Identification Guide for Common North American Trees
This guide provides detailed descriptions and identification tips for several commonly found North American trees, including Boxelder, Eastern Redbud, American Beech, and Sweetgum. Key characteristics include leaf shape, size, and arrangement, as well as unique bark features and flowering habits. Learn to recognize these trees by their distinct features, such as the serrated leaves of the Black Cherry or the fragrant leaves of Sassafras. Ideal for students, nature enthusiasts, and anyone interested in botany, this guide will enhance your understanding of local flora.
Identification Guide for Common North American Trees
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Presentation Transcript
ID Test 4 • Boxelder- Acer negundo • Eastern Redbud- Cercis canadensis • American Beech- Fagus grandifolia • American Elm- Ulmus americana • Sweetgum- Liquidambar styraciflua
Boxelder- Acer negundo • Compound leaves are opposite on the twig • Leaves 5-8 inches long • 3-5 pointed leaflets • Twigs shiny and green s • Coarsely toothed
Eastern Redbud- Cerciscanadensis • Cordate leaves • Leaves 3-5 inches long • Fruit is a flat pod 2.5-3.5 inches long • Purpleish red flower in early spring • Zig-zag growth habits
American Beech- Fagusgrandifolia • Leaves 2.5-5 inches long • 11-14 vein pairs that oppose one another • Serrations at each vein • Fusiform buds-large
American Elm- Ulmus americana • 4-6 inch leaves • Doubly serrated • Parallel veins • Lopsided or uneven at base
Sweetgum- Liquidambar styraciflua • 5-7 lobes/points • Leaves 4-6 inches wide • Winged stems/growths • Finely serrated • Sweetgum balls
Word Bank For ID #4 • Slash Pine- Pinuselliotii • Pitch Pine- Pinusrigida • Eastern Hemlock- Tsugacanadensis • Eastern Redcedar- Juniperusvirginiana • Leyland Cypress- Cupressocyparis x leylandii • Pond Pine- Pinusserotina • Spruce Pine- Pinusglabra • Southern Magnolia- Magnoiagrandiflora • Baldcypress-Taxodiumdistichum • American Holly- Ilex opaca • Boxelder- Acer negundo • Eastern Redbud- Cerciscanadensis • American Beech- Fagusgrandifolia • American Elm- Ulmusamericana • Sweetgum- Liquidambar styraciflua
ID Test 5 • Black Cherry- Prunusserotina • Blackgum- Nyssa sylvatica • Mulberry- Morus spp. • Sugarberry- Celtislaevigata • Yellow-Poplar- Liriodendron tulipifera
Black Cherry- Prunus serotina • Leaves 2-6 inches long, 1-1.5 inches wide • Leaves dark green and shiny above • Serrated margin. • The flowers are small with five white petals, and are fragrant
Black Cherry- Prunus serotina • Dark grey to black bark • Has the appearance of very thick, burnt potato chips. • Fruit changes from green to black when ripe
Blackgum- Nyssa sylvatica • Leaves 2-5 inches long • Leaves ovate and shiny above. • Leaves grow in clusters near the end of the twig. • Twigs and branches grow @ right angles to the trunk • Leaves have a whorl pattern
Mulberry- Morus spp. • Leaves 3-5 inches long and 2.5-4 inches wide • 1 to many lobes • Toothed margins • Leaf rough to the touch • Fruit resembling a blackberry • Twigs when broken shows thin, silky hairs on the broken surface
Sugarberry- Celtislaevigata • Leaves 2.5-5 inches long • Doubly serrated • Lance shaped leaf • Warty Bark • Small nutlet .25 inches
Sugarberry- Celtis laevigata • Fleshy fruit with only one seed
Yellow-Poplar- Liriodendron tulipifera • Leaves are 5-6 inches long and wide. • They have 3-4 lobes • Flower is yellow and tulip like • Shaped like a cat’s face
Word Bank For ID #5 Pond Pine- Pinusserotina Spruce Pine- Pinusglabra Southern Magnolia- Magnoiagrandiflora Baldcypress-Taxodiumdistichum American Holly- Ilex Opaca Boxelder- Acer negundo Eastern Redbud- Cerciscanadensis American Beech- Fagusgrandifolia American Elm- Ulmusamericana Sweetgum- Liquidambar styraciflua Black Cherry- Prunusserotina BlackgumNyssasylvatica Mulberry- Morus spp. Sugarberry- Celtislaevigata Yellow-Poplar- Liriodendron tulipifera
ID Test 6 • Sassafras- Sassafras albidum • Mockernut Hickory- Caryatomentosa • Sweetbay- Magnolia virginiana • Persimmon- Diospyrosvirginiana • Eastern Hophornbeam- Ostryavirginiana
Sassafras- Sassafras albidum • Leaves 4-6 inches long, 2-4 inches wide • Also Fragrant • They come in three different shapes, all of which can be on the same branch • three-lobed leaves • unlobed elliptical leaves • and two-lobed leaves
Mockernut Hickory- Caryatomentosa • Leaves 8-12 inches long with 7-9 leaflets • Terminal leaflet larger than other leaflets • Petiole is hairy
Sweetbay- Magnolia virginiana • Leaves 4-6 inches long, 1.5-3 inches wide • Shiny and smooth above • Silver/white underside • Cup shaped flowers • Likes wet feet
Persimmon- Diospyrosvirginiana • Grows to 70 ft • Thick, hard , dark gray bark • “Alligator Bark” • Tree is dioecious • Separate male and female trees • Aborts terminal bud • Round orange to purple fruits • Dark green on upper side • Yellow fall color
Eastern Hophornbeam- Ostryavirginiana • Ovate leaves that are doubly saw-toothed • Pale green in color and hairy on top and bottom • Fruits are hanging, cone-like clusters (hop-like) • Stem-like catkins and usually in 3’s
Word Bank for ID Test #6 • Boxelder- Acer negundo • Eastern Redbud- Cerciscanadensis • American Beech- Fagusgrandifolia • American Elm- Ulmusamericana • Sweetgum- Liquidambar styraciflua • Black Cherry- Prunusserotina • Blackgum- Nyssa sylvatica • Mulberry- Morus spp. • Sugarberry- Celtislaevigata • Yellow-Poplar- Liriodendron tulipifera • Sassafras- Sassafras albidum • Mockernut Hickory- Caryatomentosa • Sweetbay- Magnolia virginiana • Persimmon- Diospyrosvirginiana • Eastern Hophornbeam- Ostryavirginiana
ID Test #7 • Buckeye- Aesculus spp. • Catalpa- Catalpa bignoniodes • Mimosa- Albiziajulibrissin • Sourwood- Oxydendrunarboreum • Sumac- Rhus spp.
Buckeye- Aesculusspp • Leaves opposite • Palmately compound • Leaves 3-6 inches long with 5-7 leaflet • Fruit is a flower and then a brown capsule
Catalpa- Catalpa bignoniodes • Heart-shaped leaves • Leaves 4-12 inches long • Fruit is a slender cylindrical pod 10-12 inches long • White blooms in spring
Mimosa- Albiziajulibrissin • Leaves are bi-pinnately compound with 15-30 small pairs of leaflets • Several Trunks • Flat crown • Fruit is a flat oblong pod
Sourwood- Oxydendrunarboreum • Leaves 5-7 inches long and 1.5-2.5 inches wide • Oblong and pointed at end • Smooth leaf texture • White hanging blooms • Leaves and bark have a sour taste
Sumac- Rhus spp. • Large shrub or tree with pinnately compound leaves • Leaflets are lance shaped • Saw-tooth margin • Fruit is upright crowded head with small red seeds
Word Bank for ID Test #7 • Black Cherry- Prunusserotina • Blackgum- Nyssa sylvatica • Mulberry- Morus spp. • Sugarberry- Celtislaevigata • Yellow-Poplar- Liriodendron tulipifera • Sassafras- Sassafras albidum • Mockernut Hickory- Caryatomentosa • Sweetbay- Magnolia virginiana • Persimmon- Diospyrosvirginiana • Eastern Hophornbeam- Ostryavirginiana • Buckeye- Aesculusspp • Catalpa- Catalpa bignoniodes • Mimosa- Albiziajulibrissin • Sourwood- Oxydendrunarboreum • Sumac- Rhus spp.
