Tree Identification: FOR 202

1. Tree Identification: FOR 202 This Powerpoint is designed to help solidify your tree identification skills; however, is a much abbreviated guide compared to what we learn in class. I attempted to include the most difficult groupings of trees and identify the easiest way I personally learned them. Remember that nothing can replace time in the field looking at multiple specimens of various age classes. Every tree is different. Oaks Cypress HickoriesMaples EvergreensVines Other species important to the Cache

2. Oak Species Red Oaks White Oaks Bur Oak Chinkapin Oak Overcup Oak Post Oak Swamp Chestnut Oak Swamp White Oak White Oak • Black Oak • Blackjack Oak • Cherrybark Oak • Northern Red Oak • Pin Oak • Sawtooth Oak • Scarlet Oak • Shingle Oak • Shumard Oak • Southern Red Oak • Willow Oak Home

3. Black Oak – Quercusvelutina • Large, angled buds with velvety pubescence • Blocky bark that is typically orange when bored into with a knife • Fringe tipped scales along acorn cap Back to Oaks Home

4. Blackjack Oak – Quercusmarilandica • Smaller, scrubby oak • Small acorns • Velvety buds with reddish color, more round than QUVE • Grows on dry sites • Black, blocky bark • Dead lower branches often persist Back to Oaks Home

5. Cherrybark Oak – Quercus pagoda • Leaves have Chinese pagoda shape when held upside-down • Pubescent, divergent buds that are orange-red in color • Small acorn that has a bright orange inner flesh • Mature bark is “potato chip” like, similar to black cherry Back to Oaks Home

6. Northern Red Oak – Quercusrubra • Blocky bark at base that transitions to smooth “ski-sloped” bark about 8-10’ above ground • Glabrous buds except at tip, ovoid • Large acorn with shallow cap • Good self-pruner Back to Oaks Home

7. Pin Oak – Quercuspalustris • Upper branches point up, mid-branches point out, and lower branches point down • Poor self pruner, so dead lower branches are common • Pin-striped acorn with a very shallow cap • Very tight bark Back to Oaks Home

8. Sawtooth Oak – Quercusaccutissima • Serrated margins • Cap cover ~2/3 of nut • Young stems/boles dark color with white showing through cracks • Bark diamond patterned when young Back to Oaks Home

9. Scarlet Oak – Quercuscoccinea • Leave look sharp, upper half is very deeply sinused • Acorn caps cover about ½ of the nut • Lower end of nut has bullseyeapperance • On mature trees the bark is blocky at the base and is tight higher up, it has a dark gray to black color • Inhabits very dry sites Back to Oaks Home

10. Shingle Oak – Quercusimbricaria • Elliptical, entire leaf • Small acorn with tight cap that covers ½ of the acorn, hairy inside cap • Tight black bark with flammes or orange on the underside of limbs Back to Oaks Home

11. Shumard Oak – Quercusshumardii • Leave look sharp, upper half looks like a “ninja throwing star” • Swollen tree base, especially in floodplains • Gray angled buds • Relatively large acorn with appressed scales and a shallow cap • Tight bark, similar to pin oak Back to Oaks Home

12. Southern Red Oak – Quercusfalcata • Turkey foot shaped leaf • Large velvety buds • Small acorns with bright orange inner flesh • Dark, narrowly fissured bark when mature Back to Oaks Home

13. Willow Oak – Quercusphellos • Very small acorns • Narrow leaves like willow species • Twigs are very small in diameter and wispy, numerous pin branches • Tight bark, grayish to nearly black on mature trees • Buds glabrous Back to Oaks Home

14. Bur Oak – Quercusmacrocarpa • Largest acorn of any oak we learn • Fringed cap • Small buds with stipules on buds (not always present) • Upper leaf resembles chestnut oak and lower half is lobed like white oak Back to Oaks Home

15. Chinkapin Oak – Quercusmuelhenbergii • Finely sinused/lobed leaves • Acorn turns dark purple to black at maturity • Ashy gray bark, flaky • Frosted buds • Slender brown twigs Back to Oaks Home

16. Overcup Oak – Quercuslyrata • Leaf has an elongated section in between upper and lower lobes • Cap covers majority of the acorn • Ashy gray, sometimes orangish, bark • Small chesnut brown buds Back to Oaks Home

17. Post Oak – Quercusstellata • Crucifix-shaped leaf, with thick waxy surface • Bark is ashy gray, corky, and often has raised light or dark patches • Small acorn, with warty cap that encloses 1/3 of acorn • Squat bud with orange to chestnut scales • Twigs tomentose Back to Oaks Home

18. Swamp Chestnut Oak – Quercusmichauxii • Leaves with many fine lobes • Acorn is cover by 1/3 with cap • Ashy gray flaky bark, somewhat orange with maturity • Wet site species • Stout reddish buds with frosted scale margins Back to Oaks Home

19. Swamp White Oak – Quercus bicolor • Leaves have dark top and light underneath (whitish pubescence on bottom side of leaf) • Acorn cap has a long peduncle (1-2”) • 1-2” diameter branches have very flaky bark • Bark more deeply fissured than white oak Back to Oaks Home

20. White Oak – Quercus alba • Lobed margin • Oval shaped nut • Ashy-gray bark with horizontal rockers on upper bole and limbs • Buds small, blunt, and dark reddish-brown Back to Oaks Home

21. Hickory Species • Bitternut Hickory • Black Walnut • Mockernut Hickory • Pecan • Pignut Hickory • Shagbark Hickory General Comments: Focus on the buds, pecan and black walnut have naked buds (and a distinct odor) and the 4 hickory species have scaled buds. Hickories are very durable and have strong branches. All species have compound leaves that are alternately arranged. Home

22. Bitternut Hickory – Caryacordiformis • 7-11 narrow leaflets on a compound leaf • Terminal bud is naked and is sulphur-yellow with a slight curve • Nut as 4 sections that are separated by a raised fin on the shell of the nut that extends halfway down its side • Tight, gray bark Back to Hickories Home

23. Black Walnut – Juglansnigra • Corky brown bark that is dark chocolate in color underneath when shaved with a knife • Twigs have chambered pith • Distinct odor of twigs, leaves, and fruit • Nuts have green husk (slightly smaller than a tennis ball) and have a chocolate brown seed inside • Compound leaf with 9-23 leaflets • One of the first trees of the year to shed leaves Back to Hickories Home

24. Mockernut Hickory – Caryatomentosa • Large “Hershey’s Kiss” shaped bud • Tight bark • Hairy rachis and twigs • Thin husk on nut • Strong twigs • 7-9 leaflets with large terminal leaflet Back to Hickories Home

25. Pecan – Caryaillinoinensis • Twigs typically pubescent • Thin husk on oval shaped nut, edible • 9-17 leaflets, falcate shaped • Falcate shaped naked bud • Bark grayish-brown, somewhat corky and commonly has lichen growth on it Back to Hickories Home

26. Pignut Hickory – Caryaglabra • Skinny, hairless twigs • Small Hershey’s kiss shaped bud • Tight bark • 5-7 Leaflets • Thin husked nuts with pig snout shaped end Back to Hickories Home

27. Shagbark Hickory – Caryaovata • 5-7 leaflets • “Shaggy” bark, with rockers that peal up from the bottom • Twigs and rachis can be hairy or smooth • Nut has a thick 4-sided husk Back to Hickories Home

28. Evergreen Species Needles <3” long • Mugo Pine • Scotch Pine • Virginia Pine Needles 3-5” long • Eastern White Pine • Shortleaf Pine Needles>5” long • Austrian Pine • Loblolly Pine • Red Pine Other Evergreens • Blue Spruce • Douglas-fir • Eastern Hemlock • Larch (not an evergreen) • Norway Spruce • White Spruce • Yew Home

29. Mugo Pine – Pinusmugo • Fascicles of 2 • Dark green needles • Short, shrubby pine • Small cones • Common ornamental Back to Evergreens Home

30. Scotch Pine – Pinussylvestris • Fascicles of 2 or 3 • Orange underbark • Needles short: <3” • Small, knobby cones Back to Evergreens Home

31. Virginia Pine – Pinusvirginiana • Fascicles of 2 • Needles short: <3” • Dark green foliage • Needles are spiraled or twisted • Cones difficult to pull from twig • Takes time for cones to mature so several hang onto the branches from tip towards bole • Purplish twigs Back to Evergreens Home

32. Eastern White Pine – Pinusstrobus • Fascicles of 5 • Soft needles: 3-5” long • Branches whorled, each whorl represents a year of growth • Cones slender, 3-5” long, and soft. Back to Evergreens Home

33. Shortleaf Pine – Pinusechinata • Fascicles of 2’s mostly, sometimes 3 • Clusters of needles along branches look like “caterpillar” limbs • Scaly dark brown bark • 1.5-2.5” armed cone Back to Evergreens Home

34. Austrian Pine – Pinusnigra • Fascicles of 2 • Needs 4-6” long and twisted • Needles don’t break cleanly when bent • Buds look like white Christmas lights on end of branches • Light gray “alligator” bark • 2-3” armed cone Back to Evergreens Home

35. Loblolly Pine – Pinustaeda • Fascicles of 3, infrequently 2 • Pom-pom needles tufts towards the ends of branches • Blocky bark • Armed cone 2.5-6” long Back to Evergreens Home

36. Red Pine – Pinusresinosa • Fascicles of 2, with long fascicular sheath • Needles break cleanly when bent • Needles 5-7” long • Bark is an SIU reddish-maroon color • Unarmed cones, 2-3” long Back to Evergreens Home

37. Blue Spruce – Piceapungens • Needles slightly longer and stiffer than white spruce • Whitish blue glaucous coating on needles • Bottle brush twigs • Conical tree shape Back to Evergreens Home

38. Douglas-fir – Pseudotsugamenziesii • Flat petiole • Long cigar-shaped, tapered buds • Thin, scaly bark that get thick and blocky when mature • Small (~2”) papery cone Back to Evergreens Home

39. Eastern Hemlock – Tsugacanadensis • Flat, short needles • Two white bands of stomata on underneath side of needles • Thin, scaly bark • Innerbark has a purple hue • Very small cones (<1”) Back to Evergreens Home

40. Larch – Larix spp. • Deciduous (loses needles) • Shoots solitary on elongated terminal twigs • Can be spirally arranged on spur shoots • Upright cones <2” • Smooth when young, then thick and scaly Back to Evergreens Home

41. Norway Spruce – Piceaabies • Conical shaped tree • Twigs droop to shed snow • Cones are light tan, papery, and ~3” long • Papery, gray bark Back to Evergreens Home

42. White Spruce – Piceaglauca • Needles shorter than blue spruce • Needles softer than blue spruce • Twigs glaucous • Twigs look like test tube brushes • Conical tree shape Back to Evergreens Home

43. Yew – Taxus spp. • Shrubby form, shape can be cultured into box, round, or even poodle shapes • Thick, shiny, soft, and flattened needles • Flaky, scaly bark • Fleshy red fruit with seed exposed at bottom Back to Evergreens Home

44. Cypress Family • Arborvitae • Baldcypress • Dawn-redwood • Eastern redcedar • Pondcypress Home

45. Arborvitae – Thujaoccidentalis • Fan-like foliage • Needles appressed • Pyramidal crown • Reddish to gray bark in a diamond pattern • Small cones (<1/2”) Back to Cypress Family Home

46. Baldcypress – Taxodiumdistichum var. distichum • Usually has pneumatophores if near or in water • Limbs appear to be “pulled out” at the bole (i.e., swollen at the base of the limb, no armpits) • Limbs hang down more than dawn-redwood • Alternate leaf arrangement • Fruit rounded and falls apart when mature Back to Cypress Family Home

47. Dawn-redwood – Metasequoiaglyptostrobodies • Limbs angled upwards • Where limb attaches to bole it appears to be “pushed in” creating an armpit • Fruit looks like a bee’s honeycomb (the Winnie the pooh type), and does not fall apart when opened at maturity • Alternate leaf arrangement • Pneumatophores not present Back to Cypress Family Home

48. Eastern Redcedar – Juniperusvirginiana • Periwinkle (purplish) colored fruid • Flat, scale-like needles on mature portions • Awl (triagular) shaped needles on younger growth • Cedar wood-chip odor • Thin, scaly bark Back to Cypress Family Home

49. Pondcypress – Taxodiumdistichum var. imbricarium • Branchlets are alternately arranged and spiraled • Smaller (narrower) branchlets than dawn-redwood and baldcypress • Bark more deeply furrowed that baldcypress • Fruit round and falls apart when mature Back to Cypress Family Home

50. Maple Species • Black Maple • Boxelder • Japanese Maple • Norway Maple • Red Maple • Silver Maple • Sugar Maple General Comments: All maple species have opposite leaf arrangements, have samaras (wind transported seed), and are shade tolerant. Maples can occupy a range of sites, from near inundation with water to very dry uplands. Home