Plant Identification Notes
Plant Identification Overview
Evergreen Plants
General Characteristics
Definition: Evergreens are trees that retain their foliage throughout the year, providing continuous greenery.
Specific Plant Descriptions
Weeping Canadian Hemlock
Description:
Single needle structure
No single trunk observed; characterized by a skinny petiol that attaches to the needles.
Needles are flat, wide, and measure approximately two-dimensional.
Features two distinct white lines on the underside of the needles.
Needles do not point downwards.
Blue Atlas Cedar
Description:
Branches extend outward like arms reaching upwards.
Needles exhibit a very silvery blue color.
Cones are tight; tree reaches a height and width of about 50 ft.
Needles grow from a center point, and cones sit at the top of branches.
Needles are short, stiff, sharp, and arranged in a circular pattern pointing upward, forming a broad structure.
Woody spurs from which the needles grow.
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar
Description:
Shares many traits with the Blue Atlas Cedar.
Notable for its weeping form with no upright shoots, presenting a bush-like appearance.
Deodar Cedar
Description:
Features a single stem.
Long, airy needles attached to spurs; branches extend outward rather than upward.
Grows to a height of 50-70 ft.
Overall appearance is relaxed.
Needles are thinner, softer, and longer than average.
Japanese Umbrella Pine
Description:
Needles are arranged in whorls resembling umbrella shapes.
Very long, rubbery soft needles clustered in a circular pattern along the branch edge.
Characterized by a single light lime stripe on the underside of each needle.
Male cones are lumpy and brain-like in appearance, while female cones are thick and woody.
Typically grows to about 40 ft.
Norway Spruce
Description:
Identified by classic J-shaped branches, which start downward and arch upwards towards the end.
Produces the longest spruce cones.
Features sharp needles that are individually attached.
Has a small orangey-brown petiole with a single terminal bud.
Needles are rounded and point forward; dead stems have spikey teeth.
Dwarf Norway Spruce
Description:
Needles mirror those of the full-sized Norway Spruce.
Notable for many buds at the terminal.
Never forms an upright shoot and presents a rounded gumdrop shape.
Twiggs possess the same teeth characteristic of spruce trees, and long needles point forward.
Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Description:
Recognized as a very compact, attractive Christmas tree shape.
Measures 7-8 ft tall; notably dense.
Dense enough that seeing through it is impossible.
Features sharp teeth on branches with no cones, having individually attached, very narrow and fine needles.
Oriental Spruce
Description:
Grows to approximately 60 ft, with a narrow form.
Features a little brown petiole and very short, chunky needles.
Needles are densely arranged, contributing to a significant resin presence on cones.
Notably produces 4-inch cones.
Serbian Spruce
Description:
Features branches that point downwards in a J shape.
Underside of the needles is very white, with a single stem rendering a narrow appearance.
Mimics fir trees with flattened needles and teeth-like scars on branches similar to spruce.
Blue Colorado Spruce
Description:
Notable for its VERY BLUE coloration and Christmas tree shape.
Possesses mid-length needles.
Douglas Fir
Description:
Features a spiky bud; noted for a Christmas tree shape.
The texture of flat needles, single terminal bud, and presence of a suction cup leaf scar.
Cones have wings extending from them, which are forked.
Dwarf Eastern White Pine
Description:
Equipped with 3-5 needles; height ranges from 10-12 ft, often featuring multiple stems.
Needs have silver undersides and measure 3-4 inches in length, with slight serration.
Needles are very thin and fine, with candle buds and cones reaching 2-3 inches.
Eastern White Pine
Description:
Grows significantly taller, measuring 60-80 ft with a single stem.
Known for being a soft pine that tends to break easily in storms.
Contains 4-5 needles per cluster and can produce exceptionally large cones measuring 7-8 inches.
Needles are lacy and fine, often exhibiting silver highlights.
Nikko Fir
Description:
Characterized by a single point at the top, growing between 70-80 ft tall.
Features a suction cup leaf scar and carries two silver lines under the needles.
Christmas tree shape with 2-3 terminal buds; dense needles with dull tips finished off with butt-shaped ends.
Needles are flat and attached individually.
Greek Fir
Description:
Exhibits a Christmas tree shape with individually attached needles.
Has a suction cup leaf scar, pointed needle tips, and 2-3 buds.
Buds are blunt and waxy in texture, with longer needles presenting 2 silver lines underneath.
Concolor Fir
Description:
Known for a very blue appearance resembling a Christmas tree.
Contains the longest fir needles; needles meet a waxy texture top and bottom.
Loose needles can be observed with buds distributed along the stem.
Japanese White Pine
Description:
Composed of 5 needles per cluster; noted for strange, bonsai-like branch structures.
Clusters of thicker needles, particularly at the tips, contribute to chode-like cones and a blue color with an irregular shape.
Weeping Eastern White Pine
Description:
Needles hang down with a single trunk, featuring a greenish-blue hue.
Very similar in appearance to white pine species.
Mugo Pine
Description:
Takes on a shrubby form with no single trunk.
Typically grouped with 2 needles, appearing in an olive green shade.
Consists of clumps of buds and grows to heights between 8-15 ft; characterized by thick ridged needles.
Japanese Black Pine
Description:
Considered super thick and long with impressive terminal buds.
Branch structure is irregular, presenting twisted needles in pairs of two.
Grows between 30-40 ft.
Lacebark Pine
Description:
Comprises three needles per cluster; presents a rich dark green appearance.
Has thick, straight needles and features peeling bark resembling that of the London plane tree.
Displays mosaic-like bark with sharp red buds and short, thick needles, complemented by a spiky cone.
Limber Pine
Description:
Exhibits blue needles with five needles per cluster.; characterized by thick needles that point outward.
The bark is also thick, with the old growth presenting notable needle patterns.
Pitch Pine
Description:
Approximately three needles per cluster, measuring 3-4 inches.
Straight terminal bud displays unkempt appearance; long needle structure.
Korean Fir
Description:
Short needles are typical of this species, arranged as a Christmas tree shape.
Possesses an extremely white underside of the needle while featuring an olive green top.
Needles are individually attached with a rounded butt tip appearance; buds showcase a silver/white color.
Ginkgo Tree
Description:
Notable for large, fat, and thick spurs along a single stem.
Leaves are shaped like slices of pizza with big buds on the end of the spurs and irregular spacing between them.
Branches extend at 45 degrees.
Japanese Cryptomeria
Description:
Recognized for its narrow structure and awl-like needles.
Seed cones exhibit brown discoloration and resemble rose buds.
Clusters of pollen cones can be found at the branch tips, with wood having a texture likened to beef jerky (peely appearance).
Japanese Plum Yew
Description:
Features single needles with a shrubby appearance.
Needles uniquely point horizontally, with balls formed along the growth.
Overarching petiole at the end of each needle, highlighted by two large white strips beneath the needle.
Blue China Fir
Description:
Notable for beef jerky pealy bark and bluish coloration.
Presents an irregular, strange appearance with long, flat needles and two white strips beneath each needle.
Notably, needles stay attached well and can grow between 60-70 ft tall.
Golden Larch
Description:
Characterized by very large spurs resembling cedar-like needles.
Spurs are arranged in a two-dimensional layout.
Common Larch
Description:
Displays a single stem, with branches that appear random and erratic in placement.
Contains cedar-like needles, with cones that can stay attached for years.
Features randomly placed spurs and is generally larger in size than the Golden Larch.
Common Baldcypress
Description:
Presents a straight trunk with horizontal branches forming a 90-degree angle.
Grows to a height of 60-75 ft; notable for the presence of cypress knees.
Twigs have nodes that appear randomly placed, with seed cones that appear gumball-sized and lumpy.
Dawn Redwood
Description:
Considered the biggest tree on campus; has a perfect Christmas tree shape.
Can grow between 90-100 ft tall with branches curving upwards.
Features paired buds opposite each other and possesses seed cones that resemble cherries.
Cones appear like lips arranged in a circle, notable for lacking any spurs.
Anglojap Yew
Description:
A large multi-branched shrub characterized by needles arranged horizontally but curved upward towards the sky.
Exhibit brown petioles and lime green undersides, presenting a common shrub appearance.
Features buds distributed all along the new branches and is dioecious in nature.