| A nontechnical summer key to the fifty trees |
|
1. Leaves needle-like, awl-shaped or scale-like; usually evergreen (conifers). |
|
| (42) Eastern Redcedar | |
| (1) Arborvitae | |
6. Needles in clusters of 5. |
(39) Eastern White Pine |
6. Needles in clusters of 2 or 3. |
|
7. Needles in clusters of 3. |
(40) Pitch Pine |
7. Needles in clusters of 2. |
(41) Red Pine |
5. Needles many (more than 5) in clusters on short spur-like lateral branches; not persistent through winter; on vigorous shoots needles borne singly. |
(28) American Larch |
4. Needles borne singly. |
|
8. Needles with short stems (petioles), flat, and blunt-pointed. |
(22) Eastern Hemlock |
8. Needles without stems (petioles). |
|
9. Needles flat, blunt-pointed. |
(20) Balsam Fir |
9. Needles 4-sided in cross section, sharp-pointed (spruces). |
|
10. Needles dark, yellowish green. |
(45) Red Spruce |
10. Needles bluish green or silvery white. |
(46) White Spruce |
| 1. Leaves broad, not needle-like or scale-like; not persistent through winter. | |
11. Arrangement of leaves opposite. |
|
12. Leaves compound (ashes). |
|
13. Leaflet with stems. |
(3) White Ash |
13. Leaflet without stems. |
(2) Black Ash |
12. Leaves simple (maples). |
|
14. Leaves pale green on lower surface, clefts rounded, lobes entire or with less prominent teeth. |
(33) Sugar Maple |
14. Leaves white, silver or pale on lower surface, clefts sharp-angled, margins with many small teeth. |
|
15. Leaves white or pale on lower surface, usually 3-lobed, clefts shallow and sharp-angled. |
(31) Red Maple |
15. Leaves silvery white on lower surface, usually 5-lobed, clefts deep (particularly the middle two). |
(32) Silver Maple |
11. Arrangement of leaves alternate. |
|
16. Leaves compound. |
|
17. Leaves doubly compound, leaflets usually even in number. |
(30) Honey-Locust |
17. Leaves only once compound. |
|
18. Margins of leaflets entire; leaflets almost oval in shape. |
(29) Black Locust |
18. Margins of leaflets toothed. |
|
19. Leaflets 11-23 (walnuts). |
|
20. Base of leaf stem with a "mustache" of hairs where it joins the twig. |
(12) Butternut |
20. Base of leaf stem lacking a "mustache" of hairs where it joins the twig. |
(49) Black Walnut |
19. Leaflets 5-11 (hickories). |
|
21. Leaflets 7-11, long narrow, sharp-pointed. |
(23) Bitternut Hickory |
21. Leaflets 5-7. |
|
22. Upper 3 leaflets larger. |
(25) Shagbark Hickory |
22. Leaflets of nearly the same size. |
(24) Pignut Hickory |
| 16. Leaves simple. | |
23. Leaves lobed. |
|
24. Leaves palmately lobed. |
|
25. Margins of the 3-5 shallow lobes sparsely toothed. |
(47) Sycamore |
25. Margins of lobes entire. |
|
26. Leaves 2-3 lobed or entire, with aromatic odor when crushed; apex of lobes or leaf rather sharp-pointed. |
(43) Sassafras |
26. Leaves 3-4 lobed, the apex truncate. |
(48) Tulip Tree |
24. Leaves pinnately lobed. |
|
27. Twigs with thorns. |
(21) Hawthorn |
27. Twigs lacking thorns. |
|
28. Lobes rounded, not bristle-tipped. |
|
29. Clefts halfway to midrib; leaves dark green above, paler below. |
(38) White Oak |
29. Clefts very shallow, the leaf appearing coarsely toothed. |
(35) Chestnut Oak |
28. Lobes with bristle tips. |
|
30. Leaves dull green on upper side, hairy along midrib below. |
(34) Black Oak |
30. Leaves shiny, smooth on upper surface. |
|
31. Clefts extending halfway to midrib. |
(36) Northern Red Oak |
31. Clefts extending over halfway to midrib. |
(37) Scarlet Oak |
23. Leaves not lobed or deeply cut. |
|
32. Leaves entire. |
|
33. Leaves ovate or egg-shaped (when not lobed), with aromatic odor when crushed. |
(43) Sassafras |
33. Leaves ovate (egg-shaped), lacking aromatic odor. |
(17) Cucumber Tree |
32. Leaves toothed. |
|
34. Leaves doubly serrate. |
|
35. Leaves triangular, with long tip. |
(9) Gray Birch |
35. Leaves ovate (egg-shaped). |
|
36. Base of leaves oblique (elms). |
|
37. Leaf surface very rough above and below. |
(19) Slippery Elm |
37. Leaf surface less rough, particularly above. |
(18) American Elm |
36. Base of leaves even, regular, not oblique. |
|
38. Twigs with wintergreen flavor. |
|
39. Bark on trunk black, not peeling off in papery layers. |
(8) Black Birch |
39. Bark on trunk yellowish, peeling off in papery layers. |
(11) Yellow Birch |
38. Twigs lacking wintergreen flavor. |
|
40. Bark scaly, scales easily rubbed off. |
(26) American Hophornbeam |
40. Bark smooth. |
|
41. Bark light gray, firm. |
(27) American Hornbeam |
41. Bark white, in papery layers. |
(10) Paper Birch |
34. Leaves coarsely toothed or serrate, not doubly serrate. |
|
42. Leaves linear or lanceolate. |
|
43. Leaves linear. |
(50) Black Willow |
43. Leaves lanceolate. |
|
44. Leaves coarsely toothed. |
(15) American Chestnut |
44. Leaves finely toothed, serrate. |
|
45. Leaves broadly lanceolate, with tufts of reddish hairs along midrib on lower surface. |
(13) Black Cherry |
45. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, lacking hairs along midrib. |
(14) Pin Cherry |
42. Leaves triangular, heart-shaped or ovate. |
|
46. Leaves heart-shaped or triangular. |
|
47. Leaves heart-shaped, nearly orbicular, the teeth many and small. |
(6) Basswood |
47. Leaves triangular, the teeth few and large. |
|
48. Leaves large, blunt-tipped. |
(4) Bigtooth Aspen |
48. Leaves small. |
|
49. Leaf base rounded. |
(5) Quaking Aspen |
49. Leaf base square. |
(16) Eastern Cottonwood |
46. Leaves ovate. |
|
50. Leaves coarsely toothed, nearly lobed. |
|
51. Leaves with teeth rounded, not bristle-tipped. |
(35) Chestnut Oak |
51. Leaves with teeth sharp, bristle-tipped. |
(7) American Beech |
50. Leaves serrate. |
|
52. Leaves finely-serrate; twigs lacking thorns. |
(44) Shadbush |
52. Leaves coarsely serrate; twigs with thorns. |
(21) Hawthorn |
|
|