Leaves Flashcards
Abelia x grandiflora - Glossy Abelia
May be 3-4 leaves per node on reddish new growth
Leaves have reticulate venation, are opposite
Bell-shaped, white flowers; persistent reddish calyx
Small shrub with exfoliating bark
Achillea sp. - Yarrow
Leaves pinnatifid, fern-like in appearance.
Agarista populifolia - Flordia Leucothoe
LEAVES glossy, deep green, lanceolate 2-3” long
FLOWERS white, urceolate, fragrant, below foliage
Ajuga reptans - Bugleweed
Low, mat-forming groundcover
Acaulescent, spatulate leaves in basal rosette
2-lipped flowers on erect spikes in spring
Aglaonema sp. - Chinese Evergreen
Anethum graveolens - Dill
Aquilegia sp. - Columbine
Flowers with 5 elongate spurs***
Erect herbs with basal mound of leaves, flowering apex
Artemisia x `Powis Castle’ - Powis Castle Artemisia
Bushy mound of silvery, dissected foliage.
Leaves silvery-tomentose, finely dissected
Flowers yellow in minute, drooping heads
Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed
Erect perennial herb with spiralling narrow leaves
Flat-topped, axillary cymes of orangish flowers**
Aspidista elatior - Cast-iron Plant
Aster novi-belgii
Numerous heads of purplish flowers
Ray flowers conspicuous, violaceous; disc yellow
Astilbe x arendsii - Astilbe, Goats Beard
Herb with ternately compound leaves
Leaves with swollen petiole joints*
F
Aucuba japonica - Japanese Aucuba, Spotted Laurel
Leaves glossy, coriaceous, elliptic and OPPOSITE
Leaves entire or dentate on green stems
Berberis julianae - Wintergreen Barberry
Leaves evergreen and in clusters on short shoots
Leaves coriaceous, concolorous and sharply serrate **
Stems with 3 spines at each node
Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’ - Golden Aurea Japanese Barberry
•deciduous shrub with ovate leaves
•yellow flowers in spring
•red berries in the fall
•twiggy, dense habit
Has striking yellow foliage. Will turn yellow-green in shade.
Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea - Red Barberry
•deciduous shrub with ovate leaves
•single spine at each node
•yellow flowers in spring
•red berries in the fall
•twiggy, dense habit
A naturally-occuring variety that has reddish foliage that tends to fade to green during the summer.
Buddleja davidii - Butterfly-Bush
*opposite, simple leaves
*tomentose underside on leaves
*cane-like growth
Buxus microphylla var. japonica - Japanese Boxwood
Leaves opposite, apex rounded
Buxus sempervirens - American Boxwood
Leaves opposite, apex pointed
Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruiticosa’ - Old English Boxwood
- opposite leaves distinguish it from Ilex crenata which has similar appearance, but alternate leaves
- dense evergreen habit
Callicarpa dichotoma - Purple Beautyberry
Small shrub, leaves opposite
Caladium bicolor - Caladium
Calycanthus floridus - Common Sweetshrub
Leaves are opposite*, grey-green & pubescent underneath
Camellia japonica - Japanese Camellia, Spring Blooming Camellia
Leaves evergreen, coriaceous, serrate **
Leaves are bigger than the Sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua - Fall Blooming Camellia
Leaves evergreen, coriaceous, crenate *
Leaves are smaller than the Japonica
Campsis grandiflora - Chinese Trumpetcreeper
Vine with pinnately compound leaves
Leaflets coarsely tooth
Flowers orange, trumpet-shaped, yellow within**
Canna x gereralis - Canna
Cephalotaxus harringtonia - Japanese Plum Yew
Grey bands on the back while all chamaecyparis have white bands on their back
*2 white glaucousbands below
Chaenomeles speciosa - Flowering Quince
Broad, kidney-shaped stipules at leaf bases**
Flowers have 5 STALKED petals, appear before leaves*
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii’- Crippsii Hinoki Falsecypress
- scale like leaves
- white X-like lines on underside of scales
These forms are among the most common nursery selections with growth that is yellow or tipped yellow
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ - Dwarf Hinoki Falsecypress
•scale like leaves
•white X-like lines on underside of scales
Foliage is thick, dark green in color and arranged on “wavy” branches.
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Boulevard’ - Boulevard Japanese Falsecypress
Gymnosperm with bluish, soft pliable, linear leave •scale like leaves
•white lines on underside of scales
A large shrub or small tree with soft, needle-like foliage (juvenile form) that is heavy-textured and blue-grey in color.
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ - Golden Mop Japanese Falsecypress
- scale like leaves
- white lines on underside of scales
Clematis x jackmanii - Jackman group, Jackman Clematis
Deciduous woody vine with opposite, pinnately compound leaf**
Clethra alnifolia - Summersweet Clethra
fragrant racemes of white flowers
blooms mid to late summer
persistent fruit capsules
Serrated leaves are usually entire toward base
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Pictum’ - Croton
Conoclinium coelestinum - Hardy Ageratum
Erect herb with clusters of small heads of tubular flowers
Flowers bluish-purple
Leaves opposite, deltoidly ovate, crenately serrat
Coreopsis lanceolata - Coreopsis
Erect herb with opposite, narrow leaves
Cortaderia selloana - Pampas Grass
Leaves areelongated, whip-like, very sharp on edges
Inflorescence is like a silvery-whiteplume ofr group of feathers
Leaf midrib not white as miscanthus
Cotoneaster dammeri - Bearberry Cotoneaster
Low-growing evergreen shrub with prostrate twigs
Small, elliptic-oblong leaves on dwarf shoots
Red berry has 5-pointed star at end
Branching occurs in all planes
Cotoneaster salicifolius - Willowleaf Cotoneaster
Low-growing, fountain-like, evergreen shrub
Branching occurs in 1 plane- herringbone pattern **
Red berry with 5-pointed star at end
Alternate, elliptic-oblong leaves
Crocus sp. - Crocus
Cupressocyparis leylandii - Leyland Cypress
Dahlia x hortensis - Dahlia
Deutzia gracilis - Slender Deutzia
•small mounded deciduous shrub
•opposite leaf arrangement
•unequal serrated leaf margins
•white flowers in late May
Dicentra spectabilis - Japanese Bleeding Heart
Petals heart-shaped with reflexed apical lobe***
Dieffenbachia maculata - Dieffenbachia
Digitalis purpurea - Foxglove
Perennial herb with basal rosette of downy leaves
Dracaena sp. - Dracaena
Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower
Erect herb with terminal, brown-domed heads
Ray flowers in 1-2 rows, purplish, spreading-drooping
Leaves rough to touch
Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ - Dwarf Burning Bush
•buds are imbricate, brownish green
- rounded, horizontal branching habit
- bright red fall color
Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’ - Dwarf Japanese Euonymus
Fatshedera lizei - Tree Ivy
Fatsia japonica - Japanese Fatsia
Evergreen shrub with palmately-lobed leaves**
N
Festuca ovina var. glauca - Blue Fescue
Ficus sp. - Weeping Fig, Rubber Plant
Forsythia x intermedia - Border Forsythia
Leaves are lanceolate, toothed, with gland at apex***
Branches are square, 4-ridged, BROWN**
Fothergilla major `Mt. Airy’ - Mt. Airy Large Fothergilla
Whiteish back to its leaves
rounded teeth on leaf margin toward apex
Gaillardia x grandiflora - Blanket Flower
Erect herb with terminal head, center reddish, flattened dome-shaped
Gardenia jasminoides ‘Radicans’/’Prostrada’ - Radicans Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides - Gardenia, Formerly Gardenia augusta
Gelsemium sempervirens - Carolina Yellow Jessamine
Thin, wiry, evergreen vine that climbs by twining*
Leaves are shiny green, opposite and lanceolate*
Flowers are golden yellow, funnelform, axillary
Hedera helix - English Ivy
Leaves alternate, palmately l3-5 lobed & venation
Evergreen groundcover or climbing vine by adventitous rootlets
Helleborus orientalis - Lenton Rose
Flowers nodding, petaloid sepals,
Short plant with stiff, large, evergreen leaves **
Leaves are palmately divided into many leaflets**
Heuchera sanguinea - Coralbells
Acaulescent herb with kidney-shaped, peltatre leaves
Tall scapes with small bell-shaped flowers
Hibiscus syriacus - Rose-of-Sharon
large, tropical looking, 5-petaled flowers
erect, spreading habit with upright branches
3-lobed leaves are 2-4 inches long
simple, alternate, coarsely toothed leaves
Hosta sp. - Plantain Lily
Acaulescent herb with parallel-veined leaves
Hyacinthus orientalis - Hyacinth
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris - Climbing Hydrangea
Vine with opposite sub heart-shaped leaves**
Vine climbing by adventitous rootlets, bark peelin
Hydrangea macrophylla - Bigleaf Hydrangea
stems emerge from ground with few branches
showy corymbs of flowers in summer
large opposite, serrated leaves
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ - Grandiflora Panicle Hydrangea
opposite serrate leaves, whorled at branch tips
large, cone-shaped inflorescence
Hydrangea quercifolia - Oakleaf Hydrangea
unique, oak-shaped leaf
Ilex cornuta ‘Carissa’ - Carissa Holly
Cupping syndrome
Translucent rim around leaf margin
Single spine at leaf apex
Leaf shiny,dark green above, flat olive beneath
Ilex cornuta ‘Needlepoint’ - Needlepoint Holly
Ilex cornuta `Dwarf Burford’ - Dwarf Burford Holly
Leaves alternate, dark green, and bullate
Leaves oblong (= margins are parallel)
Leaves with single spine (at the apex) *
Stems yellow-green
Ilex crenata ‘Compacta’ - Compact Japanese Holly
rounded habit
Leaves alternate, simple, flat, obovate
Lustrous dark green leaves, crenate-serrate margin
Stem’s new growth is purple
Ilex crenata ‘Helleri’ - Helleri Japanese Holly
Yellow stems
Dwarf mounding shrub to 4 feet tall, alternate leaves
Leaves alternate, crenate, evergreen, small (1-2.5 cm long)
Leaves dotted with black glands on undersurface
Ilex crenata ‘Soft Touch’ - Soft Touch Japanese Holly
Smallest leaf of all the Hollys and softest touch
Ilex crenata ‘Steeds’ - Steeds Japanese Holly
Pyrimidal shape
Ilex crenata `Sky Pencil’ - Sky Pencil Japanese Holly
Fastigiate growth form
Leaves alternate, glossy, dark green
Ilex glabra - Inkberry Holly
Very little foliage at the base
Ilex opaca - American Holly
Dull-dark green leaves are both entire and spiny**
Spines are evenly spaced, long and sharp
Leaves usually have a dull, dirty look
Ilex verticillata - Winterberry Holly
Doesn’t really look like a Holly
Deciduous shrubby holly with persistent red berries
Berry has a terminal black dot, not a ‘fly’
Leaves serrate, pubescent on veins beneath
Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’ - Dwarf Yaupon Holly
Grey stems
Dense evergreen shrub with gray twigs
Leaves glossy, dark green above, light green below
Leaf margins crenate, no black glands beneath
Ilex vomitoria ‘Pendula’ - Weeping Yaupon Holly
Ilex x ‘Mary Nell’ - Mary Nell Holly
All leaves are uniform compared to the “Nellie” which are not
Ilex x `Nellie R. Stevens’ - Nellie R. Stevens Holly
Bullate leaves with 1-3 spines along each margin
Leaves consistently variable in number of spines
Abundant red fruit
Ilex x attenuata ‘Fosteri’ - Foster Holly
Pyramidal
Leaves alternate, dark green, coriaceous
Leaves with spines on upper half **
Leaf base cuneate (not attenuate!)
Persistent red berries *
Ilex x attenuata ‘Savannah’ - Savannah Holly
Evenly spaced spines mid-leaf to apex
Pale green, spinose* leaves
Small tree, loose and rounded to pyramidal
Illicium parviflorum - Small Anise-Tree
Smells like liquerish
New leaves are soft yellow-green
Adult leaves are olive green, 2-4 inches long
Iris sp. - Iris
Itea virginica - Virginia Sweetspire
Green to reddish-purple stem (on sun side) with crescent shaped leaf scars
Jasminum floridum - Showy Jasmine
Semi-evergreen shrub with arching, quadrangular stems**
Leaves are alternate and ternately compound ***
Jasminum nudiflorum - Winter Jasmine
Semi-evergreen shrub with arching,green,quadrangular stems**
Leaves are opposite, ternately compound**
Juniperus chinensis ‘Robusta Green’ - Robusta Green Chinese Juniper
Similiar to “Hollywood” but is blue green
brilliant green, scale leaves in tufts
Upright, evergreen shrub or small tree
Juniperus chinensis ‘Spartan’ - Spartan Juniper
Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ - Hollywood Juniper
Bright green color
Known as the “Hollywood Juniper”, this is an upright plant with an artistic twisted and tufted appearance.
Juniperus conferta ‘Blue Pacific’ - Blue Pacific Shore Juniper
Upright stems
Low trailing, evergreen shrub
Juniperus davurica ‘Expansa’/’Parsonii’ - Expansa Dahurian Juniper
Ground cover
looks like a shrub when small
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Plumosa Compacta’ - Plumosa Compact Creeping Juniper
V-shaped habbit
Juniperus horizontalis `Wiltonii’ - Blue Rug Juniper
Fine foliage that lays flat and tends to flow out of its container
100% scale leaves, intense silver-blue
leaves grow on only one side of stem
Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’ - Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper
Mounds in the center while stems lay flat
Juniperus x media `Pfitzeriana Compacta’ - Compact Pfitzer Juniper
Shrub type, sticks you when you touch it
Kalmia latifolia - Mountain Laurel
Evergreen shrub with sympodial growth, elliptic leaves*
Fruit, buds or inflorescence visible year-round**
Kerria japonica - Japanese Kerria
Deciduous shrub with cane-like growth
Leaves are plicate; stems are green,zig-zag,shiny***
Kniphofia x praecox - Red-Hot Poker
Lavandula angustifolia - Lavender
Kniphofia x praecox - Red-Hot Poker
lberis sempervirens - Candytuft
Evergreen groundcover has small, flat, linear leaves**
Liatris scariosa - Blazing Star
Tall, unbranched grassy stems
Terminal spike of small heads
Flowers tubular, fringe-looking
Ligustrum japonicum - Japanese Privet
Ligustrum sinense ‘Variegatum’ - Varigatum Chinese Privet
opposit leaf arrangement
medium green with cream or white variegation
Lilium sp. - Lily
Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’ - Variegated Lilyturf
Liriope muscari - Lilyturf, Big Blue Lilyturf or Monkey Grass
Plant is acaulescent* and tends to form clumps
Liriope spicata - Creeping Lilyturf
18 inch long, grass-like leaves, 1/4 inch wide, serrulate margin
llex cornuta `Burfordii’ - Burford Holly
Leaves bullate with terminal spine (usually no lateral spines)
Abundant bright red fruit
Stems yellow-green
Lonicera fragrantissima - Winter Honeysuckle
Opposite ovate leaves
Creamy white, very fragrant lemon-scented flowers in pairs
Lonicera x heckrottii - Goldflame Honeysuckle
Vine with fused leaf-like bracts subtending inflorescence**
Flowers abundant, elongate tubular, narrow trumpet
Leaves opposite, oblong
Loropetalum chinense -Chinese Loropetalum or Fringe-flower
4-petaled, wavy, strap-like white or pink flowers**
Ovate leaf’s undersides are sandpaper-y, rough**
Evergreen shrub with leaves in a single plane*
Mahonia bealei - Leatherleaf Mahonia
Mentha sp. - Mint
Michelia figo - Banana Shrub
Brown pubescence under leaves and on buds**
Cup-shaped, ivory flower smells like ripe banana**
Evergreen shrub with magnolia-like leaves*
Miscanthus sinensis sp. - Maiden Grass
Erect clumping grass
Terminal inflorescence in finger-like racemes
Monarda didyma - Beebalm
Erect herbs with square stems, opposite leaves
Leaves coarse, pubescent, minute axillary leafy shoots
Muhlenbergia capillaris - Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris - Pink Muhly Grass
Muscari sp. - Grape Hyacinth
Myrica cerifera - Southern Wax Myrtle
Yellowish resin glands on underside of leaf
Narrowly oblanceolate, attenuate leaves
Waxy fruits are highly aromatic
Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ - Firepower Nandina
Nandina domestica - Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)
Terminal clusters of bright red berries
Medium evergreen shrub with cane-like growth
Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’ - Boston Fern
Narcissus sp. - Daffodil
Nerium oleander - Oleander
Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4***
Shiny, stout, green stems*
Ocimum basilicum - Basil
Origanum vulgare - Oregano
Osmanthus fragrans - Fragrant Tea Olive
. They can be readily distinguished from hollies by their opposite leaves, hollies having alternate leaves..Foliage is dark, leathery, and usually toothed along the edges. Growth habit of most species is dense and upright-oval to rounded in form.
Osmanthus heterophyllus - False Holly
Leaves are OPPOSITE, decussate, narrow elliptic, evergreen**
Both entire leaves and leaves with 1-4 pr spiny teeth**
Osmanthus x fortunei - Fortune’s Osmanthus
Large evergreen shrub or small tree
Opposite leaves, both toothed and entire
Pachysandra terminalis - Japanese Spurge
Obovate**leaves, alternate, 3-veined at base
Rhizomatous ground cover with decumbent stems*
Leaves apical on upright stem tips, appear to be whorled
Paeonia sp. - Peony
Parthenocissus tricuspidata - Japanese Creeper, Boston Ivy
Vine with branched tendrils & holdfasts*****
Leaves broad ovate, cordate, 3-lobed, coarsely serrate
Juvenile leaves 3-foliate, resemble poison ivy
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ - Fountain Grass
Perovskia atriplicifolia - Russian Sage
Stems grayish, square, bearing opposite leaves
Petroselinum crispum - Parsley
Philodendron sp. - Philodendron
Phlox paniculata - Garden Phlox
Phlox subulata - Moss Phlox (Thrift)
Short, green, linear leaves**
Flowers salverform, lobes are notched at apex**
Picea glauca ‘Conica’ - Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Small cone-shaped gymnosperm shrub
Lwaves short, sword-shaped, light green
Picea pungens - Colorado Blue Spruce
Gymosperm with bluish saber-like leaves***
Leaves stiff, ridid, spine-tipped**
Pieris japonica - Japanese Pieris
Reproductive structures visible year-round
White/pink urceolate flowers in pendulous chains**
New growth bronze-purplish, stems yellow-green**
Evergreen shrub with sympodial growth, rosette-like leaves*
Pittosporum tobira - Japanese pittosporum, Tobira
Evergreen, obovate leaves with entire margins
Dense, compact med. to lg. shrub,sympodial growth
Podocarpus macrophyllus var. maki - Maki, Shrubby or Chinese Podocarpus
Densely compact shrub with alternate, spiral, linear leaves*
Midrib of flattened leaves raised on both sides**
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ - Otto Luyken Laurel
No serrations unlike the Schip Laurel
Leaves narrowly lanceolate, entire, strong ascending
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’ - Schip Laurel
Has serrations in the leaves unlike the “Otto” which does not
Leaves narrowly lanceolate, serrate at apex
Pyracantha sp. - Firethorn
Rhaphiolepis umbellata - Yeddo Rhaphiolepis, Indian Hawthorn
Leaves large, coriaceous, broad, serrate, acuminate, reticulate below
Tree-likel evergreen shrub with sympodial growth*
Rhododendron catawbiense - Catawba Rhododendron
Long, leathery leaves, in tiers, congested at branch tips**
Evergreen shrub, tiered, sympodial growth
Rhododendron obtusum - Hiryu or Kirishima Azalea
Dwarf semigreen shrub with sympodial growth, crowded leaves
Twigs & leaves with reddish-brown hairs
Rhododendron Satsuki Group - Satsuki Azalea
Dwarf spreading shrub, semievergreen, sympodial growth
Leaves crowded, lanceolate to suborbucular
Rosa banksiae - Lady Banks Rose
Stems green, prickle-less (“thornless”0*
Evergreen climbing shrub with pinnately compound leaves
Rosa sp. - Hybrid Rose
Salvia officinals - Sage
Sansevieria trifasciata - Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
Schefflera actinophylla - Schefflera
Schefflera elegantissima - False Aralia
Sedum sp. - Stonecrop
Succulent plants, erect to decumbent
Flowers small, clustered in compound cymes*
Spathiphyllum sp. - Spathiphyllum
Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’ - Little Princess Spirea
Smaller leaf and more rounded than “Anthony Waterer”
Spiraea japonica Anthony Waterer - Anthony Waterer Japanese Spiraea
Linear leaf and pointed
Spiraea nipponica Snowmound - Snowmound Nippon Spirea
- alternate leaf arrangement
- very small serrated leaves
- vase-shaped
Spiraea x vanhouttei - Vanhoutte Spirea
V shaped base
Deciduous fountain-like shrub with cane-like growth*
Leaves are obovate, blue-green & unevenly toothed at apex half
Syringa vulgaris - Common Lilac
Opposite leaves appear cordate, but base truncate**
Upright leggy, top-heavy deciduous shrub
Ternstroemia gymnanthera - Japanese Cleyera
Branches are tiered, leaves appear whorled at tips**
Evergreen blue-green leaves have purple petioles**
Erect shrub with sympodial growth
Thymus vulgaris - Thyme
Trachelospermum jasminoides - Confederate or Star Jasmine
Evergreen vine with opposite, entire leaves
Tulipa sp. - Tulip
Veronica spicata - Spike Speedwell
Flowers blue, in dense terminal racemes
Leaves opposite, toothed in middle
Viburnum awabuki ‘Chindo’ - Chindo Viburnum
Serrations on leaves
Evergreen shrub with large, waxy leaves
Leaves remotely toothed, leathery
Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’ - Spring Bouquet Laurustinus Viburnum
No serrations and smaller leaves than the “Chindo”
Vinca minor - Common Periwinkle, Lesser Periwinkle
Low-growing evergreen groundcover
Leaves opposite*, elliptic and entire
Flowers rotate**, lilac-blue or white
Weigela florida - Weigela
Deciduous shrub with opposite,ovate,acuminate leaf
Stipular scars encircle stems
Wisteria sinensis - Chinese wisteria
Twining, woody vine with pinnately compound leaves**
