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Tree Identification. American elm Ulmaceae Ulmus americana.
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American elm Ulmaceae Ulmus americana • Leaf: Alternate, 3 to 6 inches long, 1 to 3 inches wide; margin coarsely and sharply doubly serrate, base of leaf conspicuously inequilateral; upper surface glabrous or slightly scabrous, paler and downy beneath. Flower: Appears March to May before leaf buds open, in fascicles of 3 to 5. • Fruit: Rounded samaras, 3/8 to 1/2 inch across, deeply notched at apex, hairless except for margin; appears April to May. • Twig: Slender, glabrous, slightly zigzag, reddish-brown; buds over 1/4 inch long, reddish-brown with darker edged scales, often placed a little to one side of the twig. • Bark: Dark, ashy-gray, flat-topped ridges separated by diamond-shaped fissures; outer bark when sectioned shows distinct, alternating, buff colored and reddish-brown patches. When young it is often quite spongy. • Form: In the open, the trunk is usually divided into several large, ascending and arching limbs, ending in a maze of graceful drooping branchlets.
Baldcypress Taxodiaceae Taxodium distichum • Leaf: Linear and small, 1/4 to 3/4 inch long, green to yellow-green, generally appearing two-ranked. When growing on deciduous branchlets the leaf-deciduous branchlet structure resembles a feathery pinnately (or bi-pinnately) compound leaf. Flower: Males in drooping long panicles. Females are subglobose, peltate scales, and tend to occur near the end of branches. • Fruit: Cones are composed of peltate scales forming a woody, brown sphere with rough surfaces, 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Cones disintegrate into irregular-shaped seeds. • Twig: May be deciduous or not. Non-deciduous twigs are slender, alternate, brown, rough, with round buds near the end of the twig. Deciduous twigs are two-ranked, resembling pinnately compound leaves. • Bark: Fibrous, red-brown but may be gray where exposed to the weather. Old, thick bark may appear somewhat scaly. • Form: A large tree with a pyramid-shaped crown, cylindrical bole, fluted or buttressed base and often with knees.
American basswood Tiliaceae Tilia americana • Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, ovate to cordate, 5 to 6 inches long, with serrate margins. The base is unequally cordate. Flower: Pale yellow, borne on pendulous cymes, with a narrow leaf-like bract. Maturing June to July. • Fruit: A round, unribbed nutlet that is covered with gray-brown hair. The bract is persistent, 4 inches long when mature. Ripening September to October. • Twig: Moderately stout, zigzag, red or green in color. The terminal bud is false. Buds are edible and very mucilaginous. • Bark: Gray or brown, ridged with long shallow furrows. The bark appears very fibrous. Young stems are smooth and gray-green. • Form: A medium-sized tree. Older trees very often sprout from the base when cut. Stumps sprout prolifically, often resulting in clumps of several trees.
American beech Fagaceae Fagus grandifolia • Leaf: Alternate, simple, elliptical to oblong-ovate, 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long, pinnately-veined, with each vein ending in a tooth. Leaves feel dry and papery. • Flower: Male flowers borne on globose heads, female flowers borne on spikes. Flowers appear just after leaves in the spring. • Fruit: Nuts are irregularly triangular, shiny brown and edible, found in pairs within a woody husk covered with spines, 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. Maturing September to November. • Twig: Very slender, zigzag, light brown in color. Buds are long (3/4 inch), light brown, and slender, covered with overlapping scales; best described as "cigar-shaped". • Bark: The bark is smooth, thin, and gray in color, sometimes mottled. Often carved with initials. • Form: A medium to large tree with a rounded crown. Often found in thickets produced by root suckering. Old trees may be surrounded by a ring of young beech.
Black cherry Rosaceae Prunus serotina • Leaf: Alternate, 2 to 5 inches long, oval to oblong, lance-shaped. Margins are finely serrated, dark green and lustrous above, paler below; usually with a dense yellowish-brown, sometimes white pubescence along mid-rib. Flower: White racemes appear when leaves are half to newly formed. Flowers May to July. • Fruit: Flesh is dark purple, almost black when ripe, with a bitter-sweet taste. Matures June to October. • Twig: Slender, reddish-brown, sometimes covered in gray epidermis, pronounced bitter almond odor and taste. Buds are about 1/5 inch long covered in several, glossy, reddish-brown to greenish scales. Leaf scars are small and semicircular with 3 bundle scars. • Bark: Smooth with narrow, horizontal lenticels when young. It becomes very dark (nearly black) breaking up into small, rough, irregular, upturned plates (burnt corn flakes), when older. • Form: Medium-sized tree which on good sites develops a long, straight, clear bole.
Black locust Fabaceae Robinia pseudoacacia • Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound with 7 to 19 leaflets. Leaves are 8 to 14 inches long. Leaflets are oval, one inch long, with entire margins. Leaves resemble sprigs of grapes. • Flower: Showy and aromatic, white, 5 lobed, borne in racemes, 5 inches long. Present May through June. • Fruit: Brown, flattened, shaped like pea pods, 2 to 4 inches long; containing 4 to 8 kidney-shaped, smooth, red-brown seeds. Maturing September to October. • Twig: Zigzag, somewhat stout and angular, red-brown in color. Spines are paired, 2 at each leaf. Buds are submerged beneath the leaf scar. • Bark: Gray or dark brown, ridged and furrowed-- resembles a woven rope. • Form: May develop a straight stem with a very small crown. Often forms thickets by root suckering.
Black walnut Juglandaceae Juglans nigra • Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound with 10 to 24 leaflets, 12 to 24 inches long. Leaflets are ovate-lanceolate, finely serrate, and are 3 to 3 1/2 inches long. The rachis is stout and somewhat pubescent. Poorly formed or missing terminal leaflet. Flower: Male flowers are single-stemmed catkins, 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long. Female flowers on short spikes near twig end, yellow-green in color. Present April to June. • Fruit: Round with a thick, green indehiscent husk. The husk contains an irregularly furrowed nut that contains sweet, oily meat (edible). Maturing September to October. • Twig: Stout, light brown, with a buff-colored chambered pith. Buds are short, blunt with a few pubescent scales. Leaf scars are 3-lobed, resembling a "monkey face". • Bark: Light brown on surface, dark brown when cut, ridged and furrowed with a rough diamond pattern. • Form: A medium-sized tree that developes a straight, clear bole with a narrow crown under competition. Twigs and branches quite stout.
Blackgum Nyssaceae Nyssa sylvatica • Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, obovate in shape with an entire margin, 3 to 5 inches long. Rarely toothed. Flower: Not showy, green-white in color, appearing with the leaves, hanging in clusters. • Fruit: A dark, purplish-blue drupe, 1/2 inch long, with a fleshy coating surrounding a ribbed pit. • Twig: Slender, red-brown to gray in color, with a diaphragmed pith. One to 2 inch curved spur shoots are often present. Buds are multicolored, including purple and green. • Bark: Gray, quite often blocky--resembling alligator hide on very old stems. Otherwise scaly or ridged and ashy-gray (nearly nondescript). • Form: A medium-sized tree, with slightly curled spur shoots. Branches stand at right angles to the trunk.
Boxelder Aceraceae Acer negundo • Leaf: Opposite, pinnately compound, 3 to 5 leaflets (sometimes 7), 2 to 4 inches long, margin coarsely serrate or somewhat lobed, shape variable, green above and paler below. • Flower: Dioecious; yellow-green, in drooping racemes; appearing in April and May. • Fruit: Paired V-shaped samara, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, appear September to October in drooping clusters, persist throughout winter. • Twig: Green to purplish green, moderately stout, leaf scars narrow, meeting in raised points, often covered with a glaucous bloom, buds white and hairy, lateral buds appressed. • Bark: Thin, gray to light brown, with shallow interlacing ridges. Young bark is generally warty. • Form: Medium-sized tree, usually has poor form, multiple trunks, sprouts often occur on bole.
Butternut Juglandaceae Juglans cinerea • Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound with 11 to 17 leaflets, 15 to 25 inches long. The leaflets are oblong-lanceolate in shape with serrate margins. The rachis is stout and pubescent with a well developed terminal leaflet. Flower: Male flowers are single-stemmed catkins, 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long. Female flowers are on a spike near the end of the twig, green-yellow in color. Present April to June. • Fruit: Oblong, with a yellow-green sticky indehiscent husk. The husk contains an irregularly-ribbed nut containing sweet, oily meat. Maturing September to October. • Twig: Stout, may be somewhat pubescent, red-brown to gray, with a chambered pith that is very dark brown in color. Buds are large and covered with a few light colored pubescent scales. Leaf scars are 3-lobed, resembling a "monkey face". A tuft of pubescence is present above the leaf scar resembling an "eyebrow". • Bark: Light, ashy gray, with flattened ridges, developing diamond shaped patterns. • Form: A small to medium-sized tree with a forked or crooked trunk and wide-spreading branches.
Cottonwood Salicaceae Populus deltoides • Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, 3 to 6 inches long, triangular (deltoid) in shape with a crenate/serrate margin. The petiole is flattened and glands are present at the top of the petiole. • Flower: Dioecious, male and female as pendulous catkins, appearing before the leaves. • Fruit: Cottony seeds, 1/4 inch long borne in a dehiscent capsule. Maturing over summer. • Twig: Stout, somewhat angled and yellowish. Buds are 3/4 inch long, covered with several brown, resinous scales. Has a bitter aspirin taste. • Bark: Smooth, gray to yellow-green when young. Later turning gray with thick ridges and deep furrows. • Form: A large tree with a clear bole and an open spreading crown resulting in a somewhat vase-shaped form.
Eastern redcedar CupressaceaeJuniperus virginiana • Leaf: Evergreen, with two types of leaves, often on the same tree. Scale leaves 1/16 inch long, dark green, with 4 sides. Awl leaves are more common on young trees, 1/8 to 3/8 inch long, dark blue-green and sharp-pointed. • Flower: Dioecious, but occasionally monoecious; males are yellow-brown, occurring in large groups; females are light blue-green. • Fruit: Berry-like cones, light green in spring, turning dark blue and glaucous at maturity, about 1/4 inch in diameter. Appearing March to May. Maturing September to November. • Twig: Green for several years, covered in scales, later turning brown. • Bark: Red-brown in color, exfoliating in long, fibrous strips, often ashy gray where exposed. • Form: A small tree with a dense pyramidal or columnar crown.
Flowering dogwood Cornaceae Cornus florida • Leaf: Opposite, simple, arcuately veined, 3 to 6 inches long, oval in shape with an entire margin. Flower: Very small, but surrounded by 4 large white (occasionally pink) bracts, 2 inches in diameter. Appearing March to April in the south, June in the north. • Fruit: A shiny, oval red drupe, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, in clusters of 3 to 4. Maturing in September to October. • Twig: Slender, green or purple, later turning gray, often with a glaucous bloom. The terminal flower buds are clove-shaped, vegetative buds resemble a cat claw. • Bark: Gray when young, turning very scaly to blocky. • Form: A small tree with a short trunk that branches low, producing a flat-topped crown. Branches are opposite, and assume a "candelabra" appearance.
Green ash Oleaceae Fraxinus pennsylvanica • Leaf: Opposite, pinnately compound with 7 to 9 serrate leaflets that are lanceolate to elliptical in shape. The leaf is 6 to 9 inches long and is glabrous to silky-pubescent below. • Flower: Dioecious, both sexes lacking petals, occuring as panicles. Flowers appear after the leaves unfold. • Fruit: A one-winged, dry, flattened samara with a slender, thin, seed cavity, maturing September to October and dispersing over winter. • Twig: Stout to medium texture, gray to green-brown and either glabrous or pubescent, depending on variety. Leaf scars are semicircular, lacking the notched top. • Bark: Ashy gray to brown in color, with interlacing corky ridges forming obvious diamonds. Older trees may be somewhat scaly. • Form: A medium-sized tree with a poorly formed bole and an irregular crown.
Hackberry Ulmaceae Celtis occidentalis • Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, 2 to 5 inches long. Leaves are ovate, with acuminate tips and a cordate, inequilateral base, three distinct veins meet at base. Leaf margins are serrate and may be somewhat pubescent below. • Flower: Very small (1/8 inch) and green, produced on stalks near the twig. Each flower with a 4 or 5 lobed calyx. Apparent in April to May. • Fruit: Fleshy, globose drupe, 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter, turning orange-red to dark purple when ripe. The flesh is thin and quite dry but edible and sweet, enclosing a large pit. Maturing in September and October. • Twig: Slender zigzag, light red-brown in color. The terminal bud is lacking, but a pseudoterminal bud is present. Lateral buds are small, tapering, and appressed, pith chambered at the nodes. • Bark: Gray or light brown in color, smooth with corky "warts" or ridges. Much later becoming scaly. • Form: A small to medium-sized tree.
Live oak Fagaceae Quercus virginiana • Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, leathery, 2 to 5 inches long, oblong or elliptical in shape with an entire or spiny and revolute margin. The upper surface is lustrous, the lower is pale and pubescent. Generally, not bristle-tipped. • Flower: Staminate flowers borne on catkins. Pistillate flowers borne on spikes. Appearing March through May. • Fruit: Acorns are in clusters of 3 to 5, maturing in one season. The nut is dark in color, 3/4 inch long and covered 1/3 by the cap. The cap is bowl-shaped and warty, termed "turbinate" by Harlow et al. Maturing in September of the first year. • Twig: Slender, gray and pubescent, with small, blunt, multiple terminal buds. • Bark: Rapidly developing red-brown furrows with small surface scales. Later, becoming black and very blocky. • Form: A medium-sized tree that can grow to massive proportions. Open-grown trees develop a huge rounded crown. The largest crowns may be 150 feet across.
Loblolly pine PinaceaePinus taeda • Leaf: Evergreen, 6 to 9 inches long, with (usually) three yellow-green needles per fascicle. • Flower: Monoecious; males long cylindrical, red to yellow, in clusters at branch tips; females yellow to purple. • Fruit: Cones are ovoid to cylindrical and red-brown in color. The umbo is armed with a short spine. Cones are roughly the size of a potato (3 to 6 inches). Maturing September to October. • Twig: Orange-brown in color, fine to moderately stout. Buds are light reddish-brown. • Bark: Quite variable. When young, appears brown and scaly. Older trees are ridged and furrowed, with somewhat apparent blocks. Very old trees have red-brown scaly plates. • Form: A medium to large tree that self-prunes well and develops a straight trunk and an oval, somewhat dense crown.
Longleaf pine PinaceaePinus palustris • Leaf: Evergreen, very long and feathery (8 to 18 inches long), with three dark green needles per fascicle. Flower: Monoecious; males yellow-red, long, in clusters; females oval, purple. • Fruit: Very large (largest cone in the Eastern U. S. --6 to 10 inches long), ovoid to conical in shape, sessile. Scales are red-brown in color. The umbo is armed with a curved prickle. Maturing September to October. • Twig: Very stout, brown, with large obvious, asbestos-white buds. • Bark: Quite scaly, orange-brown to gray, will eventually develop plates. • Form: A medium-sized tree with a straight trunk, coarse branches and tufted needles at ends of branches.
Mockernut hickory Juglandaceae Carya tomentosa • Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7 to 9 serrate, lanceolate to obovate-lanceolate leaflets. The terminal leaflet is larger than the laterals. The leaf is 9 to 14 inches long, but may be longer in the understory. The rachis is stout and very pubescent. Flower: Male flowers are drooping catkins, with 3 hanging from one stalk, 3 to 4 inches long. Female flowers in clusters of 2 to 5 near the tip of the twig. Appearing in April to May. • Fruit: Obovoid to ellipsoidal in shape, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. The husk is thick (although less thick than C. ovata) and dehiscent; 4-ribbed nut, sweet and edible. The fruit matures from September to October. • Twig: Stout and pubescent, the 3-lobed leaf scars are best described as a "monkey face". The terminal bud is very large, and the scales are deciduous, revealing a silky white bud. • Bark: Gray-brown close, with interlaced round-topped ridges and shallow furrows, not shaggy or exfoliating. • Form: A medium-sized tree with a straight stem and a rounded crown.
Red mulberry Moraceae Morus rubra • Leaf: Alternate, simple, roughly orbicular in shape, 3 to 5 inches long with a serrate margin. Leaves may be 0 to 3-lobed, (sometimes more). Leaves are papery, with white fibers apparent when torn. Flower: Normally dioecious, small, green, male flowers are hanging catkins, 1 to 2 inches long. Female flowers, also catkins, are 1 inch long. • Fruit: Resembling blackberries, cylindrical, 1 to 1 1/4 inches long, fleshy multiples of drupes, each containing a small seed. Maturing June to August. • Twig: Slender, zigzag, green changing to red-brown. Twigs are often pubescent. Buds are covered with brown-margined overlapping scales. Silvery-white filaments when broken. • Bark: Reddish-brown and quite irregular with long ridges. Younger trees are often orangish, especially when wet. • Form: A small tree, with a short trunk that branches low.
Pecan Juglandaceae Carya illinoensis • Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound with 9 to 15 finely serrate and often curved leaflets, 12 to 18 inches long. • Flower: Male flowers in hanging, yellow-green catkins, often in pairs of three (4 to 5 inches long). Females are small and yellowish green, 4-angled. • Fruit: Large, oblong, brown, splotched with black, thin shelled nuts, 1 ½ to 2 inches long, husks are thin, usually occur in clusters on trees. Mature in September and October. • Twig: Moderately stout, light brown, fuzzy particularly, when young; leaf scars large and three lobed; buds are yellowish brown to brown, hairy, terminal buds ¼ to ½ inch long. • Bark: Smooth when young, becoming narrowly fissured into thin broken strips, often scaly. • Form: A large tree (can reach heights well over 100 feet) with spreading crown when in the open.
Common persimmon Ebenaceae Diospyros virginiana • Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately-veined, 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long. Oblong to oval, lustrous dark green above, entire margin. Flower: Usually dioecious, white to greenish-white, male flowers in 3's. Female flowers solitary, both about 1/2 inch long. Present March to mid-June. • Fruit: A plum-like berry that is green before ripening, turning orange to black when ripe, 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter when ripe. The fruit is astringent when green, sweet and edible when ripe. Matures September to November with frost. • Twig: Slender, light brown to gray, maybe scabrous or pubescent. Buds are dark red to black with 2 bud scales, triangular in shape. Leaf scar has one vascular bundle trace. • Bark: Very dark, broken up into square scaly thick plates; reminiscent of charcoal briquettes. • Form: A small to medium-sized tree with a round-topped crown. In forest stands the stem may be straight, tall, and slender.
Pignut hickory Juglandaceae Carya glabra • Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 5 (sometimes 7) leaflets. Leaflets are lanceolate and serrate. The rachis is slender and glabrous. Flower: Male flowers are drooping catkins, with three hanging from one stalk, 2 to 3 inches long. Female flowers are short and found in clusters at the end of the branches. Present April to May. • Fruit: Obovoid to pear-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long, with a thin husk that only partially dehisces upon maturation. The nut is not ribbed and the seed is usually bitter. Ripening in September to October. • Twig: Moderately stout to slender (when compared to the other hickories) and glabrous. Leaf scars are 3-lobed to cordate--best described as a "monkey face". The terminal bud is small and light brown in color. • Bark: The bark on young trees is smooth, soon becoming finely shaggy. The bark on older trees has obvious close interlacing ridges. • Form: A medium-sized tree with a rounded crown and a straight trunk.
Post oak FagaceaeQuercus stellata • Leaf: Alternate, simple, 6 to 10 inches long, oblong in shape, with 5 lobes, thickened texture. The two middle lobes are square, resulting in an overall cruciform appearance. The upper surface has scattered stellate pubescence. The lower surface is pubescent. Flower: Male flowers are green, borne in naked catkins, 2 to 4 inches long. Female flowers are reddish and appear as single spikes. Appearing with the leaves. • Fruit: Acorns are 1/2 to 2/3 inches long and ovoid. The cap is bowl-shaped and warty, covering 1/3 to 1/2 of the nut. Individual scales are more apparent than white oak. Maturing in one year, ripening September to November. • Twig: Gray or tawny-tomentose and dotted with numerous lenticels. The multiple terminal buds are short, blunt, chestnut-brown in color, and pubescent, short, threadlike stipules may be present. • Bark: Very similar to white oak or bur oak, but more reddish-brown in color. • Form: A small to medium-sized tree with a crown that has snarled and twisted branches.
Red maple Aceraceae Acer rubrum • Leaf: Opposite, 3 to 5 palmate lobes with serrate margins, sinuses relatively shallow (but variable), 2 to 4 inches long; light green above, whitened and sometimes glaucous or hairy beneath. • Flower: Appear March to May, usually before leaves; usually bright red but occasionally yellow. • Fruit: Clusters of 1/2 to 3/4 inch long fruit with slighly divergent wings, appear May to June, on long slender stems. Light brown and often reddish. • Twig: Reddish and lustrous with small lenticels, buds usually blunt, green or reddish (fall and winter) with several scales usually present, leaf scars V-shaped, 3 bundle scars, lateral buds slightly stalked, may be collateral buds present. • Bark: On young trees, smooth and light gray, with age becomes darker and breaks up into long scaly plates. • Form: Medium-sized tree. In forest, trunk usually clear for some distance, in the open the trunk is shorter and the crown rounded.
