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

Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison massnrc.org Opposite Branching – “MAD-Cap Horse” Maple Ash Dogwood Caprifoliaceae (Viburnams) Horsechestnut / Buckeye

hvfarmscape.org Branching pattern of red maple

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

Iowa State Univ. Treetopics.com Eastern redcedar Northern white-cedar

Gaiahealthblog.com Ayay.co.uk Angular shape, sharp to touch : spruces Flattened shape, rounded tip : firs and hemlock Needles arranged singularly along the stem:

Virginia Dept. of Education Fascicle

“Simple” “Compound” University of New Hampshire 2020site.org University of North Carolina Sugar maple American beech Mockernut hickory

sluh.org Palmate - buckeye Mississippi State University Pinnate – white ash Bi-pinnate - honeylocust honeylocust.com

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Entire Smooth edge Sinuate Wavy, almost lobed Undulate Wavy Univ. of Kentucky

Lobed Lobes extend less than halfway to rib Pinnately Divided Lobes more than halfway to rib Palmately Divided Lobed like a hand Univ. of Kentucky

Serrate Forward-pointing teeth of uniform size Serrulate Very finely serrate Doubly Serrate (Erose) Teeth vary in size Univ. of Kentucky

Dentate Outward-pointing teeth Crenate Rounded teeth Ciliate Fine hairs Univ. of Kentucky

Pinnate Extend from rib to margin Palmate Extend from central point to end of each lobe Parallel Run parallel to margin Univ. of Kentucky

Univ. of Illinois

Univ. of Maryland

Characteristics Useful for Identification: Color Texture Thickness

 Characteristics Change with Age! northernwoodlands.org Black cherry

American beech

suttonmass.org Uninterrupted Iowa State Univ. Intersecting Northern red oakWhite ash

augustaga.gov Blackgum

Black cherry

ipfw.eduMissouri Botanical Gardens River birchAmerican sycamore

Univ. of Miami White (paper) birch White poplar Common on birch, poplar, cherry and others

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

Eat the Weeds AshMapleBirch Beech Horse- chestnut Oak

Portrait of the Earth (both) Thick, stout twigs are usually indicative of heavy fruit (walnut, hickory, buckeye, etc.) Black walnut Cherry (choke, black & pin)

Louisiana State Univ. Corky “wings” on sweetgum Spines on black locust Auburn Univ.

Univ. of Maryland Univ. of Wisconsin – Green Bay Ohio DNR Division of Forestry Buckeye Butternut & black walnut

Terminal False Terminal Lateral Single or clusters Ohioplants.org Basswood – bitternut hickory – chinquapin oak

Missouriplants.com Carolinanature.com Auburn Univ. Ohioplants.org

Valvate yellow-poplar 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

Louisiana State Univ. Black cherryDogwood Missouri State Univ.

Apple Brookfarm.com

Persimmon Discoverlife.orgThetreecenter.com Holly

Mockernut hickory Auburn Univ. Black walnut Onlyfoods.net

Northern red oak Treetopics.com White oak Virginia Native Plant Society Pin oak University of Kentucky

Red maple Washington State Univ. Yellow-poplar Oregon State Univ. Slippery elm Carolinanature.com

Eastern redbud Caseytrees.org

Various Southern Pines University of South Carolina

Norway spruce Treetopics.com Baldcypress Stephen F. Austin State Univ. 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: