Identifying Plants in Winter Slides 1-5: Reference: 1 By Charlie Dubay Workshop presented to John Clayton Chapter, VNPS on 2/18/12

2 SOME WAYS WE IDENTIFY WOODY PLANTS IN WINTER 1.Old leaves (on ground or dried on the tree) 2.Buds (number/shape/color) 3.Twig ( color/rough/smooth/fat/thin/thorns/zig-zag ) 4.Twig odor when scratched 5.Leaf/bud/twig attachment (opposite/alternate) 6.Leaf type ( scale/needle/broad/compound/simple ) 7.Leaf scar (shape/bud position/bundle scars) 8.Evergreen or deciduous 9.Bark (rough/smooth/color/lower branches) 10. Fruits (dried or ripe on tree or on ground) 11. Habitat (wet/dry/shade/sun/slope/flat) 12. Plant growth form (vine/shrub/tree)

What to look for to ID plants DESCRIPTIONS Circle all that apply: Dof.virginia.gov oregonmag.com hsbcubscouts.org A. Leaf Type: Scale Needle Broad Evergreen or Deciduous Compound or Simple Buckeyeleaf.com dkimages.com z.about.com marz-kreations.com palmate pinnate palmate Pinnate Leaflets leaflets veins veins B. Leaf Attachment: Opposite or Alternate dnr.state.md.us dnr.state.md.us C. Leaf Size: ( Use ruler on page edge →) (or you can estimate – First joint in thumb = 1 inch) Length: _________inches Width: __________ inches D. Describe/sketch Fruits (if present): State the date: (Give size as well) E. Describe/sketch Flowers (if present): State the date: (Give size as well) 3

Leaf Type: scale NeedleBroad 4

Simple: Palmate veins Pinnate veins Compound: Palmate leaflets Pinnate leaflets 5

Opposite Alternate 6

C. Leaf Size: ( Use ruler on page edge →) (or you can estimate – First joint in thumb = 1 inch) Length: _________inches Width: __________ inches D. Describe/sketch Fruits (if present): State the date: (Give size as well) E. Describe/sketch Flowers (if present): State the date: (Give size as well) 7

F. Leaf Edge: Entire (smooth) (no teeth or lobes) teeth Lobes bristle hairs at lobe tips rounded lobes 8

Habitat:Buds: TWIG (the VERY TIP PART of the branch): thickness color(s) ODOR markings or bumps or bends Attachment(opposite/alternate ibiblio.org botany.csdl.tamu.edu Black Gum 9

mature bark White Oak Group Red Oak Group Yellow Poplar 10

Examples of local forest Plants and plant-like Organisms 11

LICHENS: Part Fungus and part Alga 12

THREE GROWTH FORMS: CRUSTOSEFOLIOSEFRUTICOSE 13

Moss 14

FERNS CHRISTMAS FERN Fiddle heads Adult fern 15

16 Devil’s Walking Stick dkimages.com butler.edu

17 American Beech Note: dried leaves stay on tree in winter – Buds resemble thorns Nuts are delicious!! dcnr.state.pa.us Duke.edu

18 American Hornbeam Smooth ‘wavy’ bark Compare to Eastern Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) with Its peely bark!! botany.csdl.tamu.edu

cas.vanderbilt.edu Scarlet Oak (Whitish hairs on bud tips) Northern Red Oak The oaks (Have multiple buds at twig tip!!) 19

A B CE D F 20 chestofbooks.com departments.bloomu.edu chestofbooks.com or Soft fuzz on back Smooth back

21 A D CE F B Yellow Poplar:

22 Sweetgum

botany.csdl.tamu.eduibiblio.org Black Gum 23 A BC 1 INCH ‘HEXAGONS’ Light colored tip on DARK red buds

( NOT-why?) A B fp.auburn.edu 24 Persimmon C

25 gloucesterva.info fp.auburn.ed SOURWOOD OFTEN LEANS A C B D TAN IN GROOVES

26 SYCAMORE biology.clc.uc.edu flickr.com tree-species.blogspot.com A D E B commons.wikimedia.org C How do we know it isn’t Sweetgum (4 WAYS)? ncrowdkids.com Sweetgum F

27 una.edu cas.vanderbilt.edu BLACK CHERRY Young barkOld bark Twig & Bud Scratch & it STINKS!!

28 Hickory species (Probably Mockernut H.) With criss-cross markings on bark (behind the Beech) dailykos.com msuplants.com chestofbooks.com Thick husk - thin husk On Mockernut on Pignut

29 River Birch

30 treesandshrubs.about.com forestry.about.com Bark 2 types of needles Eastern Red Cedar

31 forestry.ky.gov earlyforest.com cnr.vt.edu mdc.mo.gov cas.vanderbilt.edu Pines of Williamsburg, VA Virginia Shortleaf Loblolly Virginia Loblolly or Shortleaf

32 American Holly floridata.com

33 OPPOSITE LEAF TREES The “MAD” Trees!! (Maple, Ash & Dogwood)

34 Red Maple: woodmagic.vt.edu Find similar imagesoutdoors.org treegrowersdiary.com tapmytrees.com Young bark Older bark Like white oak

Ash Twigs in Winter 35 Green Ash White Ash

36 Flowering Dogwood (watch for Swamp Dogwood in wetlands) treetopics.com flwildflowers.com missouriplants.com

37 Wild Grape – Probably Muscadine Grape

38 Cross vine Young – 2 leaf stage

sfrc.ufl.edu chestofbooks.com urban-science.blogspot.com duke.edu 39 Poison Ivy Summer Winter

Let’s see how much we remember: Use the answer sheet provided

41 duke.edu biology.clc.uc.edu

42 duke.edu mdc.mo.gov floridata.com

fp.auburn.edu ibiblio.org

chestofbooks.com

ANSWER KEY 1.Eastern Red cedar 2.River Birch 3.Black Cherry/Cherrybark Oak 4.Foliose Lichen 5.Sycamore 6.Red Maple 7.Poison Ivy 8.Cross Vine 9.Shortleaf Pine 10.Flowering Dogwood 11.Cross Vine 12.American Holly 13. Sourwood 14.Persimmon 15.American Hornbeam 16.Black Gum 17.Devil’s Walking Stick 18.Red Oak GROUP 19.Basket Oak 20.Yellow Poplar 45