Lab - Plant ID List | Reverse Flashcards
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; pinnately compound, 12-25 leaflets, *with ‘lip’ at base of leaflet; *rank odor when crushed
Bark: Stretched-looking, smooth
Twigs and Stems: *Stout, straw color; *rank odor when broken; *large light brown pith. Terminal bud absent; *lateral buds small, with 2 opposite scales in a semi-blobose form.
Ailanthus altissima
Tree of Heaven
Simaroubaceae
Habit: Tree, sometimes shrubby
Leaves: Alternate, *bipinnately compound, to almost 2’ long. Leaflets tiny (1/4” - 1/2”) falcate and ciliate. Leaflets fold up at night and when bruised. Main vein on the ultimate leaflets is off center.
Twigs and Stems: Greenish, glabrous, with zigzag growth pattern, prominent lenticels, no terminal bud. Three bundle scars in leaf scar. Buds hidden under swollen petioles; buds glabrous.
Flowers: Resemble pink powder puffs due to the many showy stamens.
Fruit: Tan, broad, flat legume 5’ - 7’ long, with flattened dark brown seeds. Seeds have a terminal hilum (scar that marks the point of attachment). Rattles when shaken.
Albizia julibrissin
mimosa or silk tree
Fabaceae
Habit: Vine
Leaves: Alternate, grape-like but with more lobing, highly variable, deciduous. Typically with three lobes, but lobes are not always obvious. With tendrils or inflorescences opposite the leaves. Tendrils have no adhesive disks.
Flowers: Panicles of small white flowers in spring.
Fruits: *1/4”-1/3” colored fruits go from green, to yellow, to lilac, to purple, to porcelain blue as they ripen. With brown dots at all stages. Often all colors are present in same cluster.
Twigs and Stems: Angled stems, pubescent when young. Long internodes, nodes bulge where leaves connect. Surface of older stems cracks when you bend them (otherwise similar looking grapes do not do this).
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
porcelain berry
Vitaceae
(now Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)
Habit: Vine
Leaves: Opposite, to 15” long, pinnately compound, 9 - 11 leaflets; pubescent on veins on leaf back.
Twigs and Stems: Climbs by aerial rootlets; *straw-colored after leaf fall; leaf scars connected by transverse pubescent line. Leaf scar crater like. Small, tan buds are angled away from stem. Stem with prominent lenticels. Black color around leaf scars.
Flowers: *Trumpet shaped orange and scarlet flowers to 4” long. Blooms in summer.
Fruit: Brown capsule when mature; 4 - 6” long.
Campsis radicans
trumpetcreeper, trumpet vine
Bignoniaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternative, simple
Twigs and Stems: Twigs green or olive-brown, prominent lenticels.
Buds: alternate, superposed, and collateral arrangement, leaf scars crescent-shaped, bundle scars 3 or united. All parts of the plant are aromatic. New growth of stem is bright green.
Flowers: Greenish-yellow in axillary cluster. Midvein is yellow-green
Fruits: Red drupe
Lindera benzoin
spicebush
Lauraceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Star-shaped; alternate, simple with glands at base of petiole.
Twigs and Stems: *Stout twigs may develop corky ridges; terminal buds large and shiny. Buds look sticky but they are not.
Fruits: Aggregate of spiny capsules in a ball.
Liquidambar styraciflua
sweetgum
Altingiaceae (Hamamelidaceae)
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, lobed. Leaf hanging from petiole has outline of a mushroom, a tulip, or an old rotary telephone.
Twigs and Stems: Stipular scars surround stem. Many leaf scars crowded on twigs and stems. Valvate terminal buds, 1/2” long. Pith chambered.
Flowers: Large fleshy yellow and green flowers with many stamens in late spring. Typically they are high in the tree and you see them when they fall to the ground.
Fruits: Aggregate of samaras.
Liriodendron tulipifera
tulip poplar
Magnoliaceae
Habit: *Vine, climbing by tendrils. Has looser growth habit than Parthenocissus tricuspidata due to longer internodes and tendrils.
Leaves: *Alternate, palmately compound with 5 leaflets 3” - 4” long. New growth with red pigment. Petiole yellow-green with pinkish base.
Stems: *Disc-tipped tendrils provide support. Tendrils usually branched and >2” long. Adhesive discs on tendrils are oblong in outline and smaller than those in P. tricuspidata. Discs develop only when substrate requires it.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Virginia creeper
Vitaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite, simple, 5” to 10” long and wide cordate bases and acuminate tips; *dark green and sparsely pubescent above, tomentose beneath.
Twigs and Stems: Stout, pith chambered (Catalpa is continuous). *Flower buds formed by late summer - visible as a branched panicle.
Flowers: Light lavender tubular flowers bloom before leaves emerge in the spring.
Fruits: Capsules persist through the winter.
Paulownia tomentosa
empress tree
Paulowniaceae
Habit: Low, irregular, spreading shrub.
Leaves: Alternate, glossy, trifoliate, *leaflet margins coarsely dentate/crenate. Glossy. lower surface pubescent becoming glabrous, petiole 1 to 1.5” long, fragrant when crushed.
Twigs and Stems: Slender, pubescent, aromatically fragrant when bruised, leaf scars circular and distinctly raised.
Fruits: Red to orange-red, hairy drupe. ¼” in diameter, borne in August-September and may persist into winter
Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’
Gro-Low fragrant sumac
Anacardiaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate, odd-pinnately compound (9 to 23 leaflets), *leaflet margins entire or nearly so; *rachis winged.
Twigs and Stems: Raised wart-like lenticels; U-shaped leaf scars; sap milky.
Fruits: Drooping panicles of pubescent crimson drupes.
Rhus copallina
C: dwarf sumac or winged sumac
F: Anacardiaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate, odd-pinnately compound (11-31 leaflets); leaflets with serrate margins, *rachis winged.
Twigs and Stems: Velvety pubescence and raised wart-like lenticels; U-shaped leaf scars; sap milky. Pith orange-brown.
Fruits: Panicles of pubescent, crimson drupes. Not sticky.
Rhus typhina
staghorn sumac
Anacardiaceae
Habit: *Vine, climbing by aerial rootlets. May also grow as a shrub.
Leaves: *Trifoliolate, glossy leaves. *Usually only outer side of lateral leaflets shows a coarse serration. *Center leaflet with a 1”- 2” petiolule; lateral leaflets almost sessile.
Stems: *Uses aerial rootlets for climbing. Rootlets at internodes and nodes give old stems dark brown hairy appearance.
Toxicodendron radicans
poison ivy
Anacardiaceae
Habit: Dense, rounded, multi-stemmed shrub.
Leaves: *Opposite, simple, glossy above. Cuneate (wedge-shaped) leaf base.
Twigs and Stems: *Twigs (current year’s growth) red. Older stems with exfoliating (peeling) bark. *Fine twiggy growth approaching a fishbone pattern. Stems somewhat angular.
Flowers: Light pink flowers on current year’s growth. Flowers sterile (produce no fruit). *Pinkish sepals remain on plant through most of fall and winter.
Duration: Semi-evergreen to evergreen in this area.
Abelia ×grandiflora
glossy abelia
Caprifoliaceae
(now Linnaea xgrandiflora)
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate, simple, glabrous above, glaucous below.
Twigs and Stems: Zigzag, *with single spine at node, spur shoots common, *wood under bark is yellow; current year’s twig is dark reddish-brown.
Fruits: *Elongate, bright red berry, persists through early winter
Berberis thunbergii
Japanese barberry
Berberidaceae
Habit: Low Shrub. 2’ tall x 3’ wide.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, obovate. Narrow at base into a petiole. Margin entire. Solid reddish-purple above, green beneath, ½ to 1 inches long. Color is strongest in full sun. Does not show the lacy pink patches in the foliage of ‘Rose Glow’
Twigs and Stems: Zigzag, *with single ½” long spine at node, spur shoots common, *wood under bark is yellow; current year’s twig is dark red above, green beneath. Bark on older wood is grey with darker fishnet-pattern.
Fruit: *Bright red elongated berry, persists through early winter.
Notes: Possibly the most popular of the many barberries in cultivation.
Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea ‘Crimson Pygmy’
Crimson Pygmy barberry
Berberidaceae
Habit: Single or multi-stemmed tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple; *rhombic-ovate (diamond-shaped); doubly serrate margin except at base where it is entire; base wedge shaped; glaucous and pubescent beneath with prominent veins.
Twigs and Stems: Initially pubescent stem, later glabrous, with warty excrescences, usually two or three catkins at end of twig. *Stems over 2” diameter have light reddish brown, to salmon, to cinnamon brown exfoliating bark; old bark brown with ridges and furrows.
Flowers: Flowers in pendant catkins.
Betula nigra
river birch
Betulaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Whorled, 6” - 12” long, ovate to ovate-oblong leaves, entire margins, heavily pubescent beneath. Leaves scentless when crushed. Leaf apex long acuminate. Compare with Catalpa bignonioides that has abruptly acuminate leaf apices and leaves that have a bad odor when crushed. Whorled leaf scars (three at a node).
Fruit: Pod-like, 8” - 20” long capsule persists through winter. C. bignonioides pod is straight.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs and stems stout. Leaf scars ternate, round to elliptical, center depressed with ring of bundle scars. Pith solid, white. Twig is very dark greenish, with large light tan lenticels. Compare with brown twig of C. bignonioides.
Catalpa speciosa
northern catalpa
Bignoniaceae
Habit: Shrub to small tree
Leaves: Sub-opposite, simple, sessile.
Flowers: White, red, pink, lavender; terminal panicles 6-8” long. Blooms mid-July to frost. Fruit: Capsule, 1/2” long, persists after senescence.
Twigs and Stems: *Twigs grooved, square on new growth. *Bark exfoliating in plates, stems various shades of tan. Stipular mark on stem from one node to the next
Lagerstroemia indica
crapemyrtle
Lythraceae
Habit: Tree
Similar to base species of crepemyrtle but trunk develops *cinnamon color when stem reaches about 1.5 inches diameter.
Flowers: White
Lagerstroemia × ‘Natchez’
Natchez crapemyrtle
Lythraceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, with spicy fragrance when crushed; smooth (or shiny) green above, glaucous below. Semi-evergreen to fully evergreen.
Twigs and Stems: *Green, note stipule scars encircling nodes. Older stems are dark grey, there may be patches of green scattered in the grey. Buds are not fuzzy.
Fruit: Cone-like, rust-colored aggregate of follicles with red seeds. Aggregate fruit - a fruit formed by fusion of distinct pistils from within a single flower. Follicle - dry, dehiscent fruit formed by a single pistil and opening along one suture.
Magnolia virginiana
sweetbay
Magnoliaceae
Habit: *Vine, climbing by tendrils. Has tighter growth than Parthenocissus quinquefolia due to shorter internodes and tendrils.
Leaves: *Alternate, simple, polymorphic (many shapes); juvenile leaves are *trifoliate, adult leaves are entire or three-lobed.
Stems: *Disc-tipped tendrils provide support. Tendrils are pinkish, usually branched and <2”long. Adhesive discs on tendrils are circular in outline
Parthenocissus tricuspidata
Boston ivy
Vitaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Leaves and all parts aromatic. *Leaves highly variable: right mitten, left mitten, two lobed, and entire on the same plant. Used to make sassafras tea and root beer.
Twigs and Stems: Smooth, green with blotches of black and beige for several years, red when exposed to light. Sympodial habit of branching (growth from lateral buds surpasses the terminal bud - yields a graceful candelabra appearance especially in winter). Axillary bud small and slightly off center of leaf scar.
Fruits: Blue drupe on a bright red pedicel. Pedicels persist after fruit has dropped.
Sassafras albidum
sassafras
Lauraceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Opposite, simple, *coarsely dentate. Typically roundish in outline but can be elongate. Typically glabrous above and below.
Twigs and Stems: Grayish; leaf scars with ciliate hairs at margins. Buds reddish-brown, imbricate (scales overlapping one another), lower bud scale forms a V-shaped notch.
Flowers: Lacecap type inflorescence.
Fruits: Dark blue-black drupes, borne in corymbs.
Viburnum dentatum
arrowwood viburnum
Adoxaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Opposite, *hairy on both surfaces. Veins are indented on the top surface and raised on the lower leaf surface. Leaves somewhat rounded in outline with an acuminate apex.
Twigs and Stems: Tan, *prominent lenticels (orange); recent growth tomentose. New rapidly growing twigs have orange tan bark with white lenticels.
Flowers: Inflorescence a corymb.
Fruits: Bright red berry, persist into December.
Viburnum dilatatum
linden viburnum
Adoxaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Opposite, *three-lobed, maple-like leaves. Mostly glabrous on top, can be slightly pubescent on bottom especially on young leaves. Petiole with disk-like glands. Petiole grooved.
Twigs and Stems: Stout, ribbed, *buds plump, 2 scaled, reddish glabrous, widest above middle.
Flowers: Lacecap inflorescence. Flowers bloom in mid-May,
Fruits: Smell like vomit but birds like them
Viburnum opulus
European cranberrybush viburnum
Adoxaceae
Habit: Shrub or low tree
Leaves: *Opposite, *palmately compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets of various sizes. Leaves with blue-gray-tomentum.
Flowers: Inflorescence is a panicle of small clusters of fragrant lavender flowers found on the current year’s growth. Blooms August - October.
Twigs and Stems: Square to nearly square in cross section; leaf scar is U-shaped. Stems bright green on upper side; below they are darker green with a maroon tint. Twigs densely hairy.
*Helpful ID feature when leaves are off: All parts of plant are very fragrant, including the stems
Vitex agnus-castus
chastetree
Verbenaceae
Habit: Shrub or small tree
Leaves: *Opposite or subopposite, simple, elliptic, broadest at the middle, 3” - 8” long. Leaf apex typically abruptly acuminate. Margin is entire and it is slightly thickened because it is inrolled. Light green on bottom, dark green on top.
Twigs and Stems: *Stout, squarish stem, flattened at the tip. Terminal bud subtended by smaller, opposite lateral buds. *Lateral buds often superposed. Keeled bud scales - with ridge down center. Bud scales loose, brownish with white margin.
Flowers: Showy white flowers in drooping clusters. Petals are very narrow, fringe-like.
Chionanthus virginicus
fringe tree
Oleaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate, simple, obovate with sharply serrate margins.
Twigs and Stems: Brown, rounded or 3-sided. Twigs will wind around with no distinct pattern. Older wood is smooth and dark brown with no lenticels.
Flowers: Elongate, narrow racemes of white incredibly fragrant flowers blooming in summer.
Fruits: Elongate cluster of three-valved, globose, greyish-brown capsules persists through winter.
Clethra alnifolia
summersweet
Clethraceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate, simple, entire, oval to obovate.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs mostly slender and *with purplish to purplish brown cast; numerous twigs arising from near the same point. *Stems stout, tannish with dark blotch at leaf scar; *strong odor when cut or crushed; sap runs when stem is cut. Pith orange colored. Bark with some exfoliation of surface layers.
Fruits: *Great masses of feathery panicles from June through August (on female plants). Old fruits persist through the winter
Cotinus coggygria
smokebush
Anacardiaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, ovate to elliptic, entire, lustrous dark green above, pale beneath; Petiole 0.33” - 1”. Pubescent to tomentose.
Fruit: *Globose berry (fleshy fruit from a single ovary), 1” - 2” long, yellow-orange; persistent calyx with four lobes.
Twigs and Stems: Grayish-brown with warty lenticels; no terminal bud; *lateral buds reddish black and distinct from stem. Leaf scars raised. Old fruit scar is flat topped and circular.
Diospyros virginiana
persimmon
Ebenaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 2” - 6” long, ovate to rounded *unequal bases. *Margins crenate to dentate on upper half of leaf. Leaves glabrous above, with silvery pubescence beneath (white underneath leaf). Veins raised on the bottom. *Foliage ends on the vein at the leaf base leaving a distinct gap.
Twigs and stems: No terminal bud present. Leaf scar has one trace.
Flowers: White, fragrant. *Blooms early spring.
Stems: *Buds stalked.
Fothergilla gardenii
dwarf fothergilla
Hamamelidaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 2” - 6” long, *unequal bases. *Margins irregularly crenate-dentate, especially on upper half of leaf. Leaves glabrous above, with stellate (star shaped) hairs on midrib and veins beneath; petiole downy.
Twigs and Stems: Pubescent, green but maturing to brown. *Buds stalked, downy; foliar buds naked; flower buds globose.
Flowers: *Blooms October-November. Yellow, fragrant, with 4 strap-like yellow petals; 4 stamens; calyx dull brown outside, yellow inside.
Fruit: 2-valved capsule containing 2 shiny black seeds. Fruits mature the summer following flower blooming
Hamamelis virginiana
common witchhazel
Hamamelidaceae
Habit: Vine
Leaves: Opposite, simple, broadly ovate to ovate-oval, acute or acuminate tipped, *serrate margin.
Twigs and Stems: Climbs by aerial rootlets; brown exfoliating bark curls conspicuously. Young twigs light green, abruptly turning reddish-brown with age.
Flowers: Marginal flowers sterile with four showy white sepals
Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris
climbing hydrangea
Hydrangeaceae
Habit: Low growing, clumpy, rounded shrub. Broader than high at maturity.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, ovate to elliptic, 2-8” long, 2-6” wide, rounded or cordate at base, *serrate margin, glabrous.
Twigs and Stems: Prominent buds and thick stem. Shiny, young branches glabrous, and smooth. Older stems exfoliating. Large, white or hollow pith.
Flowers: Lacecap type corymb inflorescence, 4-6” wide. Fertile flowers (center) are dull white June through September.
Fruit: Infrutescences persist into winter and are somewhat ornamental.
Hydrangea arborescens ‘Dardom’
White Dome® smooth hydrangea
Hydrangeaceae
Habit: Low growing, clumpy, rounded shrub. Broader than high at maturity.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, ovate to elliptic, rounded or cordate at base, *serrate margin, glabrous.
Twigs and Stems: Prominent buds and thick stem. Shiny, young branches glabrous, and smooth. Older stems exfoliating. Large, white or hollow pith.
Flowers: Produces huge hortensia-type flowers (as much as 12” across) which open green, then mature to white before turning green at the end of their life cycle. The flowers are held upright on very sturdy stems, so they don’t flop like ‘Annabelle’ will.
Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’ PP# 20571
Incrediball® hydrangea
Hydrangeaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: *Opposite, *distichous, coarsely serrate large (4”-8” long, to 4” wide) leaves with smooth surface (H. paniculata is pubescent). Leaf veins are thick and lighter green than the rest of the blade.
Flowers: Hortensia type (a.k.a. snowball) or lacecap type inflorescence depending on the cultivar. Hortensia – all flowers are alike, petals are large and all flowers are sterile. *In acidic soils (pH<6.5) flowers are blue, in alkaline soils (pH>6.5) flowers are pink. Old flowers exposed to sun will be pale pinkish until they turn brown in fall. Without sun older flowers will be green. *Hortensia type inflorescences are persistent and dry well. They have excellent value as ‘trees’ in landscape models.
Twigs and Stems: Prominent buds and thick stem. Twigs bright green. Older stems pithy or hollow
Hydrangea macrophylla
bigleaf hydrangea
Hydrangeaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: *Opposite, *large with 3 - 7 lobes, reminiscent of oak leaves. Undersides have raised, pubescent veins.
Flowers: Pyramid-shaped inflorescence similar to a lace-cap type. Bracts of lateral sterile flowers white when young, pinkish-brown to brown with age. Fruits not showy, but persist through winter.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs are thick, orangey-tan colored with felt-like pubescence; stems are brownish with prominent lenticels. Terminal buds huge, naked, and much larger than laterals; rusty colored with felt-like texture. Older bark exfoliates.
Hydrangea quercifolia
oakleaf hydrangea
Hydrangeaceae
Habit: Shrub with erect, clustered branches. Will form colonies in moist soils. Often low and arching.
Leaves: Alternate, bright to dark green in summer changing to orange or reddish-purple, and scarlet in fall. Semi-evergreen leaves often persist deep into fall and occasionally a few will linger through winter.
Flower: White, 1/3” to ½” diameter flowers born on 2-6” long racemes.
Fruit: 5-valved capsule. ¼” long, and *persistent through winter into the following year.
Twigs and Stems: Fine, green to reddish-purple, leaf scars are crescent shaped.
Itea virginica
Virginia sweetspire
Iteaceae
Habit: Broad, shrub, 3-4’ high and 4-5’ wide at maturity.
Leaves: *Alternate, sharply toothed; *white to light yellow chimeral sections and streaks in some leaves.
Twigs and Stems: Branched often, reddish brown, slender and brittle.
Flowers: June-August; deep pink corymbs
Spiraea ×bumalda ‘Anthony Waterer’
Anthony Waterer spirea
Rosaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate; *bi- to tri-pinnately compound, may be as large as 4’ long; *rachis with prickles.
Twigs and Stems: Stout, *with prickles especially at the base of the leaf scar; leaf scar almost encircles the stem.
Flowers: Large clusters of small white flowers in summer.
Fruits: Purple-black drupes in early fall.
Aralia spinosa
Devil’s walking stick
Araliaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite, subopposite, to fully alternate on same branch; blue green in early spring and summer. Crenate (scallop) or serrate margins. Name implies similarity to redbud (Cercis). Leaves with caramel aroma when they senesce in fall.
Twigs and Stems: Slender, swollen at nodes, no true terminal bud. *Buds with chunky “crab claw” appearance. Small spur shoots common..
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Katsura tree
Cercidiphyllaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, with parallel veins that end in a spine - more veiny; juvenile foliage persists in winter. *Leaves glabrous.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs gray. *Glabrous. *Buds tan to brown, imbricate, narrow, up to 1” long, sharply pointed. Bark light gray, smooth, sinuous.
Fruits: 4-sided involucre surrounds nut; 1/2”-3/4”
Fagus grandifolia
American beech
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, *”wavy margins”, veins parallel and straight. Color varies with cultivar, this cultivar consistently purplish. *Leaves usually hairy on margins, petioles and veins on lower surface.
Twigs and Stems: Brown; with villous hairs. Buds imbricate 1” long, pointed. Dark grey smooth sinuous bark like elephant hide.
Fruits: A nut, covered with prickly, 4 side involucre: 1-1 1/2” wide.
Fagus sylvatica
European beech
Fagaceae
Habit: Broad, rounded shrub.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 3 to 5 lobes, 4-8” long, cordate. Large, interesting dark green leaves, both surfaces scabrous with short stiff hairs. Deciduous. Milky sap may cause dermatitis.
Twigs and Stems: Coarse, stout, with smooth grey bark
Fruit: Enlarged, fleshy receptacle containing aggregate of flowers/achenes, 2-4” long, edible.
Ficus carica
common fig
Moraceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound. No lobing at base of leaflets.
Fruit: Walnut
Twigs and Stems: *Buds white, superposed. Pith is brown and chambered. *Leaf scar shaped like “E.T.” or “monkey face”. Terminal buds naked. *All parts of the plant are fragrant - smell something like turpentine or Lemon Pledge®. Husks of fruits will cause brown stains and can be used to dye fabrics.
Juglans nigra
black walnut
Juglandaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Branchlets opposite and feather-like. “Leaves” are flattened needles.
Twigs and Stems: Three terminal buds, all yellow-green. Small football shaped buds are equal to or below the branchlets. Persistent twigs are bright reddish brown
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
dawn redwood
Cupressaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Alternate, glabrous, nearly entire margins. Leaf size and shape varies (ovate, obovate, elliptical) on a single plant. Leaf backs are green.
Twigs and Stems: Congested growth habit: many branches along the trunk, but branches are relatively short and often strongly horizontal. Pith chambered. Terminal bud present. Leaf scar with three bundle traces.
Nyssa sylvatica
sour gum or black tupelo
Nyssaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, green, often with red markings. *Mid-vein prominent on lower leaf.
Twigs and Stems: Green, *no distinctive odor (unlike sassafras.) *Terminal buds absent (also unlike sassafras.) Darkened leaf scar with bud just above it.
Flowers: White panicles in July-early August.
Fruit: Attractive light brown capsules persist through fall
Oxydendrum arboreum
sourwood
Ericaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oblong-ovate to lance-oblong 2”-5” long; acuminate apex; serrulate margin. Has rusty hairs along the midrib on the back side of some young leaves (villous). Petioles with glands. Simple stipules. Wilted leaves are poisonous (develop cyanide).
Twigs and Stems: Buds solitary. Twigs are dark reddish brown, shiny with lenticels. Acrid sometimes almond-like smell when bark is scratched.
Flowers: Panicles of small white flowers in spring.
Fruits: Edible cherry <1/2” in diameter
Prunus serotina
black cherry
Rosaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Branchlets alternate, or spirally arranged, feathery and flexible.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs thin, greenish, becoming russet (reddish brown) in later summer and fall. Twigs very rough texture. Bark spongy and fibrous. Buds in “leaf” axils above (towards the branch tip) the leaf scar.
Taxodium distichum var. distichum
baldcypress
Cupressaceae (Taxodiaceae)
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Branchlets alternate, or spirally arranged, feathery and flexible. Needles are appressed and awl shaped.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs thin, greenish, becoming russet (reddish brown) in later summer and fall. Very rough twig texture. Bark spongy and fibrous. Buds in “leaf” axils below the leaf scar.
Taxodium distichum var. imbricaria
pondcypress
Cupressaceae
Habit: Multi-stemmed- rounded shrub
Leaves: Opposite, palmately compound, *usually 5, occasionally 7 leaflets nearly sessile, oblong - obovate, 3” - 8” long, green above, with grayish pubesence beneath. Petiole green with some red lines. Leaflet margins finely serrate
Twigs and Stems: Stout; glabrous and glossy; with raised, light brown lenticels. Leaf scar half encircles bud. Axillary bud with whitish cast on margins of scales.
Flowers: White flowers in a dense panicle appearing pinkish due to the red anthers. Blooms in mid-late summer.
Fruit: 1” - 3” pear-shaped dehiscent capsules
Aesculus parviflora
bottlebrush buckeye
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Odd pinnately compound, 8”-18” long, 7-9 leaflets; leaflets not directly opposite each other. Petiole expanded at base. Terminal leaflet obovate and larger than the lateral ovate leaflets.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs mahogany colored (compare with green twigs of Sophora) with zigzag growth pattern; become slightly ridged as they dry. *Buds covered by petiole; yellow color under bark. *Lateral buds naked, superposed; *top bud largest; *buds covered with dark pubescence; leaf scar yellow-green to almost white.
Fruit: Small, flattened pod that rattles when it is dry.
Cladrastis kentukea
yellowwood
Fabaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite, pinnately compound with 5 - 9 stalked leaflets. Leaflets entire or slightly serrate above the middle, glabrous. Whitish on underside of leaflets.
Twigs and Stems: Glabrous and often glaucous; flattened at nodes; *buds inserted in notch formed by U-shaped leaf scar. Bud with rough-surface, rusty to dark brown. Bark develops distinct diamond-furrowed pattern.
Flowers: Terminal panicles, unisexual flowers, anthers and stamens reddish.
Fruit: Winged samara, attached near tip of seed cavity. Samaras narrow, pointed at both ends
Fraxinus americana
white ash
Oleaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite, pinnately compound with 5 - 9 stalked leaflets, usually coarsely serrate but may be entire; *pubescent beneath.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs grayish; they can be densely velvety or downy early in the season, glabrous later. *Leaf scar straight, or nearly straight, across the top where the bud is inserted. Bark fissures on trunk are more shallow
Flowers: Terminal panicles, unisexual (plants dioecious), anthers and stamens reddish. Male flowering cluster is often persistent after drying.
Fruit: Winged samara.
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
green ash
Oleaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, bipinnately compound; up to 3’ long. Leaflets with abruptly acuminate apex
Twigs and Stems: Very stout with white lacquer-like covering; *pith rose colored, solid. No terminal bud. *Lateral buds single or superposed, sunken into stem, ring surrounds the buds creating a bull’s-eye appearance. Bark on trunk peeling up from the sides of plates, more delicate pattern than in similar trees.
Fruits: Indehiscent pod on female plants, purplish with black-brown seeds, inside has odor of fresh-baked bread when first ripe.
Gymnocladus dioicus
Kentucky coffeetree
Fabaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: *Opposite, glabrous, semi-evergreen, thick. Darker green on top, lighter on the bottom.
Twigs and Stems: *Thick, flattened at the nodes, but this is not always conspicuous.
Flowers: White, four petals, two stamens.
Fruits: Rarely produces black berries
Ligustrum ovalifolium
California privet
Oleaceae
Habit: Vine
Leaves: *Opposite, simple, evergreen leaves; pubescent above and below when young, becoming glabrous with age. Some plants in shade may have lobed leaves.
Twigs and Stems: *Vine climbs by twining around any nearby object.
Flowers: White, turning yellow as they mature; *extremely fragrant. Flowers heavily in June, with occasional flowers to frost.
Lonicera japonica
Japanese honeysuckle
Caprifoliaceae
Habit: Large, upright-spreading, leggy deciduous shrub.
Culture: Extremely invasive. Capable of sunny or shady landscape takeover.
Leaves: *Opposite, simple, ovate-elliptic, 2-3” long ½ to 1 ½” wide. Entire margin, dark green above, lighter beneath, usually pubescent along veins on both sides.
Twigs and Stems: Grayish-brown, striped along mature wood; short pubescence on current year’s growth; pith — brown.
Fruit: *Red, ¼” translucent berry ripening in October, persistent until eaten by birds.
Lonicera maackii
Amur honeysuckle
Caprifoliaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Alternate, glabrous or nearly so with glossy looking surface. See many different leaf patterns on the same plant, ranging from entire leaves to leaves with numerous lobes.
Twigs and Stems: Older wood with orange cast, glabrous. White pith, buds broadly ovoid appressed; scales greenish- or yellowish-brown with dark brown margins.
Flowers: Male and female flowers separate, both in spikes. Tend to be on different plants (i.e. plants are dioecious)
Fruit: Oblong, white, cluster of drupelets 1/2’ long; pinkish or nearly black when mature in early summer.
Trunk: With distinctive raised ridges that run horizontally.
Morus alba
white mulberry
Moraceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, large, 3-5 lobes: tomentose all over when young, retained on veins on undersides of older leaves.
Twigs and Stems: Zigzag *with no true terminal bud. *Petiole swollen, covers bud (i.e., leaf scar completely encircles bud). Buds covered by a single scale. Bark is *smooth grayish brown, flaking off to cream and white inner bark.
Fruits: * A ball-shaped aggregate of achenes (a dry indehiscent one-seeded fruit) typically produced singly. Fruits break up in late winter-spring
Platanus occidentalis
sycamore
Platanaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, large, 3-5 lobes: May have course marginal teeth. Deeper sinuses than similar tree.
Twigs and Stems: Zigzag with terminal bud. Terminal bud is reddish with single cap scale. Bark is *smooth grayish brown, flaking off to olive cream inner bark. Green undertones.
Fruits: * A ball-shaped aggregate of achenes (a dry indehiscent one-seeded fruit) typically produced doubly on a single stem. Fruits break up in late winter-spring
Platanus x acerifolia
London planetree
Platanaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Alternate, pinnately compound with 9 - 19 stalked, ovate, blue-green leaflets; leaflets rounded or truncate at base and apex, often with mucronate apex. Leaflets not opposite one another.
Twigs and Stems: Glabrous, dark brown with paired spines at the nodes on vigorously growing stems; minute buds are buried within crater-like depressions at nodes. Spines are modified stipules that can be as long as 1”. Bark develops an interlaced rope-like character
Flowers: Showy, white, pea-shaped, fragrant flowers in axillary racemes.
Fruit: Large green flat legume with bumps around where seeds are. Do not rattle when shaken.
Robinia pseudoacacia
black locust
Fabaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Pinnately compound, alternate, petioles swollen; rachis often persists after leaflets drop in fall.
Twigs and Stems: *Stems remain olive green 2-3+ years; lenticels are prominent even on older branches. Black buds hidden under petiole.
Flowers: Creamy white, in 6-12” terminal panicles. Blooms July-August.
Fruit: Green loment (legume with conspicuous constrictions around individual seeds)
Styphnolobium japonicum
Japanese pagodatree or Chinese scholar-tree
Fabaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *pinnately or bi-pinnately compound; swollen petiole base hides bud.
Twigs and Stems: Smooth, zigzag. Thornless. Platy bark on trunk curls up from the sides
Fruits: *Dry, curled legume 8” to 18” long. Larger and thicker than other similar species.
Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis
thornless honeylocust
Fabaceae
Habit: Shrub – graceful, up to 3’ tall x 4’ wide
Leaves: Opposite, simple, elliptic-ovate 1-3” long, ½ as wide. Apex acuminate, margins are cuneate to crenate/serrate. Medium green and pubescent above, tomentose below.
Twigs and Stems: Stem is 4-sided, covered with dense, tomentose, light brown pubescence. Branches arching to ground at the tip.
Fruits: Profusion of *lavender-pink ¼ inch drupes *borne in corymbs in opposite pairs at nodes are produced in early fall sometimes remaining into December.
Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’
purple beautyberry
Verbenaceae
Habit: Tree with upright columnar/pyramidal form.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, with doubly serrate margins but primary serrations are not as pronounced as on similar.
Twigs and Stems: Buds at least 2 times as long as similar plant, *partially curled around the stem, and glabrous. Twigs brown with small round to slightly elongate white lenticels.
Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’
pyramidal European hornbeam
Betulaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Alternate, simple, with doubly-serrate margins; glabrous above, prominent veins with axillary hairs beneath.
Twigs and Stems: Fine textured twigs and stems. Buds pubescent and with “checkerboard-like” pattern. Buds half the size of similar species; they are not long enough to cross over the twig. Trunks “muscular” with silvery gray bark.
Fruits: Distinctive samaras that resemble hops.
Carpinus caroliniana
ironwood, American hornbeam
Betulaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, 3 - 5 lobed, doubly serrate, 2” - 3” long.
Twigs and Stems: Fine twiggy habit with *large, stout thorns, 1” - 3” long. Spur shoots obvious when leaves fall.
Flowers: White, with five petals
Fruits: Bright red, persist all winter.
Crataegus phaenopyrum
Washington hawthorn
Rosaceae
Habit: Small shrub
Leaves: Opposite, serrate, oblong lanceolate, 1”-3” long. With scattered stellate hairs above, nearly glabrous below.
Twigs and Stems: *2-ranked (distichous). Leaf scars on twigs nearly linear (dwarfed by buds).*Appressed ovoid buds with pointed scales. Bud scales loose. Pith white or hollow.
Deutzia gracilis ‘Nikko’
Nikko slender deutzia
Hydrangeaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, *fan shaped, often notched at the tip; *with prominent dichotomously branched veins..
Twigs and Stems: *Abundant short, spur-like branches; bark whitish-grey, exfoliating in shreds on older stems; light brown in color. Buds tan-brown.
Fruit: Orangish-yellow flesh with a gray cast; 1”-1.5” long. Edible seeds found inside a tan colored hard shell inside the fleshy exterior. Disagreeable barnyard odor when ripe.
Ginkgo biloba
ginkgo or maidenhair tree
Ginkgoaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Once to twice compound, alternate, 12” - 18” long, 7 - 15 leaflets; *leaflets coarsely and irregularly crenate-serrate; leaflet bases often incisely lobed.
Fruit: Persistent, inflated capsule with 3 round, black seeds.
Twigs and Stems: Stout, yellow-brown; *distinct orange brown raised lenticels; pith white and solid.
Koelreuteria paniculata
goldenraintree
Sapindaceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate or appearing whorled when growing on spur shoots. Leaves somewhat leathery, evergreen.
Twigs and Stems: Pubescent when young; dark and shiny, with lighter lenticels when older. *Large thorns (often with leaves at nodes).
Flowers: Small flowers with white petals, clusters can be large. Foul smelling.
Fruits: *Orange-red pome, persists into winter.
Pyracantha coccinea
firethorn
Rosaceae
Habit: Small tree
Leaves: *Alternate, simple, 1” - 3.5” long; 0.5” - 1.5” wide. Margins serrulate to almost entire.
Twigs and Stems: *Old flower stalks persist on two year wood and older. Twigs are lighter brown than 2nd year wood. Brown bark of second year and older wood exfoliates in fine shreds.
Flowers: White, pendulous flowers borne on lateral shoots.
Fruits: Grey-white drupe with leathery, bumpy surface. Contains one brown seed.
Styrax japonicus
Japanese snowbell
Styracaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; base oblique; less cordate (generally) than similar.
Twigs and Stems: Twig and bud coloring typically greenish but will be reddish to brownish in the sun. Similar species twigs are more evenly brown. Buds somewhat larger than similar species. Leaf scars are semi-circular and somewhat shelf-like.
Flowers: Clusters of ~1/2 wide white flowers subtended by bract.
Fruits: Nut subtended by a bract, samara-like.
Tilia americana
American linden, basswood
Tiliaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, cordate (heart shaped), serrate margins, semi oblique base, tufts of hair in axils where leaf base and petiole meet. Main veins are palmate, arising from a common point at the leaf base. Secondary veins tend to be less pronounced than in similar species.
Twigs and Stems: Glossy even brown on upper and lower sides of twig and stem, with light colored petioles. Sap is not milky (compare with Morus alba which has milky sap). Buds plump, ovate to teardrop shape, divergent (spreading broadly), with imbricate scales. Buds are reddish if exposed to the sun, greenish otherwise.
Flowers: Clusters of ~1/2 wide white flowers subtended by bract.
Fruits: Nut subtended by a bract, samara-like.
Tilia cordata
littleleaf linden
Tiliaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate *resembles Chinese chestnut with 12-16 parallel veins terminating in bristle like teeth.
Twigs and Stems: Twigs glabrous, dull light green. Mature trees develop long horizontal branches on lower parts of trunk.
Flowers: Abundant yellow male catkins showy in spring.
Fruits: Sessile; *recurving involucre scales create prickly fringe; cup covers 2/3 of nut; acorn takes two years to mature.
Quercus acutissima
sawtooth oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate *5-9 rounded lobes, no bristles, yellow midrib and prominent veins.
Twigs and Stems: Reddish-brown, glabrous; *often with whitish bloom on side of twig exposed to the sun. Twigs with many lenticels Bud glabrous, globose, blunt and angled out from the stem. Bark is ash-white color and furrowed at the base of mature trees.
Fruits: Saucer shaped cup with thickened basal scales that cover 1/4 of the oblong fruit. Acorns take one yet to mature
Quercus alba
white oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *7 to rarely 9 lobed; bristle tipped; *deep “C” shaped sinuses. Lobes tend to have more bristle tips than similar. Backs of leaves glabrous.
Twigs and Stems: *Buds globose and pointed (larger than similar; *Bud scaled with tan pubescence. Twig is brown and glossy.
Fruits: Cup with shiny scales; cup covers about 1/4 of nut. Often with concentric rings at apex of acorn (looking like a bull’s-eye); two years to mature.
Quercus coccinea
scarlet oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *asymmetrical shape (falcate), 3 to 7 lobes with terminal lobe typically elongated. Lobes bristle tipped. Rounded leaf base. Tan-orangish pubescence on leaf backs.
Twigs and Stems: Buds tan color, pubescent, ovoid (shaped like footballs). Twigs greenish brown, *rusty tomentose.
Fruits: Acorn cup covers about 1/3 of nut; cup scales pale pubescent except at margins; matures in two years
Quercus falcata
southern red oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; obovate to obovate-oblong; *7-16 pairs of rounded teeth (sometimes mucronate); no bristle tips. Upper side of leaves dark green in summer, backs gray green.
Twigs and Stems: Glabrous; orange to reddish brown. *Buds to 1/2 inch, 4 sided, apex sharp pointed and pubescent towards apex.
Fruits: Cup thickened at base and covers up to 1/2 of nut; rim of cup may form rigid, fringe-like border, nut brown and lustrous, matures in one year.
Quercus montana
chestnut oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *spatulate or oblong, irregularly shaped, 1 1/2” long by ½” to 2” wide. Lustrous dark green above, paler beneath. Leaves persist late into fall and early winter.
Twigs and Stems: Buds brown, smooth, 1/8” to ¼” long. Stems slender and smooth; dull red to brown.
Fruits: Acorn, usually solitary, ½” long and wide, enclosed ¼ to 1/3 in a broad, shallow, short-stalked cap with appressed scales: striped with alternating bands of brown and black.
Quercus nigra
water oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *5-7 lobed; *lobed almost to midrib with sinuses “U” shaped; lobes bristle tipped.
Twigs and Stems: *Lower branches point downwards. *Buds small, conical, glabrous.
Fruits: Closely appressed puberulent (minutely pubescent) scales on cup; cup covers about 1/3 of nut. Nut often striate; two years to mature.
Quercus palustris
pin oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, *linear; willow-like but with bristle at tip. Lacks serrated leaf margins
Twigs and Stems: Glabrous; terminal buds narrow, sharp, glabrous, under 1/8” long.
Fruits: Scales on cup with pale pubescence; cup rounded at apex; cup covers yellow-brown pubescent nut only at base; two years to mature.
Quercus phellos
willow oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *11 to 15 rounded lobes, no bristles; often covered with mildew by midsummer.
Twigs and Stems: *Produces 2 to 5 flushes of growth each year (increasing with exposure to the sun); stems green, buds globose, glabrous.
Fruits: Cup covers ~1/2 of nut; about one inch long; acorn(s) produced on 2” to 5” long peduncle; take one year to mature.
Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’
upright English oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; *7-11 lobed and bristle tipped; *shallow sinuses. Leaves of red oak are glabrous, thin, and dull above. Lobes tend to point forward to leaf tip.
Twigs and Stems: *Buds relatively large, ovoid and pointed, reddish brown, glabrous.
Fruits: Scales of cup pubescent with dark colored margins; nut enclosed at base only or to 1/3 of length by cup; nut ovoid and tomentose toward apex; two years to mature.
Quercus rubra
red oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; simple, obovate to elliptic, 4 to 6” long 3 to 4” wide usually with 7 lobes, occasionally 9, sinuses cut deeply to midrib, leathery, lustrous dark green above, glabrous except for tufts of hair below. Can turn red to yellow-bronze in fall. Sinuses between the lobes reaching from 1/2 to 3/4 the distance from the tip of the lobe to the leaf midrib.
Twigs and Stems: *Buds angle-ovoid, ¼” to 3/8” long, glabrous, gray or pale straw colored, never reddish brown. Scales appear waxed. Stems gray-brown and not as shiny as pin oak.; older stems greenish brown. Lower branches are chiefly horizontal.
Fruits: Acorns are ovate, ¾ to 1” long, almost as wide as long, short-stalked and covered only at base by cap. Nut is striped with brown-black lines
Quercus shumardii
Shumard oak
Fagaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate; usually 5 lobed, *shape resembles Maltese cross. Form of leaves is variable. Leaves with stellate (star-shaped) hairs.
Twigs and Stems: Gray, pubescent, grooved. End buds blunt and pubescent, of yellow-orange color.
Fruits: Cup scales closely appressed and tomentose; cup covers 1/3 to 1/2 of nut, which is hoary-tomentose near apex; matures in one year.
Quercus stellata
post oak
Fagaceae
Quercus comparison
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite; 3 lobed (trident shaped), entire glossy, very long petiole (as long as blade).
Twigs and Stems: Young bark gray; older trunks exfoliate to reveal orange brown layer.
Fruits: Wings of samara connivent (convergent but not fused).
Acer buergerianum
trident maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree; often pruned into tall hedges, especially in Europe.
Leaves: *Opposite; 3-5 lobed, lobes rounded, margins entire, deep green; petiole up to 4” long. When
detached, yields milky sap.
Twigs and Stems: Slender & glabrous, light brown, lenticilled, second year stems gray-brown,
occasionally developing corky fissures smaller than those on Liquidambar styraciflua.
Fruits: Samara, 1 1/4” to 1 ¾” long, ½” wide, nutlet often pubescent, wings horizontally spread to form a
180° angle from wing to wing.
Acer campestre
hedge maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Opposite; *trifoliolate and very coarsely serrate on distal half of leaflets; lateral leaflets sessile.
Petiole densely pubescent.
Twigs and Stems: Exfoliating bark is cinnamon; bark even exfoliates on small stems. Twigs glossy
mahogany-red stems before becoming tannish brown; Twigs and stems both with white lenticels. Fringe of hairs remains around leaf scars after leaves fall.
Fruits: Hard, tomentose shell surrounds fruit itself; samara with large divergent wings.
Acer griseum
paperbark maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite; 5-9 lobes, doubly serrate, finely textured. Leaves green. 2-4” wide and long.
Twigs and Stems: Glabrous, green to red, often glaucous. Terminal bud absent. Buds hidden by petiole. *Buds sit on ‘shelf’ with fringe of hairs at base (can see fringe when leaves have dropped).
Acer palmatum
Japanese maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaf: Similar to the species except with *deep reddish-purple foliage throughout the summer. Of all of
the atropurpureum varieties, ‘Bloodgood’ is known for its superior color retention. Some plants may lose
the color intensity late in summer.
Twig: *Petioles and twigs will still be reddish even when blades lose their color. Buds are green when
hidden by the petioles.
Fruit: Small (1/2-3/4” long) samaras are red throughout the season, ripening in Sept.-Oct.
Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
red leaf Japanese Maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Opposite, 5 - 7 lobes. *Milky sap exuded when petiole is removed. Purplish-red throughout the season.
Twigs and Stems: Leaf scars meet at sharp angle (inverted V). *Buds ovoid, not sharply pointed; green,
red or maroon. Three buds at twig tip (1 large between 2 small). Axillary buds flattened. Buds are red
where exposed to the sun, green elsewhere.
Fruits: Broadly winged, 3’’ across, shaped like half frame reading glasses.
Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’
Crimson King maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Simple, opposite, highly variable; 3 - 5 lobes, sinuses are toothed (compare with Acer
saccharinum which has entire sinuses). Sinuses typically are not deep but this is variable Petioles are
smooth and red.
Twigs and Stems: No rank odor when crushed. Buds are globular and bud scales are rounded. Axillary
buds are often clustered with multiple groups of threes.
Flowers & Fruits: Blooms very early in the spring. Flowers and samaras are red.
Acer rubrum
red maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Simple, opposite, *5 lobes with deep sinuses; sinuses themselves are not toothed. Middle lobe
often three-lobed itself. Leaf surface glabrous above, glaucous below.
Twigs and Stems: Rank odor when crushed, bud scales slightly pointed. Buds green with some red or
orange color. Bud scale margins prominently fringed.
Acer saccharinum
silver maple
Sapindaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Opposite, 3 - 5 lobes. *Leaf nearly circular in outline. Often confused with another. Leaf lobe tips of this tree are more rounded than other tree.
Twigs and Stems: Brown to red and glossy. *Terminal bud conical, sharp pointed, grey and brown
colored and slightly pubescent, flanked by two sharply pointed lateral buds.
Flowers: Wings of the samara are nearly parallel.
Acer saccharum
sugar maple
Sapindaceae
Leaves: Alternate, simple, diamond-shaped leaves; *upper 2/3’s of leaf is coarsely serrate to lobed, lower
1/3 is entire. Main veins are palmate from base of leaf. *Persistent, thread-like stipules at least on the
upper portion of the twig. At end of the season the plant will become ratty looking, with yellowish leaves.
Twigs and Stems: New growth green and tomentose – can see this best in the spring, not so well in the
fall. Twigs grey, pubescent; older wood with spur-like growths bearing flower scars; lateral buds difficult
to see.
Flowers: July-September. Single or double flowers. Typically have pinkish/maroonish eye. Single flower
types typically have lots of seeds and are weedy. Doubled types produce no seed.
Fruits: Five-valved dehiscent capsule; dried capsules persist through winter.
Hibiscus syriacus
rose of Sharon
Malvaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, serrate, deciduous.
Twigs and Stems: Dark brown with lighter elongated lenticels; *2 tiny black stipules at node (hard to see
because stem is dark).
Fruits: *Bright red, glossy sessile berries. Persist into new year.
Ilex verticillata
winterberry
Aquifoliaceae
Habit: Twining vine forming tangles and thickets when growing alone. Strangles shrubs or small trees when it grows on them.
Leaves: *Alternate, simple, serrate; 2” - 4” long, lustrous green. Leaves are orbicular; with acuminate tips when young.
Flowers: Lateral panicles.
Fruits: Yellow capsules with red seeds produced on lateral branchlets. Fruits persist until late fall or early winter.
Celastrus orbiculatus
Oriental bittersweet or Chinese bittersweet
Celastraceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: *Opposite to somewhat sub-opposite, sharply serrate, petiole very short.
Twigs and Stems: *Prominent; 2 to 4 corky wings; buds cause a break in the wings, wings are 1/8” -1/4” or less wide.
Fruits: Red capsule with orange seed inside (September and October).
Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’
compact winged euonymus, burningbush
Celastraceae
Habit: Shrub
Leaves: Alternate; obovate, upper half serrate, lower half entire.
Twigs and Stems: Usually produces three to four stems at the end of the twig. No terminal bud.
Flowers: Inconspicuous, sepals and petals are absent. Plants tend to be dioecious. Bloom before the leaves in March and April.
Fruits: Small, bright gray-blue, clustered at stem of previous year’s growth, produced on female plants
(usually dioecious).
Myrica pensylvanica
northern bayberry
Myricaceae
Habit: Tree
Leaves: Alternate, simple, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, serrulate margins, stipules small or absent.
Twigs and Stems: Glabrous, terminal bud lacking; *laterals appressed to stem with single bud scale.
Flowers: In catkins, not showy.
Fruits: Capsule.
Salix alba ‘Tristis’
weeping willow
Salicaceae
