Types of Leaves

GinkgoFamily: GinkgoaceaeGenus: GinkgoSpecies: bilobaScientific name: Ginkgo biloba

MAPLESFamily: AceraceaeGenus: Acer

MAPLES Seeds!!

Ex: Red maple: Acer rubrum

Most maples have simple palmate leaves

Some maples have compound leaves

Box elder maple:

Acer negundo

Paper bark maple

Acer griseum

Papery bark, peels, looks like cinnamon

MAPLES

For species of maples and scientific names, see the tree ID list.

To identify specific species, use field guides, the internet, or talk to Mrs. McCarrey about using her book to compare leaves.

SYCAMORES (aka plane trees)Family: PlatanaceaeGenus: Platanus Can be confused with maples; the difference is the sycamores don’t

have the classic maple seeds and sycamores have very distinctive bark that looks like dried and cracked mud (right) or sometimes sloughs off (below)

OAKSFamily: FagaceaeGenus: Quercus

OAKSSeeds = acorns

BEECHES Family: Fagaceae Genus: Fagus Typically have a smooth gray bark (like an elephant,

but smoother!) Classic beech leaves have wide-spread veins in a

pinnate leaf and are pubescent on margins and bottom

of leaf.

WILLOWS Family: Salicaceae

Genus: Salix

Usually have narrow, pointed leaves (except for pussy willows)

Seeds: catkins (in spring)

Some “weep” (but not all – this is true of weeping willows and

corkscrew willows”

Above and right: catkins

Left and below: leaves and tree of weeping willow

Cottonwoods & Poplars Family: Salicaceae

Genus: Populus

Tall, grow by water, cottonwood seeds in spring

Deeply furrowed bark

ASPEN Family: Salicaceae

Genus: Populus

Species: Populus tremuloides

Classic white bark with black lines on it; live in clumps (clonal)

Leaves: flat, soft teeth, pointed

Birches Family: Betulaceae (same family as alders and hornbeams)

Genus: Betula (alder genus: alnus, hornbeam genus: Carpinus)

Serrated leaves

Usually have white bark (paper birch bark peels like paper,

weeping birches have deeply serrated teeth and white bark

with black lines)

Pine Trees Family: Pinaceae

Genus: Pinus

Needles usually come in fascicles/bundles of 2, 3, or 5 (rarely as 1) and are usually 2” or longer

Pinecones

Needles in 2s: Austrian, Bosnian Red Cone, 2-needle pinyon, Scots/Scotch

Needles in 3s: Jeffrey and Ponderosa

Needles in 5s: Bristlecones, Limber

Spruces Family: Pinaceae

Genus: Picea

Needles are shorter than pine needles; come in bundles/fascicles of 1

Pokey/sharp needles (typically stiffer than pine needles)

Blue spruce: Picea pungens

Cedars Family: Pinaceae

Genus: Cedrus

More elegant appearing than pines/spruces; boughs often droop with age

Needles are whorled in clusters of at least 20

Firs and Douglas Firs Family: Pinace

Genus for firs: Abies

Genus for Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga

Fur needles are soft and not sharp; less stiff than spruces “firs are friendly!”

Fir cones are papery (douglas fir cones have little “tails” on the paper)

Left: white fir coneRight: Douglas fir cone

Horsechestnuts/Buckeyes Family: Sapindaceae

Genus: Aesculus

Compound palmate leaves with either 5 or 7 leaflets; seeds are spikey balls

Good shade trees

Elms Family: Ulmaceae

Genus: Ulmus

These have prolific papery seeds (seeds almost look like petals)

Many species are messy (lots of sap, pollen, and seeds)

Serrated pinnate leaves with widely spread veins; leaf is

asymmetrical where it comes off of the petiole

Linden Family: Tiliaceae

Genus: Tilia

Key features: light serration on leaves, leaves usually asymmetrical (slightly heart shaped) where blade comes off of petiole, leaves have a petal which accompanies them and dries out/turns yellow/white as summer progresses

Walnut trees Family: Juglandaceae Genus: Juglans In Utah there are two main types:

English walnut (Juglans regia)Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Compound leaves

Walnut seeds in spring/summer

Fruit Trees Family: Rosaceae Same family as rosebushes Many different cultivars or breeds (often people label

cultivars or specific types by adding a word to the end of the scientific name, e.g. Tilia cordata greenspire, but you don’t have to identify this cultivar)

Hawthorn Family: Rosaceae Genus: Crataegus

Serrated leaves of varying shapes, small round berries that birds eat

PearFamily: RosaceaeGenus: Pyrus

Common pears are European pear Pyrus communis (has fruit) and Bradford pear (tiny non-edible fruits)

Apple Family: Rosaceae Genus: Malus

Includes crabapples (right) and apples (below)

Plum, cherry, apricot, peachFamily: RosaceaeGenus: Prunus

Rowan Family: Rosaceae Genus: Rowan

In legend, rowan wood is used to ward off witches (see The Last Apprentice series).

Image sources

BYU TREE TOUR website http://treetour.byu.edu/map.aspx

Wikimedia commons

Google images when first two sources were inadequate to portray key characteristics