Transcript Tree ID Basics Presentation

Dr. Stuart Alan Moss
Assistant Professor
West Virginia University
Division of Forestry & Natural Resources
 Gymnosperms
 Do not produce true flowers
 Seeds borne in cones
 Conifers (pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, larch, cedar, etc.)
 Mostly evergreen, but some are deciduous (larch, baldcypress)
 Angiosperms
 Flowering plants
 “Hardwoods” (oak, maple, hickory, ash, cherry, etc.)
 Sometimes referred to as “broad-leafed”
 Mostly deciduous, but some are evergreen (live oak, holly)
 Shape of Tree
 Branching Pattern
 Bark
 Twigs & Buds
 Leaves
 Fruit
 Flowers
massnrc.org
Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison
Opposite Branching – “MAD-Cap Horse”
Maple
Ash
Dogwood
Caprifoliaceae (Viburnams)
Horsechestnut / Buckeye
Branching pattern of red maple
hvfarmscape.org
 Characteristics Useful for Identification:
 Broad-leaf vs. scaled or needle-like
 Simple vs. compound
 General shape
 Margin
 Pubescent (hairy or fuzzy) vs. glabrous (smooth)
 Arrangement on twigs
 Scent
 Taste
Northern white-cedar
Iowa State Univ.
Eastern redcedar
Treetopics.com
Needles arranged singularly along the stem:
Angular shape, sharp to touch :
spruces
Gaiahealthblog.com
Flattened shape, rounded tip :
firs and hemlock
Ayay.co.uk
Fascicle
Virginia Dept. of Education
Sugar maple
American beech
 “Simple”
University of New Hampshire
2020site.org
 “Compound”
Mockernut hickory
University of North Carolina
Pinnate – white ash
Bi-pinnate honeylocust
Mississippi State University
Palmate - buckeye
honeylocust.com
sluh.org
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Entire
Undulate
Sinuate
Smooth edge
Wavy
Wavy, almost
lobed
Univ. of Kentucky
Lobed
Lobes extend less
than halfway to rib
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Pinnately
Divided
Palmately
Divided
Lobes more than
halfway to rib
Lobed like a hand
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Serrate
Serrulate
Forward-pointing
teeth of uniform size
Very finely serrate
Doubly Serrate
(Erose)
Teeth vary in size
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Dentate
Crenate
Ciliate
Outward-pointing
teeth
Rounded teeth
Fine hairs
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Kentucky
Pinnate
Palmate
Parallel
Extend from rib to
margin
Extend from central point to
end of each lobe
Run parallel to margin
Univ. of Illinois
Univ. of Maryland
 Characteristics Useful for Identification:
 Color
 Texture
 Thickness
Characteristics Change with Age!
Black cherry
northernwoodlands.org
American beech
Intersecting
Uninterrupted
Northern red oak
suttonmass.org
White ash
Iowa State Univ.
Blackgum
augustaga.gov
Black cherry
River birch
Missouri Botanical Gardens
American sycamore
ipfw.edu
Common on birch, poplar, cherry and others
White (paper) birch
Univ. of Miami
White poplar
 Characteristics Useful for Identification:
 Thickness
 Texture / Features




Glabrous
Pubescent
Winged / corky
Thorns/spines
 Color
 Leaf scars
 Buds
 Arrangement (alternate vs. opposite)
 Shape
 Texture (smooth, sticky)
 Scales
Clemson University
Ash
Maple Birch
Eat the Weeds
Beech
Horsechestnut
Oak
Thick, stout twigs are usually indicative of heavy fruit (walnut, hickory,
buckeye, etc.)
Black walnut
Portrait of the Earth (both)
Cherry (choke, black & pin)
Corky “wings” on sweetgum
Spines on black locust
Louisiana State Univ.
Auburn Univ.
Buckeye
Butternut & black walnut
Univ. of Maryland
Univ. of Wisconsin – Green Bay
Ohio DNR Division of Forestry
Basswood – bitternut hickory – chinquapin oak
 Terminal
 False Terminal
 Lateral
 Single or clusters
Ohioplants.org
Carolinanature.com
Missouriplants.com
Auburn Univ.
Ohioplants.org
Valvate
yellow-poplar
Ohioplants.org
Imbricate
sugar maple
Naked
witch-hazel
 Drupe – cherry, peach, plum, dogwood
 Pome – apple, pear
 Berry – persimmon, holly
 Nut – hickory, pecan, walnut
 Acorn –oak
 Samara – maple, ash, elm, yellow-poplar
 Seeds in pods – black locust, honeylocust,
redbud
Black cherry
Missouri State Univ.
Dogwood
Louisiana State Univ.
Apple
Brookfarm.com
Persimmon
Discoverlife.org
Holly
Thetreecenter.com
Black walnut
Mockernut hickory
Auburn Univ.
Onlyfoods.net
White oak
Northern red oak
Virginia Native Plant Society
Treetopics.com
Pin oak
University of Kentucky
Yellow-poplar
Red maple
Oregon State Univ.
Washington State Univ.
Slippery elm
Carolinanature.com
Eastern redbud
Caseytrees.org
Various Southern Pines
University of South Carolina
Baldcypress
Norway spruce
Stephen F. Austin State Univ.
Treetopics.com
Eastern redcedar
University of Tennessee
 Use a series of “yes or no” questions (“Are leafs needle-
like?”) or mutually-exclusive options (“Leaves simple
or compound”).
 Answers to questions direct the user to the next
question.
 More advanced keys use all available characteristics:
leaves, twigs, buds, etc.
 Some keys are specialized for use in winter (i.e. they do
not rely on leaves for deciduous species).
 Here are a few examples:
 http://bhort.bh.cornell.edu/tree/keys.htm
 http://cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/idit.htm
 http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/treeidkey.pdf