elm

corky rectangular strips in a wavelike pattern with uniform red/orange underside, scabrous pubescence, highly contrasting dark red brown buds to tan grey twig, copper hairs on conical imbricate pseudoterminal buds

Ulmus americana Ulmaceae- American elm

spongy very layered corky bark with multicolored underside and no clear pattern just chunky and shaggy and crackly, buds and twigs same chestnutty reddish brown color, smooth or slightly roughened leaves, 2 ranked branches giving vase spreading form

Magnolia acuminata Magnoliaceae- cucumber magnolia

valvate buds that light up like Christmas tree

Quercus macrocarpa Fagaceae- bur oak

platey wings on branches, mossy cup

Viburnum prunifolium Adoxaceae- black-haw

opposite arrangement, very busy twig growth, old twigs look like a thorn but not as sharp, slightly dimorphic buds- pterodactyl beak vs sharp valvate, rectangularly chunky bark, dark drupes

Viburnum acerifolium Adoxaceae- maple-leaf viburnum

small opposite wiry shrub, clusters of drupes, maple-like leaves w/ velvet pubescence (TP quality), indistinct slightly banana shaped buds, neon pink/purple fall color

Acer saccharinum Sapindaceae- silver maple

obligate wetland species, medium to large, rots/splits, spreading form, strippy rocking bark but sometimes smooth, conical imbricate reddish buds, lots of leaves coming off very short flat branches- look like spur chutes but not. deeply cut and toothy leaves with 5 major lobes, silver/white underside, one samara usually aborts

Quercus bicolor Fagaceae- swamp white oak

peeling porch paint on young stems and branches, leaves smooth top with fuzzy light colored bottom,