Plant List Week 03 Flashcards
Betula nigra
Common: River Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Look For:
Look for:
- multiple trunks (usually),
- leaf bases that are broadly V-shaped,
- leaf margins that are doubly-serrated,
and
- multiple layers of thin, brown bark that is peeling away in small sheets, giving the trunks a “shaggy” appearance.
Betula pendula
Common: European White Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Look For:
- flat, white bark split apart by dark cracks,
- tiny flowers hanging in catkins,
- small ovate to triangular leaves,
and - (on older trees) the thin, pendulous, outer branches that give this plant its specific epithet.
Betula pendual ‘Laciniata’
Common: Cutleaf Weeping Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Look For:
- finely cut (dissected) leaves,
- pendulous branches,
and - smooth, white bark split apart by dark cracks.
Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’
Common: European Hornbrew
Family: Betulaceae
Look For:
- a smooth, gray trunk,
- alternate leaves with finely serrate margins,
- protruding leaf veins on the underside of each leaf,
- short, red petioles,
and - wispy silver hairs on the leaves, petioles, and stems.
Ostrya carpinifolia
Common: Hop Hornbeam
Family: Betulaceae
Look For:
- thin, pendulous male catkins,
- papery female fruits that look like dried hops,
- rough bark that can be gray to black,
and - very parallel secondary veins on the leaves.
Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’
Common: Purple Dawyck Beech
Family: Fagaceae
Look For:
- smooth, gray bark,
- purple- to copper-colored leaves,
- a wavy, ciliate leaf margin,
and - a very upright growth form.
Quercus agrifolia
Common: Coast Live Oak
Family: Fagaceae
Look For:
- sharp teeth on the leaf margin,
- leaves that are slightly cupped (bulging upwards),
- axillary hairs in the “armpits” of the leaf veins,
and - smooth gray bark that stretches apart in places with black fissures.
Quercus chrysolepis
Common: Canyon Live Oak
Family: Fagaceae
Look For:
- small, flat leaves with the upper surface shiny and the lower surface waxy,
- 6 to 10 pairs of mostly parallel leaf veins,
and - flexible twigs.
Quercus douglasii
Common: Blue Oak
Family: Fagaceae
Look For:
- shallowly lobed leaves,
- short petioles (under half an inch),
- light gray bark shallowly checked in small squares,
and - blue-green foliage (if you look at it the right way).
Quercus macrocarpa
Common: Burr Oak
Family: Fagaceae
Look For:
- large leaves (up to 10 inches long),
- rounded leaf lobes with deep indentations,
and - big acorns enclosed in a fringed cup.
Quercus wislizeni
Common: Interior Live Oak
Family: Fagaceae
Look For:
- flat, pointed leaves, 1-2 inches long,
and - dark bark with a consistent texture around the trunk.
(Note: Although most reference books list this tree as “Q. wislizenii,” the spelling with one “i” is considered to be the correct one under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature or ICBN.)
Juglans hindsii
Common: California Black Walnut
Family: Juglandaceae
Look For:
- rough, brown bark,
- pinnately compound leaves,
and - 15-19 pairs of narrow leaflets.
Juglans regia
Common: English Walnut
Family: Juglandaceae
Look For:
- smooth, gray bark,
- pinnately compound leaves,
and - 5-9 pairs of broad leaflets.
Populus fremontii
Common: Western Cottonwood
Family: Salicaceae
Look For:
- triangular to heart-shaped leaves,
- broad, rounded serrations on the leaf margins,
- flattened petioles,
- deeply furrowed bark,
and - (on female trees) clumps of cotton-like hairs blowing away as the fruits mature.
Populus nigra ‘Italica’
Common: Lambardy Poplar
Family: Salicaceae
Look For:
- Tall, narrow trees,
- deltoid leaves with flattened petioles,
- rough gray bark in vertical strips,
and - branches around the tree all the way to the base (unless they’ve been pruned off).
Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’
Common: Corkscrew Willow
Family: Salicaceae
Look For:
- narrow leaves,
- small, apetalous flowers,
and - glossy, corkscrewing branches.
Aesculus x carnea
Common: Red Horse Chesnut
Family: Hippocastanaceae
Look For:
- a decorative tree with panicles of bright red flowers in the springtime,
- opposite, palmately-compound leaves with 5-7 obovate, sharply toothed leaflets,
- leaflets are often slightly twisted,
and - the brown fruit that appears in the fall is smooth or only slightly spiny.
Aesculus hippocastanum
Common: Common Horse Chestnut
Family: Hippocastanaceae
Look For:
- a large, decorative tree with overlapping layers of foliage creating dappled shade,
- palmately-compound leaves composed of 7 to 9 wedge-shaped leaflets,
- pinnately-veined leaflets with acuminate tips, serrated margins, and no petiolules,
- upright panicles of white flowers marked with red and yellow,
and - (in the fall) fruit that is rounded, green, and very spiny.
Liriodendron tulipifera
Common: Tulip Tree
Family: Magnoiaceae
Look For:
- distinctive leaf shape with four lobes,
and - large cup-shaped flowers in the springtime.
Michelia figo
Common: Banana Shrub
Family: Magnoliaceae
Look For:
- glossy, elliptic leaves,
- flower buds covered in fuzzy brown sepals,
and - cream-to-yellow petals with pink margins.
Sniff for:
- a faint fragrance of ripe bananas.
Fraxinus spp.
Common: Ash
Family: Oleaceae
Look For:
- opposite and (in most cases) odd-pinnately-compound leaves composed of 3-9 leaflets,
- gray bark that can be smooth or furrowed,
- inconspicuous flowers that have 0, 2, or 4 petals,
and - (on monoecious or female trees) flattened, elongated samarras that often have a twist.
Jasminum polyanthum
Common: Chinese Jasmine
Family: Oleaceae
Look For:
- a climbing vine that produces masses of fragrant flowers in April,
- pink buds that open to white, tubular flowers,
and - leaves are opposite, pinnately compound, and composed (usually) of seven leaflets, with the terminal leaflet being the longest.
Aquilegia alpina
Common: Alpine Columbine
Family Ranunculaceae
Look For:
- grows about 1.5’ tall
- has short-spurred blue flowers
Aquilegia chrysantha
Common: Golden Columbine
Family: Ranunculaceae
Look For:
- grows 4’ tall
- features long-spurred bright yellow flowers
Clematis CV
Common: Clematis
Famly: Ranunculaceae
Look For:
- a climbing vine with no tendrils,
- opposite, pinnately-compound leaves with 3 or 5 ovate leaflets,
and - showy red, white, violet, or blue flowers with many stamens and 4, 6, or 8 sepals.
Citrus myrtifolia
Common: Chinotto Orange
Family: Rutaceae
Look For:
- a small, rounded tree,
- fragrant white flowers,
- a large crop of small, bitter oranges (in most years),
and - small, dark, shiny leaves.
Citrus sinensis ‘Valencia’
Common: Valencia Orange
Family: Rutaceae
Look For:
- a tree with glossy, simple leaves,
and - a crop of spherical fruits known as “oranges.”
Antirrhinum majus
Common: Snapdragon
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Look For:
- spikes of bright colored flowers,
- distinctive corolla tubes,
and - narrow, elliptic leaves.
Digitalis purpurea
Common: Foxglove
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Look For:
- a large rosette of rumpled, dark green leaves,
- a single, tall inflorescence growing up out of the rosette in April,
and - a showy raceme of tubular purple or white flowers.
Hebe ‘Coed’
Common: Coed Veronica
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Look For:
- leaves held in distinctive, opposing pairs with alternating orientation
- flowers have 2 epipetalous stamens
Mimulus aurantiacus
Common: Sticky Monkey Flower
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Look For:
- a woody perennial growing up to 1.5m high,
- opposite, narrow leaves that are often shiny and sticky on the upper surface,
- revolute leaf margins,
and - bright-colored flowers (usually orange) blooming through most of spring quarter and into the summer.
Paulownia tomento
Common: Empress Tree
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Look For:
- large, fuzzy leaves.
- flowers that are purple outside, yellow inside, and held in upright panicles in the springtime,
and - fruits that are woody capsules containing winged seeds.
Penstemon Spp.
Common: Penstemon
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Look For:
- decorative flowers with bright colors
- attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds
- very typical flowers for the figwort family, with 4 stamens inside a fused corolla
Celtis occidentalis
Common: Common Hackberry
Family: Ulmaceae
Look For:
- ovate, taper-pointed leaves that are oblique at base, glossy above, and hairy beneath,
- 3 main leaf veins that spread out from the leaf base,
and - leaf margins that are smooth along the bottom third.
Celtis sinensis
Common: Chinese Hackberry
Family: Ulmaceae
Look For:
- a mixture of rough and smooth gray bark (often colored with patches of lichen),
- ovate leaves with a toothed margin and a shiny, dark upper surface,
and - tiny white flowers in the spring followed by many green fruits that ripen to orange-red in the fall.
Ulmus Spp.
Common: Elm
Family: Ulmaceae
Look For:
- leaves that almost always have rough textures, oblique bases, and serrated edges,
and - round, dry, papery samaras (winged seeds) that pile up on the ground underneath the tree.
Zelkova serrata
Common: Japanese Zelkova
Family: Ulmaceae
Look For:
- a compact tree with a distinctive branching structure,
- alternate, lanceolate leaves with serrated edges,
and - small green fruit shaped like tiny Hershey’s Kisses.
