Tree ID

By Travis Tuten

American Sycamore

• Scientific name: Platanus occidentalis• Leaf shape: more or less round in outline with

many irregular lobes and teeth.• Arrangement: alternate• Key characteristics: bark creamy or greenish white• Bark: scaling off in thin, scattered, brown plates• Geographic area: grows in all Sates east of the

Great Plains except Minnesota.• Leaf size: 4 to 8 in. long and wide

American Sycamore

Ash

• Scientific name: Fraxinus spp.• Leaf shape: Compound with 5 to 9 oval pointed

leaflets.• Arrangement: opposite on the twig• Key characteristics: leaf scars nearly encircling the bud• Bark: ashy gray• Geographic area: northern Florida in the east, and to

eastern Minnesota south to eastern Texas• Leaf size: 8 to 12 in. long

Ash

Baldcypress

• Scientific name: Taxodium distichum• Leaf shape: leaves or needles, flat and spreading,

feather-like • Arrangement: alternate• Key characteristics: cone shape knees around the

base of the trunk• Bark: cinnamon-red• Geographic area: lower Atlantic Coastal Plain • Leaf size: ½ to ¾ in. long

Baldcypress

Basswood

• Scientific name: Tilia spp.• Leaf shape: heart-shaped, margins finely toothed • Arrangement: alternate• Key characteristics: fruit in clusters and on stalks• Bark:• Geographic area:• Leaf size: 3 to 5 in. long 2 to 4 in. wide

Basswood

Black Birch

• Scientific name: Betula lenta• Leaf shape: leaf long, oval• Arrangement: alternate• Key characteristics: Papery bark• Bark: soft grey with green underlayer• Geographic area: eastern North America, from

southern Maine west to southernmost Ontario, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

• Leaf size: 5 to 10 cm long and 4 to 8 cm broad

Black Birch

Silver Maple

• Scientific name: Acer saccharinum• Leaf shape: deep angular notches between the five lobes• Arrangement: Opposite• Key characteristics: found along waterways and in

wetlands• Bark: On mature trunks, the bark is gray and shaggy. On

branches and young trunks, the bark is smooth and silvery gray.

• Geographic area: North America, eastern US• Leaf size: 8–16 cm long and 6–12 cm broad

Silver Maple

Southern Magnolia

• Scientific name: Magnolia grandiflora• Leaf shape: large glossy dark green leaves • Arrangement: alternate• Key characteristics: Large white flowers• Bark: smooth, except for the warty lenticels• Geographic area: southeastern United States• Leaf size: dark green leaves up to 20 cm long and

12 cm wide, and large, white, fragrant flowers up to 30 cm in diameter

Southern Magnolia

Southern Red Oak

• Scientific name: Quercus falcata• Leaf shape: sharply pointed, often curved, bristle-

tipped lobes• Arrangement: Alternate, simple• Key characteristics: Evergreen broadleaf • Bark: dark brownish gray with narrow, shallow

ridges• Geographic area: Southern United States• Leaf size: 10–30 cm long and 6–16 cm wide

Southern Red Oak

Yaupon

• Scientific name: Ilex vomitoria• Leaf shape: serrulate, crenate, ovate• Arrangement: alternate• Key characteristics: also called Holly• Bark: light gray bark • Geographic area: southeastern United States• Leaf size: 1-4.5 cm long and 1–2 cm broad

Yaupon

Yellow-Poplar

• Scientific name: Liriodendron tulipifera• Leaf shape: Alternate• Arrangement: scales that grow into a shoot• Key characteristics: known as tulip tree• Bark: brown and furrowed• Geographic area: eastern North America• Leaf size: 8–22 cm long and 6–25 cm wide

Yellow-Poplar