Native Trees of the Midwest

Native Trees of the Midwest

Identification, Wildlife Values, and Landscaping Use

Revised and Expanded Second Edition

Sally S. Weeks

Harmon P. Weeks, Jr.

George R. Parker

West Lafayette, Indiana / Purdue University Press

Copyright 2010 by Purdue University. All rights reserved. Printed in China.

Range maps by Michael A. Black.

Drawings in the glossary section are taken from C. S. Sargent, Silva of North America (Boston, New York, Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1890–1902).

Photos taken by Sally Weeks unless otherwise noted.

ISBN: 978-1-55753-572-6

The Library of Congress has cataloged the earlier edition as follows:

Weeks, Sally S., 1956-

Native trees of the Midwest : identification, wildlife values, and landscaping use / Sally S. Weeks, Harmon P. Weeks, Jr., George R. Parker.

    p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

 ISBN 1-55753-299-0

1. Trees—Middle West—Identification. 2. Trees—Indiana—Identification. 3. Trees—Middle West—Pictorial works. 4. Trees—Indiana—Pictorial works. I. Weeks, Harmon Patrick, 1944-II. Parker, George R. III. Title.

QK128.W45 2005

582.16’0977—dc22

2005002889

Preface to the Second Edition

Since the publication of the first edition of Native Trees of the Midwest in 2005, we have realized that it would be advantageous to include accounts for some non-native, introduced species that may be confused with natives. So for this second edition, we have added twelve species not native to North America that have become problematic here and elsewhere. Although some introduced species “behave” themselves, others, such as those we have included in this edition, have become invasive, escaping into the wild and potentially negatively impacting native species and their habitats.

In addition, there are scattered updates, corrections, and photo editions, as well as revisions to the keys to incorporate the introduced species.

Preface to the First Edition

Indiana is in the heart of the Midwest, yet its diverse flora is a rich mixture of species of northern and southern affinities. In northern Indiana, the tree species are more familiar to those living in the Lake States, and in southern Indiana, many “southern” trees reach the northern-most limits of their ranges. There are approximately 100 species of trees native to Indiana. Their ranges extend throughout most of the Midwest and into the Midsouth and the Lake States. It is for this reason that we chose a broad scope for this field guide, including not only all native trees of Indiana but those of the surrounding states as well.

It is our intention with this book to introduce the student, layperson and professional to the native trees of Indiana and surrounding states by providing hard-to-find color images and updated nomenclature from previous, state-specific field guides. These guides include Trees of Indiana, by Charles C. Deam, Forest Trees of Illinois, by Robert H. Mohlenbrock, The Woody Plants of Ohio, by E. Lucy Braun, Michigan Trees, by Burton V. Barnes and Warren H. Wagner, Jr., and Trees and Shrubs of Kentucky, by Mary E. Wharton and Roger W. Barbour. This is by no means a substitute for these classics, but rather another source of reference.

Sometimes our decision on what constitutes a tree may differ from the opinion of other authors, but regional size variation played a role in our selections. Species with a single stem (usually) or with a trunk diameter of 3 inches or more, and a height of 20 feet were included. Introduced species have not been included, but we have provided a list of commonly planted non-native trees

Trees in this guide are separated into color-coded sections. The first major division is into conifers and hardwoods. The conifers are separated into evergreen and deciduous; the hardwood classifications are more complex and include separation by leaf type and branching pattern. Each species has color photographs illustrating important features and a written description of these features. General information is provided on size, form and habitat of each species; some history and commercial uses of many trees is included as well. Information on wildlife uses and landscaping value is given for all species. There are Quick ID and Similar Species Distinction boxes for each species that give easy-to-find comparisons and important keys to aid in identification. We also provide winter and summer keys.

A single field guide to the trees of any area is not going to provide all the information available on the included species. This book is no exception. Additional information on trees in our area may be found in several quality books cited in our Bibliography.

Introduction

Tree identification is a fun, yet challenging avocation to some, and a necessary component of the job for others. Either way, acquiring skills in identification requires dedication, because the most effective way to learn the trees is through repetition. The more you see trees, particularly in their natural environs, with all of their variability, the more adept you become at their identification. One important thing to remember—most species can be determined by just a few key distinguishing characteristics.

There are many characteristics that aid in classifying a tree to the proper species. Both winter and summer keys have been provided to direct you to a specific group of trees or a particular species. And though we have attempted to use a minimum amount of technical terminology, there are some terms that we cannot do without. The following illustrations and discussion of the specific features and characteristics of trees should be studied in order to better understand tree identification.

Nomenclature

Nomenclature, or the naming of trees, is an important part of the study of trees. Scientific (Latin) names and common names are listed for all species; the Latin name is italicized and is recognized worldwide. The common names vary from region to region and are often colloquial. For instance, there are 30 known common names for the common southern longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, but only one recognized and accepted scientific name. These common, or vernacular, names usually result from the way a tree species is utilized by people in a given region of the country. It is always helpful to learn both common and scientific names.

The scientific names in this book generally follow the taxonomy used in Harlow and Harrar’s Textbook of Dendrology, 9th edition (Hardin et al. 2001). There are sometimes changes in the scientific names, usually as a result of a historically accepted name taking precedence over a current one. Prior names are often mentioned in the text.

Classification

The classification, or grouping, of woody plants into categories is a hierarchy, with each level becoming more unique as they are separated from the previous. The major groups dealt with in tree identification are the family, genus and species. As an example, black oak (the common name) has a specific name Quercus velutina. The genus is Quercus; the species name (the specific epithet) is velutina; and it is in the family Fagaceae. There are many members of the Fagaceae, or Beech family, and there are quite a few members of the genus Quercus; however, there is only one specific species named Quercus velutina, because it has features unlike any other tree species, and a few characteristics unlike any other oak. So the species is a very specific level in the hierarchy. The genus is a broader group covering many similar trees, in this case, all the oaks. The family is an even broader group that encompasses many trees with similar floristic characteristics, including the oaks, the beeches, and the chestnuts.

Range Maps

Range or distribution maps have been provided as a general key to the historical range of all our native species. Some species, however, are flexible in their site requirements and climate constraints, and have spread to a degree beyond the designated areas on the maps. Still others have been disseminated by humans and wildlife, and have become naturalized in areas well beyond historical ranges. The ranges of many rare species with specific site requirements have virtually remained unchanged for a century.

Wildlife Values

We have included rather detailed accounts of wildlife values in the text for each species. This information comes principally from the observations of the authors, and, unlike information that is generally available, covers not only food-production characteristics but also value as cover. The classic work in this area is the book by Martin et al. (1951), which has been used as a major source of information by many authors. We used this reference as well, but tempered our interpretations with personal observations, since the original authors discussed values of plant genera rather than of individual species. Species within the same genus may have strikingly different values to wildlife, and generalizations, thus, are often incorrect.

We have avoided enumeration of wildlife species that use various trees, since such numbers are largely subjective and biased. However, we have often given examples of wildlife species from the Midwest that frequently use a given tree species in a particular way, but such lists should by no means be considered all-inclusive. For additional information, the reader is referred to other books that we referenced and found useful; these include Halls (1977), Harlow (1942), Leopold et al. (1998), Miller and Miller (1999), and Sternberg and Wilson (2004).

Landscaping Value

The notion of using native trees as ornamentals seems to be taboo to many, and nurseries supply what is in demand. Unfortunately, the demand often seems to be for something new and different, and usually exotic. However, in recent years, some nurseries have begun to recognize the importance of planting native trees and are offering a limited number of species. One of our native trees can be a logical choice when selecting an ornamental for any landscape. They are well-adapted to our climate and tend to be more disease- and insect-resistant than exotics. There is virtually something for everybody—they come in all shapes and sizes. The information provided for each species will give the reader an idea of its requirements and what it will give you in return. Fall color, shade qualities, strength, and longevity are some details discussed. For more information, several suggested readings include Hightshoe (1988), Dirr (1998), and Sternberg and Wilson (2004).

Several terms that are commonly used need to be discussed here. Cultivars (derived from “cultivated variety”) and varieties are basically the same, and are a subdivision of a species. They are horticultural variants that are usually developed from a wild tree and breed true, but are maintained under cultivation by sexual or asexual means. Form is also a variant of a species that has a subtle difference from the true species, such as a different color flower, but does not breed true. They are usually derived from a wild plant and can be maintained in cultivation by asexual reproduction.

Quick ID and Similar Species Distinctions boxes are provided for each species. The Quick ID information is a condensed list of the most commonly recognized characteristics used to identify that particular species. Similar Species Distinctions offer those species most closely resembling, or those most often confused with the species, and provides clues for distinguishing among them.

Factors Influencing the Distribution of Midwestern Tree Species

This field guide concentrates on those tree species found in the region generally known as the Midwest, with its epicenter roughly located in the northwestern corner of Indiana; however, most of the species included are widely distributed throughout the geographic areas known as the Central Hardwood and Lake States regions. These regions include over 400 million acres, extending from the prairies of eastern Nebraska to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Ohio and from northern Tennessee to northern Michigan.

The general distribution of tree species within the region is influenced by east-west moisture gradients and north-south temperature gradients. Lower annual precipitation in the west supports a complex of oak and hickory species on uplands and riparian forests of more mesic species. Species in the north and eastern part of the region tend to be more mesophytic, such as beech, maple, and basswood. Conifer species, such as balsam fir, white spruce, and red pine, become more important in the cooler regions of northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Tree species with more southern affinities, such as southern red oak or yellow buckeye, occur southward from the southernmost tier of counties in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Embedded within the above climatic influence are such factors as slope, aspect and position, and soil character. Slope is most important in species distribution from southern Indiana and Ohio to Tennessee. South-facing slopes and ridges tend to be drier than north-facing slopes and minor stream bottoms, supporting oak and hickory species. North-facing slopes and minor stream bottoms usually have more mesic species, such as beech, maple, and tulip-poplar. Soil parent material is also an important factor influencing tree distribution in this part of the region. Limestone soils tend to be richer in species than sandstone soils. Certain species, such as Ohio buckeye, black maple, and blue ash, are more likely to be found on soils with limestone parent material. Specialized site conditions, such as shallow soils and cliffs, support less common tree species; examples are blackjack oak on barrens and eastern hemlock on cliffs.

The relatively flat landscape of southwestern Indiana and southern Illinois supports a complex of species with more southern affinities. Distribution depends primarily on soil drainage and proximity to large rivers. Species such as overcup oak, pecan and bald cypress reach the northern limit of their distributions in this area. Specialized site conditions of terraces and lake plains along the Wabash and Ohio rivers support flatwoods communities dominated by such species as post oak. Species of oak mixed with shortleaf pine occur on dry uplands of southern Illinois and Missouri.

Soil condition is also important in tree distribution within the northern, glaciated part of the region. This relatively flat topography is a complex of mesic glacial till interspersed with wet-depressional sites that vary in size and depth. Wet sites support distinct complexes of species such as bur oak, swamp white oak, and black ash, while adjacent uplands, a few inches higher in elevation, support typical mesic species of maple, beech, and ash. Specialized areas include swamps, bogs, and sand dunes that support species such as eastern larch, red maple, and eastern white pine. The species composition of these sites shifts further north in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Red, white and jack pine species primarily occur on sandy soils, while northern hardwoods of sugar maple, yellow birch, and American basswood are found on loamy soils. Bogs support black spruce and eastern larch, while swamps include species such as northern white-cedar and black ash.

Disturbance from human activities has been widespread across the region since the 1400s, when Native Americans were most abundant in the region. Activities such as land clearing, drainage, grazing, and fire, common from the mid-1800s to the 1940s as Europeans colonized the area, have had the greatest influence on the composition of forests present today. In the southern part of the region, ridges, stream valleys, and many slopes were cleared and farmed. Grazing on remaining lands left forests with little understory. By the 1930s these lands were abandoned because of severe soil erosion and large areas were returned to public ownership to form state and federal parks and forests.

The more level northern parts of the Central Hardwood Region continued to be cleared for intensive agriculture, so that remaining forests exist as small woodlands or narrow riparian strips along streams. These forests cover about 6 to 10 percent of the land, but are rich in species. A typical 20-acre woodland may have 20 to 30 tree species.

Increased protection of remaining forests from fire and grazing since the 1940s in the Central Hardwood Region has allowed forest understories to redevelop. However, tree species composition is different in this understory from the oak and hickory species that became more widespread across the region following disturbances. A typical woodland is likely to have various oak and hickory species in the overstory and more shade-tolerant species, such as sugar maple or American elm, in the understory. The eventual dominance of more shade-tolerant species, such as sugar maple, will lead to a reduction in species diversity within these forests.

Much of the land in the northern Lakes States Region has returned to forest cover following the extensive logging and clearing for farming in the late 1800s. Historical fires following logging greatly increased the widespread occurrence of quaking aspen and paper birch across the region. Much of this area has been transferred to public ownership.

Illustrated Glossary

There are many features used to determine the species of a given tree. First and foremost, once you have established that a particular tree is not a conifer, you need to determine whether the leaves and branches are arranged in an opposite or an alternate fashion. This is an important feature to recognize, because if your specimen is opposite, you have ruled out roughly 75% of all the possibilities.

Leaves, if available, are highly variable but are usually a useful feature for proper identification; however, they are only available during the growing season (unless the species is evergreen!). There are many shapes, sizes and textures of leaves. Leaves are categorized by whether they are simple or compound. Simple leaves are attached directly to the twig, either beside or on top of a bud, whereas compound leaves have various numbers of leaflets attached to a stalk (rachis) that is attached to the twig where a bud occurs. The stalk that attaches a simple leaf to a twig is called a petiole. In our native trees, compound leaves are either singly (pinnately) compound, doubly (bipinnately) compound, or palmately compound. To determine whether your specimen is a simple leaf or a leaflet from a compound leaf, look for a bud at the base of the petiole or rachis.

The margins of leaves vary greatly. They can be finely or coarsely toothed (serrate) or have wavy or entire margins. Species like oaks have lobes, which are like appendages on the leaf, and sinuses between the lobes.

Leaf shape is often used to identify a tree. Several common shapes include ovate, oblong, and lanceolate. The tip (apex) and base also vary in shape from species to species, and are useful in identification. The unique patterns of variation in leaf venation also can be used as an identification aid.

Buds and twigs are some of the best features to aid in identification, simply because they are less variable than leaves. Whether leaves are available or not, buds and twigs are usually helpful, and present nearly year-round. Twigs have several characteristics that are important to note, including leaf scars with their differing number and patterns of bundle scars, lenticels, stipule scars, thorn-like structures, and pith. These characters vary from genus to genus, and even among species within a genus. While they are usually unique to a species, they are often similar enough to other closely related species to group it with a given taxon, such as the oaks.

Leaf scars are found on a twig where a leaf was attached. They are best observed after a leaf has fallen naturally. Within the scar are one to many bundle scars, which mark the spots where nutrients and water were passed to the leaf. Lenticels are raised slits, usually pale in color, that are “breathing” sites for the twig. Stipules are small, leaf-like appendages that are usually shed with the leaves, leaving a scar near the top of the nodes. Some stipule scars completely encircle the twig, such as those of the magnolias. Some twigs have thorns, prickles or spines. They can be scattered along the twig or paired at the nodes. Pith is the center or core of the twig. It is often substantial, and colored; and it may be solid, diaphragmed or chambered.

Buds are usually covered with a varying number of scales. There can be a single scale, as in the willows, or numerous, imbricate (overlapping) scales, as in the oaks. Some buds, like those of the tulip, have valvate (non-overlapping) scales. Still others like bitternut hickory have naked buds, meaning that there are no bud scales. There are various textures and colors of buds and their scales.

Buds at the ends of twigs are classified as being either terminal or pseudoterminal. A true terminal bud is positioned exactly on the tip of the twig; a pseudoterminal or false terminal bud is a lateral bud that has taken the position of a terminal after the branch tip is shed in the fall. You can usually distinguish between the two by the presence of a branch scar beside the pseudoterminal bud.

Flowers are rarely used as a distinguishing feature in trees. Compared to those of herbaceous plants, they are often inconspicuous and plain. Within some groups of trees, for instance the oaks, there are no recognizable differences among the flowers of the many native species, so identification is not possible simply by that feature. Some tree species, however, such as the magnolias, catalpa, and buckeyes have large, showy flowers that attract attention. The conifers (gymnosperms) have a very different flower structure than the more advanced angiosperms. A basic flower structure of an angiosperm is illustrated.

Fruit is an excellent characteristic for distinguishing among taxa. Conifers produce cones, oaks produce acorns, and hickories produce nuts. There are many kinds of fruits, some fleshy, some nearly woody in nature. The earliest fruit to ripen in our area is that of the soft maples and elms. Most fruit matures in the late summer and fall, which is the best time to find it lying on the ground beneath the trees. Often parts of the fruit, such as acorn caps and hickory nut husks, are durable, and remain on the ground for a year or more, giving valuable clues to a tree’s identity.

Bark is another feature that is variable and yet can be of great value in identification. Over time, it changes color, shape and thickness and varies from tree to tree within a species. A sugar maple in the northern-most extent of its range can look amazingly different from one in the southern parts of its range. It takes time and practice to consistently recognize a tree simply from the bark, but it is fun and challenging. Several key features of bark to note are the ridges and their texture, thickness and pattern, and the fissures that separate the ridges.

Tree form is often a useful tool in identification. Size and shape can be a good classification feature of species, but learning this highly variable trait takes practice and lots of field experience. Open-grown trees usually have shorter trunks and wider crowns, compared to the tall, clear trunks and much smaller crowns of forest-grown trees. Young trees often have a much different form than older trees of the same species.

Site is an important factor to consider when trying to determine the species of an individual tree. Recognizing the habitat where a tree is growing can eliminate many species that should not occur there. If you are on the top of a ridge, you would not expect to find swamp chestnut oak, because its moisture requirement would not be met there. Many species are specialists in their needs and are restricted to specific habitats. Therefore, some knowledge of the soil and moisture requirements of our native trees is helpful.

CONIFERS

Evergreen

balsam fir

Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; rounded, resin-covered, clustered (often 3) buds at tip of twig; flat, blunt-tipped needles that are dark green on top with 2 silvery bands below; smooth, gray bark with raised blisters

Balsam fir is the common fir of the Upper Lake States and eastern and central Canada. Its resin blisters along the trunk are fun to pop. The abundant resin is used to make varnish. It is commonly grown for Christmas trees.

Form and Size: Balsam fir is a medium-sized tree to about 60 feet tall. It has a symmetrical form that is very dense with a spire-like crown when open-grown. It is relatively fast-growing but short-lived; a tree 150 years old is an old tree. Balsam fir is shade-tolerant.

Habitat: Balsam fir is a Northwoods species that grows best in moist, cool environments. It is usually found in mixed stands with numerous hardwoods and spruces in the upper Midwest and the Northeast. It is commonly found in swamps or adjacent uplands.

Wildlife Uses: Balsam fir is an important nesting tree for Northwoods songbirds, from chipping sparrows when it’s small to blackburnian warblers when mature. When planted as an ornamental in suburban yards, it provides similar benefits, attracting nesting robins and mourning doves. Its foliage is an important winter staple for Upper Lake States white-tailed deer, moose, snowshoe hare, and porcupines, although ornamental plantings in the lower Midwest do not seem to be equally attractive to deer. Its seeds are used sparingly by small mammals and birds.

Landscaping Value: The dark green, dense, fragrant foliage and spire-like crown add appeal to any landscape. Hardy to Zone 2, balsam fir’s greatest drawback in the Midwest is its inability to tolerate heat and drought. It is also sensitive to salt but tolerates ozone. It prefers acid soils. Several insects and diseases can affect the species where it is plentiful. There are no cultivars available and it is not readily available commercially. It can be easily transplanted because of its shallow root system. Fraser fir (A. fraseri), the only other fir native to the eastern U.S., is commonly planted in the Midwest for use as a Christmas tree.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Fraser fir (A. fraseri) is a high-elevation species of the southern Appalachians and is similar in every respect. Its cone scale bracts, however, are usually longer than the scales and reflexed (shorter in balsam fir). An intermediate form between the two has been found.

—Eastern spruces have 4-sided, sharply pointed needles and scaly buds with cones that remain intact.

Balsam fir needles are flat and up to 1 inch in length. They are dark green above with 2 silvery lines below. The tips are nearly rounded, not sharp at all. Buds are clustered, commonly in 3s. They are rounded and covered with an opaque, hardened resin.

Cones sit upright in the upper half of the tree and are up to 4 inches long. They are greenish to reddish purple and are often resinous. Cones ripen in the fall and shatter, leaving a central spike that remains on the tree throughout the winter.

Balsam fir “flowers” are single-sexed but on the same tree. Females (right) are greenish with numerous bracts and are in the upper part of the tree. Males (left) are purplish and in clusters along the twig and found in the middle of the tree.

Mature bark is similar to elephant hide with gray, wrinkled “skin.” With age it can become irregularly scaled. When young it has raised blisters that often ooze sticky, fragrant resin.

eastern redcedar

Juniperus virginiana Linnaeus

Family: Cupressaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; short, dark green scale-like mature leaves and sharp, needle-like leaves on new growth; small, round blue-gray fruit; reddish or gray shreddy bark; wood has strong odor

The name redcedar is one of those botanical misnomers that cause a great deal of confusion. It is actually a juniper, as there are no true cedars native to North America. Its wood is used to line cedar chests because its odor repels moths.

Form and Size: Eastern redcedar is a small to medium-sized tree, often reaching 50 feet in height. It is generally slow-growing and long-lived, easily surviving for 300 years. There are 2 general forms. Young trees are typically slender and columnar, while mature trees have a more inverted pyramidal shape, one in which the tree becomes broader at the top.

Habitat: Eastern redcedar is common throughout the Midwest in fencerows and along roadsides, in abandoned fields and pastures, and in dry, open woods. It is often associated with limestone outcroppings. It is adaptable to almost any site, except those that are poorly drained, and rapidly invades abandoned pasture lands that are protected from fire. Once hardwoods encroach, redcedar is eliminated, because it is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: As the most common native conifer in the lower Midwest, the eastern redcedar has important wildlife cover values. In winter, small songbirds such as juncos and tree sparrows roost nightly in small old-field trees; during the summer, the trees provide concealment for the nests of many species, including mourning doves, robins, and cardinals. The berries of redcedar are eaten by small mammals and songbirds, including the cedar waxwing, which derives its name from its preference for this fruit. The foliage is not highly preferred by herbivores but is a consistent component of the winter diet of white-tailed deer.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, redcedar is an attractive addition to any landscape. Its blue-gray berries against the dark green foliage in fall and winter are striking. It is tolerant of many soils types and moisture regimes and is resistant to salt, air pollution, and drought. There are many cultivars available, including some columnar varieties. They are easily transplanted because of a fairly shallow root system. It is the alternate host to cedar-apple rust, which leaves brown spots on apple leaves and fruits.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—There are no other tree-size junipers native to the eastern U.S.

—Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) needles most closely resemble redcedar but are in flattened sprays.

There are 2 forms of redcedar needles. Juvenile needles are extremely sharp and needle-like. Mature needles are scale-like, flat and overlapping.

The small, pea-sized fruit is bluish white and firm with 1 or 2 tiny seeds. It ripens in late summer after a single growing season. Fruit often persists throughout the winter.

A common pyramidal form of eastern redcedar.

The yellowish pollen cones are usually terminal and look like buds covered with scales. The female conelets are similar, but their “scales” flare back during pollination, and somewhat resemble a true flower. “Flowers” appear in spring, usually on separate trees.

Mature bark is brownish gray and thin with vertical, shreddy, fibrous strips.

white spruce

Picea glauca (Moench) Voss

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; 4-sided, green to bluish green, short needles; twigs with peg-like projections where needles attach; no bracts at base of terminal; cones up to 2½ inches long; bark thin and scaly, with pink inner bark

White spruce is common in the Upper Lake States and throughout Canada. It is “affectionately” known as cat spruce, because standing beside one or crushing its needles will usually present you with a strong odor of cat urine! Native Americans used its roots for lacing birchbark canoes and making baskets.

Form and Size: White spruce is a medium-sized tree, commonly reaching 70 feet in height. It has a moderate life span, surviving 200 or more years. Mature trees have a form that resembles a cone with gaps between the large limbs. It often has a spire-like form as well. Foliage is dense and green to bluish green.

Habitat: White spruce occurs on a wide variety of sites within its large natural range. It is commonly found on moist alluvial soils along streams and lakeshores. It is more shade-tolerant than most spruces and responds well after release from competition.

Wildlife Uses: This ubiquitous tree of the Northwoods provides important nesting cover for many bird species, from magnolia warbler when small to black-throated green warbler when larger. This species tends to grow more densely than its frequent companion, the balsam fir, and is probably used for nesting relatively more frequently, both in its natural habitat and when planted as an ornamental. Its foliage is generally rejected by herbivores, but its seeds form an important food source for many of the finches and crossbills as well as small rodents. The red squirrel collects large numbers of ripening, unopened cones and caches them for future use in large piles, called middens, on the forest floor.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, white spruce provides greenery in the landscape year-round. It tolerates a range of soil pH and is resistant to ozone. It is sensitive to salt, heat, and drought. Several diseases and insect problems occur in its natural range. There are several horticultural, mostly dwarf varieties available. The root system is shallow, making transplanting easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black spruce (P. mariana) is the only other spruce native to the Midwest. It has shorter needles, which are usually more blue-green to silvery. Black spruce twigs have brown hairs along them. Cones are usually half the length of those of white spruce.

—Several other, exotic species are planted in our region.

Needles are 4-sided and about 1 inch long. They are stiff and green to bluish green. Crushed needles emit an unpleasant odor. Buds are tan with papery, reflexed scales. As with all spruces, twigs have peg-like projections to which needles are attached. White spruce twigs are hairless and pale-colored.

Pollen cones (male; right) are catkin-like and appear along the twig or at the tip in the lower part of the tree. Seed conelets (female; left) sit upright along twigs and at the tips of twigs in the upper part of the tree and are covered with reddish scales. After fertilization, the conelets hang downward. The “flowers” appear in the spring.

Mature bark is thin, gray, and scaly. Inner bark is pinkish.

Cones are up to 2½ inches long and light brown. The margins of the tough scales are smooth. Cones mature in the fall.

Older trees have a deep, conical crown.

black spruce

Picea mariana (Miller) Britton, Sterns & Poggenburg

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; very short, blue-green needles; needles attached to twig with woody, peg-like projections; twigs have brown hairs; terminal buds have brown bracts surrounding them; cones short (up to 1 inch long) and persistent; bark thin and scaly with greenish to yellowish inner color

Black spruce is common in the Upper Lake States and Canada, where it forms pure stands. Along with tamarack, it marks the northern limit of tree growth where it becomes shrubby. Chewing gum is made from its resin, and spruce beer was processed by boiling the branch tips.

Form and Size: Black spruce is usually a small to medium-sized tree, reaching 50 feet in height. It is slow-growing and moderately long-lived, surviving up to 280 years. Trees are straight and slender with short branches. Lower limbs are distinctly drooping with upturned tips. The top often appears to sport a crown made up of small, dense branches and cones. At timberline, it is often only several feet tall. It has an unusual habit of layering, where its lower limbs take root when they touch damp substrate, and it often forms small colonies from just a few trees.

Habitat: Black spruce has a large natural range and occurs in many habitats. It prefers moist, well-drained alluvial bottomlands. However, it is common in bogs, where trees are growing on top of floating sphagnum mats. In the northern part of its range it can be found on dry slopes. It is shade-tolerant but grows best in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: Black spruce is very similar to white spruce in its wildlife values, but because of its frequent association with bogs, it serves a somewhat different clientele. Northern bogs are truly unique places and scattered black spruces serve as song perches for territorial male songbirds and as nest trees for several northwoods specialists, such as Canada jay and olive-sided flycatcher. Its cones are small and not as frequently cached by red squirrels as are those of white spruce, but seeds are extracted from cones by many songbirds. Its foliage is not often taken by browsers.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2. The short, blue-green, evergreen needles and narrow, spire-like form of black spruce are attractive year-round. It prefers acidic soils and is sensitive to heat in climates south of its natural range. It is not readily available commercially with few cultivars among which to choose. Its root system is shallow, making transplanting easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—White spruce (P. glauca) is the only other spruce native to the Midwest. Its needles are a bit longer and less blue-green. Crushed needles of white spruce have a foul smell. White spruce twigs are not hairy and cones are about twice the length as black spruce. Inner bark color of white spruce is pink; black spruce inner bark color is greenish.

Needles are 4-sided and very short, only up to a half inch long. They are bluish green and commonly densely compacted along the twig. Twigs are covered with short, brown hairs.

Pollen cones (male; right) are catkin-like and appear along the twig or at the tip in the lower part of the tree. Seed conelets (female; left) sit upright along twigs and at the tips of twigs in the upper part of the tree, and are covered with fleshy, deep reddish scales. After fertilization, the conelets hang downward. The “flowers” appear in the spring.

Cones are small, only about 1 inch long. Margins of the brittle scales are irregularly toothed. They mature in fall.

The common form of black spruce.

Mature bark is brownish gray, thin, and scaly. Inner bark color is greenish or yellowish.

Pines

Genus: Pinus

The pines are represented by at least 100 species throughout the world, 37 of which are native to the U.S. Pines are used extensively as ornamentals, specimen trees, and windbreaks. Shortleaf (P. echinata) has the most extensive range of any eastern pine and is one of the “southern pines” so ubiquitous in the South. In the Midwest, eastern white pine (P. strobus) is the most commonly planted and readily available through most nurseries. It is the only 5-needled pine in the eastern U.S. Most pines are fairly long-lived and have beautiful bark.

As a group, the pines are the most important timber producers of all the conifers. Particularly in the South, trees are grown in plantations and harvested in short rotations for pulpwood. Their wood is also used for paper, poles, railroad ties, and building construction.

Although native pines occur only sporadically in our region, they are widely planted commercially and ornamentally and have considerable wildlife value, principally in supplying cover. Many species of birds use conifers for nesting cover, with some pine species being preferred over others because of unique characteristics, such as Virginia pine (P. virginiana) with numerous, crooked limbs and eastern white pine with whorled limb attachment. In addition, as in most conifers, pines are evergreen and supply considerable winter cover, serving as a windbreak and reducing radiant heat loss in birds and mammals. Pines do not readily develop cavities, but natural mortality is high, and snags are frequently used by woodpeckers and secondary cavity nesters. Herbivores, such as white-tailed deer and cottontails, do eat needles of pines regularly, but in small quantities and mostly in winter. Seeds of pines are eaten by many species, with tree squirrels removing seeds from ripening cones and crossbills, grosbeaks, and nuthatches extracting seeds from recently opened cones. Many birds and rodents glean dispersed seeds from the ground.

Pines are unique in several ways. Their needles are clustered together in a fascicle and wrapped with a papery sheath at their bases. They produce cones that mature in two growing seasons and have winged (usually) seeds.

All pines produce woody cones, like the jack pine (right). Some species, like Virginia pine (left) have armed cone scales.

All pines have needles held by a woody fascicle at the base, and a papery sheath.

Pine species can be distinguished by the number or length of needles in a fascicle. The jack pine (left) has 2 needles per cluster (fascicle); the easterm white pine (right) has 5.

Many pines, especially young trees, have layered, scaley bark.

jack pine

Pinus banksiana Lambert

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; 2 short, widely spread, dark green needles per fascicle; numerous curved, humpbacked, persistent, unarmed cones that often remain unopened for many years (serotinous cones); bark scaly and nearly black when mature

Jack pine is the most widely distributed pine in Canada. An old French Canadian myth states that any woman who walks by a jack pine becomes immediately sterile. The numerous persistent closed cones on the tree likely prompted that tale. It is an important pulp species for paper production.

Form and Size: Jack pine is usually a small tree to 30 or 40 feet tall but can grow larger. It is fairly fast-growing and short-lived, surviving only about 150 years. The open-grown form is poor, with a crooked or twisted trunk, numerous branches, and persistent branches and cones. Its crown is irregular and scraggly. Forest or plantation-grown trees are straight and slender with short crowns.

Habitat: Jack pine is usually found on poor quality, sandy sites. It invades disturbed areas, especially after fires, which trigger the opening of its cones. After a disturbance, it can form pure stands. It makes its southernmost ingress in the Dunes area of northern Indiana. Jack pine is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Jack pine’s best-known wildlife association is serving as cover for the endangered Kirtland’s warbler, which breeds only in young jack pine stands in the upper part of Michigan’s lower peninsula. The nests are actually placed on the ground, often at the base of a small pine. Thousands of acres are managed with controlled fire to produce the requisite habitat for this bird, and for many associated species. Jack pine’s limby growth supplies ideal nest sites for birds, similar to that supplied by the frequently planted exotic, Scotch pine (P. sylvestris). Foliage and seeds are of minor importance to birds and mammals as food.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 1, jack pine is the cold-hardiest of the pines. It has limited availability in nurseries, with at least 1 weeping variety, ‘Uncle Foggy.’ It is basically insect- and disease-free and resistant to salt and drought. It is sensitive to ozone. Transplanting is relatively easy when it is small because of a shallow root system.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Jack pine is the only pine in the northern Midwest that has 2 short needles per fascicle.

—Red pine (P. resinosa) has 2 long needles per fascicle and red bark.

—Virginia pine is a southern species that is similar to jack pine; their natural ranges do not overlap.

Jack pine has 2 needles per cluster that are up to 2 inches long. They are usually straight, yellow-green, and widely spread.

Cones are usually paired on the twig and lopsided when closed. They are small—no more than 3 inches long—and stalkless and persistent for many years.

Open-grown trees are usually poorly formed and scraggly-looking.

The yellow pollen cones (male; left) appear in whorled clusters at the tips of twigs. The seed conelets (female; right) are yellowish and sit upright at the tips of the twigs.

Mature bark is dark, nearly black, with fairly thick, irregular plates.

shortleaf pine

Pinus echinata Miller

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; usually 2 (rarely 3) needles per cluster, dark blue-green, straight, up to 5 inches long; cones are armed with small prickles that are deciduous; bark thick, scaly, cinnamon-orange with resin pockets; the shortest-needled of the 4 important southern pines

Shortleaf pine is one of the most important lumber and pulp-producing conifers in the South. It is also well known for its highly flammable and fragrant heartwood, which is sold in small bundles as “fatlighter” and used for starting fires. They have an unusual ability when very young to sprout from the base if the main stem has died.

Form and Size: Shortleaf pine is a medium-sized to large tree, commonly reaching 70 to 100 feet in height. It is fast-growing and can live to 300 years of age. It has a tall, clear trunk with a short, pyramidal crown.

Habitat: Though it is found on a variety of sites, shortleaf pine prefers light, sandy, well-drained soils along streams and rivers but is most common on upland dry sites, mixed with hardwood species. In the Midwest, its natural range extends north only into southwestern Illinois and south-central Ohio. It is the most cold-hardy of the southern pines and has been planted throughout much of southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Shortleaf pine is more tolerant of shade than some southern pines and responds well when released from competition.

Wildlife Uses: When small, this southern pine is used minimally by nesting songbirds, because it has neither the limby growth or whorled limbs typical of some of the other pines. When larger, however, even in plantations, it is frequently used as nest sites by jays, crows, and raptors such as the Cooper’s hawk. Its seeds are large enough to attract considerable use by songbirds and rodents, as well as larger species such as wild turkey, bobwhites, and ruffed grouse. Gray and fox squirrels often begin feeding on seeds before the cones open, cutting the ripening cones and stripping the scales one by one to get the seeds at their bases.

Landscaping Value: Shortleaf pine is hardy to Zone 5 and tolerates dry, sandy, or rocky soils well. It is susceptible to several insect and disease problems but is resistant to fusiform rust, which is common in the South. There are no horticultural varieties available.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Virginia pine (P. virginiana) is a much smaller southern pine with short, twisted needles. Its growth form is scraggly and small compared to shortleaf.

—Pitch pine (P. rigida) has 3 twisted needles per cluster that are thicker yet similar in length to shortleaf. Its cones are also armed with prickles. Its trunk develops tufts of needles.

Shortleaf has 2 needles per cluster (occasionally 3) that are between 2½ to 5 inches long. They are straight and dark green.

The typical form of shortleaf pine.

Cones are from 1½ to 2½ inches long and nearly stalkless. The tips of the scales are ridged and are armed with tiny prickles that may fall with maturity.

Mature bark is reddish brown with flat, irregular plates that often have many small resin pockets.

red pine, Norway pine

Pinus resinosa Aiton

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; 2 needles per cluster that are the longest of any midwestern pine — up to 6 inches; needles brittle and snap when bent; bark thick with age with multilayered, red, scaly plates; cones the shape and size of a small hen’s egg, unarmed

Red pine grows to its largest size in the northern Lake States. It is intensely managed because of its perfectly straight form, rapid growth, and large size. Uses for the wood include building lumber and poles. Its beautiful bark becomes thicker and more red with age.

Form and Size: Red pine is a medium-sized to large tree that grows to 80 feet or more in height. It is fast-growing and long-lived, occasionally surviving over 300 years. Growth form is remarkably straight with a spreading, oval, irregular crown when mature. Young trees retain limbs to the ground when open-grown. A whorl of branches is produced each year.

Habitat: Red pine tolerates sandy, acid soils too poor for eastern white pine. It is also found on heavier, well-drained soils. Red pine is intermediate between jack and white pine in its shade tolerance. It survives but grows slowly under a forest canopy.

Wildlife Uses: Red pine often occurs on relatively dry sites but generally seems less used by wildlife than the jack pine, with which it sometimes shares those sites. Its few thick limbs and long needles are not conducive to nest placement by birds, although it provides good protection for roosting and escape from the elements. When larger, red pine is frequently used as a nest site by larger species such as red squirrels, crows, ravens, and hawks, the abandoned nests of which are then used by long-eared and barred owls. The cones produce relatively large seeds, which are extracted by chickadees, finches, and crossbills and, after scattering, are used by numerous granivorous birds and mammals.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, red pine is one of the few eastern pines readily available from nurseries in the Midwest. There are no cultivars available. The beautiful multilayered bark flakes off in tiny pieces over time, exposing the subtle shades of red and pink. It is like adding a fine piece of artwork to your lawn. It prefers acidic soils and is resistant to ozone, but reportedly does not thrive in urban settings. It is sensitive to salt and has some disease and insect problems, including needle cast disease.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red pine is the only eastern pine with 2 needles longer than 5 inches per cluster.

—Black pine (P. nigra) is planted in the Midwest. It has 2 needles that are thick and stiff. They do not snap when bent. Its bark is dark with whitish vertical stripes along the trunk.

Red pine has 2 needles per cluster that are up to 6 inches long. They are dark green, shiny, and brittle. They snap easily when bent.

Cones are relatively small for such a large tree. They are no more than 3 inches long and basically stalkless. The scales have thick, unarmed tips.

Mature bark is thick with scaly plates that over time expose various shades of the inner reddish pink bark.

Red pine buds are nearly 1 inch long and covered with many loose, reddish scales.

Red pine is known for its straight, clear trunk.

pitch pine

Pinus rigida Miller

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; 3 twisted needles per cluster, which are stiff and yellow-green; buds reddish, resinous; cones 3 inches long, armed, egg-shaped, gray when old; bark yellow-brown, plate forming, no resin pockets; tufts of needles along the trunk

Pitch pine is a dry-site species that is similar to jack pine in its ecology. Fire promotes regeneration because of its serotinous cones, which open with heat. Tar obtained from this species was considered to be the best axle grease for wagons by the early pioneers.

Form and Size: Pitch pine has a wide range of sizes depending on its site. It can be a dwarfed tree in the northern part of its range. In sandy, acidic soils of the East it is a scrubby, poorly formed tree. But in the more southerly portions of its range, it can become a medium-sized tree to 60 feet. These larger trees have tall, straight trunks with small, open crowns. Growth can be fast on good sites and longevity is reported to be 450 years.

Habitat: Although it tolerates the poorest of sites, pitch pine prefers sandy, somewhat moist, loamy soils, where it makes its best growth. It is commonly found in pure stands originating after fires, but cannot compete with most hardwoods for sites. It is intolerant of shade. An unusual feature of young pitch pine is its ability to stump-sprout after its main stem has been killed by fire. It will even sprout from dormant buds along its stem.

Wildlife Uses: While pitch pine occasionally occurs in relatively pure stands in the East, trees are rather scattered in our region, usually mixing with hardwoods. As such they frequently serve as focal nesting trees for conifer-nesting songbirds and raptors, such as yellow-throated, pine, and black-throated green warblers and sharp-shinned hawks. Foliage and seeds are not heavily used by wildlife; seed availability is probably low, because seeds remain protected in hard, serotinous cones for many years after maturing.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, pitch pine is neither used nor readily available for landscaping. It tolerates sandy, acidic soils but adapts to a variety of sites. It is resistant to salt and drought but sensitive to ozone. In its native range, disease and insect problems are common.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Shortleaf pine (P. echinata) has 2 (usually) straight needles per cluster that are straight. It has resin pockets along the trunk. The cone is weakly armed.

—Virginia pine (P. virginiana) has 2 twisted needles per cluster with a scraggly growth form.

Pitch pine has 3 needles per cluster that are up to 5 inches long. They are stiff, twisted, and yellow-green.

Tree form depends on the quality of the site. It can be straight and tall or stunted and deformed.

Cones are up to 3 inches long and plump. The ends of the scales are ridged and armed with a stiff prickle. Cones often remain closed on the tree for several years.

Mature bark has yellowish brown, irregular plates separated by fissures. Tufts of needles are often seen along the trunk.

eastern white pine

Pinus strobus Linnaeus

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; 5 needles per cluster; blue-green, soft needles have several white lines along them; cones long, up to 8 inches, unarmed; bark thick, dark, brownish black

White pine has been exploited since early colonists settled New England. The British Naval Board ordered royal governors of the new colony to mark every great pine with a King’s Broad Arrow, a mark that meant the tree would be used as ship-building material for the Royal Navy. This practice was one of the many factors that led to the American Revolution.

Form and Size: White pine is a large tree, commonly 100 feet tall. It is fast-growing and long-lived, often surviving 350 years; it is the largest eastern pine. The trunk is straight and clear with a narrow, irregular crown in mature trees with distinctive plumelike, horizontal branches. Whorls of horizontal branches can be used to determine the age of trees—count 1 year for each whorl.

Habitat: White pine occurs on a variety of sites, but prefers deep, moist soils. It often grows in nearly pure stands because of its aggressive nature after a disturbance. It prefers a cool, moist climate, and isolated populations in the lower Midwest are remnants from the last ice age.

Wildlife Uses: The virgin white pine was logged from the Upper Lake States over 100 years ago, but bald eagle nests are frequently found in the few super-canopy trees that are left. Thus, white pine can be of value to a series of wildlife species for hundreds of years. Young trees, because of their relatively dense foliage and whorled limbs, are ideal sites for nesting birds and are heavily used. As they get older, larger birds place nests on limbs near the bole, and smaller species, such as mourning doves, robins, and pine warblers, place nests well out on the typically horizontal limbs. The foliage of the white pine is probably the most palatable of all pines to large herbivores.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, white pine is commonly planted throughout the Midwest. It is readily available through nurseries, as are several cultivars, including ‘Fastigiata,’ a columnar form, and ‘Pendula,’ a weeping form. The species is sensitive to air pollution, salt, and drought and has substantial disease and insect problems, the most prevalent being Procera root rot.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Eastern white pine is the only 5-needled pine in the eastern United States. Several western species rarely planted here also have 5 needles.

Eastern white pine has 5 needles per cluster that are about 6 inches long. They appear striped because each one has several lines of white dots (stomata). They are soft and thin.

Pollen cones (male, right) are in whorled clusters at the tips of twigs. Seed conelets sit upright (female, left), often in pairs, at the tips of the twigs. Both “flowers” are yellowish and appear in the spring.

The classic forest-grown, old-growth white pine in the Northwoods.

Mature bark is dark grayish brown with broad ridges and deep furrows.

Cones are long, up to 6 inches long, with a stalk nearly 1 inch long. The margins of the scales are pale compared to the brown cone.

Virginia pine

Pinus virginiana Miller

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; 2 twisted, green needles up to 3 inches long, held close together by sheath; new twig color whitish purple; cones sharply armed and persistent; form scrubby

Virginia pine is also known as scrub pine because of its scraggly, poor form. It has the ability, like jack pine, to invade abandoned fields, thanks in part to its capacity to produce seeds at a very early age.

Form and Size: Virginia pine is usually a small to medium-sized tree, up to 50 feet tall. It has moderately fast growth and is short-lived, surviving about 150 years. Open-grown trees have crooked trunks with open, irregular, unkempt crowns and many dead, persistent limbs and cones.

Habitat: Virginia pine is found on a variety of soils, but makes its best growth on loamy sites. It is often associated with chestnut oak on dry, rocky ridges but can be found on well-drained, moist sites. It is intolerant of shade. Virginia pine does not compete well and is eventually replaced by hardwoods on a given site.

Wildlife Uses: From a wildlife perspective, Virginia pine is the southern equivalent of jack pine; it has a limby growth form that is ideal for nest placement. Older trees are frequently used for nesting by sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks as well as American crows and gray squirrels. Unlike jack pine, the cones of Virginia pine are not serotinous. These cones are frequently probed for seeds by chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, and various finches and crossbills. As with other pines, shed seeds are quickly utilized by other birds and small mammals. Foliage is occasionally taken by deer and even cottontails when lower limbs reach the ground.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, Virginia pine forms a good windbreak or screen. It tolerates poor, dry sites and acid soils. It is relatively insect- and disease-free and is tolerant of air pollution; however, it is not readily available through commercial nurseries. There are no horticultural varieties available. Transplanting young trees is easy because of a shallow root system.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Jack pine (P. banksiana) has similar needles, 2 per cluster, that are shorter and spread away from each other. Their natural ranges do not overlap.

—Shortleaf pine (P. echinata) has 2 (or 3) needles per cluster that are straight, not twisted. Its form is not scrubby, an important difference from Virginia pine.

Virginia pine has 2 needles per cluster that are up to 3 inches long. They are light green, twisted, and held close together by a sizable fascicle sheath. New twig color is an unusual whitish purple.

Cones are up to 2½ inches long with thin, armed scales. Cones are persistent and many can be seen on a tree at any given time.

Mature bark is orange-brown with scaly plates separated by slight fissures.

Pollen cones (male; left) are in whorled clusters at the tips of the twigs. Seed conelets (female; right) are tiny and appear scaly. They sit upright at the tips of the twigs. These appear in the spring.

A typical scrubby form of Virginia pine.

northern white-cedar

Thuja occidentalis Linnaeus

Family: Cupressaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; small, scale-like needles that form flattened, yellow-green sprays; small, woody, brown, upright urn-shaped cone; bark light gray with vertical, somewhat shreddy strips

For centuries, northern white-cedar (or arbovitae) has been utilized by Native Americans and Europeans for various staples. Canoes and ship’s planking were made from the bark and wood. In 1536 Jacques Cartier and his ship’s crew were cured of scurvy by drinking a brew made from its vitamin C–enriched sap.

Form and Size: Northern white-cedar is a medium-sized tree reaching about 50 feet in height. It is slow-growing and long-lived, often surviving 300 years or more. Trees have a pyramidal form when young but a narrow, oblong crown and a short trunk when mature.

Habitat: Over its natural range, northern white-cedar can be found on a wide variety of soils, but grows best when associated with limestone. In the North it is commonly associated with swamps and the margin of sphagnum bogs. In the South it is associated with dry limestone outcrops or wet, organic soils. It is moderately shade-tolerant.

Wildlife Uses: This species’ affinity for swampy environs and its broad-crowned, evergreen character dictates its primary wildlife value. White-cedar swamps are principal habitats (termed deer yards) for wintering white-tailed deer in the Upper Lake States. Such areas impart thermal advantages—wind break and prevention of radiant heat loss—to deer that concentrate there from all the surrounding uplands. Unfortunately, white-cedar is also a favorite browse species for deer and snowshoe hare, and regeneration of white-cedars in the northern forest is a management concern. Limb and needle structure does not predispose larger white-cedars to nest placement by birds, but when usnea moss is present, the tree is often used by parula warblers as a nest site.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2. Arborvitae, literally translated from Latin, means the tree of life, and is a good choice for landscaping if a long-lived tree is desired. It is resistant to drought and air pollution. Planted in rows, it provides a dense screen or wind break. It is relatively disease- and insect-free with the exception of the bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, which can defoliate a tree. Native stock is available as well as numerous horticultural cultivars.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) is the only tree native to the Midwest that vaguely resembles it. Its needles are not in flattened, fan-like sprays. Its fruit is a bluish white “berry,” not woody.

—Oriental arborvitae (T. orientalis) and its numerous varieties are commonly planted in our region.

Needles are tiny, flattened, and stacked into a fan-shaped shoot. They are yellow-green and often turn bronze in the winter.

Pollen cones (male, right) are tiny globular structures at the tips of the branches. Seed conelets (female, left) are small with numerous scales and appear in the spring at the tips of the branches.

Cones are tiny, only ¼ inch long, with somewhat leathery scales. They sit upright in obvious clusters on the ends of branches and mature in a single growing season.

A classic open-grown form.

Mature bark is thin and gray-brown with vertical, sometimes fibrous ridges.

eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis (Linnaeus) Carrièra

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: evergreen conifer; short, flat, stalked needles ½ inch long with 2 white lines beneath; some needles lie upside down on top of the twig; branches have feathery appearance; cones tiny, solitary, persistent; bark thick, dark brown, inner bark bright reddish purple

Eastern or Canada hemlock is not a common tree in the lower Midwest, but occurs regularly in the Upper Lake States region. It prefers cool, moist climates and grows in abundance in the Northeast and throughout the Appalachians. Its bark is rich in tannin and was once used extensively for tanning leather.

Form and Size: Eastern hemlock is a medium-sized to large tree that can become 90 feet tall. It can grow rapidly with ideal conditions and is long-lived, often reaching 600 years of age. It has a straight, clear trunk and conical, dense, feathery crown. Young trees have a characteristic curved growing tip, something unusual in conifers.

Habitat: Hemlock grows on a variety of soils but requires cool, moist, shady sites. It is found in moist valleys and coves and along bluffs and lakeshores. It is extremely tolerant of shade but will grow slowly under heavy shade. Release of shaded trees can induce amazingly fast growth.

Wildlife Uses: Eastern hemlock is a favorite winter browse species for moose, white-tailed deer, and snowshoe hare. This has resulted in a concern for hemlock regeneration in much of the Upper Lake States, where all hemlocks are very small (protected beneath snow) or very large. Older hemlocks are frequently used by porcupines as well. Larger trees are favorite nest sites of many songbirds, including black-throated green, blackburnian, and yellow-rumped warblers, both kinglets, and purple finches. Seeds are small, but sometimes crops are enormous; they are heavily used by pine siskins and crossbills.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, hemlock is relatively disease- and insect-free. Its graceful, drooping, feathery branches add character to a landscape. It does not tolerate windy, sunny, or dry locations, however. Hemlock prefers acidic soils and is sensitive to salt. It is readily available commercially, as are several cultivars. Because of its shallow root system, it is easily transplanted.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Carolina hemlock (T. caroliniana) is a rare tree native to the Appalachian Mountains. Its needles and cones are somewhat longer, and the tree is gaining popularity as an ornamental.

—Yews (Taxus spp.) are mostly exotic species that are shrubby. Their needles are similar to hemlock but are dark green on top and light green beneath with no white lines. Their fruit is red and fleshy.

The tiny needles of hemlock are about ½ inch long and flat. They are blunt-tipped, dark green above and white beneath. The sprays of needles appear flattened because all the needles are lined up on 2 sides.

Pollen cones (male; right) are yellowish rounded balls on short stalks that appear in the leaf axils. The solitary seed conelets (female; left) are at the tips of twigs and have deep reddish, reflexed scales. They appear in the spring.

Mature bark is thick and reddish brown with flat-topped ridges. Inner bark is purplish red.

Cones are small, less than 1 inch long. They have few, thin scales and mature in the fall after a single growing season.

The mature, ragged form of eastern hemlock.

Deciduous

eastern larch, tamarack

Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch

Family: Pinaceae

Quick ID: deciduous conifer; bright green, soft, 1-inch long needles growing singly on the new growth but in clusters on older twigs; trees naked in winter; cones ½ inch long, persistent; bark thin, scaly, reddish brown or gray

Tamarack is a tree with northern affinities. It prefers cool climates. Native Americans used the tough, pliable roots to sew strips of birch bark together to make their canoes. The wood is so durable when in contact with soil that it was used as telephone poles before the advent of creosote. Another interesting common name for this species is hackmatack.

Form and Size: Eastern larch is a medium-sized tree, up to 75 feet tall, but is usually smaller. It grows quickly, especially when young, and is short-lived, reaching an age of 150 years. It has a straight, slender trunk and a narrow, open, irregular crown. From a distance, its form is spire-like.

Habitat: Larch is commonly found in poorly drained bogs in cool climates of the Upper Lake States and Canada. It can also be found on the borders of lakes and swamps, but makes its best growth on upland sites. It is intolerant of shade and is replaced by more tolerant species, such as red maple, over time.

Wildlife Uses: Many of the cover benefits, both for nesting and winter protection, ascribed to conifers is a product of their evergreen nature—eastern larch, thus, does not provide many of these benefits. Neither is it frequently browsed, although porcupines occasionally take bark and twigs. Seeds are used to a degree by finches and crossbills.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, it makes an unusual landscape addition with its subtle shades of color at various times of the year and its naked appearance in the winter. During spring, the abundant yellow male flowers give the illusion of needles. The fall foliage color is a clear yellow. When the needles are present, it is green and in the winter it is brown. It is sensitive to drought, heat, and air pollution but resistant to salt. There are no cultivars commercially available. Nurseries usually offer European or Asian species.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is the only other deciduous conifer native to the Midwest. Its needles are compound.

—Other species of larch not native to the Midwest, such as L. decidua and L. kaempferi, are very similar. They differ principally in having larger cones.

Needles are about 2 inches long and bluish green. They are usually triangular in shape. Clusters of needles appear along the older twigs; single needles appear along the new growth.

Pollen cones appear, catkin-like, singly along the twigs, mainly in the lower part of the tree. Seed conelets appear along the twigs, often upright, mostly in the upper part of the tree. They are small and covered with reddish scales. Both can appear on the same branch.

Mature bark is thin, reddish brown, and scaly.

Buds are rounded and covered with reddish brown scales.

Cones are small and up to ¾ inch long. They have few, thin scales and ripen in the fall.

Larch has an open, pyramidal form with widely spaced branches and a feathery appearance.

bald cypress

Taxodium distichum (Linnaeus) Richard

Family: Cupressaceae

Quick ID: deciduous conifer; flattened, soft needles that are attached to a deciduous shoot; needles green top and bottom; cones round and greenish purple, shatter when ripe; bark reddish brown with vertical, fibrous, shreddy ridges

Bald cypress is a southern conifer and possibly is most impressive when its branches are draped with Spanish moss. It is known as “the wood eternal” because of the durability of its heartwood when in contact with soil or water. It is the longest-living tree in the eastern United States.

Form and Size: Bald cypress is a large tree, especially in the South, but can reach 120 feet in the Midwest. Its diameter can be of equally impressive proportions, particularly the old-growth trees, which often reach 10 feet or more in diameter. It can grow quickly and is long-lived, reaching 1,000+ years of age. Open-grown trees have a deep, pyramidal crown. The base is commonly buttressed and fluted, and cypress knees develop with age.

Habitat: Bald cypress grows naturally in low bottomlands that have permanently saturated soils and are seasonally flooded. It is found in pure stands on sites too wet for most hardwoods. However, best growth is made on moist but moderately well-drained soils, and it seems to tolerate a variety of sites. Bald cypress is considered intermediate in shade tolerance but grows slowly in partial sun.

Wildlife Uses: Most of the old-growth giants were logged a hundred years ago, but substantial areas of mature cypress still exist, and these trees serve as nest sites for many larger water-associated avian species—bald eagles, ospreys, cormorants, great blue and other herons, and egrets. Cypress knees, naturally unique in themselves, often have nooks and crannies that serve as nest sites for prothonotary warblers. Since they are deciduous, they supply, along with eastern larch, a paucity of winter cover value; however, large trees are frequently wind-damaged and supply niches for nesting of barred and great-horned owls. Its prolific seeds commonly fall into shallow water and are gleaned by wood ducks and a few other dabbling ducks.

Lanscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, bald cypress has been successfully planted far north of its natural range, into southern Canada. It is an unusual tree with its soft yellow-green needles, which turn reddish brown in the fall. Its seed cones shatter, leaving relatively little yard litter. It is disease- and insect-free and tolerates wet sites; however, it is sensitive to drought.

Similar Species Distinctions:

— Bald cypress is the only deciduous conifer native to the eastern U.S. that has what appears to be compound leaves.

—Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) has been planted in the Midwest and looks very similar. Its “compound leaves” are opposite; bald cypress is alternate.

Needles are short, only ½ inch or less, and yellow-green. They align on either side of the deciduous shoot and are flattened.

Pollen cones are in elongate, drooping clusters at the tips of twigs. Seed conelets are tiny, scale-like structures at the tips of twigs. Males and females are usually on the same branch and appear in the spring with the new needle growth.

Cones are the size of golf balls and purplish when ripe in the fall. They have shield-shaped scales and mature in a single growing season, after which they shatter.

Buds are small and tannish red with several overlapping, pointed scales. In more northerly climates, it is often difficult to find any winter buds.

Mature bark is reddish brown to gray and usually thin. Vertical ridges often peel with age. Bases of trees are buttressed and are surrounded by knees when grown in wet sites.

HARDWOODS

Opposite, Simple

Maples

Genus: Acer

The maples are represented by 14 species in the United States. Sugar (A. saccharum) and black maples (A. nigrum) have great commercial value because of their hard, strong, close-grained wood, which is used in making furniture, flooring, and cabinets. Bird’s-eye maple is a patterned wood (usually from sugar maple) that is much sought after for veneer. Along with their importance as lumber producers, sugar and black maples are commonly tapped in late winter for valuable sap to make maple syrup. The terms hard and soft maple are commonly used, and refer to the hard wood of the sugar and black maples versus the softer wood of the silver (A. saccharinum) and red maples (A. rubrum).

Maples are extensively used as ornamentals and are easily purchased through nurseries. Unfortunately, those most readily available are the soft-wooded silver maple and various Asian and European species.

From a wildlife perspective, maples are relatively important, but soft maples and hard maples have somewhat different values and uses. Leaves and twigs are generally preferred browse by white-tailed deer, moose, porcupine, and rabbits, but the soft maples are less preferred than the hard maples, and porcupines do not use red maple at all. Flower buds of maples are eaten to some degree by tree squirrels and ruffed grouse, and seeds are used by a variety of rodents, as well as by songbirds, ruffed grouse, and wild turkey. Availability of Acer seeds to wildlife is prolonged because our soft maples fruit in early spring and hard maples in mid- to late summer. Tree squirrels gnaw bark and drink sap of hard maples in the spring but rarely touch soft maples. Because maples are ubiquitous and common, they are used for nesting by songbirds, raptors, and tree squirrels, but are probably less preferred than trees of several other genera. Soft maples tend to form cavities and provide nesting opportunities for both primary and secondary cavity users.

Maples are easily recognized by their 3-to-5-lobed leaves (except for boxelder), and by their paired, winged seeds (samaras), which whorl like helicopter blades when they ripen and fly to the ground.

The paired, winged fruit of the boxelder.

Opposite branching on the boxelder.

The dense, spreading open-grown form of the sugar maple.

The fall color of the sugar maple.

black maple

Acer nigrum Michaux f.

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; dark green, 5-lobed leaves that droop on each side; usually has a leaf-like bract at base of leaf; buds nearly black, hairy, pointed

Black maple occurs throughout most of Indiana but is much less common than sugar maple, which it closely resembles. Black maple prefers moister sites.

Form and Size: Mature trees average 80 feet in height. Open-grown trees have oval, very dense crowns and short trunks. They are long-lived, often reaching 400 years of age.

Habitat: Black maple prefers moist sites along streams and river bottoms and is more common on calcareous soils. It is more often found at the base of a slope, while sugar maple will be found on the slope. It is extremely shade-tolerant. Hybridization between sugar and black maples occurs.

Wildlife Uses: Black maple is very similar to sugar maple in its wildlife value. Leaves and twigs are browsed by white-tailed deer in all seasons, and the seeds, which are produced in late summer, are used by rodents, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and various songbirds. The bark is frequently used by porcupines in the northern reaches of its range, and elsewhere red and gray squirrels often strip bark from saplings and limbs of larger trees in the spring in order to eat the sweet inner bark and drink the sap flowing from the injuries.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, black maple is hard to beat because of its spectacular fall colors of yellow, orange, and red. It provides dense shade, is easy to transplant, and is resistant to atmospheric pollution. However, it is sensitive to drought and salt. A horticultural selection, ‘Green Column,’ has an upright, narrow form.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Sugar maple (A. saccharum) leaves do not droop on the sides. It does not have the bract at the base of the leaf petiole. Sugar maple twigs are uniformly brown compared to the mottled coloration of the black maple twig. Hairs on the buds, leaves, and fruit of black maple are not always present and not a reliable identification tool. Hybrids can have bud and twig characteristics of both species. Bark differences between sugar and black are subtle. Both species have highly variable bark patterns, but black tends to have deeper furrows than sugar maple.

—The “soft” maples—red, silver, and boxelder—have rounded buds.

Black maple leaves are dark green and 5-lobed. The sides always droop as if the tree needs watering. They are commonly somewhat hairy. There is usually a tiny bract at the base of the leaf blade.

The bright yellow, dangling flowers appear in April and May, depending on latitude. A tree can have both perfect and staminate flowers.

Black maple produces 1½-inch-long winged seeds that are paired. They ripen in the fall and spin like helicopter blades when they sail to the ground. There may be hairs on the outside covering of the seed.

Black maple buds are fairly sharply pointed with overlapping blackish scales. The scales are often slightly hairy. Twigs are stout with mottled gray, tan, and black colorations.

Mature black maple bark is tan-gray with irregular vertical ridges that often curl along one side.

striped maple

Acer pensylvanicum Linneaus

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; leaves 3-lobed with serrate margins; buds red, elongate, stalked, with 2 keeled scales; twigs greenish or reddish, developing obvious white stripes after first year; bark greenish brown with obvious white stripes

Striped maple is a small tree or large shrub that prefers cooler climates. It is common in the Northeast, but has a very restricted range in the Midwest. It occurs in Michigan, particularly in the Upper Peninsula, and in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee. There is no mistaking its unusual striped bark for anything else.

Form and Size: Striped maple is more commonly a large shrub, and typically stands less than 20 feet tall. It can become larger, however, and may attain heights of 30 feet or more. It is a slender tree with a small, upright crown. Striped maple is short-lived and is slow-growing.

Habitat: Striped maple is categorized as very shade-tolerant, similar to sugar and black maples. It prefers moist, cool, wooded uplands, but can be found in drier pine-oak forests.

Wildlife Uses: Striped maple often occurs as an understory shrub/tree, and as such is usually well within reach of white-tailed deer and moose, which browse twigs heavily in winter (accounting for its common name moosewood) and take leaves in summer. Winter bark is also a favorite of porcupines. The early fall seeds are taken by squirrels, ruffed grouse, and small rodents. When it occurs as a common understory shrub, it supplies some nesting cover for songbirds but is not a preferred species.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, striped maple’s limitation as an ornamental is due to its inability to tolerate the heat and humidity of midwestern summers. It is considered heat-hardy to Zone 7, but only at high elevations at such southern latitudes. Fall color is a pretty pale yellow and the white-striped bark is a year-round attraction. Unlike so many tree species, striped maple has beautiful flowers. It may be planted in cool, moist, shady environments, but be aware of its attraction by white-tailed deer. Availability in Midwest nurseries is extremely limited, but it can be purchased from larger East Coast suppliers.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Mountain maple’s (A. spicatum) range is very similar and it is a common understory, clumpy shrub (usually). Its leaves are 3-lobed with serrate margins. Buds are red and covered with white hairs and are not stalked. Bark is brown and has no white stripes.

—Red maple (A. rubrum) leaves are 3-lobed (can have 5) with serrate margins. The undersides are pale and can be white. Buds are red with numerous overlapping scales. Bark is smooth and gray until older.

The 3-lobed leaves are up to 7 inches long. The central lobe, which is largest, is broad and triangular in shape compared to the much smaller, pointed outer lobes. The smooth leaves are light green above, pale beneath and have doubly serrate margins.

Flowers appear in May and June, when the leaves are nearly full-grown. They hang in large, drooping clusters (racemes) up to 6 inches long. Flowers are bright yellow and resemble tiny bells. Each cluster usually has all male or all female flowers on the same tree (monoecious).

Fruit is a paired, widely spread, winged samara up to 1½ inches long; each seed has an indentation along the side. Fruit hangs in drooping clusters and ripens in late summer.

The terminal bud is elongate, up to ½ inch long, and is stalked. It has 2 reddish, boat-shaped bud scales. Twigs are brownish or greenish and develop white stripes on the older growth. The similar but smaller lateral buds sit atop the crescent-shaped leaf scars.

The green bark on young trees and older branches has distinct vertical white stripes. Mature bark is reddish or gray-brown.

red maple

Acer rubrum Linnaeus

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite, simple leaves; usually 3-lobed and toothed with white backs and red stalks; buds reddish and rounded; fruit is small and red when ripe; bark smooth and gray when young, and thick, dark gray-brown, narrow plates when mature

Red maple is a common tree in the Midwest and considered a weedy species in certain situations. It makes its best growth in the lower Ohio Valley and is an important timber tree. The beautiful red fruits in spring and leaves in the fall add beauty to any landscape.

Form and Size: Red maple is a medium-sized to large tree up to 90 feet tall. It is fast-growing, especially when young, and is short-lived, reaching a maximum age of 150 years. Young, open-grown trees have a pyramidal form but eventually develop a broad, rounded crown.

Habitat: Red maple is probably the most pervasive tree in terms of site of any eastern tree. It is most common in swamps and peat bogs and on dry ridges, but may occur on other sites between these extremes. Just about any soil type will do. It is a pioneer species on disturbed sites and vigorously sprouts when cut or damaged by fire. It is intermediate in shade-tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: Red maple produces seeds in early spring, and thus is a nice complement to sugar and black maple, which produce seed later. All species of squirrels, as well as chipmunks, regularly use the seeds, along with grosbeaks, ruffed grouse, and wild turkey. White-tailed deer and moose frequently browse leaves and twigs, but porcupines are reported to almost never utilize red maple. Its opposite branching makes red maple a relatively poor tree for songbird nesting, but young trees in bottomland old-fields, especially those that are somewhat bushy from browsing by deer, frequently hold nests of yellow warblers, prairie warblers, and American goldfinches.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, red maple is hard to beat because of its beautiful red fall foliage. Besides its fall color, it has interesting smooth gray bark when young. Trees grow rapidly and should be selected over silver maple (A. saccharinum) for a shade tree, as its wood is much stronger and its life span greater. It prefers acidic soils but is not picky. Red maple is susceptible to drought and salt, but resistant to ozone. There are numerous cultivars available, including those that produce no fruit. The root system is shallow and transplanting is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Silver maple (A. saccharinum) leaves are 5-lobed, with more dramatically white undersurfaces. Its buds and twigs are exactly the same as red maple, except that scraped twigs usually give off an unpleasant odor. Bark is more platy and stays medium gray. Seeds are larger and green with a reddish tint.

—The “hard” maples (such as sugar and black) have pointed buds and 5-lobed leaves without serrations.

Leaves are usually smaller than other maples, no more than 4 inches across, and have a red leaf stalk. There are usually 3 lobes (can be 5) and the margins are serrate. The underside is usually pale.

The red- (or yellow-) petaled flowers appear in March and April, depending on latitude, before the leaves. A tree can have both perfect and staminate flowers; male is above, female to right.

Ripe fruit is only about 1 inch long and red. Each winged seed is slightly spread away from the other. Fruit ripens in the spring, as does silver maple.

The terminal leaf bud is oval, blunt-tipped, with few, red scales. Older, gray twigs have paired or clustered round flower buds in winter and spring.

Mature bark is dark gray-brown and broken into vertical, narrow plates that are often thick and scaly. Young bark is smooth and gray.

silver maple

Acer saccharinum Linnaeus

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite, simple leaves, 5-lobed with deep sinuses, margins have small serrations; silvery white beneath, with long green leaf blades; scratched twigs have unpleasant odor; fruit over 2 inches long, widely spreading; bark dark gray, thin plates that curl up on the ends

Silver maple has the reputation of being the “poor man’s tree” because it can be cheaply purchased at any nursery. It certainly is a cheap buy, but as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” It is one of the poorest choices for a lawn tree in terms of its durability, and without proper and frequent pruning, high winds and ice can all too easily break large limbs.

Form and Size: Silver maple is a medium-sized tree, reaching about 80 feet in height. It is fast-growing and short-lived, rarely surviving beyond 125 years. It has a short trunk that is divided low into many large branches that form a broad, rounded crown.

Habitat: This tree is found on rich, moist bottomlands bordering rivers, lakes, and swamps. It is frequent in forested floodplains, where it often dominates a stand. Silver maple is intermediate in shade-tolerance but prefers full sun.

Wildlife Uses: Many of the wildlife food values of silver maple are almost identical to those of red maple, and because they both typically occur in moist situations, they largely serve the same clientele. However, the same feature that makes silver maple a poor choice for ornamental planting (although widely planted in the Midwest) gives it added wildlife value—it is extremely cavity-prone. Natural cavities of all sizes create cover and nest sites for a wide variety of species, from barred owls and raccoons to crested flycatchers and nuthatches.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, silver maple needs pruning to coerce a strong central leader and avoid multiple large limbs with weak unions. It has light yellow fall color and provides shade quickly with its rapid growth. Although it is naturally a moisture-loving tree, silver maple tolerates dry sites well and resists drought and heat. It is sensitive to ozone and is frequently damaged by wind and ice. It is readily available through nurseries; numerous horticultural varieties include ‘Silver Queen,’ which is a seedless and weeping form. It is fairly tolerant of salt, and because of its shallow root system, transplants easily.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red maple (A. rubrum) usually has 3-lobed leaves but can have 5. The lobes are very shallow compared to those of silver. Red maple seeds are tiny and red. Twigs do not have an odor when scraped. Red maple bark is not shaggy like that of silver.

Leaves are about 6 inches wide and are deeply 5-lobed. The leaf stalk is long and green. The leaves are smooth and silvery white beneath.

Perfect and staminate flowers are found on the same tree. Petals are absent, unlike flowers of red maple. Female pictured left; male right.

The paired green fruit is the largest of our native maples, over 2 inches long. Each winged seed spreads far away from the other. Fruit ripens in the spring prior to the appearance of leaves.

Terminal leaf buds are oval, blunt-tipped, and covered with few, reddish scales. Older, gray twigs have paired or clustered round flower buds in winter and spring. Twigs have an unpleasant scent, unlike those of red maple.

Mature bark is medium gray with long, wide plates that are loose at the ends. Young trees have smooth, gray bark.

sugar maple

Acer saccharum Marshall

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite, simple leaves, 5-lobed, dark green above, light green below; wings of fruit a little over 1 inch long; buds pointed with brown scales; twig brown; bark thick, irregularly patterned with ridges and plates

Sugar maple is the tree most people associate with maple syrup. It is commonly tapped in late winter for its sap, with as many as 50 trees needed to make 1 gallon of syrup. Sugar maple is the national tree of Canada, and its leaf is emblazoned on her flag.

Form and Size: Sugar maple is a medium-sized tree from 60 to 80 feet tall. It is fast-growing and often lives to 400 years of age. Open-grown trees have very dense, broad crowns. Forest-grown trees are limb-free for much of their height, with small, round crowns.

Habitat: Sugar maple prefers a moist, deep, well-drained soil. It is one of the most shade-tolerant species in the Central Hardwoods Region. Trees suppressed by taller trees will respond with good growth if released. It is a climax species that, along with American beech, replaces the less shade-tolerant oaks and hickories over time.

Wildlife Uses: Although its wildlife values are moderate, sugar maple’s wide distribution and extreme shade tolerance makes it a pivotal species. It produces seeds in the late summer and is therefore a good complement to the early-producing silver and red maples for seed users, such as grosbeaks, wild turkey, squirrels, and small mammals. Leaves and twigs are highly preferred browse for white-tailed deer, moose, rabbits, and porcupines. In spring, tree squirrels frequently gnaw bark and lick the sap that flows from the wound. In the Central Hardwoods Region, sugar maple is very common in the understory, replacing less tolerant species such as the oaks; without periodic disturbance (for example, sugar maple is very susceptible to fire), this trend would likely continue, to the ultimate detriment to wildlife and biodiversity.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, sugar maple is spectacular with its brilliant, long-lasting fall foliage. It has an extremely dense canopy that provides excellent shade, but the ground beneath grows very little grass. Although it is fairly resistant to air pollution, it is sensitive to drought, heat, and salt. Few insect or disease problems affect sugar maple. There are many horticultural selections available, including several with narrow and pyramidal crowns. Its shallow root system makes transplanting easy when young.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black maple (A. nigrum) has similar leaves, but they droop on the sides and have tiny bracts at the base of the leaf stalks. Its fruit is very similar to sugar maple but is often hairy. Buds are black and twigs are mottled.

—Norway maple (A. platanoides) is commonly planted in the Midwest. Its leaves are broader than long. Its fruit is larger, with widely spreading wings. Sap is milky.

Leaves are 5-lobed and smooth. Margins have no serrations and the leaf stalk is long. The underside is pale.

The terminal leaf bud is pointed, with 4 or more pairs of overlapping brown scales that are usually smooth. Twigs are shiny brown and smooth with pale dots.

The greenish paired fruit is up to 1½ inches long. Each winged seed sits close to the other. Fruit ripens in late summer.

The dangling clusters of yellow flowers appear in April and May, depending upon the latitude, with the leaves. Perfect and staminate flowers are found on the same tree.

Mature bark is tannish gray to brown with thick ridges and plates in a highly variable pattern. The pale young bark is smoother.

flowering dogwood

Cornus florida Linnaeus

Family: Cornaceae

Quick ID: opposite, simple leaves, entire margins; veins do not run off the side of the leaves but curve toward the tip; pagoda-shaped flower buds all winter; clusters of bright red fruit; inner bark with chocolate-colored circles where outer bark has fallen

George Washington was an ardent fan of this dogwood and planted many around his home at Mount Vernon. Thomas Jefferson, too, was fond of it and planted, among others, a pink flowering tree at Monticello. The wood has been used for many purposes over the years, such as for golf clubs, pulleys, and shuttles.

Form and Size: Flowering dogwood is the only tree-sized native dogwood. It is a small tree, usually not exceeding 30 to 40 feet in height. It is slow-growing and short-lived. The short trunk gives way to numerous low branches that reach upward at the tips. It has a widely spreading, irregular, rounded crown.

Habitat: Over its large natural range, flowering dogwood is found mixed with hardwoods and conifers in open woods and woods’ edges, on mountain slopes, and in coves. It prefers rich, well-drained soils. Dogwood is moderately shade-tolerant, but it rarely produces fruit in a shaded situation and dies with prolonged shade.

Wildlife Uses: This species is very common in the understory of Central Hardwood forests. Although it flowers prolifically in many habitats, it produces substantial quantities of fruit only on edges or in old-fields. Compared to those of bush dogwoods, fruits are large and not used to a great degree by small songbirds; they are, however, favorites of squirrels, deer, turkey, and ruffed grouse. Gray and fox squirrel often feed on fruits in the trees, not eating the flesh but splitting the seed to eat only the endosperm. Split fruits dropped after extraction are then gleaned by deer and turkeys. Leaves are favorite browse for deer, which even forage on dead dogwood leaves from the forest floor in fall and early winter. Flowering dogwood does not supply much cover in general, but its conformation makes it a favorite nest tree for the wood thrush.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, flowering dogwood is an interesting addition to any yard in various seasons. Beautiful, large white (or pink) flowers appear in the spring which lead to clusters of bright red fruits in the fall. Fall leaf color is also red. It is resistant to air pollution but can be sensitive to drought and heat. There are many horticultural selections, mostly of southern origin, that have various desirable traits, such as larger flowers or pink flowers. An accidentally introduced fungus, dogwood anthracnose, has killed many trees in the East and along the West Coast. It has reached the Midwest, but there has not been a great deal of mortality reported.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Only shrubby species of dogwoods have similar leaves, but none quite so broad. All dogwoods have a rare vein pattern where the secondary veins reach toward the tip of the leaf.

Leaves are rounded and pointed at each end. They are pale green with wavy margins. The veins swing up toward the tip without running to the edge of the leaf—a characteristic of dogwoods.

The flowers appear large because of the 4 white bracts, which can measure 2 inches across. The actual flowers are tiny and clustered in the center of the bracts. They appear in April and May.

Fruit is bright red and fleshy and about ½ inch long. Fruits are usually found in clusters. Each fruit has a single, grooved seed.

There are 2 types of buds. The flower buds are whitish and hairy and are preformed. They can be found from late summer until the following spring, when they break. They are rounded and resemble the Seattle Space Needle. The leaf buds are small and the same reddish color as the twig.

Mature bark is gray-brown and broken into small scaly blocks. As the tiny blocks are shed, the dark, inner bark, which resembles chocolate chips, is exposed.

swamp privet

Forestiera acuminata (Michaux) Poiret

Family: Oleaceae

Quick ID: opposite, simple, smooth leaves, elongate on both ends; margins have a few teeth; twigs have light-colored lenticels and short spines; fruit purple and fleshy in clusters; bark gray to brown and smooth, resembling elephant hide

Swamp privet is closely related to the ashes and the exotic privets, many of which have escaped and become problems. It is a rare small tree in the lower Midwest and is little known. One must slog through river sloughs and swamps in order to view this species in its native habitat.

Form and Size: Swamp privet is a crooked, straggly small tree reaching 30 feet in height. It has a multiply branched, irregular crown. Side branches commonly assume terminal growth if the tree is bent by flooding and debris. Branch tips that come in contact with mud take root, often resulting in a dense thicket.

Habitat: Swamp privet is found only in low borders of swamps and along river banks where flooding is common. It is very local in its distribution. It is tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Swamp privet is so infrequent and locally distributed that it contributes relatively little to wildlife. However, its site preference—almost always growing in shallow water—leads to its being used for nest sites by red-winged blackbirds and other water-associated species. Additionally, its occasionally copious quantities of fruit drop into the water and are gleaned by wood ducks, mallards, and other dabbling ducks.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to at least Zone 5, swamp privet is a plant for wet sites. Little is known about its ability to withstand conditions away from water and in more northern climates. However, the authors have successfully grown it on an upland site for five years. It is not available commercially but is easily grown from seed. Male trees are striking in the spring when their clusters of bright yellow flowers appear en masse.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is found from southern Ohio and Kentucky southward. Its leaves somewhat resemble swamp privet, and it is shrubby with opposite branching. Its leaves, however, more closely resemble those of an ash.

—Upland forestiera (F. ligustrina) is a very rare species found from western Kentucky southward that has “fatter” leaves and fruits.

The smooth leaves are yellow-green, pointed at both ends, and about 3 inches long. Margins have few, rounded teeth, mainly toward the tip.

Male and female flowers appear in early April and are on separate trees. Males (left) are bright yellow and clustered at the nodes. The green females (right) are long-stalked and at right angles from the twig.

Fruit is purplish and elongate, often with a curved tip. Fruits are long-stalked and in clusters at the nodes. Each fruit has a single seed, which germinates immediately after maturing in June.

Terminal buds are conical, with numerous overlapping, light brown scales that are smooth. Twigs are smooth and tannish gray and often have short spines.

Mature bark is mostly smooth, but slightly roughened with numerous, raised lenticels. The color is dark gray to brownish and changes little over the lifetime of the tree.

Opposite, Compound

boxelder

Acer negundo Linnaeus

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite, compound leaves with 3 to 7 leaflets that have large, irregular teeth; buds white, hairy; twigs green or purple with white coating; seeds to 1½ inches long, often remaining on tree through winter

Boxelder, or ashleaf maple, is the oddball of the maples. All other maples native to the Midwest have simple leaves, whereas those of boxelder are compound. Most people do not recognize it as a maple.

Form and Size: Boxelder is a small to medium-sized tree to about 60 feet. It grows fast and is short-lived, commonly surviving to only 100 years. It typically has poor growth form with a low, branched trunk and an open, irregular, spreading crown. Sprouts along the trunk are common.

Habitat: The native habitat of boxelder is on moist to wet soils along creeks and rivers. It can also be found on poor sites and germinates in waste places and abandoned lots in urban areas, where it is considered a weed. It is moderately tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Boxelder is typically associated with bottomlands and very moist habitats, but also occasionally aggressively invades disturbed upland situations. In either situation, females often produce prolific seed crops, which largely remain on the tree into winter, when they are used by evening grosbeaks, purple finches, and house finches. When seeds fall into water, they are occasionally used by wood ducks. Herbivores tend not to browse on boxelder. Boxelder’s growth form is not conducive to avian nesting, but bottomland trees are occasionally used by green-backed herons and other water-associated birds. Older trees are very cavity-prone and provide nest sites for prothonotary warblers, crested flycatchers, and other secondary cavity nesters.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, boxelder is extremely tolerant of harsh conditions. It can endure extreme drought but is sensitive to air pollution. The weak wood is susceptible to wind and ice damage. Fall color is less than spectacular—a pale yellow. There are several cultivars available, one of which is ‘Sensation,’ which produces bright red fall foliage.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) leaves are similar to the 3-lobed leaves of boxelder. It is a vine with alternate leaf arrangement.

—Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) has smooth green twigs with green buds but is alternate.

—It is possible, but unlikely, to mistake boxelder for an ash (Fraxinus spp.) because of its compound leaves, especially when 5 or more leaflets are present.

Boxelder is often not recognized as one of the maples because of its compound leaves. It has from 3 to 7 leaflets per leaf and all can be found on the same tree. Leaves are light green and shiny above, pale and often hairy beneath. Leaf margins are shallowly toothed.

Boxelder male (left) and female (right) flowers are on separate trees (dioecious), an unusual condition for a maple. Flowers are in drooping clusters that appear before or with the leaves in April and May.

Fruit is 1½ inches long, winged, and paired and hangs in drooping clusters from long stalks. Each fruit has a single seed.

Terminal buds are rounded, with few scales, which are covered with dense, white hairs. A pair of smaller, lateral buds sit beside the terminal.

Boxelder twigs are variable in color. They can be green or purple and are often shiny. There is commonly a white “bloom” covering the twigs that is easily rubbed off. Leaf scars are V-shaped and they meet around the twig.

Bark is similar on all but the youngest trees, with tannish brown, thin, irregular, broken ridges that are separated by shallow fissures.

Buckeyes

Genus: Aesculus

Of the 6 species of buckeye native to North America, 5 occur in the eastern U.S. In the Midwest there are 3 species, Ohio (A. glabra) being the most common. Buckeyes are occasionally planted as ornamentals for their large, showy flowers. Our rare, native red buckeye (A. pavia) has striking red flowers compared to the pale yellow flowers of Ohio and yellow (A. flava) buckeyes. Horsechestnut (A. hippocastanum) is a native of the Balkans but is planted with some regularity in the upper Midwest.

Buckeye wood is light and soft and used to make some furniture, boxes, artificial limbs, and woodenware. Yellow buckeye is the largest of its genus and provides most of the commercial buckeye wood.

It is paradoxical that buckeyes are of relatively little value for wildlife, since they often produce substantial quantities of nuts, frequently at a relatively young age. However, nuts of all species contain the toxin aesculin, which is poisonous to humans and livestock—and, in all likelihood, wild birds and mammals, since use is minor. Gray squirrels, fox squirrels, and eastern chipmunks do gather and cache nuts, but when nuts are opened, only a very small portion is consumed. The early flowers of buckeyes are attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds, but the yellow flowers of Ohio and yellow are used much less frequently than the crimson flowers of red buckeyes. Buckeyes typically are not limby, and those limbs that are present are quite thick—a combination of characteristics that make them rarely selected for nest sites by birds.

Buckeyes are easy to recognize by their leaves, which are palmately compound. Our natives have 5 leaflets radiating finger-like from a central point. The nut is large, dark brown, and shiny with a light spot that gives it an appearance of a buck’s eye. Its husk is spongy and tan-colored.

Ohio buckeye with its typical palmately compound leaf.

Buckeyes are the first tree leaves of spring; Ohio buckeye is pictured here.

Red buckeye flowering when it is only a few feet tall.

The woody seeds are enclosed in a spongy husk.

yellow buckeye

Aesculus flava Solander ex Hope

Family: Hippocastanaceae

Quick ID: opposite, compound leaves that have 5 to 7 leaflets positioned like fingers radiating from 1 point; buds large with smooth scales (unridged); no skunky odor when twig is scraped; fruit a large “buck’s eye” with a smooth husk; bark is platy

Yellow buckeye is a tree of moist slopes and is more common in the Appalachian Mountains than in the Midwest. It is said that in 1784 George Washington found a reddish purple flowering form in West Virginia, collected seeds, and planted them at Mount Vernon. Where their ranges overlap, yellow and Ohio buckeyes hybridize, making identification tricky.

Form and Size: Yellow buckeye is a large tree, especially when compared to Ohio buckeye. It is commonly 90 feet tall and with a trunk diameter of 4 feet. It has a rapid growth rate and is long-lived, often surviving 400 years. Forest-grown trees have straight trunks with pendulous, heavy branches.

Habitat: Yellow buckeye prefers moist, rich, high slopes and coves of the Appalachians, but in the Midwest, it is found along rivers and streams, mostly in the unglaciated areas. It is tolerant of shade and is able to coexist in the sugar maple–beech climax forest.

Wildlife Uses: Almost all buckeyes have relatively low wildlife value. Descriptions of use for Ohio buckeye apply also to yellow buckeye.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, yellow buckeye is seldom seen in the Midwest as an ornamental. It is not readily available, and there are no horticultural varieties on the market. Its strong point is the large, showy yellow flowers in April. Leaves turn brown and drop in mid- to late summer before those of most other tree species. The large fruit can be a litter problem, but children have great fun with them. Keep in mind that the leaves and fruits are poisonous. Yellow buckeye is fairly disease- and insect-free but sensitive to drought and heat.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Ohio buckeye (A. glabra) has similar but smaller leaves and is the most common buckeye in the Midwest. Its fruit husks are usually spiny compared to the smooth husk of yellow. Bud scales are ridged along the center in Ohio buckeye but are smooth on yellow. Most parts of Ohio buckeye have a skunky odor; yellow does not.

—Red buckeye (A. pavia) is usually shrubby and has red flowers.

Leaves are larger than those of Ohio buckeye and usually have 5 leaflets per leaf. They are often a foot in length, including the leaf stalk. They are yellowish green and smooth above and hairy beneath. Leaf margins are finely toothed.

Flowers are mostly perfect and in large, upright clusters. They differ from those of Ohio buckeye in having stamens shorter than the lateral petals. Color ranges from deep yellow to purplish and they appear in April with the leaves.

Fruit is a rounded, leathery, smooth capsule that splits into 2 or 3 sections. Inside there are several large, dark brown, shiny, hard seeds that look like a “buck’s eye.” They ripen in the fall and are said to be poisonous.

Terminal buds are large, up to 1 inch in length. They have large, overlapping, orange-brown scales that are not ridged along the middle. There is no “skunky” odor when bruised, as there is with Ohio buckeye. The stout twigs are orange-tan.

Mature bark is light tan and tends to be smoother than Ohio buckeye’s. It grows much larger than Ohio buckeye and, where patterned, has sizable spongy plates.

Ohio buckeye

Aesculus glabra Willdenow

Family: Hippocastanaceae

Quick ID: opposite, compound leaves with 5 leaflets that radiate out from a central point like fingers; large peanut-butter-colored buds with ridged scales; skunky odor from all parts of tree; bark beige, unpatterned

Ohio buckeye is a common tree in the Midwest and is Ohio’s state tree. It is also known as fetid buckeye, because almost every part of the tree smells like skunk. All parts of the tree are also poisonous; however, Native Americans boiled the fruits, rendering the starchy meat edible. Keep an Ohio buckeye fruit in your pocket—it is supposed to bring good luck!

Form and Size: Ohio buckeye is a small to medium-sized tree, commonly 50 feet tall. It is moderately fast-growing and short-lived, surviving only about 80 years. Trees have short trunks and many heavy, drooping branches in irregular, rounded crowns.

Habitat: Ohio buckeye is common in forest understories. It prefers moist, rich soils of wooded slopes and stream sides and is often associated with limestone soils. It is tolerant of shade, but becomes more intolerant with age.

Wildlife Uses: Ohio buckeye’s sparse, thick, and opposite limbs are not suitable for nest placement by birds; other cover values are similarly low. One would anticipate that the nuts would be widely used, but, except for very minimal use by tree squirrels and chipmunks, they appear to go almost untouched. It seems probable that the aesculin that makes them toxic to humans and livestock plays a role in this rejection. Winter twigs are occasionally browsed by deer.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, Ohio buckeye is more forgiving than its more southern counterpart, yellow buckeye. It is moderately tolerant of drought, heat, and somewhat poorly drained sites. The new leaves in springtime are a deep burgundy color and stand out because it is the first tree to break bud. The large, upright yellow flower clusters are attractive and appear as early as late March in the southern portion of its range. It is not available commercially, and there are no horticultural varieties. Buckeyes develop taproots and are moderately difficult to transplant, but easy to grow from seed.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Yellow buckeye (A. flava) has larger leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets per leaf. Fruit is usually larger and the husk is smooth. However, yellow and Ohio buckeyes freely hybridize and resulting fruits have partially smooth husks.

—Horse chestnut (A. hippocastanum) is native to the Balkan Peninsula and has been planted sparingly throughout the Midwest. Its leaflets usually number 7; its buds are sticky; its fruit husk is spiny, like that of Ohio buckeye.

Leaves typically have 5 leaflets that appear like fingers joining at a common point. They are about 6 inches long, including the leaf stalk, and have finely toothed margins. Color is yellow-green and smooth above and paler and smooth beneath. Bruised leaves give off a “skunky” odor.

Flowers are mostly perfect in large, upright, terminal clusters. They are a pretty pale yellow and are obvious when they appear in early spring before most leaves. Stamens are longer than the lateral petals, unlike those of yellow buckeye.

Fruit is a rounded, leathery, prickly capsule that splits into 3 or 4 parts, revealing several dark brown, shiny, hard seeds. The seeds look like a “buck’s eye” and are said to be poisonous. They ripen in the fall.

Terminal buds are large, with numerous overlapping, peanut-butter-colored scales. The scales are ridged (keeled) along the center like the scales of a rattlesnake. Twigs are tan and smooth and give off a “skunky” odor when scraped.

Mature bark is light tannish and spongy, with no distinct pattern. Young trees have obvious, dark brown, scattered lenticels.

red buckeye

Aesculus pavia Linnaeus

Family: Hippocastanaceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; 5 leaflets from a central point (palmately compound), shiny, dark green above, pale yellow beneath, finely toothed margins; twigs stout, light green-brown; flowers red in showy upright cluster at end of branches, stamen exerted beyond petals; fruit husk without spines; nut orange-brown, smooth; bark smooth, brownish gray, older trees develop scaly plates near base

Red buckeye is usually a shrub in the Midwest but can become a small tree. It is popular as an ornamental because of its beautiful red, upright flowers, which appear in the early spring. This buckeye is very rare in our region and is found in extreme southern Illinois and a few scattered locations in Kentucky; it is fairly common in the South. All buckeyes produce new spring leaves before other trees. The new leaves are often a much different color than the mature leaves.

Form and Size: Red buckeye is a shrub to small tree, reaching a maximum height of 30 feet. It is relatively fast-growing and moderately short-lived. If tree-sized, red buckeye develops a short trunk with a rounded, spreading crown.

Habitat: Red buckeye is an understory shrub or tree that prefers moist, rich soils. It is tolerant of shade but grows well in full sun. When shrubby, red buckeye has multiple stems that produce a wide, flat-top plant. Plants can form thickets.

Wildlife Uses: The nuts of red buckeye, similarly to those of other buckeyes, are eaten only sparingly by squirrels and chipmunks, although they are frequently gathered and cached. Because of its usual shrub-like growth form, red buckeye has a somewhat higher cover value than our other buckeyes, but is still uncommonly used by nesting songbirds. Its red flowers are attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds and likely serve as an important resource for early migrants of this species.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, red buckeye has been successfully planted as an ornamental north of its natural range; its major feature is its striking red flowers. It is a great addition for a small location and seems to handle various levels of light. Fruit, as well as leaves and twigs, are considered poisonous to humans. Red buckeye has few enemies and is not bothered by wind or ice. Transplanting is difficult, but seeds germinate readily after cold storage over winter. Several horticultural varieties are available, including a yellow-flowered form. Always check for hardiness of any tree you buy in a nursery.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—When small, our other native buckeyes might be confused with red.

—Yellow buckeye (A. flava) also has smooth husks, but its leaves are larger and flowers are yellow with short stamens.

—Ohio buckeye (A. glabra) fruit husks are covered with prickles. Its leaflets number 5 to 7, and all plant parts smell of skunk.

Leaves are palmately compound with 5 to 7 lance-shaped leaflets. The leaflets are usually shorter than Ohio and yellow buckeyes, up to 6 inches long. They are dark green and have deep veins on the surface. The underside is often hairy.

The showy flowers are perfect and grow in upright clusters up to 8 inches long. They are red to reddish yellow and appear in May with the leaves.

The fruit capsule is spineless and about 2 inches in diameter. It splits to reveal 1 or 2 chestnut-brown seeds that are usually smaller than those of Ohio and yellow buckeyes. Fruit ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are small, up to ½ inch long and covered with brown, smooth, overlapping scales that are not keeled. Twigs are brown with raised lenticels and have no fetid odor when scraped. Leaf scars are large and V-shaped.

Mature bark is gray to brown and thin with occasional spongy scales arranged in no distinct pattern.

Ashes

Genus: Fraxinus

Of the 16 ashes native to the U.S., 5 species occur in the Midwest. Green (F. pennsylvanica) and white (F. americana) ashes are the most common and are often the most difficult between which to differentiate. Ashes are commonly planted as ornamentals and street trees because of their tolerance of urban environments and brilliant fall color. White and especially green ashes (and varieties) are readily available commercially. However, the exotic emerald ash borer has recently been discovered in the Midwest and has the potential to kill a substantial proportion of our native and ornamental ashes. Choosing an ash for landscaping should perhaps be delayed until the extent of the problem is fully assessed.

Ash wood is strong, hard, stiff, and straight-grained and frequently used in making handles for tools such as shovels, spades, and rakes. It is also used in furniture and cabinet making. Black ash wood is lighter and weaker than most, but is an unusual brown color. It easily separates along the growth rings, producing “splits” that are woven into baskets.

This genus has several species that are extremely difficult to differentiate, so it is not surprising that all have very similar, albeit low, wildlife value. Ashes provide little unique by way of cover; their opposite branching, stout twigs and relative decay resistance make them of less value for nesting and escape cover than many other forest genera. Seeds of ash are often produced in abundance but are sparingly used by wildlife; finches, grosbeaks, and tree squirrels feed on seeds in the trees. After they fall by degrees in autumn and winter, seeds are gleaned by several taxa, including wild turkey, dabbling ducks (especially wood ducks), and small rodents. The suite of potential users is somewhat different for ash species that usually grow in bottomlands. Twigs and foliage are generally not highly preferred by browsers, but white-tailed deer and moose occasionally browse winter twigs, and deer and porcupines regularly take new leaves in the spring.

Several unique features of the ashes include the strangely shaped terminal buds, which resemble a bishop’s cap. The fruit is a winged samara that is shaped like a canoe paddle. All ashes have opposite branching, which is an uncommon characteristic for trees.

All ashes have the “bishop’s cap” type of terminal bud and opposite branching.

Opening ash buds are beautifully intricate.

All native ashes have pinnately compound leaves. Pictured here is black ash.

Ash seeds look somewhat like canoe paddles.

white ash

Fraxinus americana Linnaeus

Family: Oleaceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; compound leaves with 5–9 leaflets; terminal bud similar to a bishop’s cap; top of leaf scar notched; leaves and twigs can be hairy

White ash is a common woodland tree throughout Indiana. It is the most common ash in Indiana and the Midwest.

Form and Size: Trees can become large, 90–100 feet tall. They have a fairly rapid growth rate and can live 200 years or more. Form is good; a forest-grown tree usually has a straight, branch-free trunk with a narrow crown. White ash wood is strong and produces the majority of commercial ash lumber.

Habitat: White ash can be found on a variety of sites, but it makes its best growth on fertile, moderately well-drained soils. In the Midwest, it is commonly found on wooded slopes. It is moderately tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: White ash supplies relatively little value to wildlife. The tree is not cavity-prone, and the leaves are not generally used as browse by herbivores, although they are a very important spring food for porcupines. In late fall and early winter, the seeds of female trees are frequently used by purple and house finches. After they fall from the trees, various rodents and even wild turkey have been observed feeding on them.

Landscaping Value: White ash is a tall, well-formed tree that provides dense shade. Fall color is a combination of deep purple, yellow, and red but is occasionally pure yellow. It is hardy to Zone 4, and there are several horticultural varieties available. Unlike green ash, white ash does not tolerate extreme drought or wet conditions. It is sensitive to ozone. Some authors have recognized varieties of white ash that have smooth or hairy leaves and twigs, making identification of species difficult.

Similar Species Distinctions: —Green ash (F. pennsylvanica) is very similar with respect to leaves, buds, leaf scars and fruit. Green ash tends to have more teeth on the narrow leaflets, leaf scars not as notched, and more winged seeds. These characteristics vary from tree to tree and branch to branch on any given tree. Bark of green ash tends to be thinner than white.

—Black ash (F. nigra) leaflets have no stalks and are finely toothed.

—Pumpkin ash (F. profunda) usually has more hair on buds, twigs, leaves and stalks, and larger leaves and fruit. It is found only on extremely wet sites.

White ash leaves are up to 1 foot long with 5 to 9 leaflets. They are dark green and smooth. The margins of the leaflets vary from finely toothed to entire.

Flowers appear in April, before the leaves, in green elongate clusters. Male (left) and female (right) flowers are on separate trees.

Fruit is a flattened, winged seed that is shaped like a canoe paddle. The wing does not extend beyond the seed.

The terminal bud of white ash is covered with 4 to 6 smooth brown scales. The bud looks like a bishop’s cap. Lateral leaf scars can be flat to notched across the top. Twig color varies from tan to medium brown, and texture can be smooth to hairy, similar to that of green ash.

Deep diamond shapes are obvious on most mature white ash. White ash bark is similar to that of black walnut, but is a tan color inside (black walnut is chocolate brown).

black ash

Fraxinus nigra Marshall

Family: Oleaceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; commonly 11 finely toothed leaflets on compound leaves; leaflets numerously, prominently veined; leaf scar usually round; first pair of lateral buds often set down from terminal; spongy bark

Black ash is known as basket ash, or, as George Washington called it, hoop ash. Its propensity to split along the growth rings has for centuries allowed people to make sturdy baskets out of the wood strips.

Form and Size: Black ash is usually found as a medium-sized tree to about 60 feet tall. It is slow-growing and fairly short-lived, probably not surviving past 150 years. Forest-grown trees have slender, sometimes bent or leaning trunks with narrow crowns made up of few, short, ascending branches.

Habitat: Black ash is a wet-site species and is much less common than white or green ash. It can be found with its roots inundated by water much of the winter and often suckers, forming colonies. It is most often found in swampy woods and is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Wildlife use black ash principally for its seeds, although porcupines browse on its leaves and occasionally its bark. Black ash’s range extends quite far northward and thus it supplies seeds in some areas essentially devoid of other ashes.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3a, black ash is best adapted to wet sites but has been successfully planted in more upland settings. It has pretty yellow fall foliage and makes a good shade tree. Its pale, spongy bark adds interest to the winter landscape.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Blue ash (F. quadrangulata) leaves most closely resemble those of black ash, but a close look at the 4-sided twig instantly identifies blue ash.

—Other ashes have an interlacing bark pattern, whereas black ash never does. It remains somewhat nondescript and spongy most of the tree’s life.

Black ash leaves have 7 to 11 stalkless leaflets. Margins of the dark green leaflets are finely toothed. Veins are numerous and prominent.

Flowers are mostly single-sex and on separate trees (dioecious), but can be perfect. Black ash male flowers (left) are distinguished from those of other ashes by their dark purple anthers. Flowers appear in April before the leaves. Females flowers are pictured on the right.

Fruit is flat with a continuous wing its entire length. It is broader than other ash fruit and 1½ inches long. It is similar to that of blue ash.

Black ash twigs are beige. The terminal bud is medium brown and resembles a bishop’s cap. The first set of lateral buds are often set down from the terminal (unlike with other ashes). Lateral leaf scars are commonly round.

Mature bark is fairly smooth and beige. With younger trees, it has an especially spongy texture.

green ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall

Family: Oleaceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; compound leaves usually with finely cut margins; 7 leaflets, narrow and slender-pointed; top of leaf scar usually straight across; bark usually not thick; smooth and hairy leaves and twigs are possible

Green ash has the largest natural range of all the native ash species in the Midwest. It is considered a wet-site species but can be found on upland sites and easily confused with white ash.

Form and Size: Green ash is generally a smaller, more poorly formed tree than white ash. Trees 50 feet tall are typical. Open-grown trees have a short trunk with irregular, spreading branches. It is short-lived, probably not living much beyond 150 years. Growth can be fast in open-grown trees on favorable sites. Much commercial ash wood is green ash, grown largely in the South.

Habitat: On natural sites, green ash is a moist-to-wet-site species found throughout the Midwest. It is found as an occasional tree on stream banks, in upland depressions, and on the borders of swamps. Green ash is intolerant to moderately tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Green ash is so similar to white ash that it is not surprising that similar wildlife uses have been reported. In addition, because green ash frequently grows in moist situations, its seeds fall into water in the autumn and are used by wood ducks and likely other dabbling ducks as well.

Landscaping Value: Green ash is our most cold-hardy ash, adaptable to Zone 2a. Wild-grown trees usually have yellow fall color, but horticultural varieties often produce a variety of colors similar to white ash. Trees often have poorly formed, low, weak branch unions that are prone to structural damage. It is tolerant of wet and dry extremes but is sensitive to ozone. Growth can be fast and trees provide good shade. Horticultural varieties include ‘Marshall Seedless,’ ‘Summit,’ and others.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—White ash (F. americana) has more ovate leaflets, usually with few to no teeth along the margins. White ash leaf scars are commonly notched across the top with the lateral bud sitting down in the scar. White ash bark is usually thicker than green ash.

—Pumpkin ash (F. profunda) has leaves similar to white ash but they are larger and usually densely hairy. Twigs are hairy.

—Varieties of green ash have been named that have varying degrees of hairs on the leaves and twigs. Most of the characteristics of green and white ash overlap, making distinction between the two species (if they truly are two) difficult.

Green ash leaves have 7 to 9 stalked leaflets that are narrow and slender-pointed. They can be smooth or hairy beneath. Leaflet margins vary from completely toothed to entire, or entire only below the middle.

Green ash flowers are typical of most ash flowers. Males (left) and females (right) are on separate trees. They are in greenish clusters that appear in April before the leaves.

Fruit is flattened, narrow, and about 2 inches long. The wing extends along the seed. The tip can be entire or notched.

Green ash buds are usually dark brown and can be slightly hairy. The bud looks like a bishop’s cap. Leaf scars are usually straight across the top or slightly notched. Twig color and texture vary as much as those of white ash.

Mature bark has a small, interlacing diamond pattern that is usually less than 1 inch thick. Inner bark color is tan.

pumpkin ash

Fraxinus profunda (Bush) Bush

Family: Oleaceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; large compound leaves usually with 7 hairy leaflets; twigs usually densely hairy; rusty brown bishop’s-cap bud

Pumpkin ash is a tree of extremely wet sites, common in swamps and ponds of the Lower Wabash and Ohio valleys in southwest Indiana and southern Illinois. Pioneers called it swell-butt ash.

Form and Size: Pumpkin ash is a medium-sized tree, commonly 60 feet tall. It has a moderate life span, probably not exceeding 200 years. It has an irregular, open crown and tall, clear trunk.

Habitat: Pumpkin ash has the most restricted range of any midwestern ash. It inhabits very wet sites and tolerates nearly year-round root inundation. In the Lower Wabash and Ohio valleys of southwest Indiana and southern Illinois, it occurs in swamps and ponds, where standing water is common. It is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: Pumpkin ash does not differ substantially from the other ashes in its use by wildlife. Although not reported, its seeds are likely used rather heavily by waterfowl, as are those of green ash, with which it shares a bottomland affinity.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, pumpkin ash is not commercially available, so little is recorded about its tolerance outside its native habitat. It would be a good species for an extremely wet site, because most other trees cannot tolerate excessive moisture.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—White ash (F. americana) has similar but smaller leaves that can be hairy. The number of teeth on the leaflets is about the same. Twigs and buds can be very similar in color and amount of hairs. Bark is very similar to that of pumpkin ash as well.

—Green ash (F. pennsylvanica) can have hairy leaves, but the leaflets are more narrow and elongate. Both species can grow in wet sites.

—Black ash (F. nigra) grows in wet sites but has stalkless leaflets that have many teeth.

Leaves are the largest of our native ashes, often over 1 foot in length. They have 7 to 9 leaflets that have entire to slightly toothed margins. The stalk and underside of the leaflets are hairy.

Fruit of pumpkin ash is the largest of the native ashes, up to 3 inches long. The flattened wing nearly encloses the single, elongate seed.

Mature bark is grayish brown with shallow interlacing ridges that form a diamond pattern. Inner bark is tan.

Pumpkin ash’s terminal bud is similar to that of white and green ash, with a bishop’s cap shape. It is usually a dark brown or rusty color. The twigs are usually densely hairy, and the leaf scars are usually notched.

Pumpkin ash, like many water-associated trees, often has a swollen base. This is the origin of the name swell-butt ash.

blue ash

Fraxinus quadrangulata Michaux

Family: Oleaceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; 4-angled or winged twigs unique; compound leaves; bud looks like a tan bishop’s cap; bark tan, pattern resembling scales of a reptile

Blue ash is one of our least common ashes. It is the easiest to identify because of its 4-sided twig. Pioneers mashed its inner bark in water to extract a blue mucilage that was used to dye cloth. Use a twig to stir water and watch it turn blue!

Form and Size: Blue ash is usually a medium-sized tree to 70 feet tall but can become much larger. It lives longer than most ashes, possibly up to 400 years. Open-grown trees have a short trunk with small, spreading branches that create a narrow crown.

Habitat: Blue ash tolerates dry sites better than other native ashes and is often found growing on dry, rocky limestone slopes. It is found as a scattered tree throughout most of its range. It is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: Blue ash has wildlife values not substantially different from those of other ashes. Because it is relatively uncommon, its impact is probably minimal.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4a, blue ash is our most drought-resistant ash. It tolerates dry, poor alkaline soils but grows well on moister sites. Its unusual angular twigs add an aesthetic quality to the winter landscape. Fall leaf color is yellow. Trees provide superior shade and are a good choice for urban settings because of their more upright branching. A cultivar, ‘Urbana,’ may be available.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black ash (F. nigra) leaflets are similar but have no leaf stalks. It is a wet-site species and would not be found growing with blue ash.

—Blue ash is the only ash native to the Midwest that has 4-sided twigs.

Blue ash leaves have 7 to 11 stalked leaflets that have toothed margins. They are yellowish green compared to the dark green leaves of black ash.

Blue ash is our only native ash with perfect flowers.

Fruit is flattened with a wing its entire length. It is wide and similar to black ash. The tip is often notched like black ash.

Blue ash twigs are unique among the eastern ashes in that they are strongly 4-sided.

The terminal bud of blue ash is more elongate than other ashes and covered with tan hairs.

Mature bark is light gray with long scaly plates that resemble alligator hide or reptile scales. Inner bark color is tan.

Whorled

northern catalpa

Catalpa speciosa Warder ex. Engelman

Family: Bignoniaceae

Quick ID: whorled, simple leaves, large and heart-shaped; stout, round, brown twigs with large, crater-like, whorled leaf scars; buds not obvious in winter; flowers large in upright clusters, white with striped throats; fruit a long pod that often overwinters on the tree

Northern catalpa is the only tree native to the Midwest that has 3 leaves whorled around the same point of twig. This makes identification easy—in summer you have the whorled leaves; in winter you have whorled leaf scars.

Form and Size: Northern catalpa is a medium-sized tree, commonly attaining heights of 60 feet. Growth can be fast on good sites, and it is fairly long-lived. Old trees often seem massive, with short trunks several feet in diameter and low, thick, crooked limbs, which give the tree a gnarled appearance.

Habitat: Northern catalpa is a moisture-loving species that naturally occurs in alluvial, forested floodplains and at the base of bluffs. It has been in cultivation for so long that early botanists had difficulty determining where its natural range actually was. It is considered intolerant of shade and is uncommon in its native habitat. Much planted for its strong, decay-resistant wood (for use as fence posts) and beautiful flowers, it is found throughout the Midwest and has widely naturalized.

Wildlife Uses: This species has very little wildlife value, which in a way seems strange, since it is widely planted to the south of its natural range as a host for the catalpa sphinx moth (Ceratomia catalpae), the caterpillars of which are prized as pan-fish bait. It is not generally favored as a nesting tree by open-nesting birds, and it is rather decay-resistant, minimizing its value to cavity nesters. Winged seeds are released from pods in late winter and are undoubtedly used for food by birds and rodents, although such use has not been reported.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, northern catalpa is one of our prettiest native trees when in flower. It flowers later than most, with large, upright white flower clusters that appear in June. Fall foliage is brown. Its winter appeal is its gnarled, curving, massive limbs. The large fruit pods are a bit messy when they fall. The catalpa sphinx moth caterpillar is a pest and often defoliates the tree twice in the same summer. Though naturally occurring in moist sites, catalpa is very adaptable to most sites. It is not readily available commercially.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Southern catalpa (C. bignonioides) has been planted in the southern Midwest. It is similar in all aspects except the size and thickness of its fruiting pods. The pods are usually shorter—no more than 15 inches long—with thick walls.

—Royal paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) is an introduced species planted in the southern Midwest. Its leaves are large, heart-shaped, and opposite, and its flowers are blue.

Leaves are heart-shaped and usually large, up to 12 inches long. The leaf stalk is about 6 inches long and margins are entire.

Catalpa flowers are as spectacular as any native tree’s. The large, upright clusters appear in May to early June after the leaves are developed. The perfect flowers are white with yellow and purple spots.

Fruit is a very long pod, up to several feet long. Its 2 thin walls split to release many papery seeds. Pod often remain on the tree over winter.

Twigs have large, crater-shaped leaf scars that are usually whorled around the twig, but sometimes there are just 2 that are opposite each other. Buds are small, brown, and often not visible. Twigs are brown with white lenticels.

Mature bark is brownish with thick ridges that often twist with the trunk.

Alternate, Simple

downy serviceberry, juneberry

Amelanchier arborea (Michx.f.) Fernald

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves that have a single row of small teeth; leaves white and hairy when new; buds with reddish scales that are hairy along the edge; bark smooth, gray with vertical black streaks; fruit reddish, dry

Downy is one of several serviceberries native to the Midwest. The taxa hybridize freely, creating headaches for botanists and plant enthusiasts who try to identify specimens. A. laevis and A. alnifolia are 2 additional small-tree-sized species that occur in our region. Some authors consider Allegheny serviceberry (A. laevis) a variety of downy. For a complete discussion of the genus, see Voss.

Form and Size: Serviceberry is a small tree, seldom more than 30 feet in height. It has a slender trunk and a finely branched, narrow crown.

Habitat: Serviceberry is usually an understory tree found on dry to moist slopes, or at the base of slopes adjacent to streams. In more northerly regions it can be found in open, sandy plains and along fencerows.

Wildlife Uses: Especially when growing beneath a forest canopy, downy serviceberry has a rather spindly growth form that does not supply much in the way of cover for wildlife. Its major value lies in the fruit, which is produced in the late spring, earlier than that of most woody plants. Although fruits are somewhat drier and smaller than those of other serviceberries, birds relish them and the supply is quickly exhausted by a parade of birds, including robins, gray catbirds, cedar waxwings, northern orioles, and several thrush species. Mammals, from squirrels to bears, also compete for the ephemeral supply. Foliage and twigs are infrequently browsed by white-tailed deer.

Landscaping Value: Downy and smooth, or Allegheny (A. laevis) serviceberries are hardy to Zone 4. Western (A. alnifolia) serviceberry is much more cold-hardy and probably hardy to Zone 2. They are beautiful in early spring, with their drooping clusters of white flowers. There are no real disease or insect problems. They are able to grow well in full sun or fairly heavy shade. Most have pretty fall colors of red, orange, or yellow that vary from tree to tree. The serviceberries lend themselves well to any modest-sized yard. There are several selections available, most of which have been developed from a hybrid between downy and smooth serviceberries known as A. canadensis, apple serviceberry.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Allegheny serviceberry’s (A. laevis) emerging leaves are hairless, and fruits are larger and juicier.

—New England serviceberry (A. sanguinea) occurs in south-central Ohio and is usually shrubby. Its ovary is hairy at the tip.

—American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) has smooth gray bark and is similar in size, but the trunk is fluted and leaf margins are doubly serrate.

—American beech (Fagus grandifolia) has elongated buds that are golden-bronze colored.

Serviceberry leaves are about 3 inches long and oblong. They are dark green and smooth above, pale and lightly hairy beneath. When just opening, downy service-berry leaves are densely hairy. Margins have numerous fine teeth.

Serviceberry flowers have long, white, strap-shaped petals. They are perfect and appear in late April and May with the leaves. The flowers hang down in long clusters.

Downy serviceberry fruit is small, reddish, and fleshy, and resembles a tiny apple. Unlike the nearly black, juicy fruit of A. laevis (right), downy service-berry (left) is quite dry and less tasty. Fruit ripens in late May and early June.

Terminal buds are slender, elongate, and ½ inch long. Buds have overlapping, reddish scales that are tipped with a row of fine white hairs.

Bark changes very little over the lifetime of the tree. It is smooth and medium gray with vertical black streaks along most of its trunk. Old trees develop slightly furrowed bark at the base.

pawpaw

Asimina triloba (Linnaeus) Dunal

Family: Annonaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves with entire margins; crushed leaves smell like green peppers; twigs brown with dark brown, hairy, feather-like leaf buds and rounded flower buds; fruit a fleshy, odd banana-like shape

Pawpaw is a most unusual tree that is a close relative to many tropical species. Natural compounds in pawpaw are now being used to make a cancer-fighting drug and an insecticide. That same compound prevents white-tailed deer from browsing your pawpaw patch.

Form and Size: Pawpaw is a small tree of the forest understory. At its maximum size, pawpaw is 30 feet in height. It has a clear, usually leaning trunk with few, widely spaced branches that create an open crown. Open-grown trees have a deep, pyramidal crown.

Habitat: Pawpaw is common in woods, where it prefers rich, damp sites along streams and in flood plains. It root-suckers freely and forms colonies. Though listed as being intolerant of shade, it seems to occur principally in forest understories, where it rarely produces fruit. When canopy trees die, the increased light allows pawpaw to greatly expand its stem numbers and produce more fruit.

Wildlife Uses: In bottomlands and mesic woods, pawpaw is frequent, but fruit production is very irregular. The fruits are too large to be of much use to songbirds, but are commonly taken by wild turkey, opossum, raccoon, and foxes after they fall from the trees in autumn. The foliage is spurned by herbivores, and woodlands suffering from deer overpopulation often have understories dominated by pawpaw, all other woody species having been reduced by browsing. The lanky, sparse-limbed growth of pawpaw makes it a poor cover tree, so it is rarely selected by nesting songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, pawpaw is rarely seen in cultivation. It has exotic-looking maroon flowers that stand out in the spring and its foliage is a pale yellow color in fall. The fruit is a unique food that can be substituted in any custard-type dessert. It is sensitive to drought, heat, and salt but has no disease or insect problems. Transplanting is usually difficult, since so many trees are suckers from a parent plant. Pawpaw is not readily available commercially, and there are no cultivars.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Magnolia (Magnolia spp.) leaves resemble those of pawpaw but are usually larger, especially umbrella (M. tripetala); however, our native magnolias are extremely rare. Magnolia leaves do not smell like green peppers. The bark of young magnolias is also smooth and gray, similar to that of pawpaw, but buds are very different.

Leaves are up to 12 inches long and dark green with entire margins. They have an interesting odor when crushed—it’s a cross between green peppers and diesel fuel! From a distance they resemble leaves of a magnolia.

Flowers are perfect and 1½ inches across. They appear in late April to early May with the leaves. There are 6 dark burgundy petals arranged in two whorls and three reflexed sepals. The flower has a fetid odor that attracts pollinating insects.

Pawpaw fruit is also known as the Indiana banana, though it tastes nothing like a banana. When ripe, it turns yellowish brown and is about 6 inches long. There are several large brown seeds in each fleshy fruit. Trees rarely produce fruit without sufficient sunlight.

Terminal buds are elongate and covered with dense, velvety brown hairs. Some say the buds resemble a feather, some say a wetted paintbrush. Twigs are slender and brown. Two shapes of lateral buds are usually present along the winter twig—the plump flower buds and the tiny leaf buds.

Bark changes little over the lifetime of a pawpaw. It is smooth and dark gray and is somewhat similar to the bark of American beech, only darker. Old trees develop dark furrows at the base.

Birches

Genus: Betula

Birches are cool-weather trees that are represented by 7 species (tree-size) in the U.S., 5 of which are discussed in this book. Other than river birch (B. nigra), none are common in our region south of the Upper Lake States. Outside of their natural ranges, these northerly trees are highly susceptible to insect and disease problems and thus are not recommended for planting throughout most of the Midwest. River birch is the most adaptable of the birches to the heat and humidity in the southern portion of our region and is readily available through nurseries. Several European species and their varieties are also commonly marketed, but they are probably not as well-adapted to our climate as river birch.

The commercial value of some birches is limited by their small size and short life, but the larger, longer-lived yellow (B. alleghaniensis) and sweet birches (B. lenta) have harder, heavier, and stronger wood than other natives and are used in making furniture, cabinets, and plywood. Paper (B. papyrifera) and river birches are used for pulpwood. The small gray birch (B. populifolia) is a common ornamental in the Northeast and is also used for fuel.

The widespread genus Betula has members with quite variable wildlife values. Their value for cover is unexceptional, but short-lived species (such as paper birch) often supply snags for cavity nesters, and longer-lived species (like yellow birch) provide nesting sites for songbirds and raptors. Birches are well-known for their high tannin content, which is supposedly a deterrent to browsing, but twigs and leaves are regularly browsed by white-tailed deer, moose, rabbits, and beaver, although preferences vary considerably by species and location. Buds and catkins are eaten by ruffed grouse, and seeds by a variety of songbirds (especially the small finches, like pine siskins) and small rodents.

All birches have several common features that facilitate identification. Most (but not all) species of birch have papery, flaky bark of one varying color that has elongate, horizontal rows of lenticels. These are usually visible throughout the lifetime of the tree. Mature trees have male flowers (catkins) that remain on the ends of the twigs throughout the winter. They are usually clustered and obvious. No other midwestern tree family has this feature.

Male catkins on a winter twig.

The stretched male catkins releasing pollen in the spring.

The papery, peeling bark of a mature paper birch.

Lenticils are easy to see on the bark of a young paper birch.

yellow birch

Betula alleghaniensis Britton

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves with rows of 2-sized teeth; leaves lightly hairy; scraped twigs smell strongly of wintergreen; hairy seed scales have 3 equal-sized, vertical lobes; bark bronze-colored and peely, especially when young

Yellow birch is the largest and strongest of our native birches. It is used for making furniture. Boy Scouts know of its oily outer bark, which quickly catches fire even when wet. Oil of wintergreen was once extracted from its twigs and inner bark.

Form and Size: Yellow birch is usually a medium-sized tree to about 60 feet in height but can become much larger. It is long-lived for a birch and can survive over 300 years. It commonly has a short trunk with numerous ascending slender branches in a broad, open, irregularly rounded crown.

Habitat: In the Upper Lake States and scattered locations in the lower Midwest, yellow birch inhabits the borders of swamps, lakes, and tamarack bogs. It prefers moist, cool sites and often grows on wooded cliffs associated with eastern hemlock. It is tolerant of lightly shaded conditions.

Wildlife Uses: Yellow birch is such a favorite browse tree of white-tailed deer and moose that its regeneration in the Upper Lake States is severely impacted. Its well-known habit of germinating and growing on rotting logs and stumps occasionally allows seedlings to survive out of reach of ungulates. Catkins are frequently taken by ruffed grouse and seeds by siskins and redpolls, but overall, paper birch exceeds yellow birch in these values, probably largely a result of habitat preferences of both tree and users. Older trees, frequently damaged by ice and wind, seem to be favorite nest sites for raptors and crows.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, yellow birch can add beauty to a landscape simply by its striking bronze-colored bark, but it also has pretty yellow fall color. It is sensitive to midwestern heat where summer temperatures rise above 70° but can be planted in the cool shade of larger trees. Though somewhat susceptible to disease and insect damage, it is fairly resistant to the bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius. Yellow birch is not readily available through nurseries, and there are no cultivars.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Paper birch (B. papyrifera) has broader leaves and white bark.

—River birch (B. nigra) has triangular leaves and salmony pink bark.

—Sweet birch (B. lenta) leaves are very similar and the reddish brown twigs smell of wintergreen as well. Bark, which is reddish brown to black, is often the best characteristic to use in separating the two.

Leaves are about 5 inches long with sharply, doubly toothed margins. They are ovate with a pointed tip and rounded base. They are pale green and smooth above and lightly hairy beneath.

Fruit is a solid head of tiny winged seeds that sits upright along the branches. They are rather large for a birch—up to an inch long. In the fall, they begin to shatter, but some remain throughout the winter.

There is quite a difference between the bark of young and old trees. Young bark is thin, shiny, and yellow-bronze and has papery curls. Mature bark develops brown, yellow, or creamy-colored wide plates separated by furrows.

Buds are ovate with a sharp point. Birches have no true terminal bud. The overlapping scales are 2-toned, with light and dark brown stripes. They are often lightly hairy. Twigs are light brown with numerous, light-colored dots. Scraped twigs have a strong wintergreen odor.

Yellow birch seeds have a propensity for germinating on top of old tree stumps. As the birch grows, the roots will appear as stilts surrounding the deteriorating tree stump.

sweet birch, black birch

Betula lenta Linnaeus

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves lightly hairy, usually with rows of 2-sized teeth; reddish brown twigs smell of wintergreen; bark reddish brown to black and not peely, similar to that of black cherry (and even yellow birch)

Sweet birch has a limited range in the Midwest, occurring in south-central Ohio and eastern Kentucky on wooded slopes. It has the highest concentration of oils of our native birches and the twigs are pleasant to chew. Twigs and bark have been distilled for production of oil of wintergreen.

Form and Size: Sweet birch is a medium-sized tree, reaching about 60 feet in height. It can become much larger. Forest-grown trees have tall, clear trunks with open, irregular crowns.

Habitat: In the Midwest, sweet birch occurs as a scattered tree on moist but well-drained, wooded slopes. In the Northeast, where it is a common tree, it is often on rocky sites, where its roots can be seen wrapped around a rock, similar to yellow birch’s stilted roots on a tree stump. It makes its best growth in Kentucky and Tennessee. It is intolerant of shade, unlike yellow birch.

Wildlife Uses: This species is similar in many ways to yellow birch, including the ways in which it is used by wildlife. Its value in our region is minimal because of its relative rarity. It tends to be smaller and finer-limbed than yellow birch, and is regularly used by nesting songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, sweet birch adds a colorful touch to the landscape with its reddishblack bark and its yellow fall foliage. It is sensitive to air pollution, but tolerates dry sites well. The bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius, is the major pest, and the species is probably more susceptible if planted outside its natural range. It prefers acidic soils. There are no cultivars available, and it cannot be readily purchased through nurseries. Roots are deep and spreading, making transplanting rather difficult.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis) has very similar leaves and a strong winter-green odor, but its bark is usually bronze-colored when young, later becoming grayish yellow. Seed scales are more linear with 3 equal-sized lobes.

—Paper birch (B. papyrifera) has broader leaves and no wintergreen odor. Its bark is chalky white and peely.

—River birch (B. nigra) has triangular leaves and salmony pink, peely bark that becomes black with age.

Leaves are ovate with a heart-shaped base and a pointed tip. They are shiny with doubly toothed margins. The leaf stalk is hairy. Crushed leaves have a strong wintergreen scent.

Flowers appear as cylindrical catkins in the spring. Males hang downward near the tip of the twig while the smaller females stand upright along the same twig.

Fruit scales of yellow and sweet birch are usually distinct. Yellow birch scales (right) are usually hairy and longer than broad. Sweet birch scales are usually hairless (especially at the tip) and more broad.

Fruit is an erect catkin about 1 inch long packed with tiny winged seeds. They ripen in the fall.

Buds are pointed and reddish brown and mostly smooth. Twigs are slender, lustrous, bright reddish brown with buds swinging away from the twig. Scraped twigs have a strong wintergreen scent.

Mature bark is brownish black and scaly with a strong wintergreen scent when scraped. Young bark is reddish brown, smooth, and streaked with rows of white lenticels.

river birch

Betula nigra Linnaeus

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves that are triangular in outline with doubly serrate margins; twig hairy or with rough dots; bark salmony pink and peeling

The hardy river birch is a welcome addition to a landscape. Its pinkish, peeling bark is striking against a dark green background. Its ability to tolerate the hot, dry summers of the Midwest makes it a prudent choice for those desiring an ornamental birch tree.

Form and Size: River birch is a medium-sized tree that often attains heights of 80 feet. It is short-lived, rarely surviving beyond 100 years, and is fast-growing. Open-grown trees have a graceful appearance, their irregular upper crown being composed of numerous ascending branches and its lower crown with weeping branches.

Habitat: River birch occurs along the banks of rivers and streams and in floodplains. Its seeds are carried in late spring along waterways until they lodge and germinate in mud along the banks. This species of birch is intolerant of shade and tolerates flooded roots for months at a time.

Wildlife Uses: While this species is quite common in the lower Midwest, its value to wildlife is unexceptional. Its seeds are used by small songbirds, as are those of other birches, but its foliage does not seem to be preferred by herbivores. Larger trees, usually in bottomland habitats, are occasionally used for nesting by red-shouldered hawks. Trees of this species are relatively short-lived, and woodpeckers, especially red-bellied and red-headed, often dig nest cavities in dead snags.

Landscaping Value: River birch is hardy to Zone 5 and is commonly planted throughout the Midwest as an ornamental. It has interesting peeling, salmony pink bark and weeping branches. Though it is a wet-site species, it is very tolerant of drier sites and is our native birch most adapted to hot summers. The fall foliage, as with most birches, is yellow. River birch is readily available in nurseries, especially several cultivars, such as ‘Heritage,’ which has nearly white inner bark.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Sweet birch (B. lenta) has reddish brown to black bark that does not peel and more closely resembles that of black cherry. (Their Midwest ranges overlap only in Ohio and Kentucky.)

—The bark of birches is always the key to identification because each species tends to have its own unique color.

River birch is one of the few native birches with triangular leaves. They are about 3 inches long with doubly toothed margins. The upper surface is dark green and lustrous; the lower surface is paler and lightly hairy along the veins.

Flowers appear as cylindrical catkins in the spring. Males (right) hang downward near the tip of the twig while the shorter, more narrow females (left) stand upright along the same twig.

Buds are elongate and sharply pointed. Like all birches, there is no true terminal bud. The overlapping scales are reddish brown and smooth. Twigs are brown and variable in their texture. They can be hairy, especially at first, or they can be roughened with glandular dots.

Fruit is a cone-like, erect, hairy cluster of winged seeds. They sit upright along the branches and shatter earlier than most birches—in late spring.

River birch has distinctive bark. It is cinnamon-colored, thin, ragged, papery with strips that peel and curl backwards to reveal the lighter inner bark. Old trees develop nearly black, thick, somewhat peely bark with irregular plates.

paper birch

Betula papyrifera Marshall

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, ovate, dark green leaf with doubly serrate margin; bark is chalky white with large peeling sheets; black V-shaped branch scars and numerous black horizontal lines along trunk

Paper birch is also known as white or canoe birch. Native Americans taught European settlers the art of making canoes from paper birch bark. The canoes were lightweight and strong.

Form and Size: Paper birch is a small to medium-sized tree, commonly reaching 50 feet in height. It is short-lived and rarely survives past 150 years. Open-grown trees have an open, irregular crown with few, horizontal branches.

Habitat: Paper birch is rare or absent in the southern Midwest but is a common tree in the Lake States and Canada. It is found on a wide variety of soils and often occurs in pure stands, especially in cut or burned areas. Common sites where it can be found include forest edges, roadsides, and disturbed areas. It is shadeintolerant.

Wildlife Uses: Paper birch is a common invader of disturbed areas. These seral habitats have substantial wildlife use; paper birch is a favorite browse species of both white-tailed deer and moose, but is probably not as preferred as quaking aspen, with which it often occurs, or yellow birch. Catkins are often taken by ruffed grouse in late winter and seeds are commonly used by siskins and other small finches. The tree is a pioneer and commonly short-lived; recently dead snags are favorite nest sites for downy (and other) woodpeckers. Long-dead trees, often reduced to stubs several feet tall that have become a bark cylinder enclosing pithy wood, are favorite nest sites for black-capped chickadees, which can more easily dig cavities in rotted wood with their relatively weak bills.

Landscape Uses: Hardy to Zone 2. Paper birch has yellow fall foliage with interesting peely white and black bark. It is resistant to salt but susceptible to disease and insects, especially the bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius. The borer commonly attacks trees that have been planted south of the tree’s natural range. Paper birch is rarely available commercially, but several European and Asian species can be found.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—European white birch (B. pendula) has similar white bark but it is not as papery. Its leaves are more triangular-shaped. Its form is weeping. This and several of its cultivars are planted in the U.S.

—Gray birch (B. populifolia) leaf is triangular with a long tip. The bark is white but peels very little. It is native to the Northeast and rarely seen in the Midwest.

Leaves are ovate and about 3 inches long. They are coarsely, doubly toothed with a pointed tip and rounded base. The leaf stalk is glandular. Leaves are dark green and smooth above and pale yellow-green beneath.

Paper birch flowers, like other birches, are catkins. The males and females are separate but on the same tree. Males (right) hang downward from the tips of branches and elongate as they release their pollen in spring. The females (left) sit upright along the branches.

There is quite a difference between the bark of young and old trees. Young bark is thin, dark burgundy, and shiny with numerous horizontal bands of lenticels. They soon turn chalky white and develop peeling layers of thin bark. Black upside-down V-shaped marks at branch insertions are readily visible. Young bark is pictured on page 97.

Buds are elongate and sharply pointed. Birches have no terminal bud. The overlapping scales are 2-toned, each with a brown and green stripe. Twigs are reddish brown and often rough-textured from hardened glandular dots.

Fruit is a cylindrical, solid cluster of winged seeds that ripens in late summer. They hang downward and shatter when ripe, releasing many seeds into the wind.

gray birch

Betula populifolia Marshall

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; small, simple leaves have doubly serrate margins and an elongate tip, shiny above; twigs dotted with hardened glands; bark gray-ish white, not peeling, with black inverted Vs at branches

It is questionable whether gray birch is a species native to the Midwest. Though it is found in a few scattered places in Indiana (including the Dunes), early botanists were hesitant to acknowledge its natural occurrence in Indiana. It does not occur in Michigan and has advanced naturally into northeastern Ohio. Its natural range is some 400 miles to the east of Indiana.

Form and Size: Gray birch is a small tree, usually about 30 feet tall. It has a poorly formed trunk with an irregular, open, pyramidal crown.

Habitat: Gray birch is commonly found on poor, sterile soils and is an aggressive invader of disturbed or abandoned sites. In the southern portion of its eastern range, it is often found on better-quality sites and becomes larger. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Because of its very local distribution in our region, gray birch’s overall value to wildlife is quite low. However, where it does occur, it supplies many of the same wildlife values as paper birch and is used similarly.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, gray birch is a tree of cool climates. It does, however, tolerate the hot, dry summers of the Midwest better than yellow and paper birch. It is resistant to air pollution and salt and is not affected by the bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius. Its short life span should be considered before planting. Gray birch is not readily available in Midwest nurseries, but a cultivar, ‘Whitespire,’ may be found. Transplanting is easy because of its shallow root system.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Paper birch (B. papyrifera) does not have elongated tips of its leaves. Its bark is similar but is very loose and papery.

—European white birch (B. pendula) and its varieties are often planted in the Midwest. The weeping form and more triangular leaves are good distinguishing features.

The pendulous, shiny leaves are triangular in outline and about 3 inches long. The tip is much elongated and the base is square. Margins have 2 distinctly different-sized serrations.

Flowers are cylindrical catkins that appear in the spring with the leaves. Males are usually solitary at the tips of the twigs. The smaller females sit upright along the same twig.

Mature bark is thin and chalky white with very little peel. Black triangular upside-down Vs sit at branches along the trunk. Young bark is reddish brown, like that of paper birch.

Buds are pointed and light brownish gray, not 2-toned like paper birch. Buds can be sticky with fine hairs along the scale margins. Twigs are light-colored and covered with glandular dots.

Fruit is a narrow catkin less than an inch long that is densely packed with tiny winged seeds. Each seed scale has wide, horizontal, recurved wings that are hairless. They mature in the fall.

smooth bumelia

Bumelia lycioides Gaertner f.

Family: Sapotaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves, bright green, smooth above, paler beneath grow singly or clustered on spur shoots along twig; twigs reddish brown, many light-colored dots (lenticels); milky sap; older twigs with spur shoots and stout thorns; fruit small, black, fleshy, oval, bitter; bark reddish brown with many lenticels until older, then scaly with dark orange-red inner bark often exposed

Smooth bumelia is also known as buckthorn bumelia. It is usually shrubby but can become a small tree. The common name of buckthorn bumelia can be misleading and lead to confusion with the Rhamnus, or true buckthorns, to which it is not related. Smooth bumelia is very rare and is in reality a southern species. It is found only in extreme southern Illinois, Indiana, and western Kentucky and then southward.

Form and Size: Smooth bumelia is a large shrub to small tree, up to 25 feet tall. It has an open, spreading crown and short trunk that is often crooked. On good sites, it probably grows fairly quickly and is short-lived.

Habitat: Smooth bumelia grows along the steep, loose limestone bluffs overlooking the Ohio River. However, it prefers moist sites along streams and swamps. Farther south it occurs as an understory tree on slopes and dry upland sites. It is mostly intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Bumelia supplies some cover value to wildlife, since its limb configuration is suitable for songbird nest placement; its occasional thorns may offer some protection from predators. The fruit is eaten by songbirds such as gray catbird and cedar waxwings, although it is evidently not as highly preferred as that of other Bumelia species that occur outside of our region.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, smooth bumelia is a very pretty shrub when in flower and should be considered as an ornamental in the Midwest. It would fit nicely in a small lawn, and its unusual bark would add an aesthetically pleasing touch year-round. Its small white flowers appear in July, when most other tree species have finished blooming. Bumelia is tolerant of a variety of moisture regimes.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) bark might be confused with that of bumelia, but it has a more vertical, platy pattern and no pale lenticels. Hawthorns have sharp, thin thorns and bright red buds.

—Swamp privet (Forestiera acuminata) leaves are similar but have tiny teeth; it has opposite branching and is found only in wet situations.

Leaves are up to 6 inches long with elongated tip and base. They are bright green and smooth above and paler beneath. Margins are entire. Leaves grow from spur shoots on older twigs.

The tiny, perfect, white flowers appear in axillary clusters in July.

Fruit is black, fleshy, and rounded. It is about ½ inch long and has a single egg-shaped seed. It ripens in the fall.

Buds are tiny, rounded, and partially sunken into the twig. They have 4 light brown, smooth scales, the 2 outer scales appearing loose. Twigs are reddish brown, dotted with light-colored lenticels, and have milky sap. Older twigs have stout thorns and spur shoots.

Mature bark is scaly with narrow, thin vertical ridges. The inner bark is dark orange-red. Young bark is reddish brown and covered with numerous white lenticels.

American hornbeam

Carpinus caroliniana Walter

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, shiny, smooth leaves with doubly serrate margins; twigs very slender, gray; bark smooth, gray; trunk twisted and fluted; small understory tree

American hornbeam is also known as musclewood, water beech, bluebeech, and ironwood. It is impossible to miss a tree, since the fluted, muscle-like trunk catches the eye and tempts the visitor to examine its twisted, smooth, gray bark.

Form and Size: Musclewood is a small, poorly formed tree that reaches heights of 30 feet. It has a short, twisted, crooked trunk with a low, widely spreading crown composed of large branches with many small twigs. This species is short-lived.

Habitat: Musclewood is a shade-tolerant forest understory tree of well-drained to wet soils. It is common along borders of streams and on low, wooded slopes in valleys. It can be found in swampy woods as well.

Wildlife Uses: Because it has a multitude of small limbs, hornbeam is often used by nesting songbirds; Acadian flycatchers often nest in this species when the limbs overhang a stream, as they often do. Its seeds are relished by gray squirrels, which dangle precariously at the ends of slender branches while extracting small seeds from terminal clusters; other small rodents and wild turkey also eat the seeds. Trees are occasionally felled by beavers and leaves are used incidentally by deer. Male catkins are occasionally used by ruffed grouse, but because catkins do not overwinter—unlike those of most Betulaceae—they are available for a relatively brief period.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, musclewood is a great addition for a small landscaping location. It has colorful fall foliage and the smooth, gray fluted trunk adds interest throughout the year. It is a shade-loving tree but handles some sun. It is sensitive to drought and heat but is disease- and insect-free. Transplanting is easy because of the shallow root system. Musclewood is not readily available commercially, but C. betulus, European hornbeam, and its cultivars can be purchased through a few suppliers.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—American beech (Fagus americana) is a much larger tree that has smooth gray bark that is never fluted. Leaves are larger and have a single row of teeth.

—Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) has smooth gray bark with black vertical streaks. Its leaves are similar but its buds are elongate with reddish scales.

—American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) has similar but hairy, sometimes rough-textured leaves and entirely different bark.

Leaves are about 4 inches long, thin, shiny and somewhat ovate. The margins are doubly serrate. The surface is grass-green and smooth, while the underside is paler and lightly hairy. Leaves tend to lie in 2 rows, 1 along each side of the twig. Leaf veins are unbranched in comparison to those of Ostrya.

Like the birches, hornbeam has separately sexed flowers on the same tree. Males are in drooping catkins, while the females hang from the tips of the new growth.

Fruit is a ribbed nutlet attached to a 3-lobed, leaf-like bract. The bracts are in pendulous clusters that ripen in the fall.

Buds are small, elongate, and sharply pointed. There is no true terminal bud. The brown scales are in 4 rows. Twigs are extremely thin, smooth, and gray upon maturity.

The bark of hornbeam changes little over the lifetime of a tree. It is smooth and light to dark gray, often resembling the bark of American beech. The trunk has vertical fluting that gives it a muscled appearance.

American chestnut

Castanea dentata (Marshall) Borkhausen

Family: Fagaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, smooth, dark green leaves have a sharp, hooked tooth at the end of each vein; buds are yellow-brown, resembling a grain of wheat; fruit a large, rounded, armed bur with 2 or 3 brown seeds in each; bark has pale “ski-tracks” similar to those of some of the red oaks

American chestnut was the most common tree in the Appalachian Mountains until the mid-twentieth century, when an exotic fungus wiped out every tree in its natural range. Though it still exists as small trees sprouting from old stumps, and occasionally becomes large enough to produce fruit, the species is basically nonexistent compared to its former status among the trees of the Central Hardwoods. The American Chestnut Foundation is probably only a decade away from developing resistant trees. The Indians of New York called it “O-heh-yah-tah,” meaning prickly bur.

Form and Size: “Under the spreading chestnut tree,” from Longfellow’s famous poem, aptly describes the open-grown form of American chestnut. It has a broad, spreading crown that is very dense and a short, thick trunk. Forest-grown trees have tall, clear trunks with widely spreading, more open crowns. It is amazingly fast-growing on good sites and can live to several hundred years of age. Wood is extremely rot-resistant.

Habitat: American chestnut is a tree of the mountains and prefers well-drained slopes and acidic soils. It is also found on dry ridges and rocky slopes and often associated with sandstone outcroppings. Chestnut is moderately tolerant of shade but grows best when given full sun.

Wildlife Uses: The chestnut blight, Cryphonectria parasitica, has almost totally eliminated native chestnuts, although development of blight-resistant strains is on the horizon. The nuts of chestnut are favorites of deer, squirrel, chipmunks, and wild turkey, along with the usual complement of nut-feeding small mammals and birds (especially woodpeckers). Foliage and twigs are highly preferred browse for white-tailed deer. Unfortunately, sufficient numbers of wild trees are not available to evaluate any unique cover characteristics that the species might possess.

Landscaping Value: American chestnut is hardy to Zone 4, but may be susceptible to the constant threat of the fungus, which lives on the trunks of oak trees. Fall color is usually a deep yellow. It is an impressive shade tree, but a large space is required for its spreading crown and large trunk. The burs are a litter problem once fruit production begins, at about 15 years of age. The American Chestnut Foundation sells seeds through its website at http://chestnut.acf.org/ and also has current information on its breeding programs.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Allegheny chinkapin (C. pumila), a small native tree, is mainly in the south. It has hairy leaves and twigs and single-sided burs.

—Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) is planted in the Midwest. Its leaves and twigs are hairy.

—Chestnut oak (Quercus montana) has leaves with rounded teeth. All oaks have clustered terminal buds; chestnut does not.

—Chinkapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii) has fewer, less sharp teeth.

Leaves are about 6 inches long and somewhat oblong in outline. The tip is sharply pointed and the base is wedge-shaped. Leaves have pale veins that run off the margin, leaving a bristle tip, giving the margin a saw-toothed appearance. The surface is dark yellow-green and smooth, but the lower surface is pale.

Male flowers (left) are in long, slender spike-like terminal clusters, while the females (right) are small, appearing from scaly, prickly clusters near the base of the males. The white flowers are single-sexed on the same tree, but they do not self-pollinate efficiently. Several trees in proximity are necessary to ensure pollination. Flowers appear in late June and July.

Fruit is a nut enclosed in a prickly, needle-sharp husk or bur about 2½ inches across. The husk splits open when mature in the fall, revealing a brown, velvet-lined interior. Within the husk are 2 or 3 lustrous dark brown nuts. They are flattened on at least 1 side and lightly hairy at the tip.

Buds are short and plump with a blunt tip. Each bud has 2 visible golden yellow-brown smooth scales. It resembles a grain of wheat. Chestnut has no true terminal bud. The twig is chestnut brown, lustrous, and covered with light dots (lenticels). Leaf scars are U-shaped and lateral buds sit off-center of them.

Bark is sometimes compared to that of several oak species, including northern red, Quercus rubra. It is thick, rough, hard, and dark brown. Shallow fissures separate broad, flat ridges that are lighter in color. Ridges on younger trees look much like the “ski-tracks” of the northern red oak.

sugarberry

Celtis laevigata Willdenow

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, yellow-green leaves with varying degrees of teeth, often having none; leaves smaller than hackberry; bark is gray and often smooth, corky ridges not continuous

Sugarberry is a tree of southern bottomlands. It reaches its greatest size in the Ohio and central Mississippi valleys. Its bark, especially on young trees, often forms numerous pyramid-shaped “cones” along the trunk.

Form and Size: Sugarberry is a medium-sized tree, often reaching 80 feet in height. Open-grown trees have a short trunk with a broad, open crown and slightly drooping branches. It is fast-growing and short-lived, surviving to about 150 years of age.

Habitat: Sugarberry is usually found in low, wet woods and along streams and flood plains. It tolerates prolonged flooding and is tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: The values of sugarberry to wildlife are almost identical to those of hackberry, with a few minor exceptions. Sugarberry tends to be more of a bottomland species, so that its fruits are used more heavily by the wood ducks and gray squirrels that frequent those environs. Additionally, sugarberry less frequently has witches’-brooms, which make hackberries favored nesting sites for songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, sugarberry is a better choice for a landscape tree than hackberry because of its cleaner form. Fall foliage is a poor yellow color. It tolerates air pollution and usually does not have the leaf and twig problems like hackberry. It is occasionally available commercially, and a selection, ‘All Seasons,’ is on the market as well. Transplanting when young is possible before roots grow too deep.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Hackberry’s (C. occidentalis) range overlaps with sugarberry in the southern Midwest. Hackberry leaves are larger and always toothed and often have nipple galls. Witches’-brooms are usually present in the crown (rarely on sugarberry). Hackberry bark has continuous warty ridges and is rarely smooth like sugarberry.

—The hackberry’s leaves resemble those of elms and it can be confused with Ulmus species, but its bark and fruit are completely different.

Leaves are smaller than those of hackberry, but can vary from 2 to 4 inches long. They are thin and membranous with an elongate, pointed tip. Margins can be entire or slightly and finely toothed. They are light green and smooth on both sides.

Sugarberry flowers are like those of hackberry. They are small, greenish, and inconspicuous and appear in late March into April with the leaves. Flowers are either perfect or single-sexed and on the same tree, similar to those of hack-berry.

Fruit is small and orange-brown to red with thin skin and dry flesh. It hangs down from an inch-long stalk. Fruit ripens in early fall.

Like hackberry, sugarberry has no true terminal bud. Its pseudoterminal bud is dark brown, smooth, triangular, flat, and often at an angle to the twig. Twigs are slender, dark brown, and smooth with numerous light-colored dots (lenticels). They zigzag from node to node, as with all members of the elm family.

Bark is much smoother than that of hackberry in general. When young, the gray bark is smooth but quickly develops warty growths along the trunk. The “warts” do not grow together into continuous ridges as they do in hackberry.

hackberry

Celtis occidentalis Linnaeus

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, rough leaves that resemble those of elm, margins toothed; slender gray twigs with flat, triangular buds; fruit a nearly black, fleshy berry; bark gray, warty, especially when young.

Hackberry has always been considered an “unknown tree” because it does not seem to fit in or belong with its given family. Its common name is probably derived from the Scottish “hagberry,” the name of a cherry tree native to Britain; the orange flesh of its fruit tastes like figs, but is not considered edible by humans.

Form and Size: Hackberry is a medium-sized to large tree, often reaching 90 feet in height. It is fast-growing on good sites and lives to 200 years of age. It has a broad crown with numerous fine branches and a clear trunk for much of its height. The witches’-brooms, caused by the tree’s response to a mite and a powdery mildew working in concert, are a great identification tool, especially in the winter.

Habitat: Hackberry is tolerant of a wide range of soil types but prefers rich, moist, well-drained bottomlands. It is common along fencerows where birds have deposited seeds. It is considered intermediate to tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: The berries that give the tree its name are used by a wide variety of birds (especially robins, cedar waxwings, European starlings, and wintering yellow-bellied sapsuckers) but are not highly preferred, often remaining on trees well into the winter. This is likely attributable to the very thin layer of pulp (although it is very sweet) and proportionally large seed. When fruits fall, they are gleaned by mid-sized and small mammals and gallinaceous birds, especially wild turkey. Similar to the case with black cherry, seeds that pass through bird and raccoon digestive systems intact are frequently gleaned from feces by white-footed mice for the endosperm within. The witches’-brooms that characterize this tree often serve as foci for nest placement by songbirds, such as cedar waxwings and eastern kingbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, hackberry can provide nice shade for a large yard. It has light yellow fall color and unusual warty, gray bark. Several insect and disease problems are common, especially on leaves, but none are life-threatening to the tree. Old trees are prone to wind and ice damage. It is very adaptable as to location and is resistant to drought, heat, and salt. There are several cultivars available, such as ‘Prairie Pride.’

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Sugarberry (C. laevigata) is a more southern tree and usually has smaller leaves, commonly with entire margins. The warty growths on the trunk are not continuous and many trees have nearly smooth bark.

—Dwarf hackberry (C. tenuifolia) is a shrub to small tree with leaves similar to sugarberry.

Leaves are often confused with those of elms, but hackberry has only singly toothed margins. The leaf bases are often lopsided like elm leaves. They are somewhat egg-shaped with an elongate, often hooked tip. Leaves are light green and smooth or slightly rough on both sides. There are commonly nipple galls on hackberry leaves.

There is no true terminal bud on hackberry, but the false terminal is dark brown, triangular, smooth, very flat, and often at an angle to the twig. Twigs are dark brown as well and smooth with numerous light-colored dots (lenticels). Lateral buds are flattened against the zigzagging twig.

Fruit is round, dark purple, and ⅓ inch in diameter on a long stalk. It has a thin skin with a somewhat dry flesh that has a taste similar to that of dates. Fruit ripens in early fall.

Hackberry witches’-brooms are common and easily seen in the winter. They are caused by a tree’s response to a mite and fungus attack. Sugarberry usually is not bothered by them.

Bark is smooth and gray when very young, but soon develops warty growths along the trunk. On mature trees, the “warts” grow together and create discontinuous ridges or scales.

eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis Linnaeus

Family: Caesalpiniaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, heart-shaped leaves with entire margins; leaf stalk swollen at both ends; buds small, dark brown, clustered at nodes; rose-pink flowers in clusters in early spring; clusters of flattened seed pods persist all winter; bark dark brown with reddish inner bark usually exposed

Flowering of eastern redbud is probably the first sign of spring in many people’s minds. Especially in wooded portions of the southern Midwest, country roads are often lined with the small but impressive trees. In early spring the numerous clusters of rose-pink flowers line its twigs and branches, long before color is seen elsewhere in the woods. No wonder it is such a popular ornamental.

Form and Size: Redbud is a small tree, occasionally reaching 30 feet in height. It is fast-growing and is an old tree at the age of 50. Open-grown trees have short trunks with broad, rounded crowns and low, ascending branches.

Habitat: Redbud is typically a woods’-edge or old-field species but is also found in rich, moist forest understories. It is intermediate to intolerant of shade and gradually declines or dies when shaded by overstory. Heavily shaded trees produce relatively few flowers.

Wildlife Uses: Although eastern redbud often produces copious quantities of pods with protein-rich seeds, use by birds and mammals is infrequently recorded. However, use of these seeds is likely substantial. Leaves are taken sparingly by white-tailed deer. Despite its broad-crowned growth, use by nesting songbirds is unexceptional.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, redbud tolerates a wide range of soil pH and is suitable for a small area of lawn. It has outstanding spring color, with its multitude of rose-pink flowers and yellow fall foliage. Winter appeal comes from the numerous clinging pods along the twigs and branches. Redbud canker, Botryosphaeria dothidea, has become a problem in the Midwest. It is first noticed after July 4 with dying of branches, and eventually it kills the tree. Redbud is easy to find in nurseries, and there are numerous cultivars available, including ‘Royal White,’ a white-flowering variety.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red mulberry (Morus rubra) has similar leaves but they are coarsely toothed and sandpapery. Its buds are larger and its twigs are pale.

—American basswood (Tilia americana) has similar leaves but they are toothed and often lopsided at the base. It has larger, bright red buds and pale twigs.

Leaves are heart-shaped and about 5 inches long. The margin is entire and the tip is blunt. The leaf stalk is swollen at both ends. Leaves are dark green and smooth on both surfaces.

Flowers are rose-pink and appear in numerous clusters along the twigs and branches in April before the leaves. Some people consider them the first real sign of spring.

Redbud is a tree-sized legume that produces “bean” pods. Its pods are reddish brown, flat, and about 3 inches long when ripe in the fall. They are pointed at both ends. They hang in clusters and persist through the winter.

Redbud has no true terminal bud. The leaf buds are tiny, dark brown and smooth. The twigs are dark brown and zigzag from node to node. Overwintering flower buds are round and plump and clustered at nodes of older twigs and branches.

Mature bark is dark brown with longitudinal, scaly, narrow plates, separated by deep fissures. Outer bark commonly sheds and exposes the dark red inner bark.

downy hawthorn

Crataegus mollis (Torrey & Gray) Scheele

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, broad leaves with several shallow lobes and coarse teeth; buds round and red; twigs with inch-long thorns; fruit red, 1 inch in diameter, apple-like; bark dark brown, scaly with exposed reddish inner bark

Downy hawthorn is one of several tree-sized hawthorns in the Midwest. Four species are fairly common, but it takes a great deal of practice to begin to distinguish among them. There are many more large shrub-sized species as well. The extremely complex reproductive strategies of hawthorns create headaches for those trying to identify them to species.

Form and Size: Downy hawthorn is a small tree, up to 25 feet in height. It has a short trunk with a broad, numerously branched crown when open-grown. This form holds true for most tree-sized hawthorns. They are short-lived and fast-growing. Other common tree-sized species include C. punctata, dotted hawthorn; and C. crus-galli, cockspur.

Habitat: Hawthorns are common in abandoned fields, overgrazed pastures, and fencerows as well as along woods’ edges. Green hawthorn, C. viridis, is a wet-site species of southwestern Indiana and southern Illinois and is commonly found in wooded situations. They are mostly intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Members of the genus Crataegus usually produce substantial quantities of fruit that is of rather dry texture and not highly favored by wildlife. Species with small fruit (<5mm diameter) supply late winter subsistence food for songbirds, but downy hawthorn’s large fruits exceed most songbirds’ swallowing capabilities and use is restricted to mammals, such as bear, deer, raccoons, and foxes, and gallinaceous birds like wild turkey. Major wildlife value of this species (and most hawthorns) is as cover, especially nesting cover for a myriad of songbirds. Downy hawthorns along fencerows are often selected for nest placement by loggerhead shrikes, and the tree’s thorns are used to impale prey (insects, small mammals, and birds) for future use.

Landscaping Value: All our tree-sized hawthorns except C. viridis are probably hardy to Zone 4. They have a bright yellow fall foliage color and their clusters of reddish or orange fruits are attractive throughout the fall. Most species have thorns of various lengths, which can be a problem when handling or walking near them. For the most part, they tolerate a variety of sites and soil types. Downy is resistant to drought but sensitive to salt. There are some leaf disease and insect problems associated with hawthorns but most are insignificant. There are numerous horticultural varieties of hawthorn available commercially, most of which are non-native.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Crabapples (Malus spp.) can have similar-looking leaves, depending on the species, but they are often covered with white hairs. They don’t have dark red, shiny, sharp thorns but rather stubby, blunt-tipped gray thorns that are the same color as the twig.

Downy hawthorn leaves are ovate and 4 inches long. The margins are slightly lobed and coarsely, doubly serrate. They are dark green above, pale and densely hairy beneath. Hawthorn leaves can be quite variable in shape from branch to branch.

Downy hawthorn flowers, like all the hawthorns, are beautiful. They are perfect and appear in April through June with the leaves. They are white, showy, and numerous.

Downy hawthorn fruit is apple-like in appearance, but only 1 inch in diameter. It is reddish orange and has a mellow taste that is also similar to apples. It ripens in the fall and can be used to make jelly. Fruits of the many hawthorn species vary in size, but downy is one of the largest.

Downy hawthorn buds are small, round, and covered with about 5 ruby-red, overlapping scales, which usually have a light coating of white hairs, although most other hawthorns have smooth bud scales. Twigs are reddish when new but become gray thereafter. They develop sharp, stiff thorns that extend from the nodes. The buds and twigs of most hawthorn species are similar.

Mature bark, like most other species of hawthorn, is dark brown, thin, and scaly. The outer bark is easily rubbed off with the hand. Inner bark is reddish brown. Some hawthorns have short, sharp thorns growing along the trunk, similar to those of honeylocust, Gleditsia spp., only smaller.

persimmon

Diospyros virginiana Linnaeus

Family: Ebenaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green leaves with entire margins; leaves are often lightly hairy; twigs and buds dark brown; U-shaped leaf scar; fruit 1 inch or more in diameter, fleshy, orange, with several large, flat seeds; bark thick, blocky, with orange inner bark exposed within the cracks

Diospyros, when freely translated from Greek, means “food for the gods.” This species produces one of the largest fleshy fruits of any native North American tree, and its pulp is used to make numerous desserts, including pudding, ice cream, and breads. Normally it is a good idea to wait until the first frost, after the fruit has fallen to the ground, before eating it; otherwise you are in for an unforgettable astringent taste.

Form and Size: Persimmon is a medium-sized tree, commonly reaching 60 feet in height. It is generally slow-growing and somewhat short-lived. Open-grown trees have a short trunk with a rounded crown comprised of numerous crooked branches.

Habitat: Persimmon is native mainly to the southern portions of the Midwest but has been planted farther north. It tolerates a wide range of soil and moisture regimes but attains its best growth in the alluvial soils of the Lower Wabash Valley, where it is found growing along with buttonbush and pumpkin ash. It is most common along roadsides, fencerows, and woods’ edges, and in abandoned fields. It root-suckers freely and forms persimmon thickets. It is considered tolerant of shade but grows much faster in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: While persimmon seems not to offer anything unique in the way of cover, its fruit production is consistent, substantial, and highly preferred by deer, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, and opossums. Some individual trees drop fruits in the fall, when they become available to ground dwellers, while other trees hold fruit until winter, when they are gathered nocturnally by raccoons and opossums. Although unripe persimmons are extremely astringent to the human taste, deer often do not wait for the fruit to ripen but pluck them from low branches in late summer. The fruits are too large to be of much value to birds, although wild turkey, woodpeckers, and a few passerines, such as gray catbirds and cedar waxwings, do peck flesh from ripe fruits.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, persimmon adds interest to the landscape with its bright yellow fall color and unusual “alligator hide” blocky bark. Its fruits are a bonus if you like them in various desserts, but they can be a bit messy once they fall to the ground. The wood is strong, and its limbs are resistant to wind and ice. Transplanting is difficult other than when extremely young because of a sizable taproot. Native persimmon is not usually available commercially but is easy to grow from seed. There are numerous horticultural selections on the market, some that produce seedless fruit and some that produce no fruit.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) has similar leaves that are shiny. Its bark is also blocky but nearly black and has no exposed orange inner bark. Its fall colors are brilliant reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. Its fruit is small and blue.

Leaves are about 4 inches long, ovate, and dark green. They are thick and often lightly hairy. The margins are entire.

Flowers are ½ inch long and greenish yellow and appear after the leaves in May. Trees are usually separately sexed. Flowers hang down like tiny bells along the new growth. left: male flower; right: female flower.

Fruit is orange-brown when ripe and about 1½ inches in diameter. It is fleshy, with about 10 flat seeds per fruit. The woody calyx often persists on the tree once the fruit has fallen. Fruit ripens in late fall.

Buds are dark brown to black with 2 overlapping scales. They are smooth and somewhat tear-drop-shaped. Twigs are the same color as the buds and smooth or hairy. Leaf scars are in the shape of a smiley-face.

Mature bark is dark brown and thick with blocky ridges that are separated by deep fissures. It is referred to as alligator hide. Young tree bark is not as thick, and the orange inner bark is easily seen.

American beech

Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart

Family: Fagaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, tough, shiny, dark green leaves; deep veins, each ending with a tooth along the margin; very elongated buds covered with overlapping bronze-colored scales; bark always smooth and gray

American beech is easy to identify in the woods by its smooth, gray bark. It was a beech tree on which Daniel Boone documented his hunting success—he carved “D. Boone Cilled a Bar” in 1760.

Form and Size: Beech is usually no more than 80 feet in height. Open-grown trees have widely spreading crowns with short trunks. They are long-lived, possibly reaching 400 years of age.

Habitat: Beech is a woodland species that prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soils. It frequently suckers and can form small colonies. Few trees are more tolerant of shade than beech. Over time, this trait allows it to replace the less tolerant oaks and hickories in the Central Hardwoods Region.

Wildlife Uses: American beech is very cavity-prone, and older trees have many large cavities that are heavily used not only by squirrels and songbirds, but also by larger species, such as barred owls, wood ducks, and raccoons. Beech is a very irregular producer of nuts, tending to have bumper crops every several years with low or no production in the intervening years. Nuts are highly preferred, however, and in bumper crop years, autumn beech woods teem with harvesters, especially tree squirrels, red-bellied woodpeckers, blue jays, ruffed grouse, and wild turkey. Beech nuts are also preferred by smaller mammals (e.g., chipmunks and white-footed mice) and songbirds (e.g., white-breasted nuthatch and tufted titmouse). Leaves are generally unattractive to browsers, although they are favored by porcupines in the spring.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3b. The smooth gray bark is attractive year-round. Fall leaf color is dark yellow and brown. Leaves commonly remain on young trees throughout the winter. Bark is thin and susceptible to damage. Beech is generally insect- and disease-free and resistant to ozone. It is sensitive to salt and drought. Our native beech is not commercially available, but a European species (F. sylvatica) and its many cultivars can be found.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) has elongate buds but they have reddish scales. Bark is smooth and gray but has vertical black stripes. It is always a small tree.

—Americana hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) has smooth gray bark like beech but has a muscle-like fluting of the trunk. It never is a large tree like beech.

Leaves are ovate with an elongate tip. They are papery but tough, dark green, and lustrous. The underside is lightly hairy to smooth.

The inconspicuous male and female flowers are separate on the same tree and appear in April with the leaves. Males (left) are in clusters of dangling rounded heads; females (right) are in small terminal spikes.

Fruit is a small 3-sided nut less than an inch long. There are 2 or 3 nuts enclosed in a woody, 4-parted bur that ripens in fall.

Buds are an inch long or more, elongate, sharply pointed, and smooth. They have many overlapping bronze-colored scales. Twigs are reddish brown, turning gray when mature.

Bark is smooth, thin, and gray throughout its life. Old trees can develop black fissures at the base. Carving on the bark can kill the trees.

Carolina silverbell

Halesia tetraptera Ellis

Family: Styracaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green leaves that are hairy beneath, margins finely toothed; twigs reddish brown, buds reddish brown, ovate, hairy; bark unique, reddish brown with white stripes; fruit 4-winged, brown, and 1-seeded

Carolina silverbell is a small tree of the southern regions of the Midwest. It is used extensively as an ornamental because of its beautiful, bell-shaped white flowers, which dangle along the stems in the spring. This species has been referred to as H. carolina by many authors.

Form and Size: Silverbell is a small tree, up to 40 feet tall in the Midwest, but larger in the South. It has a short trunk that is divided close to the ground into several spreading branches. Growth can be fast on moist sites, and it is moderately long-lived.

Habitat: Silverbell prefers moist, cool, wooded sites. It is native to southern Illinois and Kentucky but not common until it reaches the southern Appalachians. It is tolerant of shade but can grow in moderate amounts of sun.

Wildlife Uses: This species is quite rare in our region, so relative value to wildlife is low. Even where it occurs, it is not used much, except occasionally as nest sites for songbirds. The corky fruit and fairly large stone are not generally eaten by wildlife with the exception of some use of the endosperm by squirrels and other rodents in winter.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, Carolina silverbell’s peak show is in spring when the white “bells” are out. Its unusual white-streaked bark is attractive year-round and the fall foliage is light yellow. It is a good choice for a small, shady, moist location in the landscape. There are no real problems with disease or insects, but it is sensitive to drought, heat, and salt. It is not readily available commercially in the Midwest. There are several pink-flowering selections, and a dwarf form, ‘Meehanii.’ The shallow root system makes transplanting easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—In the Midwest silverbell is probably not going to be mistaken for any other tree because of its rarity and its unique flowers and fruits, but another member of the same family is Styrax, snowbell. There are 2 rare species of Styrax in the southern Midwest that have similar leaves to silverbell and white, bell-like flowers. Both are shrubby.

Leaves are up to 4 inches long and ovate. They are dark green and smooth above and hairy beneath. Margins are serrate.

Flowers are white, bell-shaped, and ½ inch long. They dangle from long stalks in rows along the underside of the branches in the spring.

Mature bark is tannish brown or gray with large, wide, scaly plates. Young trees are distinctive with chalky-white streaks running vertically through smooth reddish brown bark.

Buds are slightly stalked, reddish with a few hairy scales. Twigs are hairy at first, but smooth when mature and brownish with heart-shaped leaf scars.

Fruit is 4-winged and oblong with an elongated tip. It hangs downward along the underside of the branches in clusters. Fruit ripens in fall and often persists through early winter.

sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua Linnaeus

Family: Hamamelidaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, star-shaped leaves with a long stalk; green twigs develop corky ridges and have greenish black buds; fruit woody star-shaped balls that persist on tree in winter and later on ground below

Sweetgum is 1 of only 3 species of this genus in the world. Their liquid amber, or resin, has unique properties and for centuries has been used in salves, adhesives, soaps, and tobacco flavoring. It is also a valuable timber species in the South, where it is used to make panels and pulp. In the upper Midwest it is planted as an ornamental.

Form and Size: Sweetgum is a large tree on good sites, where it grows fast and is long-lived. It can attain heights of over 120 feet with a diameter of 5 feet and live to the ripe old age of 400 years. Forest-grown trees have a tall, symmetrical, straight trunk with small crowns. Open-grown trees have deep, pyramidal crowns and short trunks.

Habitat: Sweetgum is a tree with a southern affinity and makes its most northern advances in the lower Midwest. It is found on a wide variety of sites but attains its largest size in wet woods and in moist alluvial soils. It root-suckers freely and can aggressively take over abandoned fields. Sweetgum is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Sweetgum becomes a relatively dominant bottomland tree in the southern reaches of the Central Hardwood Region, but has relatively little wildlife value in those unique habitats. Seed use is not exceptional, although wintering purple finches, pine siskins, and American goldfinches occasionally remove them from fruit heads and other songbirds and small mammals glean them from the ground. In the bottomlands, wood ducks regularly forage on seeds dropped in shallow water, and beaver often cut sweetgum for forage. White-tailed deer do not browse this species. Both in its natural habitat and when planted as an ornamental, sweetgum is regularly used as a nest site by songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, sweetgum is commonly planted throughout the Midwest and highly prized for its splendid fall colors of purple, red, orange, and yellow. It is a large tree and requires a sizable lawn, fairly rapidly providing dense shade. The woody, spiny fruiting balls are a litter problem and it is sensitive to air pollution. It tolerates drier sites and also flooding. Sweetgum is commonly sold in nurseries throughout the Midwest, and there are several cultivars available, including ‘Gold Dust,’ which has varie-gated leaves. Be sure to choose a tree adapted to your area. Transplanting is difficult because of a sizable taproot.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—No other tree in the United States has star-shaped leaves, although sometimes they are mistaken for those of maples

Leaves are unique, with 5 to 7 lobes, and resemble a star. They are glossy and aromatic when crushed. Margins are finely toothed. Fall color is spectacular.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves in terminal heads. The males are reddish-green and sit upright. The females hang down in drooping, long-stalked round heads.

Fruit is a star-shaped head of beaked capsules that hangs from a long stalk. It turns brown when ripe in the fall, is somewhat woody, and persists on the ground for many years.

Buds are dark green and shiny. The bud scales are overlapping and often black-tipped. Twigs are green and develop corky ridges after the first year. Leaf scars are shaped like a smiley-face and have a row of 3 bundle scars.

Mature bark is dark gray, soft, and deeply fissured with narrow, rounded, vertical ridges. The bark on young trees often resembles that of cottonwood.

tuliptree

Liriodendron tulipifera Linnaeus

Family: Magnoliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, 4-lobed leaves with a notched tip and long petioles; buds greenish, shaped like a duck’s bill; twigs with rounded leaf scars; flowers attractive, yellow, tulip-like; fruit in upright “cones”; bark thick with exposed white inner bark in fissures

Tuliptree is also known as yellow-poplar and tulip-poplar. Tulip is the tallest hardwood tree in North America and is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It is one of the most valuable timber-producing trees in the eastern U.S. Its form in the woods is unmistakable, with its arrow-straight, tall, clear trunk.

Form and Size: Tulip is a large tree, occasionally attaining heights of 175 feet and 11 feet in diameter. It is long-lived and can easily reach 400 years of age. Growth is very fast on good sites. The trunk is very straight and tall with little taper. Forest-grown trees have small crowns, but much more substantial, broad, and oblong crowns occur when open-grown.

Habitat: Tulip prefers deep, rich, well-drained soils and is commonly found in bottomlands and cool, sheltered coves and on lower wooded slopes. It is intolerant of shade. Stump sprouts are common and often very vigorous. Seeds may remain in the leaf litter for 10 years until conditions are right for germination. Given enough light, tulip can be an aggressive invader of disturbed sites.

Wildlife Uses: Although attractive in both foliage and flower, tulip has only moderate wildlife value. The cone-like clusters of samaras principally disperse in October and November, although some usually remain on trees until spring. Birds, principally wintering purple finches, harvest seeds from trees and small rodents use dispersed seed; wider use is likely deterred by a substantial woody samara protecting a relatively small endosperm. Gray squirrels feed in late summer on the maturing “cones,” stripping samaras very much as they do pine cone scales. Leaves and twigs are rarely used as browse. The tuliptree’s upright growth and ascending branches are not conducive to songbird nesting, although canopy nesters do use mature trees.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, tulip should be considered as an ornamental where space is not a problem. It creates a dense shade and has a pretty golden yellow fall color. It is fairly disease- and insect-free but sensitive to ozone. Tuliptrees prefer moist but well-drained sites, and during a mid- to late- summer drought, they may prematurely drop their leaves due to heat stress. There are few cultivars, but the species is commonly sold in midwestern nurseries. Transplanting is tricky because of a substantial taproot.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—There is no other tree with similar leaves, flowers, or fruits.

—Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) bark is very similar, with thick brownish gray outer bark and white inner bark, at least when fairly young. However, its ridges are less interlacing than the tuliptree’s.

Leaves are unique with their 4 lobes, said to resemble a fiddle. The top of the leaf looks as if it has been chopped off. Leaves are glossy green and smooth above and pale beneath. Margins are entire and the leaf stalk is long. Leafy stipules are often present where the leaf attaches to the twig.

Flowers are some of the showiest of our native trees. The tulip-shaped, perfect flowers appear after the leaves appear at the end of the branches. They are greenish yellow with conspicuous orange spots inside and numerous stamens and pistils.

Fruit is a 3-inch long, cone-like cluster of winged seeds that sits upright on the branches until winter, when it shatters. The seeds whirl to the ground and leave the central spike and outside bracts.

Buds are greenish or reddish with 2 paired, valvate scales that do not overlap. The bud resembles a duck’s bill or a spoon. Scales are smooth. Twigs are brownish and smooth with stipule scars encircling the nodes.

Mature bark can be quite thick, depending on the age of the tree. It is dark brown with thick, interlacing, rounded ridges separated by deep fissures that are often whitish-colored. Young tree bark is smooth and gray with white inner bark exposed by developing shallow fissures.

Magnolias

Genus: Magnolia

The magnolias are represented by 8 tree-sized species in the United States, with 3 native to the Midwest. A fourth species, Fraser magnolia (M. fraseri), occurs in the Appalachians and can be found in southeastern Kentucky. Magnolias have large leaves and splendid flowers that rival those of the tuliptree. Only cucumber magnolia (M. acuminata) grows to a large size, and our other native magnolias are well-suited for planting in a somewhat protected, moist site. Rarely are our natives available through nurseries, although some specializing in native species do offer a few. The magnolias that are most common in nurseries are of Asian origin, and many are sensitive to the cold midwestern winters. In the southern extremes of our region, southern magnolia (M. grandiflora) is planted far north of its native range. It has dark green, glossy upper leaf surfaces and rusty, pubescent undersides. It is evergreen and is truly magnificent.

Most magnolias are not generally timber-producing trees because of their smaller stature. However, cucumber and southern magnolias become quite large. Their wood is similar to that of tuliptree and the two are often mixed at lumber yards. The wood is fairly hard and heavy and is used to make furniture and venetian blinds because it has finishing qualities and is resistant to twisting and warping.

Our tree magnolias are truly impressive trees, frequently with large, showy flowers and/or substantial leaves; however, they have very limited wildlife value. The trees are browsed some by white-tailed deer, and the seeds that dangle from the “cones” on gossamer threads are often heavily fed upon by gray squirrels and are eaten to a lesser degree by other rodents and birds. Occasionally seed, or seed follicles with attached seeds, fall to the ground and are eaten by wild turkeys and ground-dwelling song-birds, like the eastern towhee. Our tree magnolias typically have stout, widely spaced limbs that make them poor nest sites for birds and squirrels, and they are rarely used. The local and uncommon occurrence of all these species makes their overall contributions to our midwestern wildlife minimal.

Magnolia fruit is an unusual cone-like aggregate that is rather woody when ripe. The mature seeds are released through slits in the “cone” and dangle by a thin thread. Magnolia terminal buds are usually large and elongate, and the twigs are encircled by a stipule scar at each node, a characteristic of the magnolia family.

Each magnolia seed hangs from the mature fruit by a silken thread.

The magnolia family is considered a relic of the past. Its tepals (combined petal and sepal) are a clue to its ancient lineage.

The stipule scar of an umbrella magnolia.

All magnolias, except cucumber, have smooth, gray bark.

cucumber magnolia

Magnolia acuminata Linnaeus

Family: Magnoliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, large leaves about 10 inches long that have a tiny pointed tip, hairy and paler beneath; buds very large and downy gray; flowers upright, yellowish green, and difficult to see for the leaves; fruit about 3 inches long with several fleshy red seeds, each hanging by a single string

Cucumber magnolia, also known as cucumber tree, is the most cold-hardy magnolia in the U.S. Pioneers added its fruit to whiskey and served it as an herbal remedy to treat a variety of ailments. This species nearly rivals the grand southern magnolia, M. grandiflora, in height, and a large area is needed to accommodate its mature size.

Form and Size: Cucumber magnolia is a large tree and can reach 80 to 100 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter. Its growth is rapid, but it is short-lived, rarely surviving beyond 150 years. Open-grown trees have a large pyramidal crown with low sweeping branches that often touch the ground. Its trunk is symmetrical with a buttressed base.

Habitat: Cucumber magnolia prefers moist, deep, fertile soils of protected, cool, wooded ravines and along streams and lower slopes. It is not common anywhere, but rather occurs as a scattered tree, especially in the southern Appalachians. It is moderately tolerant of shade but grows well in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: This species is so uncommon in our region that it has little potential to impact wildlife. Locally distributed trees have little recorded wildlife use. They are occasionally browsed by deer. Although not often documented, birds, squirrels, and small rodents do use the seeds. Use may be more frequent than observed, since substantial use has been recorded for its congener M. grandiflora in the southeastern U.S.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, cucumber magnolia offers many benefits to any large landscape. Its yellow fall foliage is striking against its upright, reddish fruiting “cones.” Open-grown trees have large crowns and provide dense shade. It can tolerate a somewhat shady spot and is disease- and insect-free. Its roots prefer moist locations, and trees are sensitive to wind and should be planted in a somewhat protected area. Our native magnolias are not generally available commercially; instead nurseries stock Asian species that are less adapted to the midwestern climate. Several native cultivars may be found, including ‘Golden Glow,’ which has yellow flowers.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Umbrella magnolia (M. tripetala) is a rare, small native tree of the Midwest that is more common in the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky. Its leaves are large—up to 2 feet long—and pointed on both ends. Its buds are smooth and elongated; its bark is smooth and gray.

—Bigleaf magnolia (M. macrophylla) occurs rarely in Kentucky and southern Ohio. It is a small tree with smooth gray bark; its leaves are huge, often nearly 30 inches long, with ear-like lobes at the base.

Leaves are up to 10 inches long and ovate with a pointed tip and rounded base. They are yellowish green above with pale, whitish hairs beneath. The margins are entire and wavy.

The perfect, greenish flowers are about 3 inches long and appear in May after the leaves. They are terminal and sit upright. They are aromatic but can easily be overlooked, for they blend in well with the foliage.

Fruit is an upright, cone-like cluster not more than 3 inches long. It is greenish and smooth and resembles a cucumber before opening. When ripe in the fall, its pinkish seeds pop out, attached by a thread to the fruit.

Buds are densely hairy and elongate, but plump, and up to 1 inch long. They are pale gray-green with several bud scales that do not overlap. Twigs are reddish brown and lightly hairy. Leaf scars are large and horseshoe shaped and encircled by an entire stipular scar. The lateral buds diverge away from the twig. Twigs have a spicy odor and bitter taste when scraped.

Mature bark is gray-brown with narrow ridges that are divided by long, vertical fissures. Inner bark is dark brown.

bigleaf magnolia

Magnolia macrophylla Michaux

Family: Magnoliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, very large leaf nearly a yard long with entire, wavy margins, small ear-notches at base, shiny green and smooth above, pale and downy beneath; bud to 2 inches long, covered with dense white hairs; twigs greenish purple, hairy near tip; flower large, creamy white; fruit large, conspicuous, upright; bark smooth, thin, gray

Bigleaf magnolia is a rare tree, even in the central part of its range. However, it is easy to identify because of its many unique features. The huge leaves are clustered near the tips of the branches and are strikingly white beneath. They give the tree a tropical appearance, somewhat resembling a banana tree. Flowers and fruit are the largest of the magnolias and cannot be missed. In the Midwest it is rare, reaching the northernmost limits of its range in south-central Ohio, where it is listed as endangered.

Form and Size: Bigleaf magnolia is a shrub to small tree, commonly reaching a height of 40 feet. When shrubby, it is multi-stemmed. As a tree, it has few branches, which form a rounded crown. It is moderately fast-growing and lives at least 100 years.

Habitat: Bigleaf magnolia is an understory tree of rich woods and coves. It is most often found in moist bottomland sites but can occur on dry ridges. It is tolerant of shade, but grows well in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: Although a very impressive and attractive tree, bigleaf magnolia has very little wildlife value. Its thick limbs, few and widely separated, make this tree impractical for nesting by birds and squirrels. The seeds are taken by gray squirrels and several bird species, but seed set is often poor, which, linked with its spotty distribution, means its overall food value to wildlife is quite low.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, bigleaf is a striking addition to any landscape, but its very large leaves can be a bit overpowering when in combination with smaller, finer-textured plants. The flowers are saucer-sized and fragrant, and the fruit is conspicuous for months, but especially when it turns rosy-pink at maturity. The leaves are thin and easily damaged by wind, so it should be planted in a protected area. It is easier to find bigleaf farther south in its range, but make sure the plants you buy are hardy in your area. Germination of seeds is fairly easy after cold-storage over winter.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Fraser magnolia (M. fraseri) has smaller leaves with deep “ear-notched” bases and pale green undersides. The buds are elongate, smooth, and purplish. It is restricted to the Appalachian Mountains.

—Cucumber magnolia (M. acuminata) buds are covered with long, greenish, dense hairs. The leaves are long-tipped and rounded at the base and not white underneath. The bark is dark brown with scaly ridges.

Leaves are the largest simple leaves of any tree in temperate North America. They can be nearly a yard long. The tip is pointed; the base is narrow and shallowly lobed. Leaves are shiny green above, pale and downy beneath. The leaf stalk is often long, and the leaf closest to the twig tip has a large, trough-shaped stipule attached. Leaf margins are entire but wavy.

Fruit is a large, obvious, upright, aggregate, downy head up to 3 inches tall. It is rosy pink when ripe with what looks like large, loose scales protecting the seeds. Fruit ripens in the fall and opens to reveal thick, fleshy, red seeds that hang by a silken thread.

Terminal buds are up to 2 inches long and covered with dense, white hairs. Twigs are stout and greenish purple, with fine white hairs, especially near the tip. Twigs have a spicy scent. Lateral buds are much smaller.

Flowers are perfect, creamy white, often over a foot wide, and fragrant. The inner, white petals have a purple blotch near the base. They appear in June and are showy.

Bark is consistently gray, smooth, and thin throughout the life of the tree. It commonly has large spots of whitish or greenish lichen along the trunk. It may become scaly near the base with age.

umbrella magnolia

Magnolia tripetala Linnaeus

Family: Magnoliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple large leaves often 20 inches long, tapering at both ends; buds elongate, smooth, purplish green; fruit 4 inches long, sitting upright on ends of branches; bark smooth, gray

Umbrella magnolia probably acquired its common name from the fact that its large leaves are grouped close together near the end of its branches, resembling an opened umbrella. It is a much smaller tree, often shrub-like, than the cucumber magnolia.

Form and Size: Umbrella magnolia is a small understory tree that attains heights of 20 or more feet. Trees become larger in the southern portions of its range. It has irregular, widely spreading branches that form a short, open crown. It is often multiply-trunked and shrubby.

Habitat: Umbrella magnolia is an understory tree of moist, rich soils. It can be found in cool, deep, wooded ravines and along streams and is moderately tolerant of shade. It can grow quickly and is probably short-lived.

Wildlife Uses: This locally distributed tree, occurring in cool ravines and coves, is little used by wildlife. Its sparse, thick limbs provide few nest sites for birds; its large twigs and leaves seem not to be browsed by deer. Some use of its unique seeds by rodents and birds is probable but has not been reported.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, umbrella magnolia makes a fine addition to any landscape, but would probably be more appreciated in a relatively small yard. Its unusual clustering of leaves near the tips of branches grabs one’s attention. It has smooth gray bark, large creamy white flowers, and attractive red fruit. Choose a protected site where wind and full sun won’t damage the tree. It has good yellow fall color but is sensitive to drought and may lose browned leaves in the heat of the summer if not kept well-watered.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Cucumber magnolia (M. acuminata) has smaller leaves that are pointed only at the tip. Buds are densely hairy. It is a large tree with brown, furrowed, scaly bark, unique for a magnolia.

—There are several other large-leaved magnolias in the Appalachian Mountains including M. macrophylla, which rarely occurs in our area, and M. fraseri, which occurs in the very southeastern corner of Kentucky.

—Most magnolias seen in the Midwest have been planted as ornamentals and are of Asian origin.

Leaves are large, a foot or more in length, and usually widest above the middle. They are pointed on both ends and have wavy margins. The leaves are green and smooth to finely hairy but paler underneath. A feature of umbrella magnolia is its cluster of leaves near the end of branches.

The perfect flowers are large, up to 10 inches across, and have a disagreeable odor. There are 6 to 9 whitish petals and purple filaments. They appear after the leaves in early May.

Fruit is an upright, cone-like cluster about 4 inches long. At maturity it is rose-colored and smooth. There are many pinkish seeds; in the fall they pop out from the fruit, to which they are attached by a thread.

Buds are large, an inch or more in length. They are purple-green, flattened, smooth, and often whitened. They are elongate and pointed. Twigs are reddish brown, smooth, and often whitened in spots. Leaf scars are large and somewhat 3-lobed, and lateral buds often diverge away from the twig. Scraping the twig results in a disagreeable odor.

Bark changes little over the lifetime of a tree. It is smooth, gray, and thin. It may be confused with the bark of American beech or pawpaw.

wild crabapple

Malus coronaria (Linnaeus) Miller

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves with varying degrees of lobed and toothed margins; buds reddish with white hairs; branches with stout, short, blunt thorns; fruit a miniature green apple; bark with dark brown vertical furrows separating scaly ridges

Wild crabapple is 1 of 3 Malus species that occur in the Midwest. Narrow-leaf (M. angustifolia) is extremely rare in southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and southern Ohio. Prairie crab (M. ioensis) is found throughout much of Wisconsin, Illinois, southern Iowa, and Missouri and reaches into the northwest corner of Indiana, following the eastern edge of the tallgrass prairie.

Form and Size: Wild crab, as with all crabapples, is a small tree reaching 30 feet in height. It has a short trunk that supports a low, spreading, numerously branched crown. It is fast-growing and short-lived.

Habitat: Crabapple is commonly found in abandoned fields, woods’ clearings, roadsides, and fence rows, where it tolerates a wide variety of soil and moisture regimes. It can form impenetrable thickets as it vigorously suckers from the roots. It is intolerant of shade and becomes scraggly in appearance when it does not receive enough sun.

Wildlife Uses: Crabapples provide many benefits to midwestern wildlife. Its fruit, which matures in September, is too large to be used by many birds, but is a favorite of mammals. White-tailed deer pull ripening fruits from trees, and after fruits fall in the late autumn, deer are joined by foxes, coyotes, raccoons, woodchucks, cottontails, and a host of other users. If fruits remain on the ground long enough to begin to mellow, such birds as ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, and mockingbirds, peck apart the soft pulp. Whether growing alone or in thickets, crabapple’s limby growth form and thorns make it an attractive nest site for songbirds and escape cover for many prey species.

Landscaping Value: Wild crab is hardy to Zone 5, while prairie crab is much more cold-hardy and survives to Zone 2. Narrow-leaf crab is probably hardy only to Zone 6. Our native crabapples are rarely available commercially. Most found on the market are of Asian origin and are bred for their displays of abundant spring flowers and small fruit. However, our native species are equally beautiful and supply food for wildlife. They are compact and fit nicely in a small location. The leaf diseases that are so common to crabapple, including apple scab, Venturia inaequalis, do affect our native crabs and can completely defoliate them by summer’s end. Transplanting is easy because of shallow roots.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Crabapples of Asian origin are planted throughout the Midwest. It is not uncommon to see escaped individuals along roadsides.

—Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) leaves can look very similar to crabapple, depending on which species you have. They have smooth, sharp thorns.

Wild crabapple leaves are ovate with a pointed tip and a rounded base. The margins are finely serrate and there are often shallow lobes. Leaves are dark green and smooth above and paler beneath. Prairie crab leaves (right) are usually hairy on the underside. Crabapple leaves in general are quite variable in shape from branch to branch and are usually 2 to 3 inches long; however, narrow-leaf crab has smaller, narrower leaves that are rarely lobed.

Fruit is a miniature green apple. It is about 1½ inches in diameter and dangles from a long stalk. The fruit is hard, waxy-coated, and sour; it ripens in the fall.

Mature bark is dark gray-brown and blotchy with thin, longitudinal fissures separating the scaly ridges. The inner bark is reddish. Bark of young trees is gray with occasional scaly plates.

Buds are oval and blunt-tipped with 3 to 6 reddish scales that have dense white hairs on the margins. Twigs are reddish brown and white-hairy at first, turning gray and smooth when mature. Older twigs have short, stout thorns.

The perfect, showy flowers appear in April with the leaves. They are pinkish white and up to 2 inches across. Bees are attracted to the fragrant blossoms.

red mulberry

Morus rubra Linnaeus

Family: Moraceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves of various shapes (from entire to deeply lobed), dark green, sandpapery; buds plump with 4 to 8 tan and black scales; twig smooth with milky sap; fruit a purple, fleshy berry; bark thick, reddish brown, orange inner bark

Red mulberry is the only Morus species native to the eastern U.S. Several species have been introduced, and the exotic white mulberry (Morus alba) is much more common than red. Red mulberry is a woodland species and is generally not found in other habitats, while white mulberry is a weedy species that occurs in waste places, fencerows, abandoned fields, and urban areas. The Choctaw Indians made cloaks from the bark of young red mulberry trees.

Form and Size: Red mulberry is a medium-sized tree to 70 feet tall. It is fast-growing and short-lived, only surviving 100 years. The short trunk is divided close to the ground into many spreading branches, which create a broad, round-topped crown.

Habitat: Red mulberry is found as a scattered tree in woodlands. It prefers rich, moist, well-drained soils and is common near streams. It can also be found on more upland sites. It is considered shade-tolerant and root-suckers freely. It never occurs as a weedy species as white mulberry does.

Wildlife Uses: Red mulberry is an uncommon tree, but has considerable wildlife value. Its fruits attract a plethora of bird and mammal users—almost any species that eats fruits, from gray catbirds to coyotes, relishes mulberries. Fruit production in red mulberry is usually less than that of its more common, exotic congener, white mulberry, but it has a similar prolonged fruiting period, supplying ripe fruits for more than a month. This species is sparsely limbed, compared to white mulberry, and is accordingly selected less frequently as a nest site by songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, red mulberry makes a great addition to any large lawn, especially from a kid’s perspective. Its low, sizable limbs are good for climbing, and the large, sweet fruits make great wholesome snacks. It creates dense shade and has yellow fall color. The large fruits, if produced in abundance, can create a mess. The spreading limbs are susceptible to wind and ice, and it is sensitive to ozone. It is resistant to drought, heat, and salt. There are no cultivars available and is rarely available commercially. Root systems are shallow, which makes transplanting easy, and seeds germinate easily.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Basswood (Tilia spp.) leaves are similar to unlobed mulberry leaves but are smooth with a blunt tip and unequal leaf base. Its buds have only 2 red scales.

—White mulberry has similar leaves but they are very shiny and yellow-green. The buds are smaller and domed-over. Each bud scale has a brown band, which is not on the margin.

Leaves are thin, heart-shaped, and dark green. They can be unlobed, or 3- to 5-lobed. Size is variable, but is usually 4 to 6 inches long. The margins are coarsely or finely toothed, and the upper leaf surface is somewhat rough-textured. The underside is paler and lightly hairy. When removed from the twig, the petiole exudes milky sap.

Flowers are usually single-sexed on the same tree. They are tiny, greenish, and inconspicuous, in spike-like, drooping clusters. They appear in April with the leaves. The male flower is pictured on the right; the female left.

Buds are ovoid, plump, and abruptly acute with 4 to 8 overlapping, smooth scales. Each tan scale has a dark margin. Twigs are tannish brown and smooth with rounded, raised leaf scars. Twigs exude milky sap when broken in the summer.

The cylindrical cluster of fleshy, juicy, berry-like fruit is dark purple or red when ripe and very sweet. They are about 1½ inches long and ripen in June and early July.

Mature bark is reddish brown with irregular longitudinal ridges that are separated by deep fissures. Inner bark is tan-colored.

water tupelo

Nyssa aquatica Linnaeus

Family: Cornaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves to 7 inches long with irregular teeth or entire margins, underside white, hairy; buds round with yellowish brown scales; round leaf scars; twig pith white, diaphragmed; fruit to 1 inch long, purplish, spotted; bark grayish, thin, and scaly with shallow furrows

Water tupelo, or tupelo gum, is a common tree in the Deep South but in the Midwest is found only in extreme southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and southward. It is a tree of the swamps and often grows in water much of the year. The wood of the roots is used for fishing corks because it is filled with air spaces.

Form and Size: Water tupelo is a large tree, 80 to 100 feet in height. Growth can be rapid on better-drained sites, and they are probably fairly long-lived. Bases of trees are distinctly buttressed, and tall, tapering trunks support a narrow, irregular crown.

Habitat: Water tupelo is a tree of swamps and sloughs. It reaches its largest size in the cypress swamps of western Louisiana and southeastern Texas. It is considered intolerant of shade. Pioneers left most trees uncut because of tupelo’s extremely poor splitting characteristic.

Wildlife Uses: While this species may be thought of as a southern swampland equivalent of blackgum, its value to wildlife is somewhat different. It frequently grows in bottomlands or swamps that are at least seasonally flooded. Its large fruits, bigger than those of blackgum and too large for most songbirds, often fall into the water and are favorites of wood ducks and early migrating mallards. Ripe fruits are eaten by squirrels, and if they fall on dry land are quickly gleaned by deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, and opossums. Deer occasionally forage on leaves and flushing twigs. Young trees have little cover value, but overmature trees often have broken tops and limbs as well as decayed heartwood and are favorite nest sites for large raptors, herons/egrets, prothonotary warblers, and pileated woodpeckers.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, water tupelo has seen little use as an ornamental. It has yellow fall color and much larger fruit than blackgum. It is a good choice for any extremely wet site, as it tolerates standing water nearly year-round, and it reportedly will survive on moist upland sites. Its large fruits, produced in abundance every year, can be messy if in a lawn situation. The leaves are an attractive white color underneath and dark green above. Water tupelo is not readily available commercially but is easy to germinate from seed. There are no cultivars.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Blackgum (N. sylvatica) leaves may be confused with the entire leaves of water tupelo, but they are not white and hairy underneath. Its fruits are much smaller, and bark is thicker and blocky.

—Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) leaves are always entire. Fruit is large, round, and orange. It often occurs in the same habitats.

Leaves are up to 5 inches long and variable in shape. They are somewhat ovate, with either entire or irregularly toothed margins. The leaf surface is dark green and lustrous, and paler and somewhat hairy beneath.

Mature bark is dark gray and somewhat thin, with small, scaly ridges. The base is commonly buttressed.

Buds are small and rounded with several yellowish brown overlapping scales. Twigs are reddish brown and smooth with partly sunken lateral buds. Leaf scars are rounded and contain a single row of 3 bundle scars. Pith is white and diaphragmed.

Fruit is 1 inch long and reddish purple when mature. It has many light-colored dots and hangs in clusters from long stalks. Fruit has 1 ridged seed and matures in the fall.

blackgum

Nyssa sylvatica Marshall

Family: Cornaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, shiny leaves with entire margins (or very slightly toothed near the leaf tip); buds slightly pointed with 3 to 5 beige, overlapping scales; twigs with diaphragmed pith; leaf scars with 3 bundle scars; fruit dark blue on long red stalks; bark dark gray to black, blocky

Blackgum is an unusual-looking tree that is highly underrated as an ornamental. Its numerous, horizontal branches spread away from the trunk like spokes on a bicycle wheel, and its leaves turn spectacular shades of red, orange, scarlet, and crimson in fall. While the leaves are turning, deep blue fruits ripen on bright red stalks, creating quite a lasting impression.

Form and Size: Blackgum is a medium-sized tree to 60 feet. It grows slowly but is long-lived, often reaching 500 years of age. The trunk is straight and often grows without a major fork nearly to the top of the tree. There are many small, recurved branches in a narrow, oblong crown. Branches tend to be at right angles to the trunk like spokes on a wheel.

Habitat: Blackgum, also known as black tupelo, is found on a wide range of sites but prefers moist, alluvial, well-drained, slightly acid soils. It also can be found on dry, upland sites, however. It is usually an occasional tree, mixed with other hardwoods, and is tolerant of shade. It vigorously suckers from cut stumps.

Wildlife Uses: The fruits of blackgum are very similar in size to those of flowering dogwood, and wildlife use is similar. While too large for the smallest avian frugivores, they are ideal for, and heavily used by, robins, other thrushes, cedar waxwings, pileated woodpeckers, and other medium-sized songbirds. Fruits do not remain on the tree for long after ripening and once on the ground are eaten by deer, foxes, raccoons, and other mammals, as well as by wild turkey and ruffed grouse. Leaves are taken with some frequency by deer. Blackgum does not have substantial cover value, but its horizontal, layered limb structure makes it an attractive nest site for some songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, blackgum is underused as an ornamental. Its beautiful multicolor fall foliage is striking against its dark blue fruit. Trees are single-sexed, so a male tree and a female tree need to be planted close enough for pollination to occur. Blackgum is resistant to ozone and drought, but tends to be a little picky about its soil; it favors a moderately acid soil. Trees are difficult to transplant, as many are formed from suckers, but seeds are fairly easy to germinate. There are no cultivars on the market, and it is rather difficult to find commercially.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) leaves are similar but always have entire margins. Its buds are black, twigs are brown, and leaf scars have 1 vascular bundle scar. Its inner bark is orange.

—Water tupelo (N. aquatica) leaves are larger, often toothed, and white underneath. Its bark is scaly.

Leaves are up to 5 inches long, dark green, shiny, and smooth above. They are paler beneath. Margins are entire.

Flowers are mostly single-sex on separate trees. Both males (right) and females (left) are grouped in greenish, long-stalked, inconspicuous clusters and appear in May with the leaves.

Fruit is small and dark blue to nearly black when ripe. There are 2 or 3 on a 1–2-inch long stalk. The fruit is fleshy and has a single, slightly ribbed seed. It ripens in early fall.

Buds are ovate and somewhat pointed. They have 3 to 5 overlapping beige smooth scales. Each scale has a dark tip. Twigs are tannish red and smooth with smiley-face leaf scars that have 3 bundle scars. Lateral buds diverge away from the twig and the pith is white and diaphragmed.

Mature bark is dark, nearly black. It has thick, blocky ridges that look like alligator hide. Inner bark is golden brown.

eastern hophornbeam

Ostrya virginiana (Miller) K. Koch

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, softly hairy leaves with doubly serrate margins; fruit a dangling cluster that resembles hops; bark with thin, vertical, scaly ridges that shed with age; small understory tree

Eastern hophornbeam is also known as ironwood because of its hard, dense wood. It is often mistaken for an elm because of the similarity of its leaves and bark. Though never more than a small understory tree, it is common throughout the Midwest. The wood is so hard that it has been used as sleigh runners.

Form and Size: Ironwood is usually a small, slow-growing tree, rarely attaining a height of more than 30 feet. It is moderately long-lived for a small tree, and can survive 150 years. Forest-grown trees have a short trunk with a narrow crown of small, spreading branches that droop near the tips.

Habitat: Ironwood usually occurs as scattered trees mixed with other hardwoods. It is a woodland species that prefers moist, well-drained soils, but it can also be found on dry ridges. It is tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: The major value of eastern hophornbeam to wildlife lies in its overwintering buds and catkins, which are used substantially by ruffed grouse. Seeds are enclosed in papery capsules, which likely deter bird and mammal use (although gray squirrels occasionally excise them), until the capsules deteriorate after seeds ripen. In the fall the rather large seeds are used by ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and several small songbirds and mammals, although seed production is generally rather low. Hophornbeam is occasionally browsed by deer. Cover value of the species is unexceptional.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, ironwood is perfect for a small, especially shady area of the yard. It has a yellow fall color, interesting, flaky bark, and unusual papery fruit clusters. Though sensitive to salt and flooding, it is tolerant of drought and air pollution. Trees are difficult to transplant because of a taproot. There are no cultivars available and it is rarely available commercially.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Elms (Ulmus spp.), particularly American (U. americana), have tougher, usually sandpapery leaves compared to ironwood’s thin, delicate, hairy leaves. Midwestern elms produce round, flattened, winged seeds in spring.

—American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is a common associate that is of similar size. Its leaf petioles are longer, leaves are smooth and shiny, and the bark is smooth and gray.

Leaves are egg-shaped and up to 5 inches long. They are thin with doubly serrate margins. Both surfaces are lightly hairy. Compared to the leaves of Carpinus, with which it is often confused, ironwood leaves have shorter petioles and branched leaf veins.

Flowers appear in April and early May with the leaves. The males (right) are clustered terminal catkins while the females (left) are small catkins with greenish, leafy scales that are borne terminally.

Fruit is a drooping cluster of hops-like, oval papery sacks growing from the tips of the twigs. Each sack contains a single, flattened seed. The clusters are 2 inches long and mature in the fall.

Buds are tiny, elongate and sharply pointed. There are numerous, light brown, overlapping scales that are slightly hairy. Scales have vertical striations that are difficult to see without magnification. Twigs are very slender, brown, and smooth; and lateral buds diverge from the twigs.

Bark is similar on trees of all ages. It is thin, brown, and rough with shreddy, vertically aligned, narrow scales. The bark easily rubs off with the hand.

sourwood

Oxydendrum arboreum (Linnaeus) de Candolle

Family: Ericaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, shiny, leaves with finely toothed margin, pale beneath, sour taste; twigs green or red; leaf scars shield-shaped with a single C-shaped bundle scar; flowers white, in finger-like clusters; fruits persistent in clusters; bark blocky with orange exposed inner bark

Sourwood, or sorrel-tree, is prized for the high-quality honey that bees make from its nectar during a time of year when no other trees are blooming—late June into July. It is also prized as a specimen tree in the landscape for its striking white flowers and cream-colored fruits in conspicuous drooping, finger-like clusters. When the fruits are ripening in the fall, the leaves turn a deep crimson, a grand finale to the year’s growing season.

Form and Size: Sourwood is a small to medium-sized tree, reaching 50 to 60 feet in height. When open-grown, it has a short trunk with spreading, drooping branches, and a narrow, oblong crown. It commonly flowers when very young, and trees 3 or 4 feet tall can be covered with large flower and fruiting clusters.

Habitat: Sourwood is a common tree in the Appalachians but is rare in the Midwest. It is nearing its north-ernmost range in southern Indiana and south-central Ohio, where it occurs on dry, wooded ridges. It can also be found on moist uplands and has an affinity for acidic soils. Sourwood is moderately shade-tolerant.

Wildlife Uses: Although this attractive tree is favored by bees, which produce renowned honey from its nectar, it supplies lesser benefits to vertebrates. Its very small seeds are likely used by small birds and mammals, although it has not been recorded. Its major food value lies in its leaves and twigs, which are often relatively heavily browsed by white-tailed deer. It frequently occurs on woodland edges, where it is occasionally used for nesting by songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Though sourwood is listed as hardy to Zone 5, it is picky about its location. It prefers acidic soils, and it is sensitive to air pollution and poor drainage. It does tolerate dry sites. The flowers, fruits, and beautiful fall color make it worth the effort to find the proper site for this outstanding native. It is difficult to transplant and not found in midwestern nurseries. The seeds are very tiny and hard to handle but easy to germinate.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) leaves are those most likely to be confused with sourwood, but they never have serrations on the margins. Its bark is similar, with blocky ridges and orange inner bark. Flowers and fruits are completely different.

Leaves are oblong, pointed on both ends, and up to 8 inches long. They are dark green, smooth, and shiny above and paler beneath with hairs along the pale midrib. Margins are very finely toothed. Chewing leaves yields a sour taste.

Flowers are in conspicuous elongate clusters that appear in July. The terminal, horizontal clusters composed of finger-like inflorescences have white, perfect, urn-shaped flowers. The clusters are up to 10 inches long and fragrant.

Mature bark has deep, slightly interlacing, longitudinal ridges that become blocky. Inner bark is red-orange and visible in the fissures, especially on younger trees.

Buds are small, rounded, and smooth with 3 to 6 reddish, overlapping scales. Twigs are greenish or reddish (green when shade-grown) and smooth or lightly hairy. Leaf scars are small and shield-shaped with a single C-shaped bundle scar.

Fruits are tiny, woody, upright capsules that sit on long stalks at the ends of branches. They ripen in the fall but persist on the trees through winter.

water-elm

Planera aquatica (Walter) J. F. Gmelin

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, small, smooth, elm-like leaves with toothed margin and lopsided base; twigs slender, reddish, hairy; buds tiny with brown, hairy, overlapping scales; unusual fruit warty, club-like; bark brown, thin, with shaggy strips that shed, exposing red inner bark

Water-elm is a rare tree in the Midwest, occurring only in the southernmost counties of Illinois, western Kentucky, and Tennessee and in the Bootheel region of Missouri. Most people never see this tree unless they are inclined to wade through swamps or sloughs.

Form and Size: Water-elm is a small tree, reaching about 30 feet in height. The trunk is short with spreading, ascending branches that form a fan-shaped crown similar to that of American elm.

Habitat: Water-elm occurs in wet areas, such as swamps and alluvial floodplains, where periodic, temporary flooding occurs. It is moderately tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Water-elm co-occurs with water tupelo and bald cypress and shares with them the characteristic of often dropping its fruit into water, where it is eaten by dabbling ducks. Prior to abscission, its warty fruit is occasionally eaten by gray squirrels, but when it falls in early summer, it is frequently used by wood ducks. Its growth form is similar to hornbeam and like this species is occasionally used as a nest site by Acadian flycatchers and other swampland songbirds.

Landscaping Value: Water-elm is hardy to Zone 6. There is little information available on the attributes of this species as an ornamental. Its compact size and fan-shaped crown can provide shade for a small area. It can tolerate extremely wet sites and would probably grow in a better-drained location. There are no cultivars available and is not in most (if any) nurseries.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Elms, especially American (Ulmus americana) have similar leaves but they are doubly serrate and usually slightly sandpapery. Water-elm’s bark is thin and flaky, while elms usually have soft, spongy, often thick bark.

—Hackberries (Celtis spp.) have similar leaves, but the quickest distinguishing feature is the gray, warty bark, which is very different from that of water-elm.

Leaves are about 2 inches long, dark green above and paler beneath. They are ovate with a pointed tip and a lopsided base. The margins have fine to coarse glandular teeth.

Flowers appear as early as February in the South, but develop in mid- to late March in the Midwest. They are perfect or single-sexed on the same tree and hang in short clusters.

Fruit is a drupe, about ½ inch long, that has elongated, warty projections. It ripens in late April and May.

Buds are small, only inch long, and narrowly ovate with a blunt tip. Bud scales are overlapping and brownish with light hairs. Twigs are slender, gray, and smooth when mature.

Mature bark is light brown and thin with shreddy scales that shed off naturally, exposing the dark red inner bark.

American sycamore

Platanus occidentalis Linnaeus

Family: Platanaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, large, hairy leaves with 3 to 5 lobes and large teeth; twigs grayish tan with cone-shaped, burgundy buds encircled by a leaf scar; fruit a pendent, round cluster of tan, hairy seeds; bark thin with various shades of brown, tan, olive, white

American sycamore is the largest-diameter deciduous tree in North America. One of the largest ever recorded was measured by George Washington in Ohio. It was 13 feet in diameter (or 40 feet in circumference). Some people are allergic to the fuzz on leaves, fruit, and young twigs. Even sawdust of this species has been reported to cause respiratory problems.

Form and Size: American sycamore is a large tree. Old-growth trees, which are rarely seen, attain heights over 100 feet. They are usually much smaller, because most of the giants were cut a century ago. Trees are fast-growing and can live to the ripe old age of 600 years. Open-grown trees have short, buttressed trunks with large, widely spreading limbs. Forest-grown trees have much longer trunks and a narrower crown.

Habitat: American sycamore is common along rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and in rich, moist bottomlands. It is occasionally found on more upland sites, where it attains a lesser stature. It is mostly intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: One of the most distinctive features of the sycamore is its fruiting heads (“balls”), which remain on the tree all winter. In late winter, seeds are extracted from these fruiting heads by purple finches, American goldfinches, and pine siskins; their feeding is often signaled by a rain of the hair tufts that birds remove from each seed. The greatest general wildlife value of sycamore is as nesting cover. The anthracnose that often kills spring leaves also enters and kills twigs, causing branch deformities that are favored nest sites of many species, including yellow-throated (sycamore) warbler, cedar waxwing, and eastern kingbird. Many midwestern great blue heron colonies occur in bottomland sycamore stands, and older trees often have large cavities that are used by wood ducks, barred owls, and other cavity-nesters.

Landscaping Value: Sycamore is hardy to Zone 4, and its beautiful mosaic-patterned bark is an impressive sight in a landscape. It grows quickly—a 20-year-old tree can be 70 feet tall. The tree sheds parts—bark, leaves, limbs, fruit—year-round, and some consider it a messy lawn specimen. Fall leaf color is brown. In wet springs anthracnose, Apiognomonia veneta, kills leaves and twigs. Many young trees do not have enough stored energy to produce new leaves and thus die. It is sensitive to ozone, but tolerant of drought and poorly drained sites. It is not usually available commercially, and an occasionally seen hybrid, P. × acerifolia, is a cross between our native and an Asian species. Seeds produced the previous fall are easy to collect and germinate. They sprout immediately.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—No other eastern tree resembles any part of the sycamore. The London plane, P.× acerifolia, has leaves more closely resembling a maple and paired fruiting heads.

The leathery leaves are among the largest of North American hardwoods. They are 8 or more inches wide, with 3 to 5 lobes. Margins are broadly toothed and often have shallow sinuses. The leaf surface is bright green and smooth; the underside is paler and lightly hairy, especially along the veins. The base of the leaf stalk covers the bud during the summer.

Fruit is a globose head of many hairy seeds. The head is an inch in diameter and hangs down from a long stalk. The heads, or buttonballs, shatter in winter, littering the ground with light brown, peg-like seeds.

Buds are cone-shaped, burgundy red, and smooth. They are octagonal in cross section. Leaves cover them during the growing season. Twigs are tannish gray and smooth when mature. Leaf scars encircle the lateral buds and have a single row of bundle scars.

Flowers appear in April into May with the leaves. Males (right) and females (left) are separate on the same tree and hang in drooping, ball-like heads. Males are green; females are bright burgundy.

Bark is unique, with its thin, flaky, brown scales that shed, exposing shades of green, tan, and chalky white. Near the top, trees become nearly white but are mostly brown at the base.

Poplars, cottonwoods, aspens

Genus: Populus

Of the 9 or 10 species of Populus native to the U.S., 5 occur in our region. However, many hybrids and exotics are planted, such as Lombardy poplar (P. nigra ‘Italica’) and European white poplar (P. alba). Many poplars, particularly the cottonwoods, have amazing growth rates. Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) cuttings have demonstrated growth rates of 16 feet in 6 months in Mississippi. Much genetic work has been conducted on this species for its potential use as quickly grown pulpwood or lumber. As ornamentals, the Populus species certainly provide fast, filtered shade, but the trees are short-lived. Most are not adapted to the heat and humidity of the Midwest and are susceptible to insect and disease damage when planted outside their natural range.

Wood is used for many products, including paper pulp, excelsior, construction lumber, veneer, matches, and containers (such as berry boxes).

From a wildlife value perspective, the Populus genus has to be separated into the aspens and cottonwoods, which have quite different uses. Aspens provide major cover, ranging from dense clonal growth of young stems, which attract and protect songbirds, ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer, and American woodcock, to old trees, which are regularly used by woodpeckers and secondary cavity nesters. In addition, aspen, especially quaking (P. tremuloides), is a favorite food of beaver, white-tailed deer, moose, snowshoe hare, and ruffed grouse (male catkins). The cottonwoods, on the other hand, are not as frequently used for cover, although their generally short lifespan and proximity to water mean that standing dead trees are often available for woodpeckers, Indiana bats (under sloughing bark), and secondary cavity nesters. Although occasionally browsed, cottonwoods are not as preferred as aspens. Their flower buds and catkins are eaten by tree squirrels in the spring.

Members of this taxon have several characteristics that aid in classifying them. In late spring, the “chains” of fruiting capsules dangle beneath the leaves and eventually split, releasing the numerous seeds, which are attached to cottony fluff (pappi). Leaf scars are V-shaped with a single row of 3 very evident vascular bundle scars.

The fluffy, wind-blown seeds of an eastern cottonwood.

All the Populus species have a single row of 3 bundle scars in the leaf scar.

Cottonwoods need a great deal of moisture to achieve their rapid growh. They are rarely found far away from rivers, streams, or other water sources.

Aspen are usually found growing in groups, like these quaking aspen. The extensive root system of a single tree can sprout adventitiously, especially after fire or cutting, which creates a colony of numerous vegetatively reproduced clones.

balsam poplar

Populus balsamifera Linnaeus

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, shiny leaves 6 inches long with finely toothed margins and silvery-rusty undersides; leaf petioles round; buds up to ¾ inch long with 5 scales covered by pungently fragrant, sticky resin; leaf scars with 3 bundle scars; bark grayish with fairly thick, flat ridges separated by V-shaped fissures

Balsam poplar grows farther north than most other trees in North America and seems to thrive in cold, hostile environments. This tree is also known as tacamahac, which means balsam, and refers to the sticky, amber-colored resin that covers the buds. The resin can fill the air with an aromatic bouquet, the essence of the Northwoods.

Form and Size: In the Midwest, balsam poplar is a medium-sized tree up to 70 feet tall. As you progress farther northward, it commonly reaches 100 feet in height. Open-grown trees have tall, straight trunks with a narrow, irregular, open crown. It is fast-growing and is longer-lived than the aspens, often surviving to more than 200 years.

Habitat: Balsam poplar is a tree of northern climates. It is commonly found in forest openings and clearings or along river valleys growing with willow, birch, and aspen. Like most poplars, it is intolerant of shade. It is used mainly for pulpwood.

Wildlife Uses: Although never as abundant, balsam poplar mimics trembling aspen in distribution and wild-life use. Deer, moose, snowshoe hare, and porcupines regularly utilize its foliage and twigs (and bark in the case of the latter two). Ruffed grouse feed on the staminate flower buds in winter and early spring. Dead and dying trees are attractive to woodpeckers as nest sites.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 1, the major drawback of planting balsam poplar in the Midwest is its intolerance of heat. It is reported to be hardy as far south as Zone 6. It has yellow fall color and unusual “oily-colored” leaves, and provides good shade. It prefers wet sites and will tolerate somewhat poorly drained soils. Availability of this species in midwestern nurseries is limited. Several varieties, such as P. balsamifera var. subcordata, have been reported.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Balsam poplar is the only midwestern poplar with fragrant, resinous buds.

—Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) has resinous buds (sometimes) but they are larger and have 1 or 2 more scales. Leaves have larger teeth and only slightly pale undersides. Leaf petioles are flattened.

—Quaking aspen (P. tremuloides) leaves are usually much smaller and green beneath. They have flat leaf petioles. Bark is chalky white.

Leaves are egg-shaped with a pointed tip and rounded base. They are up to 6 inches long with a round, 1½ inch long petiole. The leaf surface is dark green and lustrous above, pale green with rusty brown blotches beneath. Margins are finely serrate.

Flowers are in dangling catkins that appear in May before the leaves. Males (right) and females (left) are on separate trees.

Fruit is a dangling cluster of ovate capsules that matures in summer. Each smooth capsule splits in two, releasing many tiny seeds that are attached to fluffy white hairs (pappi).

Buds are elongate, sharply pointed, and up to 1 inch long. The overlapping scales are covered with yellow or russet-colored sticky resin that has a strong balsam odor. Twigs are reddish brown and shiny with oblong, orange lenticels. Leaf scars are like all other poplars, somewhat triangular with 3 bundle scars.

Mature bark is dark grayish brown with flat-topped ridges separated by V-shaped fissures. It looks like a cross between cottonwood and aspen bark.

eastern cottonwood

Populus deltoides Bartram ex Marshall

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple deltoid leaves with round-toothed margins and flattened leaf blades; buds nearly 1 inch long, shiny and often sticky; tan-gray bark extremely thick and blocky with deep furrows; large-sized tree

Eastern cottonwood is known for having the fastest growth rate of any tree native to the U.S. It can grow 5 or 6 feet a year with adequate moisture and full sun. It is the largest poplar in the eastern U.S. Cottonwood plantations are common in certain parts of the country for use as pulpwood and low-grade construction lumber.

Form and Size: Eastern cottonwood is commonly 100 feet tall but can be larger. Because of their fast growth, large trees can be much younger than they appear. They are short-lived, usually surviving no more than 150 years, and more commonly only 70 before serious decay begins to take its toll. Trees have tall, clear, often massive trunks with irregular, oblong, open crowns.

Habitat: Cottonwood is always associated with water. It can be found along rivers, lakes, drainage ditches, and swampy woods where soils are not saturated. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This common tree of moist soils grows very rapidly with widely spaced limbs that do not often produce niches for nests of birds or squirrels. However, the tips of limbs of larger trees are often chosen by Baltimore orioles for their pendulous nests. Although some trees reach prodigious size, most are short-lived, producing snags near water that are favorites of red-headed woodpeckers and flickers. Recently dead trees with sloughing bark occasionally host maternity colonies of Indiana bats. Use for food is not great; beavers frequently fell trees, and, although it is not a favorite, deer occasionally browse twigs and leaves. Fox and gray squirrels feed on flower buds and male catkins in the early spring.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, cottonwood is an impressive tree when full-grown. A drawback to its addition to any landscape is its size. One should also factor in the reality that at 70 years of age, decay problems may lead to the loss of the tree. Its fast growth does provide quick shade, and it has pretty yellow fall color if leaves don’t drop from drought stress. It is resistant to salt. The cottony seeds in summer stick to many things, including window screens, and constantly shedding limbs create a mess in lawns. There are several seedless varieties available (they are male trees, which do not bear seeds).

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Swamp cottonwood (P. heterophylla) is similar, but its leaves are more heart-shaped and have soft, white undersides. It grows in areas too wet for eastern cottonwood.

—Bigtooth aspen (P. grandidentata) has similar leaves, but they are egg-shaped and smaller. Its bark is creamy olive and smooth except at the base of old trees, where it becomes somewhat furrowed.

Leaves are about 6 inches long and triangular in outline. The tip is somewhat elongate and the margins are coarsely round-toothed. They are light green, smooth, and shiny above and pale beneath. The leaf petiole is up to 4 inches long and flattened.

Flowers appear as dangling catkins as early as late March before the leaves. Males (left) and females (right) are on separate trees. Males are reddish before completely ripe and females are yellowish green.

Fruit is a dangling cluster of small capsules that mature in May and June. Each capsule splits in two, releasing numerous tiny seeds that are attached to fluffy white hairs.

Buds are large, nearly 1 inch long, and elongate. The greenish red scales are overlapping and usually covered with sticky resin that smells like balsam. The bud appears to be coated with shellac. Twigs are stout, tannish gray, and smooth. Young, fast-growing twigs are often strongly angled. Overwintering flower buds are present on older trees and are much larger than the lateral leaf buds.

Mature bark is tannish gray with very thick, blocky ridges separated by deep fissures. On young trees, the whitish inner bark can be seen between the fissures.

bigtooth aspen

Populus grandidentata Michaux

Family : Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves with large teeth and a flattened petiole; new leaves covered with dense, white hairs; buds have coating of white hairs; bark commonly olive green

Bigtooth aspen is a dry-site poplar that is similar to quaking aspen in appearance. The big teeth on the leaf margins help distinguish it from leaves of quaking aspen. Another common name for this species is largetooth aspen.

Form and Size: Bigtooth aspen is a medium-sized tree, commonly reaching 50 feet or more in height. Its growth rate is fast, particularly during the first 20 or 30 years. It is a short-lived tree, rarely living beyond 80 years. Open-grown trees have a straight trunk that extends into the top of the tree with a narrow, round-topped crown.

Habitat: Bigtooth is generally a dry-site species but can be found in swampy areas as well. It usually grows on ridges and is found sporadically throughout the Midwest. It root-suckers freely, especially in disturbed areas, forming pure stands. Bigtooth is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Bigtooth is practically identical in wildlife value to quaking aspen. However, since it is more limited in distribution, its overall impact is probably somewhat less. Ruffed grouse feed heavily on the late-winter flower buds. Bigtooth tends to grow larger and live longer than quaking, and older trees are often important to cavity nesters, especially when the trees are alive with dead heartwood. It is a favorite with pileated woodpeckers, and the woodpeckers’ nest cavities are used secondarily for many years by wood ducks and screech owls in the south and hooded mergansers, saw-whet owls, and buffleheads in the northern reaches of our region.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, bigtooth aspen is attractive in pure stands if there is room in the landscape. Its golden yellow fall foliage and olive bark add impact to an area. Its fast growth rate provides filtered shade quickly, but weak wood and disease problems may cause complications as the tree ages. Bigtooth is rarely available through nurseries. Collecting a wild tree is difficult, because one will most likely dig a sucker without sufficient roots for survival.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Quaking aspen (P. tremuloides) leaves are similar but have minute, more numerous teeth that are closer together than bigtooth. Quaking aspen buds are shiny, slightly resinous, and claw-shaped. Bark can be similar and often difficult to distinguish from bigtooth, but it tends to be more chalky white, especially in the upper half of the tree.

—Other poplars, eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides), and balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) have differently shaped leaves.

Leaves are ovate and about 5 inches long. They have a pointed tip and coarsely toothed margins. The surface is light green and smooth; the underside is pale. The petiole is up to 2½ inches long and flattened.

Flowers are dangling catkins that appear before the leaves in April and early May. Males (left) and females (right) are on separate trees.

Fruit is a drooping cluster of capsules that matures in June. Each capsule is full of tiny seeds, that are attached to cottony white hairs (pappi).

Buds are plump, sharply pointed, and covered with reddish brown, overlapping scales that have a light coating of white hairs. Lateral buds tend to swing away from the twig.

Mature bark is fairly smooth and olive green on the upper trunk. Near the base it becomes brownish black with thick, flat ridges separated by irregular cracks.

swamp cottonwood

Populus heterophylla Linnaeus

Family : Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, heart-shaped leaves with dense, white hairs underneath and finely toothed margins; leaf petiole round; bud short, rounded with reddish, slightly resinous, and hairy scales; pith orange; bark gray with thick, flattened, broken ridges that interlace somewhat

Swamp cottonwood is also known as swamp poplar and is the rarest of its taxon in the Midwest. Farming practices and development have nearly eliminated much of its former range in southern Michigan and northern Ohio and Indiana. With leaves and twigs in hand, it is easy to distinguish it from eastern cottonwood. The heart-shaped, hairy leaves and orange pith are the keys.

Form and Size: In the Midwest, swamp cottonwood is a medium-sized tree, reaching 70 feet. It can grow much larger, however. It is fast-growing and short-lived. Forest-grown trees have long, clear trunks with open, oblong crowns.

Habitat: As its common name suggests, swamp cottonwood is a tree of river swamps and sloughs where standing water is occasionally present for half the year or more. It is able to tolerate wetter sites than eastern cottonwood. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Wildlife uses of swamp cottonwood mirrors that of eastern cottonwood in almost every aspect. Because it grows more slowly than its congeners and is often in standing water in the spring, it is often used for nesting by water-associated birds, such as the green-backed heron.

Landscaping Value: Swamp cottonwood is hardy to Zone 4 and is a good choice for a wet site around a lake or pond. Its ability to tolerate poorly drained areas is somewhat unusual and should be capitalized on in such sites. Though it does not attain the size of eastern cottonwood, it can become fairly large. There are no cultivars available and it is rarely if ever sold in nurseries. Seeds are easily germinated if collected and planted as soon as they ripen in late spring and early summer.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) most closely resembles this species. Its leaves are more triangular, with larger, hooked teeth and no white hairs beneath. The leaf stalk is flattened. Bark is very similar but has more continuous ridges that don’t interlace.

—Both species of aspen have smaller leaves that lack the hairy underside. Their barks are mainly smooth.

—Balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) has smooth, silvery rusty lower leaf surfaces.

Leaves are somewhat heart-shaped and up to 7 inches long. They are green and smooth above, pale and densely hairy beneath. The leaf petiole is up to 4 inches long and rounded.

Flowers are dangling catkins about 3 inches long that appear in April before the leaves. Males (left) and females (right) are on separate trees.

Fruit is a dangling cluster of capsules about 6 inches long. Each capsule splits in two, releasing many tiny seeds attached to fluffy white hairs.

Buds are short and stout for a Populus. There are numerous, reddish brown scales that are slightly resinous and lightly covered with white hairs near the base. Twigs are stout, brownish, and smooth by maturity. White hairs may be present near the tip. Pith is orange, unlike that of eastern cottonwood, which is white. Larger, lateral flower buds can be present on winter twigs.

Mature bark is brownish gray with thick, flattened, broken ridges that are sometimes interlacing. Ridges are at most 1 inch thick, and separated by fissures that are narrower than those of eastern cottonwood.

quaking aspen

Populus tremuloides Michaux

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, egg-shaped leaves with numerous, tiny teeth and flat petioles; buds are elongate, sharply pointed, and shiny; bark is usually creamy white

Quaking aspen is known as popple by lumbermen of the Northwoods. It is an important source of pulp, which is made into paper. It is also called trembling aspen.

Form and Size: Quaking aspen is a medium-sized tree, commonly 50 feet tall. It is fast-growing and short-lived, rarely surviving beyond 80 years in the eastern U.S. It has a straight, tall trunk that reaches nearly to the top with a narrow, round-topped crown.

Habitat: Quaking aspen is a common tree of the Northern Lake States but does not reach further south than the northern counties of Indiana. It can be found near lakes and swamps and prefers moist soils but grows well on drier sites. It suckers freely from roots and forms pure stands in disturbed areas. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Quaking aspen is uncommon in the southern parts of our region, but as one moves northward, it becomes increasingly important for wildlife, especially where it is actively managed for wood products. Young aspen stands are important cover for shrubland songbirds, ruffed grouse, American woodcock, deer, black bear, and a myriad of other vertebrates. Its foliage and bark are primary foods for beaver, white-tailed deer, moose, and porcupines. As trees age, their value to wildlife changes. Males produce winter flower buds that are critical to the late-winter condition of ruffed grouse; older trees tend to have dead heartwood and are favorite nest trees of hairy woodpeckers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and cavities are subsequently used by many secondary cavity nesters.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, quaking aspen is more cold-hardy than bigtooth. Pure stands are attractive with their year-round whitish bark and bright yellow fall foliage. The slightest breeze causes the leaves to tremble and rustle, which some people find soothing. The wood is soft and limbs tend to be brittle. Like so many poplars, quaking aspen is susceptible to numerous diseases. It is sensitive to ozone as well. Like bigtooth, quaking aspen is rarely if ever available in nurseries. The same collecting problem exists as is described for bigtooth aspen, but germination of any Populus seed is easy immediately after ripening.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Bigtooth aspen (P. grandidentata) has similar leaves but with fewer, larger teeth. Bark can be similar but is commonly more olive green or tan. Bigtooth is a dry-site species.

—Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) has larger, triangular leaves and very thick bark.

—Balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) has more egg-shaped leaves with rust-colored backs and a strong balsam odor.

Quaking aspen leaves are about 3 inches wide with a flattened petiole that may be 3 inches long. Margins are finely toothed. The smooth leaves are light green above, pale beneath. Wind creates a rustling sound of the trembling leaves in aspen trees.

Flowers are dangling catkins that appear in April and May before the leaves. The males (left) and females (right) are on separate trees.

Fruit is in a drooping cluster of capsules. Each capsule contains many seeds attached to downy white hairs that carry them through the air in June.

Terminal buds are sharply pointed, slightly resinous, and shiny. They have reddish brown, overlapping scales. The lateral buds resemble a claw.

Mature bark is whitish gray except near the base, where it develops dark, deep furrows. Young bark is creamy white and smooth.

Cherries, plums

Genus: Prunus

There are roughly 25 species of cherry and plum in the U.S.; many are shrubs and most are considered important primarily for their wildlife value. Three tree-size species are described in this book. Many horticultural varieties, mainly of European and Asian origin, are sold for their attractive flowers, leaves, and edible fruit.

Black cherry (P. serotina) is prized for its attractive light reddish brown wood, which is hard, strong, and close-grained. The wood is used in furniture and cabinet making, paneling, and turned bowls. It is the largest of our native cherries and the most common.

In our region the genus Prunus contains both the plums and cherries, which have rather important but different wildlife values. The major value of the cherries is in the production of late-summer fruits that are small enough to be attractive to smaller songbirds yet abundant enough to attract black bears, red and gray foxes, raccoons, opossums, and many other herbivores and omnivores. Seeds are secondarily used by small mammals. Plum fruits, on the other hand, tend to be too large for most birds and are principally eaten by mammals. Browsing by herbivores on cherries is occasionally substantial, but use of plum is minimal. On the other hand, cover value of cherries is only average, and that of plums is appreciably greater. Plums often grow in low thickets, providing escape cover for ground dwellers and nesting cover for songbirds.

Prunus species have several fairly distinct characteristics that aid in their identification. The bark, especially on young trees, is thin and dark reddish or brownish with elongate, horizontal rows of pale lenticels. These rows are raised and obvious. Fruit is a drupe and varies in size and texture, depending on the species. They all have a single seed or pit like the cherries and plums one buys in a grocery.

The fleshy, small fruit of the black cherry.

The horizontal lenticils on a pin, or fire, cherry.

The thorny branch of an American plum.

The flowers of an American plum.

American plum

Prunus americana Marshall

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green leaves with a deep, net-like vein pattern and a smooth or hairy underside. Twigs stout, dark red, and dotted; older twigs with stout thorns; fruit large and sweet with a single pit; bark dark brown with scaly plates

In the Midwest there are 4 plum species that reach the size of small trees; most of them are uncommon. Like the hawthorns, they hybridize, and identification is often extremely difficult. No matter what the species, they all provide quite a show in early spring with their pale pink flowers. The most common species is American plum.

Form and Size: American plum is a large shrub to small tree, occasionally reaching 25 feet in height. It is often crooked, numerously branched, and armed with elongated, stout thorns. It is usually found growing in small colonies formed from root suckers. It is fast-growing and short-lived.

Habitat: American plum is commonly found along roadsides and fencerows or in abandoned fields. It tolerates a wide variety of soils and sites and is common throughout most of the Midwest. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: American plum, and most other wild plums, differ considerably in wildlife value from cherries, which are also members of the genus Prunus. This plum almost always grows in thickets, and its tangle of sometimes thorny branches provide very good escape cover for many prey species and nesting cover for several songbirds, including gray catbirds and mockingbirds. Fruits are sufficiently large to discourage songbird use (although they are occasionally pecked by robins, catbirds, and downy woodpeckers), but are regularly eaten in early fall by mammals, such as raccoons, opossums, red and gray foxes, and coyotes. Plum is not preferred browse for deer or cottontails.

Landscaping Value: American plum is hardy to Zone 3 and makes a wonderful addition to any landscape. It produces a profusion of tiny white-pink flowers in spring and has sweet, plum-size fruits in late summer; its leaves turn yellow-orange in the fall. Unfortunately, most nurseries sell only exotic varieties of Prunus, though none are more hardy or more beautiful than our natives. The compact size lends itself well to a small yard, and suckers can be removed if desired to control its spread. It is drought-resistant and easily transplanted. Though not readily available through nurseries, it is easily grown from seed.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—There are numerous species of Prunus in the Midwest. Many are native; many, such as P. cerasus, sour cherry, were introduced for their human food value. Most have similar leaves, twigs, buds, and bark. The best way to distinguish between the species is to have all features available and be persistent!

—Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) has similar leaves but is always shrubby. It has small red axillary fruits.

Leaves are somewhat ovate and widest just below the middle. Margins are sharply and finely toothed and often doubly so. Leaves are dark green and smooth above and smooth to hairy beneath. The vein pattern is extensive and deep.

The perfect, showy, whitish to pinkish colored flowers appear in April with the leaves. They are in clusters at the tips of the branches and have an unpleasant scent.

Fruit is a pinkish, thick-skinned plum about 1 inch in diameter. It is usually sweet and has a single, sizable pit. Fruit hangs from an inch-long stalk and ripens in August.

Buds are small, conical, and covered with numerous, reddish scales. Twigs are dark reddish gray and smooth. They often have a partial silvery coating. Older twigs have thorn-tipped shoots. Lateral buds are often paired. Scraped twigs exude a pleasant odor.

Mature bark is dark brown and thin with irregular, scaly plates and numerous lenticels.

pin cherry

Prunus pensylvanica Linnaeus f.

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, narrowly elongate leaves with finely toothed margins; clusters of bright red, juicy fruit in late summer; bark dark burgundy, shiny, almost metallic-looking, thin with some papery strips, bands of light-colored dots along trunk

Pin cherry is also known as fire cherry. It is a tree of cooler climates that invades recently burned or cleared sites. It is short-lived and is replaced over time by birch and spruce in the Lake States, where it is most common. Bark on small to medium-sized trees is an amazing deep metallic red that shines in the sun. It is hard to miss!

Form and Size: Pin cherry is usually a small tree in the Midwest, from 30 to 40 feet in height. It can become larger (80 feet) in the southern Appalachians, where it is frequent at high elevations. It is fast-growing and short-lived, reaching 40 years of age. It has a rounded but narrow crown and a fairly straight trunk. On unfavorable sites, it remains shrubby.

Habitat: Pin cherry is an early successional species that invades recently disturbed areas where it thrives in full sun. Fire and clearing of land exposes soil and removes competition, allowing pin cherry to take off. In the Midwest, it is usually found on dry, sandy sites, but tolerates a wide range of sites and soils. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: While the thickets that occasionally form when pin cherry invades a disturbed site provide escape and some nesting cover, this species’ major wildlife value is in providing food. The fruit is not only highly preferred by the whole gamut of fruit-eating songbirds (e.g., thrushes, waxwings, grosbeaks) and game birds like ruffed grouse, but also is relished by mammals from squirrels to raccoons to deer, moose, and black bear. Leaves and twigs are browsed by deer and moose, and both beaver and rabbits will feed on bark, although other woody species are preferred by both.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, pin cherry has many fine attributes, lending itself well to any landscape. It provides year-round beauty starting in spring with a myriad of white flowers. By late summer its clusters of fruit turn bright red, providing a striking contrast against the yellow-green leaves. Fall leaf color is a flaming orange, and finally the ever-present shiny, almost copper-colored bark completes the package. It is an ideal species for a small location, and though short-lived, is insect- and disease-free. There are no cultivars available, and it is not readily found in nurseries, but easy to grow from seed.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black cherry (P. serotina) is the only large tree-size Prunus in the eastern U.S. Its leaves are narrowly elongate but are dark green, and on the underside, the midrib usually has a row of brown hairs on either side. Its bark never has the striking metallic look. Scraped twigs have a strong bitter-almond scent.

Leaves are thin and narrowly elongate. The tip is long and often curved backward. The margins are finely toothed, glandular, and often wavy. They are dark green and shiny.

The white, perfect flowers appear in April with the leaves. They are in upright, showy clusters with all stalks originating from a common point (umbels).

Fruit is a small, bright red, shiny, fleshy cherry only ¼ inch in diameter. It has thin skin and is sour to the taste. Each fruit has a single, small seed.

Buds are small, rounded, and covered with few reddish scales. Buds are sometimes clustered at the tip. Twigs are slender, red, shiny, smooth, and dotted with orange lenticels.

Mature bark is fairly thin but develops dark red, horizontal, papery strips with obvious, horizontal rows of lenticels. Young bark is shiny and a vivid reddish bronze color.

black cherry

Prunus serotina Ehrhart

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, narrowly elongate leaves with finely toothed margins; lower midrib usually has a line of brown hair along each side; white flowers in linear cluster later than other cherries; fruit black, small, fleshy; scraped twigs have strong bitter-almond scent; bark nearly black with scales that resemble burnt potato chips

Black cherry is a common tree in the Midwest and throughout the eastern U.S. The beauty of its finished wood and the ease with which it is worked has kept the demand for black cherry lumber high for more than a century. It is said that Daniel Boone made several cherry caskets for himself and slept in them during his “golden years.” He gave them all away except for one, presumably his favorite. Wilted leaves on broken limbs contain cyanide.

Form and Size: Black cherry is a fairly large tree, often attaining heights of 80 feet. It is fast-growing and generally short-lived, but can survive about 200 years on good sites. Forest-grown trees have long, clear, straight trunks with a narrow crown and command good prices for the knot-free lumber. Open-grown trees have short trunks and a spreading crown.

Habitat: Black cherry makes its best growth on rich, moist, well-drained soils and is commonly found in woods, old fields, fencerows, and woods’ edges. Because of its fast growth, black cherry can become one of the largest trees in canopy gaps. It is intolerant of shade. Black cherry makes its best growth in the Northeast, where it is one of the most valuable hardwoods.

Wildlife Uses: Black cherry is widely distributed in our region, and the ripening of its fruit in late summer is a significant event for midwestern wildlife. All of our gallinaceous birds and almost all smaller fruit-eating birds make heavy use of fruits at this time, as do the usual complement of omnivorous mammals, especially raccoons, opossums, and foxes. White-footed mice and chipmunks use fruits, but also glean undigested black cherry seeds from feces of birds and raccoons and open them to feed on the endosperm. Cherry is browsed by white-tailed deer and moose, and some bark is taken by cottontails and snowshoe hares in winter. Black cherry is limited in supplying cover.

Landscaping Value: Black cherry is hardy to Zone 3. In spring, it has pretty dangling clusters of white flowers that appear later than other cherries, and by late summer there are usually many clusters of nearly black fruits. Fall foliage is usually yellow, but can be orange, and the bark is an interesting dark burgundy red, maturing to nearly black. It grows fast and provides good shade and is resistant to salt. One of its major problems is the eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum, which attaches large white “tents” to branches and defoliates trees. There are no cultivars available and it is not commonly sold at nurseries. It can be grown easily from seed but is somewhat difficult to transplant.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Pin cherry (P. pensylvanica) leaves are similar but are more linear and yellow-green with no hairs. Fruit is red; bark is coppery.

Leaves are narrowly elongate with both ends pointed. They are up to 6 inches long with finely toothed margins. The upper surface is dark green and shiny and paler beneath. There is often a row of brown hairs along either side of the midrib underneath. Wilted leaves are toxic to livestock.

The white, perfect flowers are borne in drooping clusters with a central stalk (racemes) in late April and May after the leaves. They have an unpleasant odor but are very showy.

Fruit is pea-sized, nearly black, and usually produced in abundance in August. They are fleshy and juicy with a single, egg-shaped pit.

Buds are small and covered with few, reddish brown, smooth scales. Twigs are slender, dark red, and dotted with pale lenticels. They develop silvery blotches upon maturity. Scraped twigs exude a distinctive bitter-almond odor.

Mature bark has small, dark, scaly, irregular plates that flip upward on the edges and resemble burnt potato chips. These plates often have a silvery surface. Inner bark is dark red. Young trees have thin reddish bark with rows of horizontal lenticels.

Oaks

Genus: Quercus

Oaks are the most important hardwood trees in the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 58 tree-size species and many recognized hybrids in the U.S. alone. Twenty species occurring in the Midwest are covered in this book. Their durability, longevity, and large size have made them some of the most important landscaping trees worldwide. Acorns were once a staple food source for some Native Americans, who ground them to produce flour. The wood is strong and produces some of the most valuable hardwood lumber. White oak is famous for its use in making whisky barrels. Many species are used for furniture, flooring, and even firewood.

All members of this genus produce acorns, and therein lies their principal wildlife value. While there are minor differences from one species to another in production, nutrient composition, and preference, the generalities of wildlife use and wildlife values are similar for all species. The specifics of unique values will be covered under discussions of individual species. Acorns have considerable nutritional value, chiefly from their high fat content; however, they are quite low in protein and have varying levels of tannins, which affect preference and digestibility. Almost all herbivores and omnivores will use acorns given the opportunity. Among mammals, white-tailed deer, black bears, squirrels, and other small rodents are the most regular users, but other species, such as raccoons, foxes, and opossums also use acorns with regularity. Many birds also relish acorns, but they are constrained by the need to swallow the nut whole or to have a bill of sufficient strength to open the shell. Thus, use of acorns of individual species varies depending on the interplay of nut size and user size, in addition to factors of site and phenology. Large birds that frequently use acorns include wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and dabbling ducks; smaller species include woodpeckers (especially red-headed and red-bellied), crows, and jays. However, numerous other species evidently recognize the value and opportunistically take acorn kernels when shells are opened by other species or by serendipity (e.g., cars running over them). Harvesting of acorns begins with the removal of maturing nuts from trees in August and continues until the supply is exhausted, which fluctuates considerably from year to year because of the annual variability in size of the acorn crop.

Foliage and twigs of oaks are browsed to a degree by white-tailed deer, but use in the eastern U.S. seems not to be as great as is occasionally seen for ungulates in the West. Oaks are unexceptional in their cover value but are often used as nest sites by squirrels, passerines, and raptors. Many of our second-growth forests in the Central Hardwoods are now approaching 80–100 years of age and have a heavy oak, often white oak, component. These mature trees are favorite nest sites for canopy-nesting songbirds, such as cerulean warblers and scarlet tanagers, and raptors, especially red-tailed hawks. Although oaks are not particularly cavity-prone, cavities often form in main limbs of older oaks (usually through the self-pruning process), which are heavily used by squirrels, woodpeckers, and secondary cavity-nesting birds.

Identification of an oak tree to a given species is more easily accomplished by using several characteristics, such as leaves, buds, bark, fruit, or even site. Both the red oak and white oak groups have hybrids, which can easily lead to confusion. The following table lists the basic differences between the two groups.

RED OAK GROUP

WHITE OAK GROUP

LEAVES

lobes with bristle tips

lobes rounded, some with toothed margins

BUDS

mostly bluntly pointed; angled in cross section

mostly rounded; round in cross section

ACORNS

bitter

mostly sweet (less bitter)

ACORN GERMINATION

germinates following spring

germinates the same fall, sending out a radicle from tip

FRUITING STRATEGY

acorns take 2 seasons to mature

acorns in year of mature flowering

WOOD

water-conducting pores open

water-conducting pores plugged with tyloses

BARK

mostly furrowed

mostly scaly

The low, spreading form of bur oak, one of the white oaks.

A bumper crop of acorns from a Shumard oak. The acorns of species in the red oak group are more bitter than those of the white oak group, making them less attractive to wildlife.

New leaves of overcup oak.

The clustered buds of post oak—a common characteristic of oaks.

Leaves of the white oak (left) have rounded lobes. The leaves of the northern red oak (right) have bristle tips.

Members of the white oak group tend to have rounded buds, whereas buds of the red oak group are pointed.

white oak

Quercus alba Linnaeus

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple green leaves with varying degrees of lobing, lobes round, underside paler; buds rounded; fruit about 1 inch long with a thick, warty cap; mature bark gray, platy in upper tree, with small blocky ridges at base; fungus patches are common on lower trunk

It is hard to imagine a more ubiquitous species in the Midwest than white oak, although northern red and black oaks are common as well. It can be a massive, spreading tree that commands your attention. The largest white oak in the nation was the famous Wye Oak in Wye Mills, Maryland, which was taken down by a storm in the summer of 2002. It stood a mere 79 feet tall, but had a crown spread of 100 feet with a trunk 10 feet in diameter.

Form and Size: White oak is a large tree that can attain heights of 150 feet. In the Midwest it is more commonly 60 to 80 feet tall. Its growth rate is moderate on good sites, and it can live to 400 years of age or more. Open-grown trees have short trunks with broad, rounded crowns. Forest-grown trees have tall, clear trunks and narrow crowns.

Habitat: White oak is tolerant of most soil types but makes its best growth on deep, moist soils, and is often found in nearly pure stands. It is considered intermediate in shade-tolerance, but tends to become less tolerant with age.

Wildlife Uses: The white oak is important to wildlife because of its wide distribution and preferred acorns. Production of acorns is quite variable, however, with bumper crop years interspersed with several years of little or no production. Preference tests usually show that most wildlife prefer white oak acorns to those of most other species, especially those of the red oaks. However, white oak acorns, as do those of most members of the white oak group, sprout soon after ripening. Sprouting reportedly reduces the palatability of the nut as resources are transferred to the expanding radicle. Accordingly, rodents tend to use these acorns immediately and cache those of the red oaks. Some observers report rodents excising the radicle and embryonic parts of acorns prior to caching to prevent further development. White-tailed deer are not deterred by the presence of a several-centimeter radicle, but eat the acorn, radicle and all.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, white oak makes an impressive landscape tree if room allows. Its massive crown provides excellent shade and its reddish late-fall color is striking. Acorns may be considered a litter problem, and the thick leaves deteriorate slowly. It will tolerate salt spray but is sensitive to ozone. No cultivars are available but white oak is easily attainable, especially from nurseries specializing in natives. Germination of seeds is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Post oak (Q. stellata) and overcup (Q. lyrata) leaves are often mistaken for those of white oak. Leaves are highly variable from tree to tree, and even from branch to branch on the same tree. See keys and other members of the white oak group for differences.

Leaves are highly variable in the shape of their lobes. Lobes can be very small to quite large. Sinuses are narrow and leaf margins are entire. Leaves are green and smooth above, pale and smooth below.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is about 1 inch long and is usually oblong, but variable in shape. About ¼ of its length is enclosed by the cap, which has thick, warty scales. Acorns ripen in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are round-tipped and round in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish and smooth. Twigs are reddish gray and smooth.

Mature bark is highly variable. It is light gray-tan with thick, flat, overlapping plates above that are attached to the tree like vertical shingles. Near the base are small, vertically aligned, scaly blocks. Large sections of bark are often missing due to a fungus that does not harm the trees.

swamp white oak

Quercus bicolor Willdenow

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, shallowly lobed leaves that are extremely variable in shape, margins with large, rounded teeth, underside softly hairy; rounded buds have “bear claws”; acorn 1 inch long with warty cap that has a long stalk; bark thick, brownish with green inner bark, vertically oriented; smaller limbs with thin, peely bark

Swamp white oak is commonly mistaken for bur oak because of similarities in their habitat and mature bark. The easiest way to tell the 2 species apart is to check the acorn caps. There is no mistaking the large, shaggy cap of bur oak or the long stalk of the swamp white acorn cap. Bark is often very difficult to separate but on upper limbs that are 2 inches or so in diameter, the bark of swamp white is thin and peely.

Form and Size: Swamp white oak is a medium-sized tree, reaching 75 feet in height. For an oak, it grows quickly and is long-lived. It often has a poorly pruned lower trunk and pendulous limbs. The crown is irregular and open, often with short-drooping branches.

Habitat: Swamp white oak always grows in wet areas or those subject to flooding. It is common in upland depressions and moist bottomlands, and it tolerates poorly drained soils. It is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: Because it typically grows in moist ground and flooded sites, swamp white oak acorns are important to waterfowl, especially mallards and wood ducks, although they are taken by other bottomland species as well. However, its acorns are generally not ranked as highly for waterfowl as those of some other bottomland oaks, because the large acorns sometimes push the feeding size limit of wood ducks. Nuts also sprout quickly on moist soils, resulting in a reduction in palatability.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, swamp white oak has similar landscaping qualities as white oak. However, it is tolerant of poorly drained soils and can be planted in such sites. It also does well on more upland sites. Normally swamp white is not as large as white oak. It is resistant to salt, drought, and heat. Fall color is a golden brown, and if planted in a wet site, it will retain its green leaves longer than most trees. There are no cultivars available, but it is sold in nurseries that specialize in native trees.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii) leaves have more teeth that are round (or pointed). The lower surface of the leaf is pale but not hairy (or as hairy). The inner bark is red and the upper limbs do not peel. The acorn cap stalk is very short.

—Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) leaves are similar but have deep sinuses near the middle. Lower surface is pale and may be hairy. Bark is not peely on limbs, and the acorn cap is deep and fringed.

Leaves are extremely variable in shape. Lobes are rounded and coarsely toothed or wavy, with shallow sinuses. They are dark green above, white and hairy beneath. Leaves are up to 7 inches long.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is up to 1 inch long and enclosed halfway by the acorn cap. The cap is warty and has a long stalk, called a peduncle, that is up to 4 inches in length. The peduncle remains attached to the cap after it falls to the ground and is a great identification tool. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are rounded with reddish brown, smooth overlapping bud scales. Sometimes the tips of the bud scales are hairy. There are often claw-like appendages extending from the base of the buds. Twigs are stout, straw-brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is similar to that of bur oak. It is dark gray-brown with blocky, flat, scaly ridges separated by deep fissures. Upper limbs have papery, peeling, ragged bark. Inner bark is bright green, unlike its common associate, swamp chestnut oak, which has reddish brown inner bark.

scarlet oak

Quercus coccinea Muenchausen

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, shiny leaves with 5 to 7 deep lobes and sinuses, pale beneath; fruit 1 inch long, often wider than long; nut has concentric rings around tip, acorn cap thick, lumpy; bark dark with scaly ridges and “ski tracks” that are not continuous; inner bark pinkish

Scarlet oak is sometimes mistaken for northern red oak because the bark and leaves can be quite similar. Site is one of the first features to consider, since scarlet oak is generally a ridge-top, dry-site species and is nearly always associated with black oak. “Ski tracks” on red oak are continuous. Black oak is also mistaken for scarlet, but a pocket knife helps determine the difference. Inner bark of black oak is yellow; inner bark of scarlet oak is pinkish red.

Form and Size: Scarlet oak is a medium-sized tree, commonly 80 feet tall. It grows fairly quickly but can live to be nearly 400 years of age. It has a rapidly tapering trunk with an open, narrow crown. Lower limbs of the crown are often dead, as it does not self-prune well. Bark of upper branches is often flaky, a trait not common in other red oaks.

Habitat: Scarlet oak is considered a dry-site species. It can be found on light, gravelly, or sandy soils of the glaciated regions of the Midwest. In unglaciated regions, it is common on dry ridges with southern and western exposures. It can usually be found with black oak. Scarlet oak is considered one of the most intolerant oaks, but because of its rapid growth rate, it can compete with many species for dominance in a stand.

Wildlife Uses: Scarlet oak frequently shares dry, sandy, or ridge-top sites with black oak; these species have almost identical wildlife values. Scarlet oak usually produces some acorns annually, but bumper crops are usually produced at 3–5 year intervals. Although not highly preferred, acorns are cached in large numbers by both fox and gray squirrels and thereby become important late-winter foods. Deer and wild turkey frequently forage on scarlet’s sites in late fall and regularly consume the acorns.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, scarlet is popular with native nurseries because of its brilliant scarlet fall color. Its acorns and decay-resistant leaves may be considered messy. It is resistant to salt and drought, but will not tolerate wet sites. Like most oaks, it provides good shade and is long-lived.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black oak (Q. velutina) can have leaves with deep sinuses but often has nearly unlobed, lower-canopy shade leaves with hairy surfaces, especially beneath. Bark will have “ski tracks” in the upper half of the tree and yellow inner bark.

—Northern pin oak (Q. ellipsoidalis) leaves are deeply sinused and not hairy. Bark is smooth and gray. Acorns are small.

—Pin oak (Q. palustris) has similar leaves but is a wet-site species.

Leaves have 5 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes with deep sinuses that resemble those of pin or Shumard oak. Leaves in the upper canopy tend to be more deeply lobed. Sinuses are deep, often reaching nearly to the midrib, and are C-shaped. Leaves are bright green, smooth and shiny above, paler and smooth beneath.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is medium-sized, up to 1 inch long, and commonly wider than deep. The acorn tip usually has several rows of distinctive concentric rings. The cap is deep and bowl-shaped with thick, lumpy, lustrous scales. The kernel is whitish and ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are sharply pointed and somewhat angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish brown and covered with pale hairs on the upper half. Twigs are slender, smooth, and reddish brown.

Mature bark is rough, nearly black, and divided into irregular, scaly ridges that are often mottled with gray. The ridges are separated by shallow fissures of variable width. The gray ridges are similar to the “ski tracks” of northern red oak but are broken and not continuous. The nearly black bark can become quite blocky near the base and the inner bark is a pinkish-red.

northern pin oak

Quercus ellipsoidalis E. J. Hill

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, shiny, smooth leaves with 5 to 7 lobes, very deep sinuses, reaching nearly to midrib as in pin oak; buds pointed with slightly hairy scale tips; acorn about 1 inch long, shaped like a spinning top with a deeper cap than pin oak; bark like pin oak; a dry-site species

This oak species, also known as Hill’s oak, has long been a source of contention among taxonomists. Some argue that it is a smaller-fruited form of scarlet oak, Q. coccinea, while others tend to lump the two together as highly variable forms of the same species. No matter what you believe, northern pin oak looks much like a pin oak growing on a dry site.

Form and Size: Northern pin oak is a small to medium-sized tree, up to 60 feet tall. It is smaller than pin oak but has the same form. It commonly has numerous, persistent, small branches low on the trunk. Lower limbs droop down, while the upper limbs are ascending. It has a pyramidal growth form. Growth rate is slow, but life expectancy is up to 250 years.

Habitat: Hill’s oak is found on sites typical of scarlet oak. It prefers dry, upland, often sandy soils and is commonly associated with black oak, Q. velutina. Like many oaks, it is intolerant of shade but is the oak most tolerant of dry sites.

Wildlife Uses: As the common name would suggest, this species is very similar to pin oak but differs in two features that are significant with respect to its wildlife value. The acorn is larger than pin oak and differently shaped, and the species typically occurs on dry, upland, often sandy soils. Acorns are especially important to species in these habitats, notably red-headed woodpeckers, fox squirrels, small rodents, and white-tailed deer. It is frequently used as a nest tree by eastern kingbirds, eastern wood-pewee, and cedar waxwings.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, northern pin oak displays a brilliant scarlet-red fall show that is similar to scarlet oak. Its smooth, gray bark, pyramidal form, and deep shade make it an attractive specimen tree for any landscape. It tolerates dry sites and is resistant to drought and salt. There are no cultivars available, but northern pin can be purchased through some native species nurseries throughout the Midwest.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Pin oak (Q. palustris) is very similar in many respects. It has no hairs on the bud scales, is smaller, produces more rounded fruit with thin, shallow caps, and is found in very wet to moist sites.

—Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) has more hair on the buds, larger, wider acorns with thick, knobby caps that cover about half the nut, and bark that more closely resembles black oak, Q. velutina.

—Black oak leaves can be deeply cut but has densely hairy buds and usually hairy leaves.

Leaves have 5 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes with deep sinuses and are similar to those of pin oak. They are dark green, smooth, and shiny above and dark green and dull below.

Flowers appear in May with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is narrow, elongate, and up to 1 inch long. The nut is shaped like a spinning top. The cap covers about ⅓ of the nut and has flattened, often hairy scales. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are similar to those of pin oak, but the scales have fine white hairs on the edges. They are blunt-tipped and somewhat angled in cross section. Twigs are slender, reddish brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is smooth and gray, very much like that of pin oak. With age it develops shallow fissures near the base. Inner bark is yellow.

southern red oak

Quercus falcata Michaux

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green leaves, often with 5 to 7 lobes, some lobes curved, shade leaves often with 3 shallow lobes, leaf base bell-shaped, gray or rust-colored and hairy below; fruit only ½ inch long; bark dark brown, thick with rough ridges separated by narrow fissures; inner bark yellow-orange

Southern red oak is actually a southern oak species that reaches the northernmost limits of its Midwest range in southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Another common name, Spanish oak, is of unknown origin. Speculation has it that the form of the leaves resembles a Spanish dagger. Southern reds can become huge—the national champion has a crown spread of 135 feet and a trunk diameter of 9 feet.

Form and Size: Southern red oak is a medium-sized tree in the Midwest, commonly to 80 feet tall. It has a relatively rapid growth rate (on good sites) and is fairly long-lived. It usually has a short trunk and a rounded, wide-spreading crown. A characteristic of this oak is that its crown is made up of rather large branches with drooping leaves. On bottomland sites, it has a clear trunk and excellent form. It is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Habitat: Southern red oak is typically an upland-site species, found on poorer, dry soils. It can also be found in lowland woods, where it attains its greatest height. Although it is considered an upland species, it is not resistant to extreme drought.

Wildlife Uses: Southern red oak occurs in the southern reaches of our region and, from a wildlife perspective, is the southern equivalent of northern pin oak. It typically occupies dry sites, often on south-facing slopes and ridge tops. Acorn production is rather dependable, and the nut is small enough to be used by songbirds and woodpeckers. Considerable use is made of the acorns by wild turkey, deer, and gray squirrels.

Landscaping Value: Probably hardy to Zone 5 (usually listed as 6), southern red oak is an outstanding addition to any landscape with sufficient room. It has a fast growth rate for an oak, and its dense crown provides a great deal of shade. Its leaves are unusual because of their variable form and the light-colored undersides, which stand out from a distance. Fall color is also variable, but it can be crimson. There are no horticultural varieties, but it has limited availability from native plant nurseries in the Midwest. All oaks are very difficult to transplant because of their deep taproots, but germination of seeds is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Cherrybark oak (Q. pagoda) has similar leaves but are uniformly lobed. Lobes are usually at right angles to the midrib and nearly opposite each other. The leaf base is not bell-shaped.

—Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) is a common southern associate and leaves can look similar. From a distance the deeply lobed leaves can fool you, but they are uniformly, deeply lobed and have a tapered base.

Leaves are commonly 5 to 7 lobed, each with a tiny bristle tip. The terminal lobe is elongate and often sickle-shaped, as can be lateral lobes. Bell-shaped, shallowly lobed leaves are characteristic of shade leaves on mature trees and saplings. Leaves are dark green, thick, and shiny above, grayish to tannish and hairy beneath. A bell-shaped base is almost a constant with these otherwise variable leaves.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; The inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Acorns are small, to ½ inch long, orange-brown, hairy, and often striped before they mature. The cap is thin and shallow and encloses ⅓ of the nut. Cap scales are appressed, reddish, and lightly hairy. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are pointed but not angled in cross section. They have numerous, overlapping scales that are reddish brown and lightly hairy. Twigs are dark red and smooth to hairy.

Mature bark is similar to that of black oak. It is dark brown to nearly black and thick. The rough ridges are separated by deep, narrow fissures. Inner bark is yellow-orange, compared to the sulphur-yellow of black oak.

shingle oak

Quercus imbricaria Michaux

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; the only northern oak with entire leaf margins; leaves shiny, dark green with a single bristle tip at top, pale and often hairy beneath; fruit only ½ inch long with shallow cap; bark similar to pin oak until quite old, then dark brown and somewhat blocky

Shingle oak is also known as northern laurel oak, because its leaves resemble several of the southern oaks, including Q. laurifolia, laurel oak. Leaves are leathery, and dead leaves persist on the tree throughout the winter. Shingle oak’s common name derives from early settlers splitting the wood for use as cabin shingles.

Form and Size: Shingle is a medium-sized tree, commonly 60 feet tall, with a symmetrical form. Growth rate is moderate, and maximum age is probably not much beyond 200 years. Its straight trunk gives rise to a pyramidal crown with numerous branches that often droop nearly to the ground. Its form is similar to that of pin oak.

Habitat: Shingle oak is an early successional invader on disturbed soils. It can be found on sandy ridges and moist hillsides, as well as along streams and in river bottomlands. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This species occurs throughout our region and has a number of characteristics that give it substantial wildlife value. It generally occurs on moderately moist sites, but occasionally occurs in bottomlands and old-fields, the latter probably the result of acorn transport by blue jays. It supplies good nesting cover for songbirds (e.g., cedar waxwings, eastern kingbirds, and summer and scarlet tanagers), and because it tends to be marcescent (dead leaves remain on tree), winter protective cover for roosting birds, such as screech owls, blue jays, and evening grosbeaks. The small acorns are favorites of songbirds and woodpeckers, in addition to the customary acorn-using larger species.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, shingle oak is a nice lawn tree year-round. Its dark green, glossy leaves are attractive, and browned leaves are usually retained throughout the winter. It basically provides shade all year long. Fall color varies from golden yellow-brown to dark red. It is resistant to ozone, salt, and drought and is fairly adaptable to almost any site. There are no cultivars available, but it may be found in nurseries specializing in natives.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) has green, thin leaves with finely toothed margins. It does not have clustered buds.

—Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) has thick, shiny, dark green leaves, but the twigs do not have clustered terminal buds and the fruit is fleshy.

—Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) leaves are leathery, dark green but not shiny, and pale, often hairy beneath. The terminal buds are not clustered, and fruit is a large, orange fleshy fruit.

Leaves are thick and leathery and have a single bristle tip at the end. The margins are entire, which is unusual for a northern oak. They are dark green, shiny, and lightly hairy above, paler and lightly hairy beneath. It commonly retains its leaves through the winter, a trait known as marcescence.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is small, about ½ inch long, dark brown, and often striped before maturity. About ⅓ of the nut is enclosed by a thin cap. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are small, sharply pointed, and angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish and often have a row of hair along the margin. Twigs are slender, reddish brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is similar to that of pin oak. It is flat and grayish brown. With age it develops broad ridges that are separated by shallow fissures.

overcup oak

Quercus lyrata Walter

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, irregularly divided leaves, 5 to 9 short or long lobes with the 3 terminal lobes the largest; fruit large, about 1 inch long, with cap enclosing ⅔ or more of the acorn and not separating; bark gray-brown with irregular ridges and flat, square, scaly plates that shed

Overcup oak is probably the most flood-tolerant oak species. It can withstand year-round flooding. Overcup is a southern oak that follows the Mississippi River north into southern Illinois and Indiana. The acorn caps sometime completely cover the nut and do not separate once ripe. Since the cap floats, it helps carry the acorn through bottomland waters.

Form and Size: Overcup is a medium-sized tree, commonly to 80 feet tall. In the South, it can become much larger. Growth is generally slow and maximum age is 200 to 300 years. It is often poorly formed, with a twisted appearance to the trunk. It has a sparse, open crown with twisted branches.

Habitat: Overcup is restricted to poorly drained soils of swamps and river sloughs. Roots are often inundated by water for months at a time. It is intermediate in shade tolerance. An unusual feature, unlike other white oaks, is that overcup acorns will often remain dormant until the following spring.

Wildlife Uses: This species occurs in wet sites with tight clay soils; in the Southeast, such sites are known for winter waterfowl concentrations, but this is probably because of the presence of site associates and not overcup oak. The cap, which permanently encloses the nut, reduces its value as a waterfowl food, although it is occasionally taken by mallards. This feature also reduces the palatability of the acorn to deer and wild turkey. It is, however, frequently eaten by gray squirrels and other small rodents.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, overcup is a little-known oak but could be well utilized in wetland restoration projects or in areas too wet for most other species. It does, however, tolerate more upland sites and is an attractive tree, especially in fall, with its yellow, orange, and red leaves. Its availability even in nurseries specializing in natives is rare.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—White oak (Q. alba) leaves are more uniformly lobed without such broad sinuses; its bark can be similar, but it is not a wet-site tree.

—Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) can be found in wet sites but its leaves are usually larger and seem to be separated into 2 sections by a central pair of deep sinuses. Acorns are large with deep caps that are heavily fringed along the edge.

Leaves have various shapes. Margins are irregularly divided into 5 to 9 short or long lobes. Generally the 3 terminal lobes are the largest. They are dark green above and often hairy beneath.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; The inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is wide, up to 1 inch, and similar to that of bur oak. The nut is ⅔ enclosed or more by a thin, un-fringed cap that has rough scales. The cap rarely separates from the nut. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are blunt-tipped and round in cross section. The scales are light brown and covered with tawny hairs. There are often claw-like appendages at the base of the buds. Twigs are slender, gray, and usually smooth. Lateral buds often have claw-like appendages as well.

Mature bark is similar to that of bur and swamp white oaks. It has large, gray-brown, rough, irregular ridges with flat, square, scaly plates that shed. The trunk often has a twisted appearance.

bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa Michaux

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves that appear separated into 2 sections by a pair of deep sinuses, 5 to 7 lobes, dark green above, pale and often hairy beneath; fruit large, up to 2 inches in diameter with a very deep, fringed cap; bark thick, brown, with vertical ridges that often have a twisted appearance on old trees

Oak openings of the tallgrass prairie have for centuries been characterized by the inimitable bur oak. As early pioneers made their way through the Central Hardwoods and onto the prairie, they found grassy openings with scattered groves of oaks, mainly bur. Its thick bark enables it to withstand recurring prairie fires better than most trees. The form of bur oak evokes images of the South’s live oak, Q. virginiana, with its widely spreading limbs and low stature.

Form and Size: Bur oak is a medium-sized to large tree. It is commonly 70 to 80 feet tall in the open and has a massive trunk with heavy, low-spreading limbs. It can become much taller and is considered one of the tallest trees in the East. It is moderately fast-growing and can live to be over 400 years old.

Habitat: Bur oak is found on a wide range of sites, from poorly drained, wet soils to poor, dry, sandy soils. It is a common prairie species, able to invade grasslands, often forming park-like savannas. It is commonly found in upland depressions where drainage is poor. It is drought-resistant as well as cold-hardy and is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: Occurring on a wide variety of sites, bur oak is generally distributed throughout our region. However, because of the large size of the nut and the thick cap that encloses it, use of its nuts is restricted to animals capable of gnawing through these protective layers (i.e., rodents, especially fox squirrels). Its thick, corky limbs seem especially attractive to nesting songbirds, with eastern wood-pewees and blue-gray gnat-catchers frequently saddling their lichen-covered nests on downward sloping limbs.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, bur oak is our most cold-hardy oak. It probably tolerates a wider range of soils and sites than any other oak. A large space is needed in the landscape to accommodate the widely spreading form of this tree, but the low limbs are great for climbing! The fall color is not spectacular—a dull yellow. It is resistant to ozone, drought, and salt. Bur oak is one of the more readily available native oaks in midwestern nurseries. Transplanting is difficult, but seed germination is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) leaves in outline are similar but have more regular, rounded margins without the 2 deep sinuses. Its acorn cap is not deep, nor is it fringed. Bark is very similar.

—Swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii) leaves closely resemble those of bur oak, but have regular, large teeth. Acorn caps have bumpy, wedge-shaped scales.

Leaves are large for an oak, up to 12 inches long. They usually have 5 to 7 rounded, irregular lobes with the largest terminal lobe occupying more than a third of the leaf. The terminal lobe has 2 deep sinuses that extend almost to the midrib. Leaves are lustrous, dark green above and silvery green and hairy beneath.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is large, up to 2 inches in diameter. The deep cap can completely enclose the acorn, but it is usually not quite that deep. There is a conspicuous fringe along the edge of the thick, lumpy-scaled cap. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are plump and rounded in cross section. Their numerous, overlapping scales are covered with tannish gray hairs. There are commonly claw-like appendages at the base of the buds. Twigs are stout, tan, and smooth at maturity. Young or vigorous trees develop corky ridges along the twigs.

Mature bark is grayish brown with thick, vertical ridges that often twist. It is similar to that of swamp white oak, but lacks swamp white’s flaky bark on the upper branches.

blackjack oak

Quercus marilandica Muenchhausen

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, tough leaves with 3 shallow lobes, looking like a duck’s foot, hairy beneath; buds elongate, densely hairy; acorn not quite 1 inch long with an elongate tip and thick cap; bark nearly black, blocky, divided by deep fissures, inner bark yellow

Blackjack oak is a tree of very dry sites. Barrens areas are the common location for this tree, where periodic extremely dry conditions exclude many species; those that are able to tolerate such sites have thick leaves with dense hairs and deep root systems. Under such harsh conditions, trees are stunted and gnarled with persistent lower limbs. Early pioneers found this species to be a barrier to movement across the prairies.

Form and Size: Blackjack oak is usually a small, poorly formed tree. With its short, stout, gnarled branches, the tree has a stunted, almost deformed appearance. When tree-sized, its spreading branches form a narrow, compact, open crown. Blackjack rarely grows taller than 40 feet in our region and is commonly shrubby. Growth is slow, and it is fairly long-lived, often surviving 300 years.

Habitat: Blackjack is a poor-site species, growing on dry, sterile soils where conditions are generally extreme. It is found on rocky cliffs and rocky or sandy soils. It is very intolerant of shade and is found in open barrens, where its associates are commonly post and black oaks.

Wildlife Uses: Blackjack oak is restricted to dry ridge tops in the southern portion of our region, where its relatively small acorns are regularly used by woodpeckers, blue jays, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and deer. Squirrels seem to prefer the blackjack acorns to those of most other red oaks. Its almost shrubby form makes it a frequently chosen songbird nest site, especially when growing in an area with an open canopy.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, blackjack is an underappreciated oak in the Midwest. It has unusual, thick, leathery, dark green leaves that resemble duck’s feet and commonly persist on the tree throughout the winter. Its dark, nearly black bark is attractive, and its small size is accommodating to most lawn spaces. Fall color is red, and it is resistant to salt and drought. Though not as available as some oaks, it can be purchased in some nurseries that specialize in natives. Germination from seed is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black oak (Q. velutina) lower canopy shade leaves can resemble those of blackjack oak, but they have lobing along the sides of the leaves as well as along the top. There are more bristle tips on the black oak leaf.

—Southern red oak (Q. falcata) leaves on young trees can be 3-lobed but they have deeper sinuses; they are not as leathery. Buds are shorter, and acorns have no long tip.

Leaves are thick and leathery and usually have 3 shallow, bristle-tipped lobes at the top. The lustrous, dark green leaves are shiny above and densely hairy beneath. In outline, they look like a webbed duck’s foot.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is small, up to ¾ inch long. The nut has a sharply spiked tip. The thick cap encloses the nut halfway and has loose, reddish brown scales. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are elongate, angled in cross section and fairly sharply pointed. Buds are covered with numerous, overlapping scales that have dense, rusty hairs. Twigs are reddish brown and covered with rusty hairs (especially when young).

Mature bark is dark, nearly black with blocky, rough, small, square plates that are divided by deep fissures. Inner bark is a yellowish color.

swamp chestnut oak

Quercus michauxii Nuttall

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green leaves, margins have large, mostly rounded teeth (but variable) that decrease in size toward the tip, pale and hairy beneath; fruit large, 1½ inches long, cap with bumpy, wedge-shaped scales; bark gray, scaly plates, inner bark reddish

Swamp chestnut has several common names, including cow oak and basket oak. The latter was coined by pioneers, because they used the straight-grained wood to make basket splits. The acorns are among the “sweetest” of any oak, and farmers turned their livestock into wooded areas where this species occurred to fatten their cows and hogs for free.

Form and Size: Swamp chestnut oak is usually a medium-sized tree in the Midwest, reaching 80 feet in height. In the South, it can become much larger. It has a massive, straight, clear trunk and a round-topped, compact crown. Individuals can attain great heights and age—150 feet and 400 years. It is relatively fast-growing.

Habitat: This species is generally found in the southern reaches of our region in low, well-drained woods in bottomlands and floodplains along rivers and streams. It can also be found in moist uplands. Swamp chestnut is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This species occurs in bottomland habitats, but its very large acorn almost precludes its use by waterfowl and indeed by many other birds. Acorns are eaten by deer, however, and rodents make regular use of them, although preference seems to vary by wildlife species and locale.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, swamp chestnut oak commands a large area in any landscape. Its greatest assets are the dense shade its crown provides and the bright crimson fall color. Trees prefer a moist but well-drained site, and when growing in these sites remain green longer than most trees in the fall. They will tolerate a drier site, however. The acorns are large and may be considered messy, but squirrels quickly carry them away. Nurseries specializing in native tree species will offer this species, but it is easy to germinate.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) leaves have fewer large, rounded teeth with various amounts of lobing. The stalks of the acorn caps are up to 4 inches long. Inner bark color is bright green.

—Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) leaves may be similar but usually appear to have 2 separate sections divided by a pair of deep sinuses. Acorn is nearly enclosed in a deep, fringed cap.

Leaves have regular, rounded or square teeth that decrease in size as they reach the tip. They are dark green and shiny above, pale and hairy beneath. Leaves are up to 8 inches long.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is large, up to 1½ inches long and enclosed ⅓ by the acorn cap. The cap is bowl-shaped with bumpy, wedge-shaped scales. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are pointed, unlike those of most white oaks. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish brown and lightly hairy. There are often claw-like appendages at the base of the buds. Twigs are stout, reddish brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is ashy gray and somewhat thin for an oak, with closely appressed scales and irregular fissures. The inner bark is reddish brown, compared to the green color of swamp white, a common associate.

chestnut oak

Quercus montana Willdenow

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, yellow-green, narrow, shiny leaves with coarsely, round-toothed margins, pale and mostly smooth beneath, veins and leaf stalk yellow; fruit large, over 1 inch long, enclosing ⅓ of its length with a thin, warty cap; bark unique, brownish gray with very thick, V-shaped vertical ridges separated by deep furrows

Chestnut oak is also known as rock oak in recognition of the dry, rocky ridges on which it usually resides. It is a tree of the “mountains,” and grew side by side with the once common American chestnut, Castanea dentata. It is presumed that the name chestnut oak came about because of the resemblance its leaves have to those of the American chestnut. Its bark is high in tannin and was once extensively used in leather tanneries. Another commonly accepted scientific name is Q. prinus Linnaeus.

Form and Size: Chestnut oak is a medium-sized tree, reaching about 75 feet in height. On good sites it is fast-growing and long-lived, often surviving 300 years. When found on moister sites, it can become very large. George Washington used to mount his horse under a chestnut oak that was 7 feet in diameter.

Habitat: Chestnut oak is usually found on the poorest, driest ridges and uplands in unglaciated areas of the Midwest and throughout the Appalachians. It often forms pure stands on the poorest sites, where competition is low. Trees are occasionally found on richer, moister sites, where it becomes much larger. Chestnut oak is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: In contrast to swamp chestnut oak in our region, chestnut oak is most frequently encountered on dry slopes and ridge tops, where its somewhat irregularly produced acorns are highly preferred by white-tailed deer, tree squirrels, and wild turkeys. Acorns are usually relatively large and have limited songbird value (except for woodpeckers), but smaller nuts can be swallowed by ruffed grouse.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, chestnut oak’s most attractive features include its deep, dark V-shape ridged bark and its dense shade. Fall color is a deep crimson or gold. It is quite tolerant of soil types and moisture regimes and grows well in all but the most poorly drained soils. It is resistant to salt and drought. Like all the oaks, it has strong wood and has little problem with wind and ice. Nurseries specializing in native trees may offer this species, but the best way to acquire it is to grow it from seed.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Chinkapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii) has similar leaves with each tooth ending in a point. The broadest part of the leaf is above the middle, and its underside is pale. Acorns are small.

—American chestnut (Castanea dentata) is mostly eliminated so would not be likely to be encountered. Its teeth are tipped with short bristles, and the leaf tip is sharply pointed. Fruit is enclosed in a burry husk.

Leaves are up to 8 inches long with 10 or more rounded teeth on each side. The leaves are yellow-green, smooth, and shiny above and often lightly hairy beneath. Veins and leaf stalk are yellow.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is large, usually over an inch in length. They have a thin, saucer-shaped cap that encloses the acorn about ⅓ of its length. Caps have fused, somewhat warty scales. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are mostly pointed and angled in cross section, unusual for one of the white oaks. The numerous bud scales are chestnut-brown and smooth. Twigs are orange-brown and shiny.

Mature bark is brownish gray and develops very deep, continuous, V-shaped ridges (narrow at the top and wide at the base).

chinkapin oak

Quercus muehlenbergii Engelmann

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves simple, about 12 fairly sharply pointed teeth per side, widest above the middle, dark green above, pale beneath; acorn small, ½ inch long, turns nearly black when ripe, shallow warty cap; kernel sweet for an oak; bark ashy gray with square scales the length of the tree, easily rubbed off

Chinkapin oak is also known as yellow or chinquapin oak. It is not a common oak in the Midwest, but it attains a great size in the Lower Wabash Valley. In the primeval forests, trees commonly grew 160 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. Today, it is found as a much smaller tree and is partial to alkaline soils.

Form and Size: Chinkapin oak can grow to a great size on the most favorable sites, but is usually a small to medium-sized tree, from 60 to 80 feet tall. It can live to 400 years and is moderately slow-growing for an oak. Forest-grown trees develop a straight, tall trunk with comparatively small branches that form a narrow, open crown. Open-grown trees have a wide, rounded crown.

Habitat: Chinkapin makes its best growth in rich, deep soils but is more often found on dry banks of streams and rivers and occasionally in dry woods. It is also found on clay or rocky ridges and limestone soils. It is a moderately shade-tolerant species of oak.

Wildlife Uses: The tree resembles its more abundant congener, the white oak, in appearance and wildlife cover value, but transcends it in acorn preference by wildlife. Its small, shiny, black acorn is said to be the “sweetest” to human taste, and wildlife seem to share this opinion. The nut is heavily used by songbirds, gallinaceous birds, deer, squirrels, and small rodents. It sprouts upon ripening, as do all white oaks, but most nuts are consumed before the emerging radicals hinder animals from taking them.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, chinkapin oak is a great addition to any landscape. Its dense crown provides good shade and the fall color is a golden yellow. It will not tolerate flooding or acidic soils but is resistant to salt. Chinkapin is one of the most drought-tolerant oaks. Like most of the white oaks, it is vulnerable to defoliation by the exotic gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. Nurseries specializing in native trees may offer this species, but it is not commonly sold otherwise. Germinating seeds is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Chestnut oak (Q. montana) leaves are narrow and widest in the middle with rounded teeth. The underside is pale and often hairy. Acorns are large.

—Swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii) leaf is widest above the middle and its margins have rounded teeth. Acorn is large.

—Swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) leaves have highly variable margins, from wavy to sizable lobes at the middle. Acorns are large, with a long stalk.

Leaves are variable in shape, size, and leaf margin. They are usually coarsely toothed, each tooth ending with a point. The leaf is widest just above the middle or higher. Leaves are dark green and smooth above and pale, often lightly hairy beneath.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Chinkapin acorns are the sweetest of our native oaks. They are small, only ½ inch long, with a thin, bowl-shaped cap. The cap is warty and covers the nut nearly halfway. Ripe fruit turns nearly black.

The clustered terminal buds are small, round, and rounded in cross section. Their brown, overlapping scales are covered with white membranes, their margins lightly hairy. Twigs are slender, gray to orange-brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is ashy gray with flaky, square scales the entire length of the tree. The scales are separated by shallow fissures. Outer bark is easily rubbed off by the hand, a feature not found with any other oak.

cherrybark oak

Quercus pagoda Rafinesque-Schmaltz

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves simple, dark green, shiny above, pale, hairy beneath, 5 to 11 lobes with shallow sinuses, upper lobes usually at right angles to the midrib and nearly opposite each other; buds and twigs hairy; acorn tiny, ½ inch long with shallow cap; bark dark with scaly or flaky thick, narrow ridges; young bark resembles that of black cherry

Cherrybark was once considered a variety of southern red oak; its specific epithet was Q. falcata var. pagodafolia. One of the big differences between the 2 species is the sites where they are commonly found. Cherrybark is a wet-site species; southern red is dry-site. Cherrybark is a magnificent, large oak and one of the fastest-growing. The current national champion is in Virginia, standing 124 feet tall with a diameter of 9 feet.

Form and Size: Cherrybark is one of the largest oaks in the United States, often reaching heights of 120 feet. It is fast-growing and long-lived. Its tall, straight trunk has massive branches that form a short, narrow crown. It is one of the most valuable timber species in the South.

Habitat: Cherrybark is a wet-site species, commonly found along streams and sloughs, but can also be found on moist, rich, well-drained ridges and in old-fields. It is intermediate to intolerant of shade and is very fast-growing on good sites.

Wildlife Uses: Cherrybark oak occurs only in the southern extremes of our region. It is a very dependable producer of small acorns that are attractive to songbirds, woodpeckers, waterfowl, and the usual complement of larger acorn-using species. Because of its intolerance, it usually occurs as a canopy tree and is often selected by canopy-nesting songbirds, such as cerulean warblers and scarlet tanagers, for nest sites.

Landscaping Value: Cherrybark is hardy to Zone 6 and is a beautiful tree for a large landscape. It is fast-growing and tolerates poorly to well-drained areas. The unusual, dark, cherry-like bark is attractive year-round, and it often retains leaves throughout winter. Fall color is red. Cherrybark is rarely available commercially in the Midwest, and little information is reported on its urban tolerances. Germination of seed is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Cherrybark has several oak associates with which it may be confused, including southern red, black, and Shumard. The key features of cherrybark are the leaf lobes, which are at strong right angles to the midrib and often opposite each other. Also its bark is quite similar to that of black cherry (Prunus serotina) especially when young or on upper limbs of larger trees.

Leaves are usually uniformly lobed with 5 to 11 lobes with shallow sinuses. The upper lobes are usually at right angles to the midrib and nearly opposite each other. They are dark green and shiny above, and whitish and hairy beneath.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is small, up to ½ inch long. It is orange-brown, hairy, and often striped before maturity. The cap is thin and shallow and encloses about ⅓ or less of the nut. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are sharply pointed and sometimes angled in cross section. The reddish brown scales are covered with fine, pale hairs. Twigs are stout, dark red, and hairy, especially near the tip.

Mature bark has thick and scaly or flaky dark ridges that are separated by small fissures. Younger tree bark resembles that of black cherry. Inner bark is orangish yellow.

pin oak

Quercus palustris Muenchhausen

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves simple, bright green, and shiny with 5 to 7 elongate lobes and very deep sinuses, pale beneath and smooth; buds smooth; acorns tiny, ½ inch long with very thin, shallow cap; bark smooth, gray, with thin, wide ridges; usually limby almost to the ground; wet-site species

Pin oak is very common throughout the Midwest. It is an extremely popular urban ornamental tree throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada. It is hard to miss a pin oak because of its great number of small, “pin-like” branches that line the trunk nearly to the ground, and its pyramidal form. It puts on quite a show in the fall, when it turns bright red.

Form and Size: Pin oak is usually a medium-sized tree, reaching 80 feet in height. Growth rate is rapid and maximum age probably does not exceed several hundred years. Open-grown trees have broadly pyramidal crowns, especially when younger, and numerous, drooping lower limbs, which often touch the ground. Pin oak does not self-prune well, especially when open-grown, and its dead lower limbs are often removed by hand in urban situations.

Habitat: Pin oak is a wet-site species common on poorly drained flats, on edges of swamps, or in wet, upland sites. It can tolerate flooding for several weeks. Often pure stands are found in low, wet sites that are known as “pin oak flats.” It can also be found in early successional situations, where its growth is very rapid. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Because of its abundance and heavy acorn crops, this is the champion bottomland species for wildlife in our region. Its acorns are preferred by white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrels, and waterfowl, especially wood ducks. The small size makes acorns especially attractive to wintering songbirds and woodpeckers; red-headed woodpeckers are sometimes spectacularly abundant in pin oak bottoms and flats. One might think that the propensity of dead limbs to remain on the tree would increase nesting cover value, but this does not seem to be the case. However, the characteristic marcescence (retaining dead leaves in winter) of younger trees provides valuable winter protective and thermal cover for roosting songbirds and raptors.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, pin oak is the easiest oak to find in nurseries. The main reason is that its root system is not as deep (due to its shallow tap root), and it thus is more easily transplanted than many oak species. It is probably overused as an ornamental, but it is very attractive in the landscape, nonetheless. Areas with high soil pH should be avoided, as trees in such soils become chlorotic and eventually die. It is resistant to air pollution and salt.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Northern pin oak (Q. ellipsoidalis) leaves are a bit larger. Acorns are shaped like a spinning top with a thick, deep cap. It is found on dry sites.

—Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) leaves have C-shaped sinuses, unlike the U-shape of pin. Acorns are larger with a thick, deep cap.

—Nuttall’s oak (Q. texana) range overlaps with pin in the Mississippi River Valley. It does not retain lower limbs.

Leaves have 5 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes with deep sinuses that nearly reach the midrib. They are bright green, shiny, and smooth above, paler and smooth beneath. Trees, especially those that are young, commonly retain their leaves through winter.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is small, up to ½ inch long and often strongly striped. The cap is thin and saucer-shaped and barely grasps the nut. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are sharply pointed and angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish brown and smooth. Twigs are brownish, slender, shiny, and smooth.

Mature bark is thin for an oak, gray-brown, and smooth. With age it develops scaly, broad ridges separated by shallow fissures.

willow oak

Quercus phellos Linnaeus

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves simple, thick, linear with entire margins, bright green above, paler and smooth beneath; acorn tiny, ½ inch long with small, shallow cap; bark dark gray with shallow fissures separating the rough, often scaly ridges

Willow oak has leaves similar to those of shingle oak, Q. imbricaria. Both are grouped with the red oaks, but it is hard to tell from the leaves. The red oaks usually have numerous bristle tips at the end of the lobes, but willow and shingle have a single bristle at the very tip of the leaves.

Form and Size: Willow oak is a medium-sized to large tree, from 80 to 100 feet in height. Compared to most oaks, it can grow quickly, especially on good sites, and can live to 300 years of age. Open-grown trees have a pyramidal crown when young that develops into a spreading, oval shape with age. Its crown is comprised of numerous, tiny limbs, similar to pin oak.

Habitat: Willow oak is a wet-site species that is adaptable to a variety of moisture regimes. It is generally found on well-drained, bottomland sites as well as on poorly drained clay soils in the southern extremes of our region. Growth is best in well-drained soils. It is intolerant of shade, but tolerates fall flooding after it is dormant.

Wildlife Uses: The wildlife values of this species are very similar to its site-associated congener, the cherrybark oak. Willow oak occurs principally in bottomlands and produces regular and often heavy acorn crops. Its small acorns are used by waterfowl, songbirds and woodpeckers, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, and the usual assortment of rodents and other mammals.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, willow oak is extensively used as an ornamental in the South, but handles Midwestern winters fairly well. Its fine-textured foliage and large, oval crown are impressive. Like shingle oak, it will often retain its leaves into the winter after they have turned a yellowish brown. It is tolerant of air pollution and has a more fibrous root system than most oaks, which makes transplanting easier. Availability in nurseries is fairly common south of Indiana.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Shingle oak is the only other “northern” oak with entire leaf margins. Its leaves are at least twice as wide and tough with hairy undersides.

—There are several southern oaks with mostly entire leaf margins that may be planted north of their natural range, including laurel (Q. laurifolia), water (Q. nigra—often lobed), and live oaks (Q. virginiana).

Leaves are only up to 4 inches long and lance-shaped. They have a single bristle tip at the top. Margins are entire or wavy. Leaves are dark green, shiny, thick, and smooth above, paler beneath.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (right) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (left) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Acorns are up to ½ inch long and often striped and hairy before maturity. The cap is thin and saucer-shaped, enclosing only ¼ of the nut. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are tiny, pointed, and rarely angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish brown and smooth or fringed with hairs. Twigs are very slender, reddish brown, smooth, and shiny.

Mature bark is deep gray to brown, with ill-defined, broad, rough plates separated by shallow fissures.

northern red oak

Quercus rubra Linnaeus

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, smooth leaves with 7 to 11 lobes, sinuses usually halfway to midrib, dull dark green above, paler beneath; buds not hairy; acorn large, to 1½ inches long, and barrel-shaped; bark dark brown with continuous, wide gray “ski-tracks” running the length of the tree, blocky at base on old trees; inner bark pinkish red

Northern red oak has the most northerly range, as well as one of the largest natural ranges, of any red oak. It is the most important oak in the timber industry. In Europe, it is the most popular “exotic” tree planted because of its fast growth rate. White oak, Q. alba, and northern red are the most common oaks in the Midwest. The long, gray stripes, or “ski tracks,” on the bark of northern red are easy to spot when one is walking in the woods.

Form and Size: Northern red oak is generally a medium-sized tree to 80 feet in height, although trees can become much taller. It is fast-growing and can live to 300 years of age. Open-grown trees have broad, symmetrical, low crowns. Forest trees have clear trunks for a great distance, with small, rounded crowns.

Habitat: Northern red oak is found on a wide variety of sites with a large number of associated tree species. Its best growth occurs on rich, moist, well-drained sites. It is intermediate in shade tolerance, although it tends to be more tolerant than other oak species.

Wildlife Uses: Among our common oaks, the northern red likely has the lowest wildlife value. Its acorns are usually sufficiently large to discourage use by smaller species and are low in preference for larger acorn-feeders. Additionally, northern red is a notoriously undependable producer, tending to have bumper crops separated by 3 to 5 years of little or no production. However, this species has a more northerly distribution in our region than any other oak, and in the northern environs, acorns are relished, when available, by porcupines, black bear, and white-tailed deer that are building fat reserves for the winter.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, northern red is one of our easier native oaks to purchase through nurseries. Its large size and crown provide dense shade. Leaves usually turn red in the fall, but may show only a yellowish brown fall foliage. Acorns are large and may be considered messy. It is tolerant of air pollution and salt, but will not survive flooding.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black oak (Q. velutina) leaves have broader and often very shallow lobes, especially on the shade leaves. Buds are densely hairy. Acorn caps are shaggy. “Ski-tracks” are only on the upper half of tree. It is usually a dry-site tree. Inner bark color is yellow.

—Shumard oak (Q. shumardii) has broader lobes with more bristle tips. Acorns are very similar but not as wide. “Ski-tracks” are narrow and not continuous.

Leaves have 7 to 11 bristle-tipped lobes. Sinuses usually reach halfway to the midrib. The upper surface is dull green and smooth and slightly paler beneath.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is large, up to 1½ inches long, and barrel-shaped. The cap is shallow, and has flat, appressed scales. The bottom of the nut is concave.

The clustered terminal buds are blunt-tipped and angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish brown and smooth. Twigs are moderately stout, reddish brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is dark brown with gray, flat-topped, continuous, wide ridges resembling “ski tracks” that are nearly always visible no matter the age of the tree. With age, the lower bark can become quite blocky and nearly black. Inner bark is reddish.

Shumard oak

Quercus shumardii Buckley

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, shiny, smooth leaves with 7 to 9 rather broad lobes with numerous bristle tips, yellow-green, smooth beneath; buds straw-colored; acorns 1¼ inches long, cap thick; bark dark, thick, with grayish, broken “ski-tracks” separated by dark furrows

Shumard oak is often difficult to distinguish from northern red. It is not nearly as common in the Midwest, but it is found with other moisture-loving tree species. Shumard is much more common in southern forests, where it becomes an amazingly large tree—considered by some to be the largest oak in the eastern United States.

Form and Size: Shumard has been measured at 200 feet in height and 8 feet in diameter, but is generally a much smaller tree in the Midwest, commonly 60 to 80 feet. It is fast-growing and can live 200 years or more. Forest-grown trees have a clear, straight trunk with a narrow pyramidal or rounded crown. Open-grown trees have broad crowns. The base is often buttressed or fluted.

Habitat: Shumard is considered a bottomland species and occurs in well-drained areas along streams and on floodplains. It tolerates poorly drained, swampy areas as well. Shumard can be found on more upland slopes and is considered drought-tolerant. It is very intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: In our region this species occurs on more moist or occasionally bottomland sites where a full range of wildlife species makes use of its acorns. It is similar in many respects to northern red oak, except that acorn production is somewhat more regular and wildlife preference for acorns is generally higher. Its medium-sized nuts are regularly taken by white-tailed deer, wild turkey, tree squirrels, and occasionally waterfowl. Songbirds and woodpeckers generally prefer acorns from smaller-seeded co-occurring congeners, such as cherrybark and pin oak.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, Shumard is a fast-growing, dense-shade tree for a large landscape. It has interesting striped bark and usually red fall color. Acorns are rather large and could be considered messy. Little information is available about its ability to tolerate urban environs, because it seems to be completely unknown in nurseries, especially in the Midwest.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Northern red oak (Q. rubra) leaves are not as deeply lobed and have fewer bristle tips. Buds are reddish brown. Acorns are larger and broader. Bark has wide, continuous “ski-tracks.”

—Black oak (Q. velutina) leaf sinuses are usually not deep (can be very deep) and often have 5 lobes. Buds are densely hairy. Acorn is smaller, and “ski-tracks” are only in upper part of tree.

Leaves have 7 to 9 bristle-tipped lobes. The lobes have more bristle tips than other red oaks. Sinuses are fairly deep and thumb-shaped. The surface is dark green, smooth, and shiny and yellowish green beneath.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Fruit is up to 1¼ inches long and similar to those of northern red oak but more oblong. Caps enclose about ¼ of the nut’s length. The cap is shallow, saucer-shaped, and broadly convex. Northern red oak cap is usually flat. Cap scales are appressed and often have pale hairs. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are sharply pointed and usually angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are tannish or straw-colored with pale margins. Scales can be smooth or hairy. Twigs are slender, gray-brown, and smooth.

Mature bark is thick and broken into grayish brown, narrow “ski tracks” that are separated by deep, broken fissures. The gray “ski tracks” frequently present in this species closely resemble those of the northern red oak but are less continuous. Bases of older trees are often fluted.

post oak

Quercus stellata Wangenheim

Family: Fagaceae (white oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, thick, dark green leaves with 5 lobes—the middle set rather squared on the outer edges, giving the leaf the shape of a crucifix—densely hairy beneath; buds reddish and hairy; acorns tiny, ⅔ inch long with cap covering ⅓ of its length; bark thick, reddish brown and blocky ridges

Post oak, also known as iron oak, was recognized by pioneers for having tough, durable, but knotty wood. It was used for fence posts and railroad cross ties. Post oak usually grows on the poorest of soils and is often stunted and becomes gnarled over time. Its leaves occasionally lack the distinctive central cross and look very much like those of white oak (Q. alba), but its buds are always hairy.

Form and Size: Post oak is a small to medium-sized tree, commonly 40 to 50 feet in height. It is slow-growing and can live 300 years or longer. Its stout, gnarled, twisted branches form a broad, round-topped crown. It can be shrubby on extremely dry, rocky sites.

Habitat: Post oak is commonly found on dry, wooded ridges with shallow, nutrient-poor soils. It often grows in barrens associated with blackjack oak. In the lower Wabash Valley area it is found in moist soils with pin, swamp chestnut, and cherrybark oaks, where it attains its greatest size. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Post oak is a valuable wildlife species in the southern portion of our region; its rather small acorn is highly preferred by the full range of typical users. Its acorn has long been considered one of the most important wild turkey foods in the eastern United States. Its thick, horizontal branches on edge-grown trees are favorite nest sites for several species of songbirds, including eastern wood-pewees and summer tanagers. The trunks of large trees are frequently hollow, providing den sites for a variety of animals.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, post oak is virtually unknown in the nursery trade, but it is easy to germinate. It has bark that is similar to white oak, and interesting, horizontal branching with leaves clustered along the tops of limbs. Fall leaf color is usually a golden yellow-brown. It is extremely drought-resistant and tolerates salt. Post oak is a good choice for a small, dry area in the landscape.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—White oak leaves lack the squared central pair of lobes and has smooth buds and twigs. Acorns are much larger. Bark is similar.

—Farther south, several species (or varieties, depending on which author you read) have similar leaves and habitat, including sand post oak, Q. margaretta, and swamp post oak, Q. similis.

Leaves are about 6 inches long and usually 5-lobed. The middle 2 lobes are square and opposite each other, giving the leaf a crucifix look. Leaves are thick, leathery, and dark green above, usually densely hairy beneath. They are clustered along the top of twigs and branches, a unique characteristic visible for some distance. The marcescent leaves often persist on the tree through the winter.

Flowers appear in April with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

Acorns are small, to ⅔ inch long, dark brown, and often striped. The warty cap encloses the acorn for about ⅓ of its length. Fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are round in cross section and blunt-tipped. The numerous, overlapping scales are reddish brown with pale or tawny hairs. Twigs are tannish gray and hairy, especially on the new growth.

Mature bark is similar to that of white oak, but without the plates. It is often reddish brown, with shorter ridges than white oak, broken by more definite, deep fissures.

Nuttall’s oak

Quercus texana Buckley

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves simple, 5- to 7-lobed (lobes broader than pin oak), dull green above and paler below, tufts of hairs along the lower midrib; acorn about 1 inch long, half the nut enclosed by deep, top-shaped cap; bark similar to pin oak, but tree self prunes, leaving no lower limbs; wet sites mainly in the lower Mississippi River Valley

Nuttall’s oak was until recently referred to as Q. nuttallii, but the specific name was changed based on historical precedent. A recognized common name is now Texas red oak. It is the southern equivalent of pin oak and reaches its northernmost range in extreme southern Illinois on Horseshoe Lake Island.

Form and Size: Nuttall’s oak is a medium-sized tree, commonly reaching 80 feet in height, but it can become larger. It is fast-growing and is fairly long-lived. Forest-grown trees have a tall, clear trunk and a well-developed crown with a strong central leader. Reportedly, Nuttall’s can begin acorn production as early as 5 years.

Habitat: Nuttall’s is a wet-site species found mainly in poorly drained clay flats in the tributaries of the lower Mississippi River. It makes very rapid growth for an oak when given full sun, but will tolerate partial shade.

Wildlife Uses: Nuttall’s oak barely occurs in our region, so its overall importance to our wildlife is low; however, in bottomlands where it does occur, it has high wildlife value. Its moderate-sized acorn is highly palatable to most users, including dabbling ducks, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer. Sound acorns occasionally remain on trees well into the winter and, even when the bottomland is flooded, acorns are available to gray squirrels, wintering red-headed woodpeckers, and other arboreal species.

Landscaping Value: Nuttall’s is hardy to Zone 6, but is not generally planted in the Midwest. It is used as a landscape tree in the South, where it grows rapidly and provides good shade from its full crown (compared to the pyramidal crown of pin oak). Fall color is brown. It tolerates a wide range of soil pH and can survive many months of flooding. Planting it near a wet area would be ideal, but reportedly it will tolerate drier, more upland sites as well. Being able to purchase Nuttall’s from any midwestern nursery is doubtful, but collected seeds germinate easily.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Pin oak (Q. palustris) is similar in nearly every aspect. The lobes of its leaves tend to be narrower, buds are without hairs, fruit are tiny with shallow caps, trunk not self-pruning.

—Shumard oak (Q. shumardii) leaves have very broad upper lobes with thumb-shaped sinuses and more numerous bristle tips. Fruit is broader and bark is darker with silvery “ski-tracks.”

Leaves are up to 8 inches long with 5 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes. Sinuses are deep, especially below the second pair of lobes (from the tip), which are the broadest. Leaves are dull green and smooth, except for tufts of hairs in the axils of the main veins beneath.

Nuttall’s oak tolerates lengthy flooding—more so than most any other oak.

Fruit is variable in shape and size, especially as you move from north to south through its range. They are generally 1 inch long and oblong with brownish stripes before maturity. The deep, top-shaped cap encloses ½ the length of the nut. Acorns ripen in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are blunt-tipped and somewhat angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are straw-colored and smooth or slightly hairy. Twigs are gray when mature and smooth.

Mature bark is very much like that of pin oak. It has thin, gray-ish brown, smooth bark with broad plates separated by shallow fissures. Unlike the pin oak, it self-prunes, and the trunk is clear of dead limbs.

black oak

Quercus velutina Lamarck

Family: Fagaceae (red oak group)

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, shiny leaves with 5 to 7 bristle-tipped lobes, sinuses deep or shallow, hairy beneath; buds gray, hairy; acorns ¾ inch long, often striped, with shaggy cap; bark dark, nearly black with thick, blocky ridges; inner bark sulfur-yellow

Black oak is nearly as common as white and northern red oak in the Midwest. Early weavers used to extract the yellow color from the inner bark for use as a dye. Leaves on the same tree are often of very different shapes, which leads to confusion in identification. The lower shade leaves often have very shallow sinuses, while those in the upper canopy usually have deep sinuses.

Form and Size: Black oak is usually a medium-sized tree to 60 feet, although it can attain heights of 100 feet on good sites. Forest-grown trees have tall, clear trunks with thick limbs creating an irregular, rounded crown. On poor sites the tree often has a limby trunk. It has a moderate growth rate and has a medium life span, reaching a maximum age of around 200 years.

Habitat: Black oak is most commonly found on dry ridges and upper slopes. With site disturbance, it may occur on moist, well-drained soils, where it attains its greatest size. On these moist sites black oak often begins seed production at 20 years of age. It is intermediate in shade tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: The black oak is unremarkable in any individual wildlife value but is satisfactory in all. It is a consistent producer of medium-sized acorns that have average preference among users. This combination, however, means that black oak acorns are frequently the mid-to-late-winter staple among many species of wildlife—from mice to wild turkey. When it grows on poor sites, which it often does, the species tends to lose limbs to wind and disease, and the cavities that often result through fungal or woodpecker activity supply important nest sites for avian and mammalian secondary cavity users.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, black oak is yet another native oak that is rarely offered by nurseries. Its mature bark is nearly black and stands out in the fall when the leaves turn deep yellow. It is very tolerant of dry sites, yet grows well in moist, well-drained soils. Black oak tolerates salt but does only moderately well in high ozone areas. Though considered a dry-site species, it does not survive extremely droughty conditions.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Northern red oak (Q. rubra) leaves are smooth and usually have more lobes. Acorns are larger with shallow caps. “Ski-tracks” on bark run length of tree.

—Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) leaves are deeply sinused and often mistaken for black oak upper canopy (sun) leaves, but scarlet leaves are smooth (hairless). Acorns are wide with concentric rings at the tips and knobby, deep caps.

Leaf shape can be variable on black oak. They generally have 5 to 7 shallow lobes that are bristle-tipped. The sinuses are usually halfway to the midrib or less. Shade leaves in the lower canopy have much shallower sinuses, with broader lobes. They are thick, dark green, and shiny above and often hairy beneath. It can retain its leaves into winter.

Flowers appear in April and May with the leaves. Male flowers (left) hang downward in clusters; the inconspicuous females (right) are in tiny spikes in the axils of the new leaves.

The fruit is an acorn up to ¾ inch long. They are often striped and lightly hairy. The nut is enclosed halfway by a shaggy-scaled, top-shaped cap. The meat is yellow and bitter, and fruit ripens in the fall.

The clustered terminal buds are pointed and angled in cross section. The numerous, overlapping scales are covered with dense tan-gray hairs. Twigs are reddish brown and smooth by maturity.

Mature bark is thick, nearly black with blocky, vertical ridges on the lower trunk. “Ski-tracks,” if visible, are in the upper half of the tree only (compared to other red oaks, which keep tracks lower on the trunk). Inner bark is a sulfury yellow.

Carolina buckthorn

Rhamnus caroliniana Walter

Family: Rhamnaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, shiny leaves with prominent veins, finely toothed margins and pale under-side; leaf stalk hairy; bud feather-like, brown, densely hairy; fruit black when ripe, fleshy; bark smooth, gray, blotchy; small, understory tree

Carolina buckthorn is the Midwest’s only tree-size buckthorn. It never becomes large, but it can reach 40 feet in the South. It is truly underappreciated as an ornamental, because its rich, lustrous, dark green foliage stands out all summer; then, when the fruit begins to ripen in midsummer, it changes from green to red, and finally to black, contrasting nicely with the foliage.

Form and Size: Carolina buckthorn is a small tree (often only shrubby) that is usually no more than 30 feet tall in the Midwest. It has a small, straight trunk with slender branches making up an open crown. It is slow-growing and probably short-lived.

Habitat: Carolina buckthorn is found in open woods and woods’ edges and is adaptable to a variety of soil moisture conditions. It is frequently found on rocky ridges as well as in rich bottomlands. It prefers calcareous soils. Though considered shade-tolerant, it grows well in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: This native buckthorn of the southern part of our region has very little wildlife value. It produces relatively few fruits (compared to several invasive exotic buckthorns) that ripen in late summer but often remain on the tree into winter—suggesting low preference by birds and small mammals. Some browsing by deer and rabbit has been reported, but we believe most of these result from generalizations from wildlife use of several western Rhamnus. Growth form is usually too lanky to supply many songbird nesting sites.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, Carolina buckthorn should be used as an ornamental, but unfortunately is rarely available, even through nurseries specializing in natives. It tolerates a fair amount of shade, has striking foliage and beautiful, shiny black fruit. Only a small area in the yard is needed for this demure tree. Fall color is orange-brown. Seed germination is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—This is a southern species that is found in the woodland understory or edge. Its dark leaves with their prominent veins and the nearly black berries are quite unique.

Several exotic Rhamnus species occur in many areas of the Midwest. They can grow to 20 feet tall but tend to form thickets and are multi-trunked. Leaves of R. frangula (glossy buckthorn) and R. cathartica (common buckthorn) are ovate and no more than 3 inches long. Buds of R. cathartica have imbricate scales. Buds of R. frangula, and fruits of both are similar to Carolina buckthorn’s.

Leaves are oblong, distinctly veined, and up to 6 inches long. The margins are finely serrate and the tip is sharply pointed. They are dark green and shiny above, pale beneath. The leaf stalk is hairy.

Flowers are perfect, which is unusual for a Rhamnus. The tiny white flowers, only ¼ inch long, appear in clusters at the nodes in July.

Fruit is fleshy, sweet but dry, and up to ⅓ inch in diameter. As they ripen, they turn from light green to red and finally to nearly black. They are on short stalks and ripen in early fall. Each fruit contains 2 to 4 tiny seeds.

The terminal bud is elongate and covered with dense, tawny hairs. There are no bud scales. Twigs are slender, reddish brown at first, but gray and smooth at maturity. Lateral buds are much smaller, and leaf scars have 3 bundle scars.

Mature bark is thin, ashy-gray and smooth. It often has dark blotches or lichen patches along the trunk. With age is can develop shallow fissures at the base.

peachleaf willow

Salix amygdaloides Andersson

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, lance-shaped, bright green leaves with finely toothed margins, whitish beneath; bud with a single yellow scale, smooth, shiny; fruit yellowish, in a cluster of capsules; bark thin, brownish with wide, flat ridges, shaggy-looking

Peachleaf willow is one of the small tree-sized willows native to the eastern U.S. Deciding between what is a tree and what is a shrub is often difficult, and there are several willow species that can reasonably be placed in either—peachleaf fits this category. Peachleaf acquired its common name from the fact that its leaves resemble those of a peach tree.

Form and Size: Peachleaf willow is a shrub or small tree, often single-stemmed and reaching 40 feet in height. It has a slender, often leaning trunk with a narrow, rounded crown. It is fast-growing and short-lived, rarely surviving past 75 years.

Habitat: Peachleaf willow, like most willows, loves water, and is found in wet woods and sloughs, along streams, and around lake and marsh edges. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This species is quite bushy, and in the wetland edge and wet meadow habitats in which it occurs, it is regularly used for nesting by small songbirds such as alder flycatcher and yellow warbler. Western and northern willows are frequently important browse species for ungulates and lagomorphs, but eastern willows, including peachleaf, are browsed only intermittently by white-tailed deer and cottontails. Beaver regularly cut this species and eat twigs and bark, and ruffed grouse occasionally take buds in winter.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, peachleaf willow is a good landscaping choice for a wet area. It has interesting shaggy bark, 2-toned leaves, and a pretty yellow fall color. Like most willows, it has brittle wood, is short-lived, and is prone to wind and ice damage. It also has several disease and insect problems common to the willows. It is sensitive to salt, ozone, and drought. There are no horticultural varieties available, and it is likely not offered in nurseries. Seeds should be germinated immediately after collection.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Willows in general are troublesome to identify unless time is spent looking at them year-round. Many shrubby species occur throughout the Midwest.

—Black willow (S. nigra) is the most common native, tree-sized willow in the eastern U.S. Its leaves are very narrow and green on both sides with finely serrate margins.

Leaves are up to 5 inches long and elongate, but widest near the middle, resembling the leaf of a peach tree. Margins are finely serrate. Leaves are light to dark green above and nearly white beneath. The leaf stalk is short with no stipules present by maturity.

Flowers are upright, dense, and short-stalked and appear in April before the leaves. Males (right) and females (left) are usually on separate trees.

Fruit is a spike-like cluster about 2½ inches in length, made up of many tiny capsules. Each capsule splits in two and releases many seeds with fluffy pappi.

Twigs are slender and variable in color, from yellow to orange. They are dotted with pale lenticels and are smooth. Buds are yellowish, pointed, and covered with a single, smooth, shiny bud scale.

Mature bark is rather thick, reddish brown with broad, flat, shaggy ridges and irregular fissures. It becomes more gray with age.

black willow

Salix nigra Marshall

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, very narrow, elongate leaves, green on both sides with finely serrate margins; bud with a single reddish brown or yellow scale; fruit a cluster of capsules that release cottony seeds; bark dark brownish with thick, wide, shaggy plates

Black willow is the most common tree-sized willow in the eastern U.S. It seems to occur wherever there is water. Several introduced, tree-sized willows are found in the Midwest. The one most recognized by the casual observer is the weeping, yellow-branched S. x sepulcralis Simonk., which is a hybrid between S. babylonica and S. alba, neither of which is native here. None of our native willows “weep.”

Form and Size: Black willow is usually a small tree, from 30 to 40 feet tall, but it can become much larger. It is fast-growing and short-lived, reaching no more than 85 years. It has a short, crooked or leaning trunk with a spreading, open, irregular crown.

Habitat: Black willow is common in low, wet ground along streams, lakes, ponds, ditches, and marshes. In the Lower Wabash Valley region it frequents old river channels, where it attains its greatest size. Propagation by root sprouts is common. Black willow is used as a soil stabilizer along highly erodible stream banks. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Unlike western and northern willow species, black willow is only occasionally browsed by white-tailed deer and rabbits; ruffed grouse also sometimes eat buds in winter. Thus, black willow’s wildlife value is principally in supplying cover in aquatic habitats. Young saplings, sometimes growing in standing water, are favorite nest sites of red-winged blackbirds; dense young sapling stands along marsh margins attract nesting willow flycatchers and yellow warblers; larger trees are used by yet other species—green-backed herons, yellow-crowned night herons, warbling vireos, eastern kingbirds, and others. Trees rarely live long enough to develop cavities, but dead snags are frequently used by downy and red-bellied woodpeckers and subsequently by prothonotary warblers and tree swallows.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, black willow is not a preferred ornamental. Its branches are brittle and susceptible to wind and ice; therefore, it should never be planted close to a building. It prefers wet sites but is very adaptable to uplands and is actually drought-resistant. A shrubby native species, pussy willow (S. discolor), occasionally reaches bushy tree-size, and is commonly available at nurseries. Black willow is rarely offered through nurseries but is easily grown from seeds if germinated immediately after they ripen.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—No other tree-sized willows have leaves that are green on both top and bottom and have finely toothed margins.

Leaves are narrow with an elongate tip that often curves. They are up to 6 inches long with finely ser-rate margins. There is often a pair of leafy stipules at the base of the short leaf stalk. Leaves are light green and smooth on both sides.

Flowers are slender, upright, and nearly 3 inches long. Males (right) and females (left) usually appear on separate trees in late April into May.

Fruit is a 2½-inch-long cluster of capsules. Each capsule has numerous tiny seeds attached to cottony hairs. Fruit ripens in May and seeds germinate immediately.

Buds are small, flat, and somewhat triangular. They are covered by a single yellowish, greenish, or reddish bud scale that fits over them like a glove. Twigs are extremely slender and brittle, and have various colors similar to the buds. Leaf scars are tiny with 3 bundle scars.

Mature bark is dark brown to nearly black with thick, rough, plate-like, shaggy ridges that often interlace. Fissures are often deep.

sassafras

Sassafras albidum (Nuttall) Nees

Family: Lauraceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves with 3 shapes—entire, 2-lobed and 3-lobed—bright green with pale underside, fragrant; buds and twigs green; fruit deep blue with long, red stalk; bark thick, reddish brown, with horizontal, often silvery ridges; orange inner bark

Sassafras is a common tree in the Midwest except in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. It is one of the easiest trees to identify by its leaves. The 3 shapes resemble a football, a mitten, and a ghost. Older trees usually have only the football-shaped leaf. Bark of the tree roots is still used today to make tea and rootbeer. In pioneer days, it was touted as a panacea and shipped to Europe to cure all ills.

Form and Size: Sassafras can be a large tree, to 90 feet in height, but is commonly much smaller. Its unsymmetrical crown and twisted, upward-reaching branches give sassafras a unique appearance in the landscape. It is relatively fast-growing and long-lived. Trees 1,000 years old have been documented.

Habitat: Sassafras is a pioneer species on disturbed sites. It is a common tree along woods’ edges, fencerows, and in old-fields. It adapts to a wide range of soil types but is very intolerant of shade. Sassafras is often found in clonal thickets that have formed by root sprouting.

Wildlife Uses: When sassafras grows in open or south-facing edges, it produces moderate quantities of fruit that are attractive to humans (aesthetically) and to wildlife. Most fruit-eating birds (e.g., gray catbirds, pileated woodpeckers, wild turkey) eat them regularly, as do most fruit-eating mammals, especially fox squirrels and raccoons. Twigs are occasionally browsed by white-tailed deer and cottontails, but major use is of leaves in summer by deer, which is occasionally substantial. Cover value of sassafras is unremarkable.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, sassafras is highly underrated as an ornamental. It is reportedly difficult to transplant, which is probably the main reason nurseries shy away from it. This myth is due to the fact that people try to dig suckers that have inadequate root systems of their own. Sassafras has year-round interest, from its variably shaped green leaves, which are white underneath, to its amazing fall colors of red, orange, and purple, deep blue fruit on long, red stalks, and reddish brown, thick bark. It is adaptable to almost any site (except extremely wet) and is drought-resistant. Sassafras is rarely found in nurseries, but seed germination is fairly easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red mulberry (Morus rubra) has 3 similar leaf shapes but they are green on both sides, usually rough-textured and have toothed margins. Buds and twigs are not green.

—Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) leaves may be confused with the entire leaves of sassafras. They are shiny and have no scent.

Leaves have 3 distinct shapes. Mature trees usually have the leaf with no lobes, or the “football.” Younger trees will usually have all 3 shapes: the football; the mitten, which has 2 lobes; and the ghost, which has 3 lobes. Margins are entire on all leaf shapes. Leaves are rich green, shiny, and smooth above. The underside is whitish. Crushed leaves have a strong, spicy scent.

Flowers are greenish yellow and appear inconspicuously in April with the leaves. Males (left) and females (right) are on separate trees and they sit upright in clusters.

Fruit is dark blue and berry-like. They are held upright on fleshy, red stalks and resemble a golf ball on a tee. Fruit ripens in the fall.

Buds are the same color as the twigs—green. They have many overlapping green, smooth scales. Twigs are green and smooth and have a strong spicy scent when scraped.

Mature bark is dark reddish brown and deeply fissured. The thick, flat ridges often interlace and appear silvery along the top. Scraping a ridge reveals an orange inner bark, as well as a strong, spicy odor.

American basswood

Tilia americana Linnaeus

Family: Tiliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, heart-shaped leaves with coarsely toothed margins and a long leaf stalk, pale and smooth beneath, leaf base often lopsided; buds red in winter with 2 bud scales that look like a shark face; fruit a nutlet suspended from a long stalk attached to a leafy bract; bark dark gray with flat, vertical ridges

American basswood is a common tree in the Lake States. White basswood, T. americana var. heterophylla, once considered a distinct species, is the southern equivalent and is common in the Appalachians. Its leaves are densely white-hairy beneath. In Europe, this taxon is known as linden or lime trees. Native Americans used basswood for many items including thread, rope, and masks. It is a favorite species for wood carving.

Form and Size: American basswood is a medium-sized tree from 70 to 80 feet in height. It is fast-growing and can live to 200 years of age. It has a long, clear trunk, often containing a crook. The crown is narrow and symmetrical with many slender branches. It sprouts prolifically and commonly has multiple stems surrounding a large tree.

Habitat: Basswood prefers rich, moist, well-drained soils. It is found mixed with other hardwoods on upland wooded slopes. It is a common component of the northern hardwood forests, where it is a valuable timber tree. It is shade-tolerant, especially when young.

Wildlife Uses: In general, American basswood is lightly used by wildlife. It is average in supplying cover for nests. Its fruits (nutlets) are taken by squirrels, chipmunks, and other rodents, but use by birds is very low. Both rabbits and white-tailed deer browse some on winter twigs, and deer occasionally take leaves. The porcupine is an exception to this light use; basswood (foliage) is its most preferred food from midsummer until leaf fall. Basswood honey is highly prized.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, American basswood is usually overlooked in favor of European species and cultivars. There are several selections that have been chosen for their strong central leaders. The tall, dense canopy provides wonderful shade. Its fall color is, at best, a pale yellow. It is resistant to ozone, but will not tolerate salt and drought.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red mulberry (Morus rubra) has similarly shaped leaves, but they usually feel rough to the touch. Fruit is fleshy.

—Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) has similar leaves that have entire margins and leaf blades swollen at both ends. Fruit is a bean-like pod.

Leaves are broadly heart-shaped and up to 7 inches long with finely serrate margins. They are dark green and smooth above, pale and usually smooth beneath. The leaf base is often lopsided and the tip is pointed. The leaf stalk is 2 inches long.

Flowers are perfect and appear in May and early June when the leaves are nearly fully developed. They are whitish yellow, strongly scented, and suspended from a leafy bract on a long stalk.

Basswood fruit is gray, hairy, woody, and nutlike and hangs from a long stalk in clusters from a leafy bract. They fall to the ground with the bract intact in the fall.

Buds are ruby-red with 2 or 3 scales. Turned sideways one of the scales forms a smile and the shape of the bud resembles a shark’s head, so the bud looks like a shark face. Twigs are mostly gray and smooth when mature.

Mature basswood bark is dark brown with narrow, vertical, continuous, flat-topped ridges. The furrows have very straight sides. Young bark is fairly smooth and gray, eventually developing narrow, vertical furrows. Rapping on the tree trunk yields a hollow sound.

Elms

Genus: Ulmus

There are 6 elm species native to the United States; 5 occur in our region. Cedar elm (U. crassifolia) is similar to September elm (U. serotina) and occurs in the Boot Heel of Missouri southward. Our native elms were once important ornamentally until Dutch elm disease eliminated nearly every street and lawn tree in the eastern U.S. and Canada. Exotics, such as Siberian elm (U. pumila) and Chinese elm (U. parvifolia), have been overused as substitutes.

The wood has an attractive grain pattern and is used for furniture. It is flexible and commonly used for the bent parts of rocking chairs. The wood is tough, hard, and resistant to splitting and is often used to make ice hockey sticks.

All of our region’s native elms (except September) flower in early spring prior to leaf flushing; in fact, flower buds often begin to enlarge by late February. It is this feature that defines one of the genus’s major benefits to wildlife. Expanding flower buds of all species are eagerly sought by squirrels (called budding), likely because of their very high protein content, and are a major component of the late winter–early spring diets of fox and gray squirrels. Feeding continues through flowering and seed stages. Mature seeds are also taken from trees by the purple finch and other finches, and after they fall from trees by wood ducks, wild turkey, and small rodents. Early seed production provides food at a time of the year when little else is available. Foliage and young twigs are favorites of white-tailed deer and of woodchucks, which actually climb old-field saplings to forage the leaves. Leaves are taken from spring to fall. Cover value of elms is relatively high compared to most tree taxa. The limb structure, especially of young trees, attracts many nesting songbirds; when old-field trees become multibranched from browsing, they become increasingly attractive to shrubland songbirds. Larger trees—which Dutch elm disease has greatly reduced in number and, thus, in importance to wildlife as a food source—are also well used and were the favored nest site of the Baltimore oriole in years past. Standing dead trees with exfoliating bark are regularly used by nesting brown creepers and are potential sites for Indiana bat maternity colonies. Although the wood is generally very hard, woodpeckers also use elm snags for nest cavities.

All elms have several unique characteristics that help in their identification. Their leaves are usually double-toothed along the margins and lopsided at the base. Their fruit is a flat, winged seed called a samara.

American elm leaves; note the lopsided base and double serrations.

The fruit of a winged elm.

The classic vase-shaped form of the American elm.

The layered bark of an American elm.

winged elm

Ulmus alata Michaux

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaf simple, small for an elm, dark green, smooth or rough on surface, paler and lightly hairy beneath, base lopsided, margin doubly serrate; buds similar to American elm but smaller; twigs strongly winged after second year; fruit an oval, flattened, winged seed covered with hairs, especially on the edge; bark gray-brown with narrow, flat ridges; inner bark 2-toned

Winged elm is one of several native elms that have winged twigs. They all seem to be more susceptible to Dutch elm disease than the non-winged species. In the Midwest, winged elm is almost a stunted tree, commonly growing on poor, dry sites, but in the South, trees are an impressive size and have a vase-shaped crown similar in appearance to that of American elm. It is often planted as a street tree in the South.

Form and Size: In the Midwest, winged elm is a small to mediumsized tree, rarely attaining 50 feet in height. It has a short trunk with numerous spreading branches. It is usually multiply branched, especially on dry sites, where it commonly remains shrubby. Larger trees have less conspicuous corky ridges.

Habitat: Winged elm is commonly found on dry, gravelly, open uplands and is often associated with barrens; however, it is also found on moist, rich bottomlands, where it attains its greatest size. It is probably the least shade-tolerant of all the native elms.

Wildlife Uses: In our region, the winged elm occurs on relatively dry, open sites and is a frequent old-field species; this habitat preference, linked with its somewhat shrubby growth form, makes it a favorite nest tree of shrubland birds such as prairie warblers, orchard orioles, and gray catbirds. Leaves (and associated twigs) are often browsed by white-tailed deer, which produces a bushy growth form and increases the cover value in open-grown saplings. Buds, flowers, and seeds are used by tree squirrels and other traditional elm-using species.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 6, winged elm is an overlooked ornamental in the Midwest. In the South, it becomes large—the national champion in North Carolina is 97 feet tall! But here its compact size, winged branches and twigs, and small leaves that turn yellow in fall make it an attractive possibility. It is very drought-resistant and grows on both moist and dry sites. There is at least 1 cultivar with a weeping form that is not hardy in the Midwest. The odds of finding this species at any midwestern nursery are slim to none, but seeds germinate readily after ripening in the spring.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—American elm (U. americana) most closely resembles winged, but it has no wings on the twigs and branches.

—September elm (U. serotina) is rare in the Midwest. It has winged twigs and larger leaves. It flowers and fruits in the fall.

—Rock elm’s (U. thomasii) range overlaps winged elm in Kentucky and Tennessee. It has larger leaves, and also produces flowers and fruits in the spring.

Leaves are small for an elm, no more than 2½ inches long. They have doubly serrate margins and lopsided bases. Leaves are dark green and smooth to rough on the surface. The underside is paler and hairy.

Flowers are perfect and appear before the leaves in late winter or early spring. They hang in clusters on short stalks, somewhat like those of rock elm.

Fruit is a small, oval, flattened, winged seed only ¼ inch long. They are usually covered with hair and have long hairs on the margin. Fruit ripens and germinates in the spring.

Buds are small, elongate, and sharply pointed. The overlapping scales are light brown and either smooth or hairy. Twigs are slender and brown with scattered orange lenticels. They zigzag from node to node and develop wide wings or corky ridges after their first growing season. There are commonly just 2 wings, which are opposite each other along the twig.

Mature bark is gray-brown with narrow, long, flat ridges with shallow fissures. It can resemble the bark of American elm. Authors report inner bark as having 2-toned layers of tan and brown, also similar to that of American. We have noted more consistently reddish brown layers with only narrow, light-colored separations.

American elm

Ulmus americana Linnaeus

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green, rough leaves with doubly serrate margins and a lopsided base, a bit paler beneath; buds elongate with chestnut-brown, slightly hairy scales; fruit round, flat with hairy margins; bark spongy until mature, tannish gray with thick, interlacing ridges; inner bark 2-toned with light, dark layers

American elm, or white elm, is the most common elm in the eastern U.S. It once was the king of street trees. Trees lining both sides of city streets, with their graceful, spreading crowns like “fountains of foliage,” would meet each other in a vaulted arch, shading the street below. Many a famous elm tree has shared a piece of American history, but all are dead because of an introduced pathogen, Dutch elm disease (DED).

Form and Size: American elm was a large tree, commonly attaining heights over 100 feet. Now it is usually a small tree to around 30 or 40 feet. Large trees are scattered and easily recognized from a distance by their tall, clear trunks, open, spreading crowns, and graceful, drooping limbs that form a vase shape. It often has a buttressed base. Growth is fast on good sites, and it was formerly long-lived. Trees to 400 years old have been documented.

Habitat: American elm is common in moist to wet, rich woods and flood-plains. It makes its best growth in well-drained soils, but is often found in poorly drained flats, where standing water is found in spring and fall. Considered moderately tolerant of shade, American elm is still a common tree, but rarely survives to maturity at 150 years of age because of Dutch elm disease.

Wildlife Uses: American elm has substantial wildlife value. As soon as the flower buds begin to swell in the spring, as early as late February, gray and fox squirrels begin to feed heavily on them, an activity that continues through the periods of flowering and young fruit. Mature seeds, after they fall, are frequently used by small rodents and, when in bottomlands, by wood ducks. Foliage, despite its rough texture, is taken frequently by white-tailed deer and woodchucks. Cover supplied by heavily browsed young American elm in old-fields is important for nesting shrubland birds. Its extreme and continuing susceptibility to Dutch elm disease, Ophiostoma ulmi, regularly produces snags with peeling bark that have many wildlife cover values.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, American elm is not recommended as an ornamental due to its vulnerability to Dutch elm disease. Research in Wisconsin is ongoing to develop resistant trees; currently a promising DED-tolerant variety, U. americana Valley Forge, is available at a few nurseries. Specimen trees can be protected with insecticides (the disease is spread by a beetle) and fungicide injections. Reportedly, individual trees build an increasing resistance over time to the disease. Fall color is a pretty yellow.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Rock elm (U. thomasii) is most similar to American. Its buds spread away from the twig and corky ridges are usually present. Fruit is barely winged and hairy all over.

—Red elm (U. rubra) leaves are larger and extremely sand-papery. Buds are more rounded and blackish brown.

Leaves are somewhat egg-shaped and up to 6 inches long. They have a lopsided base and pointed tip with doubly ser-rate margins. They are dark green and smooth to rough above and paler beneath.

Flowers appear very early, late February in our southern regions, before the leaves. They are perfect and in clusters on long stalks. They have no petals.

Fruit is a rounded, flattened, winged seed that has hairs only on the margins of the wings with a deeply notched tip. It matures and germinates in the spring.

American elm buds are elon-gated and pointed. They are covered with overlapping, chestnut-brown scales that are often lightly hairy. Twigs are slender and brown and zigzag from node to node. Larger flower buds are often visible by midwinter. Lateral leaf buds tend to lie against the twig.

Mature American elm bark is tan-colored and usually spongy to the touch. Inner bark has 2-toned dark and light layers. It is a common small tree. Old tree bark is thick, hard, interlacing, and gray.

slippery elm

Ulmus rubra Muhlenberg

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, large, very rough, dark green leaves with doubly serrate margins; buds more rounded than most elms with black and brown, lightly hairy scales; twigs gray, sand-papery; fruit round, winged, flat, not hairy; bark thick, grayish brown with non-continuous, vertical ridges and narrow fissures; inner bark reddish brown

Slippery elm is commonly called red elm because of the color of its wood, which is reddish brown. The name “slippery” stems from the oozing, mucilaginous “slime” that appears from the inner bark when cut. When Prince Maximilian of Germany arrived in New Harmony, Indiana, in 1832, he found the locals extracting the gluey substance for use in poultices, and as a cure for cholera. It is still sold today.

Form and Size: Red elm is a medium-sized tree commonly reaching 60 feet in height. It is moderately fast growing and lives to an age of 200 years. It has a clear trunk for half the height of the tree with a spreading, irregular, flat-topped crown and more upright branches than American elm.

Habitat: Red elm is common in rich, moist, well-drained woods and is found along streams and near the base of slopes. It can also be found on drier, limestone soils. It is less susceptible to Dutch elm disease than American elm and does not tolerate shade.

Wildlife Uses: Slippery elm is used by wildlife in much the same way as American elm. In spring its swelling buds are larger, more globose, and hairier than those of American, but they seem to be used similarly by tree squirrels.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, slippery elm is a good choice for a native elm in the landscape. It grows quite large, has large, sand-papery leaves that turn yellow in the fall, and has unusual, spongy bark. Its crown is not dense, so shade is rather filtered. It is tolerant of dry sites. Elms in general have shallow root systems, making transplanting easy, but because of these shallow roots, they can become a problem when a tree is planted too close to a sidewalk. Elms are susceptible to several serious diseases besides Dutch elm, including elm yellows and elm mosaic. Availability in nurseries is rare, but seed germination is easy when they are planted just after they ripen in the spring.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—American elm (U. americana) has smaller leaves (usually) that are less sand-papery (usually). Buds are more elongate and brown, with brown, slender twigs. Bark has 2-toned, light-dark layering.

—Rock elm (U. thomasii) leaves, twigs and buds are like those of American. Bark is 2-toned as well.

—September elm (U. serotina) has smaller, hairy or smooth leaves, prominent white dots on the smooth, brown twigs, and moderately 2-toned bark. Flowers and fruit appear in the fall.

Leaves are large for an elm, up to 7 inches long. The margins are doubly serrate, the base is lopsided, and the tip can be more elongate than most other elms. They are dark green, thick, and rough above, paler and hairy beneath.

Flowers are perfect and appear as early as late February in our southern regions. They are in clusters on short stalks and have no petals.

Fruit is a round, flat, winged seed that ripens and germinates in the spring. It is hairy only on the outside of the seed cavity. The wing is notched at the tip.

Buds are ovate and abruptly sharp. The overlapping scales are black with orange-brown hairy tips. Twigs are stout for an elm and gray. They are usually covered with stiff, rough hairs. In winter, lateral buds can be of two kinds—leaf buds or the much larger, rounded flower buds.

Mature bark is brownish with thick, non-continuous, vertical ridges and plates separated by narrow fissures. Bark tends to be spongy, especially on young trees. Inner bark has a layered look, but is red throughout, not 2-toned.

September elm

Ulmus serotina Sargent

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, rather small leaves for an elm, usually smooth but can be slightly hairy, yellow-green, margin doubly serrate, base lopsided; buds oval, dark brown, smooth; twigs brown, shiny, smooth, dotted with white lenticels, can be winged; fruits oblong, hairy, appear in fall (unlike most elms); bark gray-brown with scaly, flat ridges; inner bark lightly 2-toned

September elm has a very restricted range in the Midwest, and the smallest natural range of any eastern elm. It can be mistaken for American elm by its similar form, but it is smaller and has smaller leaves. By July, tiny clusters of flower buds can be found on the underside of branches, which instantly tells you this is not American elm.

Form and Size: September elm is a medium-sized tree up to 70 feet in height. It is often mistaken for American elm because its form is similar, with a spreading, broad, open crown. It is probably fairly fast-growing on good sites. There are no data on the longevity of the species.

Habitat: September elm is found sporadically in alluvial soils along rivers and streams, as well as on dry, limestone hills. It is probably intolerant of shade, like most of the elms.

Wildlife Uses: September elm has many of the same wildlife cover benefits as American and slippery elm. However, as the name implies, it flowers at a completely different time, in September, with seed production in late September and October. Its general value to, and utilization by, squirrels is greatly diminished, because production is at a time when a myriad of other fruits and seeds are available. Seeds are still taken by the usual complement of seed eaters, including ruffed grouse, wild turkey, tree squirrels and other rodents.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, this elm has limited landscaping value, simply because its scarcity in nature results in commercial unavailability. Its spreading, pendulous crown would be a welcome addition to any landscape. It is adaptable to a range of dry to moist sites and, like most other elms, probably transplants easily, due to a shallow root system. Seeds need prechilling for 90 days before sowing.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Rock elm (U. thomasii) has larger, rougher, dark green leaves with corky twigs. It has similar, pale, 2-toned inner bark. Flowers and fruit appear in the spring.

—American elm (U. americana) has larger, often rough, dark green leaves. Twigs have no corky ridges. Flowers and fruit appear in spring. Bark has distinct, 2-toned layers.

Leaves are up to 4 inches long, yellow-green, smooth, and shiny above and pale beneath. The midrib and veins underneath are hairy. Leaf margins are doubly serrate and the leaf base is lopsided.

Flowers are in long, open, jointed racemes 1½ inches long. The flowers are perfect and appear in September, when nearly all other trees are producing fruit.

Fruit is oblong, flattened, and barely winged, with long, silvery hairs along the margins. It ripens in November.

Buds are similar to those of American elm but the chestnut-brown scales are smooth. Twigs are slender, smooth (usually), pendulous, shiny, brown, and dotted with pale lenticels. They can be winged, but not always.

Mature bark is light brown with a reddish tint with broad, flat, scaly ridges separated by shallow fissures. Inner bark is lightly 2-toned.

rock elm

Ulmus thomasii Sargent

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, dark green leaves, smooth or sand-papery, margin doubly serrate, base lopsided, underside paler and often hairy; buds elongate and brown with white hairs on the scale margins and brown hairs on the outer surface of scales; buds swing away from twig; twigs often with corky ridges; fruit oval, barely winged, hairy all over, in racemes; bark gray-brown with thick, wide, vertical ridges; inner bark 2-toned

Rock elm, also known as cork elm, is a rare tree in the lower Midwest but is more common as you move farther north into the Lake States. Its common name is attributable to the fact that its wood is extremely strong. Before the days of chainsaws, woodsmen used to prefer axe handles made from rock elm, and today it is made into hockey sticks. It is the most uncharacteristic of the elms in terms of its form. It has a very narrow, undivided crown. Trees are often very difficult to distinguish from American elm if the corky ridges are not present.

Form and Size: Rock elm is a medium-sized to large tree, occasionally reaching 90 feet in height. It is slow-growing and lives to about 200 years of age. Its form is very un-elmlike, with an undivided trunk well into the narrow, upright crown.

Habitat: Rock elm is an elm of dry, upland sites and is often found on ridges and limestone outcrops. It can also be found in moist, well-drained woods in association with sugar maple and American beech. Rock elm is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Rock elm occasionally grows on rich sites, and when it does its use by wildlife closely mimics that of American elm. However, it often grows on dry upland sites in semi-open situations; when in this context, it tends to form more substantial corky ridges, which enhances its attractiveness to nesting songbirds. Among others, rose-breasted grosbeaks, least flycatchers and eastern wood-pewees select these saplings and small trees for nest sites. Use of browse by white-tailed deer and snowshoe hare occurs but is limited.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 2, rock elm is another native elm susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Its narrow crown provides little shade, but it has unusual corky twigs, interesting, thick, gray, interlacing bark, and a pretty yellow fall color. Dutch elm disease usually does not affect smaller trees, so it may be worth the effort. It is easy to transplant because of a shallow root system and easy to grow from seed collected in the spring. It is drought-resistant. No cultivars are available, and nurseries do not carry this species.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—American elm (U. americana) has similar leaves, twigs, buds and bark, but no corky ridges on the older twigs.

—Slippery elm (U. rubra) has larger, very rough leaves with red inner bark.

—September elm (U. serotina) has somewhat smaller leaves that are usually smooth, or lightly hairy. It flowers and fruits in fall. Twigs are often corky. Its range overlaps rock elm mainly in central Tennessee.

Leaves are very much like those of American elm. They are commonly 4 inches long with doubly ser-rate margins and lopsided bases. They are dark green and smooth to rough above. The underside is a bit paler and hairy, especially along the veins.

Flowers are perfect and appear as early as late February in our southern regions. They are in long, loose pendulous racemes. This is much different from the flowers of American elm, which rock elm otherwise so closely resembles.

Fruit is an oval, flattened, winged seed that is completely covered with hairs. The seed cavity is not distinct, like those of other elms, and the margin is wavy. Fruit ripens and germinates in the spring.

Buds are elongate and pointed. They are covered with several overlapping, chestnut-brown scales that have white hairs along the margins and rusty hairs on their outer surface. Twigs are slender and brown with zigzagging growth form from node to node. They develop corky ridges on twigs 2 or more years of age, but are often difficult to find. The lateral buds diverge away from twigs.

Mature bark is gray-brown with thick, interlacing, flat ridges that are spongy. The ridges are separated by deep furrows. Older trees shed the thick lower bark and become scaly and mottled, a feature similar to American elm. Inner bark is 2-toned, but not distinctly so, as with American.

Alternate, Compound

devils-walkingstick

Aralia spinosa Linnaeus

Family: Araliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; doubly compound leaves, over 3 feet in length, leaflets many, leaf stalk and even leaflets armed with prickles; leaflet margins finely toothed; twigs, branches, trunk with large, stout prickles; bud large, brown, papery; large leaf scars, shelf-like with a long row of bundle scars; fruit purple, juicy in a large head

Devils-walkingstick, also referred to as Hercules-club, is a unique-looking tree. It is very painful to the touch with its stout, sharp prickles that often line the trunk. Accidentally grabbing the trunk while walking through the woods is an unforgettable experience that will probably leave the grabber a bit punctured. In the early days, inner bark was “rolled to the size of a bean” and placed on an aching tooth to relieve the pain.

Form and Size: Devils-walkingstick is a large shrub to small tree. In the Midwest it is commonly 18 to 20 feet tall with a single, small trunk supporting a few-branched crown. In the South, it has been reported as tall as 35 feet. It is fast-growing and short-lived and commonly suckers from the root system, forming small, clonal colonies.

Habitat: Devils-walkingstick is generally found on dry, open woods on ridges and slopes. It may be found occasionally in moist, low woods and seems very tolerant of a variety of moisture regimes. It tolerates some degree of shade, but needs full sun for reproduction, where it grows quickly, up to 8 feet in a single growing season.

Wildlife Uses: This unusual small tree has its principal value for wildlife in its small black fruit, which in some years and locations is produced in prodigious quantities. Fruit is eaten by foxes, raccoons, and squirrels (including chipmunks), but its principal value is to songbirds. The species produces flowers and fruits quite late in the season, so that fruits are available for migrating thrushes and warblers in addition to resident fruit-eating species. There is some browsing on leaves by deer. Devils-walkingstick, because of its linear, almost branchless structure, has little cover value, which seems strange given its formidable armament.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, devils-walkingstick was once used as an ostentatious specimen tree because of its many unusual characteristics. In late July through August, the huge heads of white flowers put on quite a show. By September, the heads droop from the weight of large quantities of fruit. You may not want this prickly tree in an area where children play. This species is very adaptable to almost any location but stems may die over winter. However, it responds vigorously the following spring, sending up new stems from the root system. Availability through nurseries is doubtful, but establishment from root stock is easy.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—There is nothing else quite like devils-walkingstick until you head west (or north to Isle Royale), where a similar-looking species, Oplopanax horridum, occurs. It has the same menacing appearance.

Leaves are very large and doubly (bipinnately) compound, over 3 feet in length. There are many leaflets per leaf that have irregularly serrate margins and prickly midribs. They are green above and paler below. The central leaf stalk (rachis) is lined with a row of stiff prickles as well.

Flowers are in large, upright, terminal clusters often a yard tall. There are many tiny, white flowers within the cluster. Flowers appear in late July into August, when most all other trees are setting fruit.

Fruit is black, juicy, and tiny, only about ¼ inch in diameter. They are borne on very large, upright clusters (inflorescences) that often droop from the weight of all the fruit. The fruit ripens in late September.

Terminal buds are large and conical, with few, tannish brown scales. Twigs are thick, tan, and armed with many stout prickles, especially near the nodes. Leaf scars are raised and nearly encircle the twig. Each scar contains a row of bundle scars. The pith is large and white.

Mature bark is thin, gray-brown, and slightly fissured. It has, to varying degrees, spines (often clustered) along the trunk. The inner bark is bright yellow.

Hickories

Genus: Carya

Of the 13 hickories that occur in the eastern and southern U.S. and Canada, 10 are found in our region. Many are common in the oak-hickory dominated Central Hardwoods Region. As ornamentals, they have long been overlooked, since they are difficult to transplant because of their sizable tap roots. But their stalwart attributes are rivaled only by the oaks. The fruit of some species has been utilized by humans, especially Native Americans, as an important food source. The pecan is the most commercially important nut tree in North America.

Hickory wood is extremely strong, heavy, and shock-resistant. It is commonly used for handles of high-impact tools, such as hammers, axes, and picks. Furniture, cabinets, skis, and gymnastic bars are also made from hickory wood. Getting that hickory-smoked flavor in meats requires the smoke from smoldering green hickory wood.

A substantial number of hickory species occur in our region, and most have similar, important wildlife values, predicated largely on nut production. Hickory nuts are produced in early fall, with some production almost every year, although the size of the crop is quite variable. A few species retain the husk, but most shed it upon ripening; these factors, along with the thickness of husk and shell, influence palatability to wildlife. Hickory nuts are arguably the most highly preferred of all foods by squirrels, and fox and gray squirrels begin feeding on hickory fruits (“cutting”) while they are still ripening in August. Thus, they have to gnaw through both husk and shell to get at the kernel. This does not deter them, however, and squirrels feed on little else until the supply is exhausted. In many years, no sound nuts ever reach the ground through the natural ripening process. Several other species also utilize these nuts, including black bears, chipmunks, flying squirrels, and wild turkey. However, most nut/fruit-feeding species are not equipped to open the nut efficiently. There is very little browsing by white-tailed deer on hickory twigs or foliage. With respect to cover, hickory is undistinguished, and its stout limbs are usually not selected for nest sites by birds. Hickories are not particularly cavity-prone, but a few species do provide niches for tree frogs and bats beneath loose bark.

Several features are unique to hickories that help aid in their recognition. The nuts have a 4-part husk that is hard and nearly woody when mature. The thickness of the husk is a good characteristic of the species. Leaf scars are large and shield- or heart-shaped, with numerous, scattered bundle scars.

The graceful opening bud of pignut hickory.

The typical woody fruit of a red hickory showing the 4-part husk.

All hickories have alternate branching and pinnately compound leaves.

This leaf scar of shellbark hickory is distinctive to all Carya species. It is large and shield-shaped with numerous, scattered bundle scars.

water hickory

Carya aquatica (Michaux f.) Nuttall

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves, number of leaflets highly variable, from 5 to 17, often curved, very narrow and elongate, dark green above, rusty hairs beneath; buds elongate and “naked” with yellowish brown rough/hairy texture; twigs slender, brown, slightly hairy; nut flattened, smaller than pecan, with thin, winged, yellowish husks, bitter taste; wet-site species

Water hickory is a southern species that extends up the Mississippi River drainage, where it reaches its northernmost range in extreme southern Illinois. It is one of the “pecan hickories,” classed as such because of its elongate bud (known as naked), its numerous leaflets, and the winged fruit husks. The other pecan hickories in the Midwest are pecan and bitternut hickory. Like so many hickories, it hybridizes, and is known to cross with pecan and black hickory.

Form and Size: Water hickory is a medium-sized tree in the Midwest, but in the Deep South it becomes quite large. Midwest trees are commonly 70 feet tall; southern trees are commonly 100 feet tall. It is slow-growing and probably lives several hundred years—similar to other hickories. Water hickory has a growth form similar to pecan but with a narrower, less-spreading crown.

Habitat: As the name implies, water hickory is found near water. It is common in floodplains and swampy woods, and tolerates several months or more of flooding. It is moderately tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This southern species occurs only in the southernmost extremes of our region on bottomland sites; use by wildlife reflects this site preference. The small nuts are sometimes produced in great abundance, but they are among the least preferred of all hickory nuts by mammals. However, nuts frequently fall into water, from where they are gleaned by dabbling ducks, especially wood ducks and mallards.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 6, water hickory is certainly a tree to consider for very wet areas, for it tolerates extensive flooding and poorly drained soils. It has interesting, finely textured leaves that have a dark appearance attributable to the rusty hairs on the underside. Fall color is yellowish green. Its bark is platy and shaggy and tends to shed as the tree ages. These plates and the fruit (though small for a hickory) can be a litter problem. Availability of this species in the Midwest is probably very limited, but collecting and germinating seed is an easy way to acquire it.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Pecan (C. illinoinensis) leaves are pale and hairy beneath, not rusty. The fruit is round in cross-section, not flat. Buds are similar.

—Bitternut hickory (C. cordiformis) leaves are not hairy and the fruit is only somewhat flattened. The buds are sulfur-yellow.

Leaves are variable in size, from 9 to 15 inches long with much variation in the number of leaf-lets—from 5 to 17 leaflets. They are dark green and smooth above, pale and often rusty-hairy beneath. Leaflets are often hooked, and resemble those of pecan. Leaflet margins are serrate.

Terminal buds are valvate and up to ½ inch long. They are covered with dense, rough, yellowish brown hairs. Twigs are slender, brown, and slightly hairy with shield-shaped leaf scars.

Fruit is up to 1½ inches long and flattened. The thin husk is covered with yellowish scales and is winged. The seed is bitter and ripens in the fall.

Mature bark is light gray with wide, flat scales separated by somewhat thick fissures. The scales are plate-like at times and often become loose on the ends.

bitternut hickory

Carya cordiformis (Wangenheim) K. Koch

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 7 to 11 leaflets that are small compared to other hickories, yellow-green, lustrous and smooth above, paler beneath; buds elongate, sulfur-yellow, no bud scales; twigs pale, smooth with diverging lateral buds, sizable heart-shaped leaf scar; fruit small with winged sutures, bitter; bark gray with tight, narrow, interlacing ridges; more moisture-loving than most hickories

Bitternut, also known as swamp hickory, is similar in many respects to pecan. It is moisture-loving, has “naked” buds, and its husks are winged. Bitternut is one of the most common hickories in the Midwest. Pioneers quickly learned that the nuts were inedible, but used them to make an oil they burned in lamps. The best way to identify bitternut is by its unusual, elongate, sulfury-yellow buds. The bud you might mistake it for is that of poison ivy!

Form and Size: Bitternut is a medium-sized tree from 60 to 80 feet in height. It is slow-growing (but fast for a hickory) and the shortest-lived of the hickories with a maximum age of little more than 200 years. Forest-grown trees have tall, straight trunks with narrow crowns. Open-grown trees have a shorter trunk and a wide-spreading, rounded crown comprised of numerous, small branches.

Habitat: Bitternut is found on a wide variety of soil types. It prefers rich, moist bottomlands along streams and swamps, but can be found on dry uplands. Bitternut is moderately shade-tolerant, suckers freely from young stumps, and responds well to release.

Wildlife Uses: As the name implies, nuts of this species are bitter to human tastes, but are still eaten by squirrels and other rodents. They are, however, low in preference among the hickories, and in heavy production years, some seed goes unused. Often husks split only partway and remain on the nut, which probably makes them less attractive to some users, such as the wild turkey.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, bitternut makes a fine specimen tree for a large landscape. Its crown casts an open shade, and its leaves turn a bright yellow in the fall. Nuts may be considered a mess, but they are the smallest of the hickories. It is sensitive to salt but somewhat tolerant of drought. Though it prefers a moist site, it tolerates all but the wettest locations. Nurseries specializing in native trees offer this species, but it is easy to grow from seed after winter stratification.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—The other pecan hickories, water (C. aquatica) and pecan (C. illinoinensis) have similar, but different color buds. See accounts for specific colors. These 3 hickories have the most number of leaflets per leaf and tend to be wet-site species.

—Ash (Fraxinus spp.) leaves are also singly compound and are common associates, but they have opposite branching (and leaves).

Leaves are small for a hickory with 7 to 11 leaflets. They are yellow-green, smooth, and lustrous above, paler beneath. Leaflet margins are serrate.

Male flowers (left) are in drooping clusters (aments) of 3 from last year’s growth. Females (right) are in terminal spikes. Males and females are separate but on the same tree.

Fruit is small, only 1 inch long at most, with winged sutures that split to the base when mature. Fruit is bitter and ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are unique; they are naked (no scales), valvate, and sulfury-yellow. The twigs are slender and gray with small, lateral buds and sizable shield-shaped leaf scars.

Mature bark is hard and gray-green with tight, narrow, flat, interlacing ridges with shallow fissures. Eventually, the bark becomes scaly, especially at the base.

pignut hickory

Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound, green, shiny, with 5 (usually) leaflets, pale beneath, smooth; bud with deciduous outer scales, in winter bud is tan and smooth; twigs brown and smooth; fruit husk green, turning brown when ripe, usually not splitting completely, pear-shaped or rounded, seed bitter; bark dark gray, hard, tight, flat, narrow, interlacing ridges separated by shallow fissures

Pignut hickory is a common tree throughout most of the Midwest. It is a major component of the oak-hickory forests of the Central Hardwoods Region. Pioneers called pignut “broom hickory” because they made scrubbing brushes from it by splitting the wood of saplings into thin strips and tying them together.

Form and Size: Pignut is generally a medium-sized tree to 60 feet in height. It is slow-growing and long-lived, often surviving 300 or more years. Like other hickories, it has a narrow, oblong crown with ascending upper branches and descending lower branches.

Habitat: Pignut is found on wooded uplands and dry ridges. It makes its best growth on deep, well-drained, moist soils. Common associates are other species of hickory, with which it occasionally hybridizes. Pignut is intermediate in shade-tolerance.

Wildlife Uses: This common species is heavily used by squirrels and other rodents. Its husk only splits part way and often remains on the nut, but the nut is small enough that it is still occasionally taken by wild turkey and mallards. Cover value for wildlife is unremarkable.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, pignut is a great addition to any landscape. It has golden yellow fall foliage and dark gray, interlacing bark that is attractive year-round. Nuts may be considered messy, but resident squirrels usually take care of that issue. Like all hickories, the wood is strong, so there are no worries of structural damage from wind and ice. Pignut is sensitive to salt but resistant to drought. Nurseries specializing in natives will carry this species; otherwise, it is easy to grow from seed that has been refrigerated over the winter. All hickories are difficult to transplant because of deep taproots.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red hickory (C. ovalis) is very similar to pignut; some taxonomists do not consider it a distinct species. Its leaflets usually number 7, and the fruit husk is thin and splits completely.

—All other species of hickory have more than 5 leaflets per leaf (except shagbark).

—Ashes (Fraxinus spp.) are common associates with the hickories and have singly compound leaves, but they have opposite branching.

Pignut hickory usually has 5 leaflets per leaf (can have 7). They are dark yellowish green and smooth and the margins are serrate. Leaves are 1 foot in length.

Males flowers (left) are in drooping clusters (aments) of 3 from last year’s growth. Females (right) are in terminal spikes. Both male and female are on the same tree and appear in late April and May.

Pignut fruit is usually pear-shaped and 1½ inches long. Its woody husk does not split away from the unridged nut. The kernel is bitter.

The terminal bud appears “naked” in the winter with no loose scales. It has a tan color and is smooth and about ½ inch long. Twigs are moderately stout, medium brown, and smooth with shield-shaped leaf scars.

Pignut hickory mature bark is dark gray and very hard. It has narrow, flat, slightly shaggy ridges that often interlace.

pecan

Carya illinoinensis (Wangenheim) K. Koch

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with many leaflets, from 9 to 17, that are elon-gate and hooked or somewhat boomerang-shaped, yellow-green and shiny above, paler and smooth or hairy beneath; buds valvate, yellowish brown, with a rough or hairy surface; twigs slender, reddish brown, lightly hairy; nut cylindrical with thin, winged husk; nut shell thin with brown mottling; seed sweet; bark gray-brown, scaly

Pecan is the most economically valuable hickory, because of its commercial nut production. It is the most important nut tree native to North America. There are numerous varieties, some with larger nuts and thinner shells. Thomas Jefferson planted trees at Monticello and gave some to his friend George Washington. Washington wrote of his row of “Illinois nuts” that he had just planted at Mount Vernon in 1786. They still stand today, the oldest living trees at his former home. Pecan hybridizes with water and black hickories.

Form and Size: Pecan is said to be the largest and fastest-growing hickory. It can often reach heights of 150 feet, but most mature trees are commonly about 100 feet tall. It is long-lived, easily reaching 350 years or more. In the open, a massive, short trunk supports stout, spreading branches that form a broad, open crown. Forest-grown trees have a much more narrow, pyramidal crown and a longer trunk.

Habitat: Where it occurs naturally, it is found as a scattered tree on moist, well-drained river bottoms and streams. It has been extensively planted throughout the South and to some degree in the Midwest. It is the least shade-tolerant of the hickories.

Wildlife Uses: Cover value of pecan is unexceptional, but its nuts are heavily used by wildlife, being a highly preferred food of many mammals, including red, fox, and southern flying squirrels, other rodents, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes. Larger birds, like wild turkey and mallards, feed on nuts as well; however, pecan’s thin shell and large kernels make them accessible to smaller birds than most hickory nuts, and they are favorites of red-bellied and red-headed woodpeckers, corvids, common grackles, and occasionally even smaller species, such as white-breasted nuthatches. Many small birds glean kernel particles from nuts opened by larger species.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, pecan is a bountiful lawn tree because of its fairly consistent fruit production. Its wide-spreading crown provides good filtered shade. Fall foliage is pale yellow. Its longevity and strong wood make it an ideal ornamental for any large area, although some may consider the nuts messy. It will tolerate somewhat poorly drained sites, but does not handle drought very well. Pecan is available commercially, though most are southern selections that are grown for their valuable nuts. Be sure to plant a tree that is adapted to your zone.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Water hickory (C. aquatica) has yellowish brown buds and smaller, flattened nuts.

—Bitternut hickory (C. cordiformis) has sulfur-yellow buds and small, bitter nuts.

Leaves are large, often nearly 2 feet in length, with 9 to 17 leaflets. The leaflets are often narrowly elongate and hooked near the tip. Leaflet margins are serrate. Leaves are yellow-green and usually smooth above, while the lower surface is paler and smooth to hairy.

Male flowers (left) are in drooping clusters (aments) of 3 from last year’s growth while females (right) are in terminal spikes. Male and female flowers are separate in the same tree and appear in April.

Fruit is a cylindrical nut up to 2 inches long. The thin husk is winged and splits to the base when mature. The shell is light brown with dark mottling and is the thinnest of all the hickories. The seed is the sweetest of the hickories and ripens in the fall.

The terminal bud is somewhat elon-gate, up to ½ inch long. It is naked, valvate and covered with a yellowish brown roughness. It is more brown in color and smaller than the bud of bitternut. Twigs are slender and reddish brown with orange-brown lenticels. They are hairy at first but usually smooth by summer. Leaf scars are shield-shaped and lateral buds are smaller than the terminal.

Mature bark is light brown-gray with somewhat narrow, scaly ridges separated by shallow fissures. The bark can appear slightly shaggy.

shellbark hickory

Carya laciniosa (Michaux) Loudon

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 7 (usually) leaflets, large—up to 2 feet long, dark green and lustrous above, paler and hairy beneath; terminal bud large, scales brown, hairy, shaggy; twigs pale compared to those of shagbark, usually with orange dots (lenticels) and large, heart-shaped leaf scars; fruit large, with very thick husks that are often 5–6-parted; bark dark gray with thick, shaggy plates

Shellbark is known by many names, including bigleaf shagbark and kingnut. It is an impressive tree, especially when its leaves are at their largest size—2 feet in length! Sometimes the fruit is the size of a small apple and one nearly fills the palm of your hand. Everything about this tree is truly big! It is so similar to shagbark in every respect that it is easily mistaken for that species, but shellbark grows where it is too wet for shagbark. It is much less common than shagbark.

Form and Size: Shellbark is generally a large tree, larger than shagbark, often attaining heights of 120 feet. It is slow-growing and fairly long-lived, easily reaching 300 years. It has a straight trunk and large spreading branches that form a narrow, oblong crown. It has a typical hickory form when open-grown, with ascending upper branches and descending lower branches.

Habitat: Shellbark has restricted distribution in the Midwest because of its requirement for moisture, for it is strictly a bottomland species. It is found in alluvial bottomlands and around upland wet depressions that are too wet for shagbark and can tolerate flooding for short periods. Shellbark tends to be somewhat tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Shellbark hickory is relatively frequent in bottomland and other moist-soil environments in most of our region. It is the bottomland equivalent of shagbark from a wildlife value perspective. Its huge nut constrains the number of users, but it is highly preferred by gray and fox squirrels; smaller rodents like chipmunks and flying squirrels use the nuts sparingly. The loose bark plates of this species have been found to supply secondary roost sites for female Indiana bats and cover for gray tree frogs.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, shellbark is most impressive for its size and dark gray shaggy bark. The fall foliage is yellowish brown. Its fruit is the largest of our native hickories and can be messy, especially since the thick, woody husks do not deteriorate for years. It is not as adaptable to dry sites as shagbark but will tolerate extremely wet areas. Nurseries specializing in natives might offer this species, but rarely do nurseries get requests for slow-growing trees! Seeds germinate readily after winter cold storage.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Shagbark hickory (C. ovata) is a near look-alike, but leaflets usually are 5 in number and margins have tufts of hairs (compared to shellbark’s single hairs). The fruit of shagbark is usually smaller with thinner husks (but they overlap in size). The bark tends to be more shaggy. Twig color is brown with pale lenticels.

Leaves can be large, up to 2 feet long. They usually have 7 leaflets (sometimes 9) with serrate margins. The tips of the leaflets have a row of single hairs. Leaves are dark green and shiny above, paler and hairy beneath.

Male flowers (aments) (left) droop in clusters of 3 from last year’s growth while females (right) are in terminal spikes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in late April and May with the leaves.

Fruit is the largest of our native hickories but can overlap in size with shagbark. Some say it can be as big as a small apple when the husk is still intact, up to 2½ inches long. The husk can be very thick for a hickory—up to ½ inch—and 5–6-parted. The nut is flattened and ribbed. The seed is sweet and ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are large, up to 1 inch long, and ovoid. They are covered with 6 to 8 loose-fitting, hairy scales that do not shed in the winter. Twigs are stout, lighter in color (usually) than those of shagbark, and hairy near the tip. There are numerous, orangish lenticels along the twig. Leaf scars are large and shield-shaped with lateral buds diverging from the twig.

Mature bark is similar to that of shagbark and difficult to distinguish from it. The thick, shaggy plates tend to be more straight and not so ragged or curled.

red hickory

Carya ovalis (Wangenheim) Sargent

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 7 leaflets (usually), dark yellow-green, smooth, shiny, pale beneath; buds like pignut with deciduous outer scales, pale, smooth in winter; twig dark brown, smooth with large, heart-shaped leaf scars; fruit heart-shaped with a thin, easily snapped husk, nut sweet; bark dark gray-brown with flat, narrow, interlacing ridges, often very tight at the base and more shaggy above

Red hickory is very similar to pignut and is not recognized as a separate species by some taxonomists, but its leaflets usually number 7, versus 5 on pignut, and the fruit husk splits completely. Its nut is very sweet compared to the bitter nut of pignut. The shape of the fruit on both species is often quite variable, which makes positive identification exasperating at times. To add to the confusion, like most hickories, the two hybridize. It is also known as sweet pignut hickory.

Form and Size: Red hickory is a medium-sized tree from 70 to 80 feet in height. It is slow-growing and fairly long-lived, often reaching 300 years of age. Forest-grown trees have tall, narrow crowns with ascending branches in the upper crown and descending lower limbs.

Habitat: Red hickory has similar site requirements to pignut hickory. It is common throughout most of the Midwest in upland woods and is often an associate of pignut. It makes its best growth on well-drained soils. Red hickory is moderately tolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This species is occasionally difficult to distinguish from pignut and thus has almost identical wildlife value. A relatively important difference, however, is that the fruit husk splits completely, freeing the nut. This makes the small nut even more attractive to non-rodent users, such as wild turkey, mallards, and even white-tailed deer.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, red hickory has all the qualities and requirements of pignut hickory. It is a stately, strong, long-lived tree with beautiful bark that is worth adding to any sizable landscape, particularly a park or big yard. It may be sold in nurseries under the name Carya glabra var. odorata, which is currently accepted by some taxonomists. Like all hickories, seed is easily germinated after several months of cold storage; make sure you select fruit without obvious holes in the husk that mark exit holes of weevil larvae.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Pignut hickory (C. glabra) usually has 5 leaflets per leaf and fruit husks that do not split to the base. Its bark is more consistently interlacing for the length of the tree.

—Other species of hickory can have 7 leaflets, including bitternut, pignut, shellbark, shagbark, sand, black, and mockernut. Identification of a tree simply by its leaves is not wise because they are extremely variable in shape, size, and texture, even on the same tree!

Leaves usually have 7 leaflets (can have 5) that have serrate margins. They are often very similar to those of pignut, which usually has 5. Leaves are dark green, smooth, and shiny above and paler beneath.

Male flowers (aments) (left) are in drooping clusters of 3 on last year’s growth while females (right) are in terminal spikes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in late April and May with the leaves.

Fruit is heart-shaped with a thin, easily snapped, dark brown husk. It is about 1¼ inches long and splits to the base. The nut is somewhat ribbed and sweet. Fruit ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are rounded and small with reddish brown outer scales that shed in the fall with the leaves. Winter buds are tannish-colored and somewhat hairy. Twigs are dark brown and shiny with sizable, shield-shaped leaf scars.

Mature bark is similar to that of pignut and is difficult to distinguish from it. It is hard, tight, and dark brown with flat, narrow, interlacing ridges separated by moderately shallow fissures. It can be somewhat scaly, and is often tight at the base, then more shaggy several feet up the trunk.

shagbark hickory

Carya ovata (Miller) K. Koch

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 5 (usually) leaflets, dark yellow-green, smooth above, paler and lightly hairy beneath, leaflet margins have tufts of hairs near the tip; bud large with dark brown, shaggy outer scales that remain all winter; twigs dark brown, hairy with large, heart-shaped leaf scars; fruit large with very thick husks; bark dark gray with thin, wide, flat plates that flip on one or both ends, giving it a shaggy look

Shagbark is one of the most common hickories in the Midwest. Both it and shellbark are prized for their tough, strong, dense wood. Our seventh President, Andrew Jackson, was dubbed “Old Hickory” by his troops because of the reputation he gained as being tough during the War of 1812. Green wood of this hickory is still commonly used today for smoking hams to get that “hickory smoked” flavor.

Form and Size: Shagbark is a medium-sized tree, 70 to 80 feet in height. It is slow-growing and fairly long-lived, often reaching 250 years or more. The trunk is straight and short on open-grown trees with deep, oblong crowns that have ascending upper branches and descending lower branches. Forest-grown trees have limb-free trunks for much of their height.

Habitat: Shagbark prefers rich, alluvial bottomlands along streams, but it is also commonly found on wooded slopes and uplands. It is moderately shade-tolerant. Shagbark is the most commercially important species of hickory in the U.S.

Wildlife Uses: Shagbark is very similar in appearance and wildlife value to shellbark hickory, but because it occurs more commonly and on a larger variety of sites, it has more overall importance to regional wildlife. This species is a favorite of fox and gray squirrels, which begin cutting ripening nuts in August and continue until the supply is exhausted. The nut is not as large as that of shellbark, but large enough to restrict use principally to rodents. The shaggy plates of bark supply occasional cover to Indiana bats and tree frogs in the summer.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, shagbark is an impressive landscape tree with its large, shaggy appearance. Its unusual bark has year-round appeal; fall color is a golden yellow color. The shedding plates of bark and large fruit can be a bit messy. It might be considered the exact opposite of shellbark in its site requirements, because it grows well on poor, dry sites and will not tolerate extremely wet areas. It is sensitive to salt and, like all hickories, is difficult to transplant because of its large, deep taproot. Nurseries shy away from hickories because of their sizable taproots, so it may be easiest to plant your own seeds in situ where you want the tree in your landscape, or germinate them in pots first. Native plant nurseries may carry this species, and there are several selections and hybrids available that have large nuts that are sweeter than the “original.”

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Shellbark hickory (C. laciniosa) closely resembles shagbark in most respects. It tends to have 7 leaflets, paler twigs with orange lenticels, larger and more ridged fruit with thicker (usually), more numerous (usually) husk sections, and thicker bark.

Leaves usually have 5 leaflets (can have 7) with serrate margins. The leaflet tips have tufts of hairs. Leaves are yellow-green and smooth above, paler and lightly hairy beneath.

Males flowers (aments) (left) are in drooping clusters on last year’s growth, while females (right) are in terminal spikes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in late April and May with the leaves.

Fruit is a rounded nut with a thick husk from ¼ to ½ inch thick. The husk is dark brown and woody and splits into 4 sections to the base. The nut is 4-angled and compressed. The seed is sweet and ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are large, nearly 1 inch long. They are ovoid with 3 or 4 loose, lightly hairy scales that are not shed in the fall. Twigs are stout and dark brown at first, turning gray with age. They are lightly hairy and dotted with pale lenticels. Leaf scars are large and shield-shaped.

Mature bark is dark gray and shaggy, with long, wide, moderately thin plates that flip on one side or both ends.

sand hickory

Carya pallida (Ashe) Engler & Graebner

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 7 (usually) leaflets that are light green and shiny above and distinctly pale and slightly hairy beneath, often with yellowish or silvery scales along leaf stalk; buds the size of those of red hickory with deciduous scales; winter bud reddish brown with yellowish or silvery scales, sometimes with a pink cast; twigs dark brown, hairy or smooth, often with yellowish coating; fruit similar to red hickory but husk a bit thicker and often hairy and covered with yellowish scales; bark similar to pignut with dark brown-gray, narrow, flat, often interlacing ridges; extremely dry-site species

Sand hickory is extremely rare in the Midwest. It is a small hickory of sandy knolls and is more common in the Southeast, where it can become much larger. Once you have seen one, it is easy to spot because of the almost sulfur-yellow cast that the leaves, buds, twigs, and fruit have. The thickness of hickory husks is a good characteristic to use as an aid to identification. This species’ husk has a thickness between that of pignut and mockernut. Sand and black hickory integrate where their ranges overlap, making positive identification difficult.

Form and Size: Sand hickory is a medium-sized tree in the Midwest, reaching only about 40 feet in height. It has stout branches with a typical hickory form of ascending upper branches and descending lower branches. It is slow-growing, and, like most hickories, probably lives several hundred years.

Habitat: Sand hickory is found only in extremely isolated populations in the Midwest, and does not become more common until it reaches eastern Tennessee. It is found on rolling sandy hills and rocky, upland sites. It is somewhat tolerant of shade, like most hickories.

Wildlife Uses: Sand hickory is rare in our region and largely restricted to sandy ridges, where its use by wildlife closely resembles that of pignut hickory.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, sand hickory is well adapted to dry sites. Like all the hickories, its wood is strong and dense, enabling it to withstand wind and ice. It is doubtful if even native tree nurseries offer this species of hickory, and the chances of locating trees in the Midwest are poor unless someone can direct you to one. Thus even collecting seeds from wild trees is difficult.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Where they occur together, sand hickory most closely resembles black hickory (C. texana), but that occurs only in southern Indiana and Illinois. Black hickory’s range is generally west of the Mississippi and that of sand hickory, to the east. Black hickory tends to have a more rusty cast to it in locations where sand hickory has a yellowish or silvery cast. Its bark tends to be nearly black. It is also a tree of very dry sites.

Leaves are a little over 1 foot long, usually with 7 leaflets (can be 9) that have serrate margins. The leaf stalk has clustered hairs and yellowish scales. Leaves are light green and shiny above. The lower surface is paler and conspicuously silvery or yellowish, with hairs along the midrib

Male flowers (aments) (left) hang in clusters of 3 on last year’s growth while females (right) are in terminal spikes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in late April with the leaves.

Fruit is a rounded nut about 1½ inches long. It has a relatively thin husk—¼ inch—that is hairy and covered with yellowish scales before maturity. The husk splits to the base, revealing a somewhat 4-angled nut. The seed is sweet and ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are small and ovoid. The dark outer scales shed in the fall with the leaves. By winter, the bud is smooth and covered with sulfur-yellow to pink, resinous, rough dots. Twigs are dark reddish brown and smooth or lightly covered with yellowish hairs. Leaf scars are shield-shaped.

Mature bark is similar to that of pignut with dark gray, tight, narrow, flat ridges that are separated by somewhat thick fissures.

black hickory

Carya texana Buckley

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound, usually 7 leaflets per leaf, narrow and elongate (some leaflets sickle-shaped), dark green, smooth above, yellow-green with red hairs beneath; buds ½ inch, with red hairs at the tip; twigs reddish brown with red hairs until mature; fruit husk sulfury yellow when green with rounded nut; bark thick, very dark

Black hickory is mainly found west of the Mississippi River. It is a dry-site species that is fairly common in southern Illinois. Its leaves are small and similar to those of bitternut, but when you look up into the tree, its leaves appear light-colored yet rusty beneath. The husk of its nut is an unusual sulfury color before ripening. A variety, C. texana var. arkansana, is found in southwestern Indiana and Illinois as well.

Form and Size: Black hickory is a medium-sized tree, reaching 40 or 50 feet in height. In the Deep South it becomes larger. The tree is often clear for half its height; toward the top the trunk supports short, crooked branches that form a narrow, round-topped crown. It is slow-growing and probably lives several hundred years.

Habitat: Black hickory is a dry-site species. In the Midwest, it occurs on dry ridges and cliffs and sandy or rocky soils. It tolerates the driest sites, better than most hickories, and is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Black hickory is quite rare in our region (except in southern Illinois), so overall importance to midwestern wildlife is low. Individual trees have wildlife values very similar to pignut hickory.

Landscaping Value: Black hickory is probably hardy to Zone 5 if one is sure about the provenance from which the tree came—the more local the better. It is as tolerant of dry sites as any native hickory. The tough wood of this tree (as well as all the hickories) assures its resistance to wind and ice damage. In Illinois, it is commonly associated with limestone bluffs. The species has been planted occasionally in the South as a street tree, but it is not likely to be available in the Midwest. Germinating seed is easy after winter stratification. It produces one of the sweetest hickory nuts.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red hickory (C. ovalis) has 7 leaflets per leaf but lacks the rusty hairs. The fruit husk is green, turning brown.

—Sand hickory (C. pallida) has 7 leaflets per leaf that tend to be yellow or silvery beneath. Fruit husk is yellowish, turning brown.

—Pignut hickory (C. glabra) has 5 leaflets per leaf that lack yellowish, rusty, or silvery color underneath. Fruit husk is green, turning brown, and does not split to the base (usually).

Leaves usually have 7 leaflets (sometimes 5) that are dark green and smooth above. Underneath they are yellow-green with rusty red hairs. The leaflets are commonly narrow and curved, similar to those of pecan, and margins are serrate.

Fruit is variable in shape but is 1½ inches long with slightly winged husks. It can be rounded or somewhat pear-shaped. Before ripening completely the husks appear to be sprayed with sulfur-yellow paint. The husk splits to the base. Fruit ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are ½ inch long, their scales covered with reddish hairs. Twigs are somewhat slender and covered with dense, reddish hairs until mature in summer.

Mature bark is thick, deeply furrowed, rough, and dark, often nearly black, with plate-like scales.

mockernut hickory

Carya tomentosa (Poiret) Nuttall

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound large leaves with 7 to 9 leaflets; yellow-green, smooth, shiny above, paler and densely hairy beneath; buds large with deciduous outer scales, winter bud tan and hairy; twigs dark brown and hairy; fruit large, with moderately thick husks compared to the other hickories, sweet; bark dark gray with flat, narrow fissures and rounded, interlacing ridges, older trees shed lower outer bark where it becomes greenish or tannish and somewhat scaly

Mockernut hickory is also known as white hickory, because of its nearly pure white sapwood. During the early days of Europeans in this country, settlers encountered Native Americans pounding the fruit into a kind of oily liquor they called pocohicora. Mockernut wood has more strength in bending than other hickories and for that reason, it is used to make the rustic hickory furniture commonly seen today. It is not as common as some hickories, but is found throughout most of the Central Hardwoods Region.

Form and Size: Mockernut is generally a medium-sized tree to 60 feet tall, but can become much larger. It is slow-growing and long-lived with a maximum life span of 500 years. It has few, widely spaced branches that are stout compared to other hickories. Its open-grown form is similar to other hickories with ascending upper branches and drooping lower branches and a fairly short trunk.

Habitat: Mockernut is commonly found on dry ridges and slopes, but can also be found in fertile, moist bottomlands and on a variety of soil types. It does not tolerate flooding. It is intolerant of shade but responds quickly to release.

Wildlife Uses: Mockernut is a fairly common upland hickory in the southern half of our region, and its nuts are favorites of gray and fox squirrels, which begin to cut the nuts in August, as they do those of shagbark. It is also regularly taken, after dehiscing of the husk, by southern flying squirrels, eastern chipmunks, and wild turkey. Compared to other hickories, mockernut’s very thick limbs and tight bark make its cover value mediocre.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, mockernut makes a rugged silhouette on the landscape with its few, stout limbs. The large leaves provide good shade and turn a deep golden yellow in the fall. Like many hickories, it is sensitive to salt but resistant to drought. There are no horticultural varieties available, but you may find mockernut in nurseries specializing in natives. It is easy to germinate from seed.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Most people find the hickories, in general, confusing to identify. For mockernut, look for leaves with more leaflets than most with dense, pale hairs on leaves, twigs, and buds. Mockernut buds can be nearly as big as those of shagbark or shellbark, but its scales are deciduous. Also, its fruit husks are fairly thick. It is generally found on dry sites.

Leaves are large, up to nearly 2 feet in length, with 7 to 9 (commonly 9) leaflets that have serrate margins. The leaf stalk is stout and hairy. Leaves are yellow-green, smooth and lustrous above, paler and densely hairy beneath.

Male flowers (aments) (left) are in drooping clusters of 3 on last year’s growth while females (right) are in terminal spikes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in late April and May with the leaves.

Fruit is a round, large nut, up to 2 inches long. The husk is dark brown and about ¼ inch thick. It splits to the base to reveal a 4-ribbed nut. The seed is sweet and ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are the largest of the deciduous-scaled hickories—¾ inch long. They are ovate and covered with silky, tan hairs once the outer, darker scales have shed in the fall. Twigs are stout, reddish brown, and covered with dense, brownish hairs. There are numerous, light-colored lenticels. Leaf scars are large and shield-shaped.

Mature bark is hard, dark gray, and shallow with rounded, interlacing ridges separated by moderately deep fissures. Older trees shed the interlacing bark near the base, and develop greenish or tannish, somewhat scaly bark.

yellowwood

Cladrastis kentukea (Dumond de Courset) Rudd

Family: Fabaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 7 to 9 oval leaflets with entire margins, green and smooth above, paler beneath; twig brown, smooth, shiny; buds cone-shaped, covered with dense brown hairs; leaf scar encircles the buds; fruit small, flattened pods in large clusters at the tips of branches; bark smooth, gray, like that of beech

Yellowwood, named for its yellow wood, is one of our most underrated native trees from an ornamental standpoint. To say that this tree is spectacular in flower may be an understatement! Large clusters of fragrant, white flowers reminiscent of wisteria hang gracefully from the ends of branches. Pioneers used the bark from roots to make a yellow dye for their clothing. Gunstocks were made from the wood.

Form and Size: Yellowwood is a medium-sized tree, up to 60 feet tall. It has a short trunk that is divided close to the ground when open-grown. The broad, rounded crown is comprised of few, ascending, wide-spreading branches. It is relatively slow-growing and short-lived, surviving no more than 150 years.

Habitat: Yellowwood prefers fertile, well-drained soils of mountain coves and stream sides. It is one of the rarest trees in the eastern U.S. Yellowwood is considered shade-tolerant but grows well in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: Although it is occasionally planted as an ornamental, yellowwood is very rare in natural environs in our region and thus its total contribution to wildlife is minimal. Even individually, little use has been observed other than occasional nest placement by songbirds. Its pods persist into winter and the seed is likely high in protein; it would be surprising if seeds were not used by small rodents and granivorous songbirds when they are dispersed in late winter/early spring.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, yellowwood is a perfect ornamental for just about any area where a medium-sized, spreading tree is desired. It does not tolerate drought or flooding, and should be pruned when young to avoid a low, branching structure susceptible to wind damage. Germination from seed is fairly easy, but the growth of seedlings is slow and they often have a high mortality rate. Fall color is a bright yellow, and its smooth, gray bark is attractive year-round. It tolerates a fairly wide range of soil pH and can be planted in rather heavy shade. Yellowwood is probably more easily found in nurseries than some native trees. A pink-flowering form was discovered in Massachusetts and soon will be available as well. Some books and nurseries still refer to this species as C. lutea.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) has similar leaves and flowers, but the bark is thick, tannish, and interlacing, and twigs have paired thorns at nodes.

—In winter, American beech (Fagus grandifolia) bark is very similar, but its buds are very elongate and bronze.

Leaves are up to a foot long and have 7 to 9 leaflets. The leaflets are ovate with entire margins. The base of the leaf stalk is swollen and covers the bud during the growing season. Leaves are bright green and smooth above, paler beneath.

The perfect, white flowers are in drooping, terminal, fragrant clusters and are very showy. They appear in May when leaves are half-grown or more.

Fruit is a thin, flat, papery pod up to 3 inches long. It is tan and hangs in drooping, terminal clusters. Each pod has 4 to 6 dark brown seeds that ripen in the fall, and pods often persist on the tree throughout the winter.

Buds are conical and covered with shiny, dense, golden-brown hairs. Twigs are dark brown, often with a gray bloom, and shiny. They are dotted with pale lenticels. Leaf scars encircle the buds and have a ring of bundle scars.

Bark changes little throughout the life of a yellowwood tree. It is smooth, dark gray, and similar to that of American beech. The inner bark is yellow. Older trees can develop fissures near the base.

waterlocust

Gleditsia aquatica Marshall

Family: Caesalpiniaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly and doubly compound leaves with many tiny leaflets, dark green, smooth above, paler beneath; buds not visible along twig; twig reddish brown, smooth, shiny, zigzagging from node to node; nodes swollen; 3-branched thorns present along twigs, branches, and trunk; fruit small, oblique, flat, single-seeded with no pulp; bark dark gray, somewhat platy with or without large, branched thorns; thorns are often flattened; a wet-site species

Waterlocust is a rare tree in the Midwest. It reaches its northern-most range in southern Illinois and Indiana. The best characteristic for sure identification is the fruit. It is much different from the fruit of the nearly identical honeylocust, G. triacanthos. Most other features are the same for both, except that waterlocust is found on sites too wet for honeylocust. A hybrid between our two native species is recognized as G. × texana and occurs in Texas and Louisiana.

Form and Size: Waterlocust is a medium-sized tree to 60 feet tall. It is commonly poorly formed and crooked and has its roots inundated during much of the year. It is probably similar to honeylocust in growth rate and longevity.

Habitat: Waterlocust is a wet-site species of flood plains, cypress swamps, and banks of river sloughs and ponds. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: This rare tree is very similar to the common honeylocust in appearance and wildlife value. A major difference is waterlocust’s small pods, usually with a single seed, and its obligatory growth sites near or in water. Seeds are used by gray squirrels, but only sparingly, and often remain on trees until late winter, when they typically drop into water. Although not recorded, it is very probable that waterfowl, especially wood ducks, use these seeds. Cover value is similar to that of honeylocust.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 6, waterlocust would be a unique addition to any wet area of the landscape. It is well adapted to extremely wet sites, but also does well on more upland areas. The large thorns that sometimes grow along the trunk could be a problem for children and pets, as they are strong enough to pierce skin and even the bottom of shoes. The availability of waterlocust even in native nurseries is unlikely, but seeds germinate readily after the seed coat is nicked with a knife.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Honeylocust (G. triacanthos) is similar in all respects except for the much larger, twisted pods, which are full of pulp (until ripe) and numerous seeds, and the flowers, which are more densely clustered and fragrant. Its thorns are often more rounded in cross-section. It is a common, weedy species of fencerows and abandoned or overgrazed fields.

Most waterlocust leaves are singly (pinnately) compound and up to 8 inches long. They are a bit smaller and have fewer leaflets than honeylocust. The new growth commonly has doubly (bipinnately) compound leaves. Leaves are dark green and smooth above, and paler beneath.

Flowers are perfect and separate-sexed on the same tree. They appear in May and June after the leaves are partly developed. They are pale green, loosely packed in drooping clusters, and not fragrant. Male, left; female, right.

Fruit is only about 2 inches long, medium brown, and shiny when ripe. It has an oblique shape and usually has only 1 seed per pod. It has no pulp, unlike the fruit of honeylocust. Fruit ripens in the fall.

Buds are barely visible on water-locust twigs because they are sunken into the twig at the swollen nodes. They can be seen and give the appearance of an “ET” face. Twigs are reddish brown, smooth, and shiny. They can have 3-branched thorns that are usually more flattened than those of honeylocust.

Mature bark is rather smooth and reddish gray. It is fairly thick and platy and similar to the bark of honeylocust. There can be branched thorns along the trunk, but, some contend, not as many as on honeylocust.

honeylocust

Gleditsia triacanthos Linnaeus

Family: Caesalpiniaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly and doubly compound leaves, many tiny leaflets per leaf, dark green, smooth, lustrous above, paler below; buds not visible along twig; twig reddish brown, smooth, shiny, zigzagging from node to node, nodes swollen; fruit long, dark brown, flat, twisted pods with numerous seeds; when immature pods have thick, sweet pulp; bark gray-brown with flat ridges or plates that flip along the edges and are separated by deep, narrow fissures; clusters of branched thorns on trunk

Honeylocust is a common tree in the Midwest along fencerows and in old-fields and pastures. It is quite a menacing sight when there are numerous clusters of branched, stiff thorns along its trunk. Another common name for this tree is sweet locust because cattle readily eat the pods, which are filled with a yellowish pulp that is quite sweet. Cows are one of the main disseminators of honeylocust seeds. The trees often colonize grazed fields to form impenetrable thickets. The wood is very durable and Cherokees used to make their bows from it.

Form and Size: Honeylocust is a medium-sized tree, often reaching 70 feet in height. It grows quickly and is short-lived, reaching maturity at 120 years. Southern Indiana and Illinois are where honeylocust grows largest, and trees 140 feet in height have been recorded. Open-grown trees have short, frequently divided trunks with slender spreading branches that create a pendulous, feathery form.

Habitat: Honeylocust is commonly found on rich, moist bottomlands but tolerates a wide variety of soil types and moisture regimes. It is intolerant of shade and is an aggressive and common invader of abandoned or overgrazed pastures. Unlike most legumes, honeylocust does not fix nitrogen.

Wildlife Uses: This distinctive tree, with its plethora of foreboding, branched thorns, would seem to supply ideal nest sites. However, they do not seem to be used by birds with increased frequency relative to stand-mates, although squirrels often use them for nest sites. It is relatively short-lived and rarely forms cavities. Its long fruit pods fall throughout the autumn and winter and are regularly eaten by white-tailed deer. Squirrels and other small rodents cut through pods to remove seeds, usually after pods have fallen from the tree. As pods decay (they do not dehisce), bobwhite and other granivorous birds use the seeds. Deer do not seem to prefer leaves or twigs for browse; cottontails occasionally take young shoots.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, it is a good specimen when a medium-sized tree that provides light shade is desired. It is extremely hardy and tolerant of almost any situation. You may want to select the thornless varieties, such as G. triacanthos var. inermis.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Waterlocust (G. aquatica) has almost all of the same characteristics except its fruit is much smaller, differently shaped, and usually single-seeded. Its leaves also may be smaller. Flowers are more sparse along the stalks and are not fragrant. It often has more flattened thorns.

Most honeylocust leaves are singly (pinnately) compound, and about 8 inches long with 9 to 14 tiny leaflets. New growth produces doubly (bipinnately) compound leaves. Leaves are dark green, smooth, and lustrous above, paler beneath.

Flowers are perfect and single-sexed on the same tree. They appear in May after the leaves are mostly developed. The pale green, densely packed flowers hang in drooping clusters and are inconspicuous but fragrant. Male, left; female, right.

Fruit is a dark brown, flat, twisted pod that is often a foot long. Immature pods have thick, sweet pulp. The pod turns leathery and the pulp bitter and thin at maturity. There are 6 to 12 flat seeds per pod that mature in the fall.

Buds are barely visible along the twigs of honeylocust, which is a good identification tool. They are sunken down into the twig at the swollen nodes. Twigs are reddish brown, smooth, and shiny. Young trees or vigorously growing trees have branched thorns along the twigs.

Mature bark has long, flat, longitudinal, reddish brown ridges or plates that flip along the edges. Fissures are deep and narrow. Trunks can have single or clustered large, forked thorns, which are actually modified branches.

Kentucky coffeetree

Gymnocladus dioicus (Linnaeus) K. Koch

Family: Caesalpiniaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; doubly compound leaves, very large, with numerous leaflets per leaf, dark green, smooth, shiny above, paler beneath; no visible buds along twig; twig stout, with mottled colors, thick, salmony pink pith, large leaf scars; fruit a thick, brown pod with large seeds; bark with narrow, vertical ridges that curl on one side to expose the salmony pink inner bark

Kentucky coffeetree is an unusual native tree that is not commonly recognized by many. It is named coffeetree because of the fact that pioneers roasted the large seeds for use as a coffee substitute, but the raw seeds are actually toxic! A good time to identify coffeetree is in the winter, because its thick, woody pods remain on the tree (if it is a female) throughout the winter and are evident from a great distance. There is a large coffeetree shading the grave of General Stonewall Jackson’s amputated arm in Virginia.

Form and Size: Kentucky coffeetree is usually a medium-sized tree but can reach heights of 100 feet. It is a short-lived tree, attaining an age of 100 years. Open-grown trees have few, heavy, ascending branches that form an irregular, rounded crown.

Habitat: Kentucky coffeetree is usually found as a scattered tree. It prefers rich, alluvial soils along streams and in wooded openings. It can also be found along fencerows and in old-fields. Coffeetree is a prolific root-sprouter and often forms colonies. It is somewhat shade-tolerant.

Wildlife Uses: This unique tree has limited wildlife value. Although its sparse and very thick limbs and twigs are not generally suitable for nest placement, songbirds sometimes place nests in terminal leaf clusters, the very large rachises serving as surrogate branches. The distinctive pods with large seeds are little used; white-tailed deer eat pods irregularly and gray squirrels occasionally excise the large seeds from the pods, although seeds reportedly contain a toxin, cytisine.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, Kentucky coffeetree is overlooked as an ornamental in the Midwest. Its large, but lacy, leaves provide light shade in summer and a pretty yellow color in fall. Its bark is unique and aesthetically pleasing year-round. The large leaf parts and fruit can be messy. There are few trees as hardy as coffeetree—it has no insect or disease problems and is not usually bothered by wind and ice. Some nurseries specializing in natives will carry this species, but seed germination is easy once the seed coat is nicked by a knife. Transplanting is difficult because of deep, coarse roots.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Devils-walkingstick (Aralia spinosa) is the only other native tree with such large, doubly compound leaves. Its leaflets have toothed margins and often have prickles underneath and along the leaf stalk. Its trunk usually has many stout prickles as well. It never becomes as large a tree as coffeetree.

—Locusts (Gleditsia spp.) have small, doubly compound leaves compared to coffeetree and substantial, branched thorns.

Leaves are large, sometimes reaching a yard in length, and are bipinnately compound. There can be as many as 70 leaflets on 3 to 7 pairs of “branches.” The leaves are dark green and mostly smooth and lustrous above, paler beneath. They are late in developing in the spring.

Flowers are large, upright clusters of whit-ish green, single-sexed flowers. Males (right) and females (left) are on separate trees and appear in mid- to late May. The flower clusters can be nearly a foot tall.

Fruit is a thick, hard, dark brown pod up to 7 inches long. The husk is filled with thick yellowish green pulp and 4 to 7 large, hard seeds. They ripen in the fall and commonly persist on the tree throughout the winter. Pulp and raw seeds are said to be poisonous.

Buds are mostly sunken into the twig and hidden from view. Twigs are stout and mottled various shades of red, gray, and brown. The twigs appear dead. Leaf scars are large and horseshoe-shaped. Pith is substantial and salmony pink.

Mature bark is dark gray-brown with narrow, scaly ridges that flip or curl on one side. Ridges are very hard and often sharp-edged. Old trees are deeply fissured and often reveal the salmony pink inner bark. This same color can be seen by snapping off a piece of the curled ridges.

white walnut

Juglans cinerea Linnaeus

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves, up to 2 feet long, yellow-green, dull above, paler and lightly hairy beneath; leaf stalk hairy; bud elon-gate, pale tan, densely hairy; twig brown with chambered pith and large leaf scar with a face; leaf scar has a hairy fringe (a mustache) along top; fruit oblong, greenish husk is sticky, nut deeply corrugated; meat sweet; bark with broad, flat, vertical “zebra stripes” separated by dark fissures

White walnut is also known as butternut. It is becoming an uncommon tree due to an accidentally introduced fungus; Japanese walnut (J. ailantifolia Carr.) and hybrids between the two (known as buarts) are common, robust, and quite resistant. The green husk of the fruit produces a yellow or orange dye that was used by Confederate troops to color their uniforms during the Civil War. The fruit, like that of black walnut, is oily and sweet, but is hard to find.

Form and Size: Butternut is a medium-sized tree from 40 to 60 feet tall. It is short-lived, compared to black walnut, rarely living much beyond 80 years. Its form is similar to that of black walnut in forest and open-grown situations. Forest-grown trees have tall, clear trunks with small, narrow crowns. Open-grown trees have short trunks with few, ascending limbs that form a broad, open crown.

Habitat: Butternut prefers moist, well-drained soils along streams and wooded ravines, but it is more tolerant to a variety of sites than black walnut. It is intolerant of shade and usually occurs as a solitary tree. Like black walnut, butternut is allelopathic.

Wildlife Uses: This species is used by wildlife very similarly to black walnut, but because it is less common, its overall impact is less. The large nuts with thick shells are principally used by gray, fox, and red squirrels. Many are cached and not retrieved. In general, this species is not often used as a nest site by birds and mammals, but as with black walnut, when growing in the open or on woods’ edges, it is frequently selected by eastern wood-pewees and blue-gray gnatcatchers.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, butternut has the same ornamental qualities of black walnut, but is hardier in more northern climates. Isolated trees stand a better chance of surviving than those planted in an area known to have the pathogenic fungus. Its large nuts are quite tasty and are produced at an early age (less than 10 years). The gray bark is attractive, but like black walnut, it has many leaf “problems” that leave it looking poorly by midsummer. Native plant nurseries may offer this species, and it is easy to grow from seeds once they have had cold storage over the winter.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Black walnut (J. nigra) has similar leaves but with more leaflets and usually with a missing terminal leaflet. Buds are more rounded and whitish gray. There is no “mustache” above the leaf scars. The fruit is rounded. Bark has no pale stripes.

Leaves are up to 2 feet long with 11 to 17 leaflets. The leaf stalk (rachis) is finely hairy and the leaflet margins are serrate. Leaves are yellowish green and wrinkled above, paler and lightly hairy beneath. They are sticky to the touch and aromatic when crushed. Butternut, like black walnut, is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in late summer.

Male flowers (aments) (left) droop singly from last year’s growth while females (right) are in terminal spikes. The females have 2 feathery stigma lobes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in May and June with the leaves.

Fruit is an oblong nut enclosed in a glandular husk, often 3 inches long. The husk turns brown when ripe and deteriorates over winter. Inside, the nut has sharp, jagged, deeply corrugated ridges. The seeds are sweet and edible and ripen in the fall.

Terminal buds are elongate, especially compared to those of black walnut. They are covered with pale gray-tan, dense hairs. Twigs are stout and smooth at maturity, turning gray with age. Leaf scars are heart-shaped with 3 small clusters of bundle scars, unlike the numerous, scattered bundle scars of the hickories. Pith is dark and chambered.

Mature bark has broad, flat-topped, nearly vertical but often intersecting gray ridges separated by dark, fairly deep fissures. The inner bark is dark brown, just like that of black walnut.

black walnut

Juglans nigra Linnaeus

Family: Juglandaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; stout, brown, often hairy twigs with large “monkey-face” or “ET” leaf scars; chambered pith; terminal bud is white-gray and hairy, rounded; large compound leaves with strong odor; bark dark brown, thick, interlacing, forming diamonds; inner bark brown

Black walnut is a common tree in the Midwest. Frequently planted by early settlers for a food source, it is now grown in plantations as a source of top-dollar veneer lumber. A toxic substance secreted by the roots (juglone) inhibits the growth of some plants beneath trees; this is known as allelopathy.

Form and Size: Black walnut is commonly a medium-sized tree to 70–80 feet tall but long-lived trees on good sites can become much larger. Trees can live to 250 years. Forest-grown trees develop tall, limb-free trunks with an open crown. The species is shade-intolerant.

Habitat: Black walnut is found as a scattered forest tree and prefers deep, well-drained fertile soils. It is commonly found near streams and well-drained bottomlands.

Wildlife Uses: Although black walnut lumber has a very high commercial value, the value of the species to wildlife is somewhat less spectacular. While its leaves are not generally used by herbivores, its twigs are occasionally taken by white-tailed deer during the winter months, especially in nurseries or young plantations where the protein content of the plant is enhanced through fertilization. However, the nuts are highly favored by squirrels, especially red and gray squirrels. Although some feeding on ripening nuts occurs in early autumn, the thick husk evidently presents a formidable barrier, because this early use ceases as other mast becomes available, only to resume in the early spring when the husks of the fallen fruits have rotted away.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 4, it can have a fine yellow color in fall, earlier than most trees. However, numerous leaf diseases often cause leaf browning and early shedding. Fruit can be a problem in terms of yard litter and staining. Wood is strong and trees tolerate air pollution. Many genetically superior trees are available through the Northern Nut Growers Association. Deep taproots make transplanting difficult. Trees tolerate drought but will quickly die if the roots are waterlogged several weeks.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Butternut (J. cinerea) leaves are similar but have fewer leaflets (terminal leaflet usually present). Buds are more elongate and tan compared to the short, white-gray black walnut buds. Leaf scars have a hairy fringe at the top. Butternut bark is gray and smooth, especially when young. Butternut fruit is more elongate than black walnut.

—Twigs of hickories are similar to those of walnuts but have smaller, heart-shaped leaf scars with more numerous, scattered bundle scars and no chambered pith.

Black walnut leaves are up to 2 feet in length. It is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in late summer. Each leaf has as many as 23 serrate leaflets that are yellowish green and mostly hairless; the terminal leaflet is often missing.

Male flowers (left) are in drooping clusters (aments), not like those of hickories. The females are in terminal spikes and have feather-like stigma lobes. Males and females are on the same tree and appear in May with the leaves.

Fruit of black walnut is rounded, its surface having many deep grooves. Inside is the kernel, which has a strong but pleasant taste. The husk has deteriorated from this nut.

The terminal bud of black walnut is grayish white and hairy. It has 4 scales that fold toward themselves like closed flower petals. Twigs are stout and dark brown, hairy or smooth. The large, heart-shaped leaf scars resemble a monkey’s face. Pith is light-colored and chambered.

Mature black walnut bark is medium brown with thick, interlacing ridges. The inner bark is dark brown, just like that of the white walnut.

black locust

Robinia pseudoacacia Linnaeus

Family: Fabaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves with 7 to 19 oval, blue-green smooth leaflets with entire margins, pale underneath; no visible buds along twig; twigs brown, smooth with paired thorns at the nodes; showy white drooping clusters of fragrant flowers; fruit a thin, brown pod; bark dark tan, fibrous, thick ridges that twist in a rope-like fashion, deep fissures

Black locust is now a ubiquitous tree of the Midwest, but its native range was evidently much more to the east and barely extended into our region. It has been extensively planted since the European settlers arrived and has naturalized in many regions of the country. Native plant societies have begun to list black locust as an aggressive invader that is not native (or welcome!) in our area. It is well-known for its “sleeping leaves,” which fold up at night. The wood is exceptional for use as fuel, and was commonly used as fence posts.

Form and Size: Black locust is a medium-sized tree that usually reaches no more than 80 feet in height. Growth can be rapid on good sites, but it rarely lives longer than 100 years. Open-grown trees have a feathery, uneven crown with a short, frequently branched trunk. It commonly root-sprouts and forms dense stands from the multiple stems. Older trees often develop large, rounded burls on the trunks that are highly prized by wood carvers.

Habitat: Black locust prefers deep, well-drained, fertile soils but is very adaptable. It has become naturalized and can be found quite possibly in every county throughout the Midwest. Because it is a nitrogen fixer and soil stabilizer, many trees have been planted along roadways and on reclaimed strip mines. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Despite its widespread and common occurrence, black locust has relatively little wildlife value. Twigs and leaves have some toxic qualities and are only rarely browsed by white-tailed deer. There is sometimes copious production of pods, each with several high-protein seeds; however, when pods finally dehisce and drop from the trees in late winter, use by bobwhite and small rodents is minimal. Saplings in densely growing stands are occasionally used as nest sites by songbirds. Although very decay-resistant, over-mature trees often have nooks and crannies, which are used as nest sites by squirrels and cavity-nesting birds.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 3, black locust is most spectacular when in flower. The dark blue-green feathery leaves provide a light shade. Its fall color is unpredictable—the leaves may turn yellow or they may remain green until killed by frost. The locust borer, Megacyllene robiniae, is the most problematic of its pests. The borer tunnels eventually weaken the wood. Black locust in general is extremely hardy, and resistant to salt, drought, and some air pollution. Many cultivars are available.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and waterlocust (G. aquatica) have both singly and doubly compound leaves with substantially more leaflets per leaf. Pods are much different, and the branches and trunks have large, branched thorns.

The pinnately compound leaves are nearly a foot long with 7 to 19 ovate leaflets per leaf. The leaflet margins are entire. Leaves are dark blue-green and smooth above and paler beneath.

The clusters of perfect, white flowers appear in mid-April into May when the leaves are half-open. They are fragrant and very showy.

Fruit is a flattened, light brown, thin pod about 4 inches long. Each pod has several small, dark orange seeds. The fruit ripens in the fall and pods often persist on the tree through winter.

Buds are not usually visible on black locust twigs because they are sunken into the twig. At the nodes are a pair of thick, sharply pointed spines. On slow-growing trees the spines may not be present. Twigs are brown and smooth.

Mature bark is dark tan, fibrous, and thick with deep fissures. The ridges often twist over themselves and resemble thick hemp rope. Inner bark is orange and commonly exposed in the deep fissures.

showy mountain-ash

Sorbus decora (Sargent) C. K. Schneider

American mountain-ash

Sorbus americana Marshall

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; singly compound leaves, 13 to 17 leaflets, leaflets elongate, pointed, finely toothed margins, often lightly hairy (American has narrower leaflets, positioned on the edge of the branches); buds cone-shaped, sharply pointed and curved, dark reddish brown, often sticky, with inner scales hairy on showy, hairless on American; flowers white in showy clusters; fruit reddish in large, drooping clusters; bark smooth, thin, gray, slightly scaly when old

The mountain-ashes are trees of cool climates and occur more commonly in the Northeast and Canada than in the Midwest. They are rarely grown with any success in the heat and humidity of the southern parts of our region. Guy Sternberg and Jim Wilson call this group of trees “taxonomic rebels of the first order,” for not only do they hybridize among themselves, but also with trees such as the serviceberries and chokeberries. Thus, identification can be tricky to say the least!

Form and Size: Both species are small trees that reach a maximum height of 30 feet. They have a narrow, open, round-topped crown, and a short trunk. They are moderately fast-growing and short-lived, surviving no more than 50 years.

Habitat: Mountain-ash prefers moist sites that border swamps, rivers, and lakes. It can also be found on rocky hillsides and in extremely dry soils. It occurs in the southern Appalachians on moist, cool slopes. It is intolerant of shade.

Wildlife Uses: Mountain-ashes have excellent wildlife value, serving as a favored food source for many species. Leaves and twigs are highly preferred by white-tailed deer, moose, snowshoe hare and cottontail in all seasons. The attractive clusters of fruits that ripen in late summer are regularly used by American robins, cedar waxwings, grosbeaks, ruffed grouse, and other avian species. Unfortunately, they are also favorites of European starlings, and migrating flocks of these birds often strip trees, especially those planted as ornamentals, of all fruit very early in the fall. Cover value of this genus is not exceptional.

Landscaping Value: The mountain-ashes are limited in the Midwest by heat and should not be planted farther south than Zone 5. There are many insect and disease problems with the species when planted outside their natural ranges. They are used extensively in northern climates as ornamentals because of their beautiful flowers and fruits. Planting them in cool, moist, lightly shaded areas may help them survive. Most mountain-ash available on the market are hybrids of the European species, S. aucuparia.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) fruits are often the same size and color in large clusters. They usually have simple leaves and thorns.

—The native shrub elderberry (Sambucus spp.) may be confused by the leaves alone, but it has opposite branching.

Leaves range from 4 to 8 inches long, with 13 to 17 leaflets. American has light green, hairless, narrower leaflets. Showy has dark green, blunt-tipped, slightly hairy leaflets. The leaflets have varying amounts of serration.

The perfect, white flowers are in showy, upright, somewhat flat-topped clusters. They appear in May and June after the leaves.

Fruit is shiny, clustered, somewhat dry and orangered. The color differs only slightly between species. It ripens in the fall.

Terminal buds are cone-shaped, ½ inch long, and covered with several reddish brown scales. Showy is usually sticky and slightly hairy. American scales are smooth. Twigs are reddish to grayish and smooth with a raised, crescent-shaped leaf scar.

Mature bark of all Sorbus species is smooth, thin, and light gray to brown in color. Older trees become scaly near the base.

Alternate, Evergreen

American holly

Ilex opaca Aiton

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; evergreen leaves to 4 inches long, dark green, shiny above, pale green below, thick, leathery, spine-like teeth; fruit red, small, fleshy, persisting through winter; bark smooth, gray

American holly is a southern tree that is prized as an ornamental for its shiny, evergreen leaves and red berries that always keep Christmas in the air. An old-time common name for this tree was Christmas holly. George Washington was a fan of this species and planted numerous trees at Mount Vernon, some of which survive today.

Form and Size: American holly is a medium-sized tree, from 40 to 50 feet in height. It is slow-growing and reaches a maximum age of around 150 years. Open-grown trees have a classic, dense, pyramidal form with branches to the ground. Forest trees have an irregular, open crown and clear trunk.

Habitat: American holly prefers deep, moist bottomlands but can be found on drier, gravelly sites. Its range has progressively moved north since Europeans appeared in North America. It is a common ornamental along the East Coast, where it tolerates saltwater spray. It is somewhat tolerant of shade but grows well in full sun.

Wildlife Uses: American holly occurs only at the southernmost limit of our region; its overall value to our wildlife is thus low, but where it occurs, it receives substantial use. Its fruits persist on trees and are regularly taken by American robins, other thrushes, catbirds, mockingbirds, and woodpeckers. Tree squirrels, raccoons and other mammals also feed on fruits. It is occasionally browsed by white-tailed deer. Cover value is also considerable; its dense evergreen foliage supplies nest sites and escape cover for many song-birds, especially while trees are young.

Landscaping Value: Hardy to Zone 5, American holly is more adaptable to our colder environs than first thought. It is best, however, to plant it in a protected area away from harsh winds. It tolerates pollution and all but extremely wet sites, and prefers acidic soils. Plants are separate sexes, so several trees are needed in order to get fruit production. There are hundreds of varieties of American holly and many are more cold-hardy and will grow in our northern climate. Some of these varieties grow faster and have more showy leaves and fruits than wild strains, so they may be worth investing in.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Several species of Mahonia, most of which are native to the West, are occasionally planted in the Midwest. They are low-growing evergreen shrubs with spiny, compound leaves.

Leaves are thick, leathery, and about 4 inches long. They are dark green and shiny above and pale green beneath. The margins have few, sharp, spine-like teeth.

Flowers are tiny, whit-ish, and inconspicuous among evergreen leaves. Male (left) and female (right) flowers are on separate trees and appear in May and June.

Fruit is small—¼ inch in diameter—and dull red. It is rather dry and persists through most of the winter after ripening in late October.

Buds are tiny, gray, and hairy on stout, light brown, smooth twigs.

Bark changes little over the life span of a holly. It is smooth, gray, and thin. Older trees develop small, warty projections.

INTRODUCED SPECIES

Norway maple

Acer platanoides Linnaeus

Family: Aceraceae

Quick ID: opposite branching; simple leaves with 5 to 7 lobes, each one ending in a bristle-tip; long petiole; milky sap; large greenish or purplish terminal bud; flowers in upright cluster; bark with tight, interlacing ridges

As its common name implies, Norway maple is native to northern Europe. This very shade tolerant species has been widely planted and has escaped in the northeastern United States, the upper Midwest, and Canada. It is reported that George Washington purchased two trees in 1792 to plant at Mount Vernon.

Form and Size: Norway maple is a medium-sized tree, able to reach a height of 80 feet. It is usually half that height in the Midwest, and has a dense, broad, rounded crown similar to that of a sugar maple. It tends to be a fairly short-lived tree here, particularly south of the Upper Lake States because of its incompatibility with heat and humidity; a 100 year old midwestern tree is old. Norway maple can grow quickly and develop a trunk of several feet in diameter. It is hardy from Zones 3 – 7.

Habitat: In North America, Norway maple is very adaptable to many sites, but prefers cool locations with moderate soil moisture. It handles the heaviest shade but can grow in full sun, where midwestern summer heat takes its toll. Norway maple reportedly has allelopathic properties that help eliminate both woody and herbaceous competition.

Wildlife Uses: Norway maple is browsed frequently by white-tailed deer, and is classified by some as being preferred over native species. Seeds are taken by squirrels, chipmunks, and other small rodents, but infrequently by birds; seed predation is considered low compared to native maple species. The trees are unexceptional for nesting cover; its relatively thick twigs make it even less attractive to many songbird species than other maples, but American robins often use it as a nest site.

Landscaping Value: This is a commonly planted species that has been in the United States since the late 1700’s, mainly used as a street tree or an ornamental yard specimen. As Michael Dirr states in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants“cultivarism is rampant”; although ‘Crimson King’ is one of the most commonly seen varieties, there are more than 100 available. Norway maple is disease and pollution resistant and tolerant of poor soil and dry conditions; it does not grow well in poorly drained sites. Fall color is usually yellowish, unlike our native, multi-colored sugar maple.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Sugar maple (A. saccharum) leaves are similar but usually 5-lobed and have no bristle-tips and no milky sap; leaves are lighter green, longer than wide, with no milky sap. Buds are brown, pointed, and slender. Bark has irregular thick ridges and plates.

—Black maple (A. nigrum) leaves are similar in shape and color, but have no bristle-tips; they have drooping margins, are often hairy, and have stipules at the base of the petiole. Buds are pointed, blackish-brownish, and slender.

Leaves have 5 to 7 lobes, each ending with a bristle-tip. Upper surface is dark green and shiny; it is light green beneath. Leaves are wider than they are long—commonly 6 inches wide by 5 inches long. Petioles are often extremely long—15 inches or more, and exude milky sap.

The showy flowers appear in the spring with the leaves in upright clusters. Flowers have 5 yellowish petals and sepals (our native maples have neither). Flowers are usually single sex on any given tree.

Fruit is a double samara about 4 inches across with widely spreading wings—more so than any native maple. When ripe in the fall, they twirl to the ground like a helicopter.

Terminal buds are large for a maple (½ inch)—much larger than any midwestern native maple. Bud scales are thick, light greenish or reddish and paired. Twigs are stout for a maple, shiny, medium brown, and dotted with light-colored lenticels. During the growing season, all plant parts exude milky sap when broken. ‘Crimson King’ (right) has purple buds and twigs.

Mature bark is dark brown with 1 inch thick ridges that are tightly interlacing throughout. Younger bark is very thin and flat, but still has the tight, interlacing pattern.

ailanthus, tree of heaven

Ailanthus altissima (Miller) Swingle

Family: Simaroubaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; large, compound leaves, each leaflet with a few teeth near the base; leaves and twigs give off strong, unpleasant odor when crushed or scraped; twigs very thick, medium brown, velvety when young; pith substantial, brown; bark medium gray with tan inner bark exposed in vertical fissures

Ailanthus is a short-lived tree, originally from China, which was introduced into the United States (Philadelphia) around 1784. It is now found throughout North America and continues to spread at an alarming rate. When one considers its status as enemy # 1 on many top 10 lists of exotic, invasive woody plants, its common name (tree of heaven) seems absurd. A more appropriate name that has evolved because of its aggressive nature in urban areas is “ghetto palm.”

Form and Size: Ailanthus is a fast growing, medium-sized tree, reaching 60–70 feet in height. It can attain a sizable diameter trunk of 3 feet, and has a broad, open crown that is comprised of stout twigs and branches. Although it is considered short-lived (50 years), it continuously produces root suckers that persist into perpetuity, long after the original tree has died. It is hardy in Zones 5-8.

Habitat: Ailanthus is highly adaptable to all but the wettest sites. Not only does it tolerate nearly all soil types, but also almost any soil pH and the most disturbed or polluted urban sites. It also thrives in most rural habitats, including open woods. It handles full sun as well as partial shade.

Wildlife Uses: Very little benefit is supplied to wildlife by ailanthus. Its seeds are little used by birds and small mammals, and it is rarely browsed by white-tailed deer. Its stout limbs do not lend themselves well to songbird nest attachment and thus trees are infrequently used as nest sites. Trees are short-lived and very susceptible to limb breakage; thus, older trees have cavities that are occasionally used by secondary cavity nesters, such as crested flycatchers, screech owls, European starlings and raccoons.

Landscaping Value: Ailanthus has an allelopathic chemical (ailanthone) present in the roots, leaves, seeds and bark, which inhibits other plants from establishing themselves too closely to a given tree. There are several cultivars available, but this species should never be planted.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Sumac (Rhus spp.) leaves are very similar in size, shape and color, but no large teeth occur near the base of sumac leaflets. Sumacs are short-lived, large shrubs with trunk diameters usually <3 inches.

—Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) leaves are doubly compound and non-scented. Twigs are thick with mottled colorations and pinkish pith. Fruit is a brown, thick pod.

—Black walnut (Juglans nigra) leaves are compound, but leaflets have no large teeth near the base. Buds are covered with dense, whitish-gray hairs. Fruit a dark brown nut.

Leaves are singly compound and up to 2 ½ feet long. Leaflets have elongated tips with entire margins except for a few glandular teeth near the base. Leaves are ill-scented (rancid peanut butter) when crushed.

The large, ill-scented flower clusters emerge in May and June in large terminal clusters. Individual flowers are small, greenish with 5 petals; trees are usually either male or female.

The winged, twisted fruits are borne in large, obvious, terminal clusters in the fall, and persist well into the winter. Ripening fruits are commonly tinted with red in the late summer. Each fruit is up to 1 ½ inches long and contains a single seed.

Twigs are thick and medium brown with substantial, brownish pith. First year twigs are velvety soft. Leaf scars are large, shield-shaped and contain numerous bundle scars. Lateral buds are small, round, reddish- brown and sit atop the leaf scar. Twigs give off an ill scent when scraped.

Mature bark is mostly smooth, thin and medium gray with tan colored inner bark that is exposed in the vertical, shallow fissures.

mimosa, silktree, albizia

Albizia julibrissin Durazz.

Family: Mimosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; doubly-compound, delicate leaves with numerous wedge-shaped leaflets; large, pink, clustered flowers present over extended periods in summer; persistent, flattened fruits (pods) in clusters

Mimosa was introduced in the southeastern United States in the mid-1700’s for use as an ornamental. Its delicate, doubly-compound leaves and large, pink, prolifically-produced flowers are attractive in the landscape. One rather unusual physiological phenomenon of mimosa is known as nyctinasty, or sleep movement, in which its leaves fold at night.

Form and Size: In the Midwest, mimosa is at the most, 40 feet tall, and has a wide-spreading crown. It has a short, multi-branched trunk and a small stature that gives the appearance of a large shrub. It is hardy to Zone 6 and is short-lived, to around 30 years. It suckers vigorously when cut to the ground or burned; some of these stems reportedly grow 5 feet in length in a single season.

Habitat: Mimosa is native to central Asia in moist, open places. In the United States, it grows best in full sun where competition from other plants is low. It tolerates just about any soil type, pH and moisture regime, and is now commonly found growing along roadsides and in old fields. It is a nitrogen-fixing legume that can improve soil quality and has been planted on reclaimed mining sites and landfills.

Wildlife Uses: Mimosa is marginally important to wildlife as a food source. It is rarely browsed by deer, but its seeds are taken by songbirds, quail, and small rodents. Its numerous, attractive flowers are used by hummingbirds. It seems to supply little to wildlife with respect to cover, likely because of its unique spreading morphology.

Landscaping Value: Several insect and disease problems have cropped up during mimosa’s spread across the South. Mimosa webworm, Homadaula anisocentra, heavily attacks trees in the South – this is the same pest that severely damages honeylocust (Gleditsia) leaves in the Midwest. Another serious problem is mimosa wilt caused by Fusarium, a vascular disease that can kill above-ground portions of trees. During severe midwestern winters, cold temperatures can top-kill mimosa, or cause extensive limb die back. Amazingly, mimosa is available at many southern nurseries in spite of its propensity to escape to natural areas.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Honeylocust (Gleditsia spp.) leaves can be doubly-compound on vigorously-growing or young trees, but are usually singly-compound. Wild, naturally occurring honeylocust usually has sizable thorns along twigs and trunks. Pods are larger (much smaller on the rare G. aquatica), twisted and do not persist on the tree in winter. Bark is brown, platy, and usually has clusters of large thorns.

Leaves are up to 20 inches in length, grass-green and doubly-compound. Leaflets are very numerous, tiny, delicate and oblong to wedge-shaped. Each pair of leaflets resembles the silhouette of a soaring eagle.

The pink flowers appear in mid-to-late summer over several months after the leaves are fully developed. They are in clusters with numerous, 1 inch long stamens that create an appearance of exploding fireworks. Flowers are separate sex on the same tree, but trees do not self-pollinate.

Fruiting pods ripen in the fall and persist on the tree throughout the winter. Pods are up to 7 inches long, flattened, and in clusters.

Twigs are somewhat stout, smooth, and of various, mottled colors of gray, green and brown. There are numerous, raised lenticels and obvious ridges that run along the twig and originate from the sides of leaf scars. Lateral buds are stacked, brown and slightly hairy. The upper, largest bud is round and has several scales, while the lower bud is small and barely visible. Leaf scars are 3-lobed, raised, and contain 3 bundle scars. Pith is substantial, solid, and white.

Mature bark is mostly smooth, gray-brown and covered with many vertically elongated lenticels.

European black alder, black alder, common alder

Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertner

Family: Betulaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple leaves up to 4 inches long, rounded, usually with a rounded tip; leaf base broadly wedge-shaped; 5 or 6 pairs of veins per leaf; leaf margin usually doubly-toothed, somewhat wavy; buds burgundy-colored, often resin-coated, stalked; twigs have overwintering male and female catkins, both of which droop; fruit a “mini-pine cone” that persists through winter

Black alder is native to Europe and was introduced to the eastern United States several centuries ago. Like other alders, it benefits soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen in root nodules with the help of an Actinomycetes bacteria. This improving of soil fertility is the major reason it has been planted extensively on reclaimed strip mines. In some areas of the northeastern United States, it has escaped and created pure black alder thickets that have displaced native willows and alders. Black alder hybridizes with native shrub alders, which creates yet another problem.

Form and Size: Black alder is generally a medium-sized tree in the United States, reaching a height of 40 to 50 feet; it can become larger. It develops a tall, rather slender, open crown and grows best in full sun. It is a fast growing tree with a relatively short life span of 100 years. It is hardy from Zones 3–7.

Habitat: Like all Alnus species, black alder is found growing in well-drained lowlands near water. It has escaped into these habitats and is considered invasive in many eastern and midwestern states. It tolerates a wide range of soil types, pH, and moisture regimes; it grows well on compacted mining reclamation sites.

Wildlife Uses: Unlike our native alders, which are shrubs, a European black alder plant typically grows to tree size with one or a few main boles. Thus, its cover value for terrestrial wildlife is fairly short-lived compared to natives. When it reaches tree size, it is limby enough to supply nest sites for birds and tree squirrels. When sufficiently old, its fruiting structures provide food for some wildlife – male catkins are taken by squirrels and grouse. Seeds produced by the “cones” are very attractive to American goldfinch and pine siskins, which pick them from the ripe fruits; expelled seeds are likely gleaned from the ground by other seed-eaters. When small, twigs and bark are browsed by cottontails, snowshoe hares, moose and beaver. It is not a preferred browse species of deer.

Landscaping Value: In the Midwest, black alder has been utilized mainly in reclamation of strip mine sites, where soils are usually too dry for seed germination of most plant species. It is tolerant of low soil fertility, drought, air pollution, a variety of soil pHs and all but the most poorly drained soils. Trees are self–sterile, so isolated individual urban specimens have little chance of spreading. There are several cultivars available, including ‘Fastigiata’ and ‘Pyramidalis’ that have more narrow crowns.

Leaves are up to 4 inches long, nearly round, and usually have a blunt leaf tip. Both surfaces are green and generally resin-coated. Leaf margin is usually coarsely, doubly-toothed and leaf base is commonly wedge-shaped. There are commonly 5 or 6 pairs of veins per leaf.

Seeds ripen in the fall in woody, cone-like structures that hang down in loose clusters. Seeds are tiny, nearly wingless samaras. Cones persist for a year or more after ripening.

Flowers appear in the spring before the leaves from over-wintering catkins. Male catkins are up to 5 inches long when releasing pollen; females are ½ inch. Both droop downward in clusters of 2–5.

Mature bark is dark brown, mostly smooth with shallow fissures near the base. Raised, horizontally aligned lenticels dot the trunk.

Twigs are greenish-tan and nearly covered, especially near the end, with short, flattened hairs. Raised lenticels are scattered along the twigs. Overwintering catkins are present on mature trees. Females are ½ inch in length, and are greenish with dark reddish scale margins. Overwintering male catkins are larger, up to 3 inches in length, and clustered near the twig tip. Lateral buds are valvate, with 2-3 reddish, somewhat resinous bud scales, and set atop a peg-like stalk. Leaf scars are triangular-shaped and contain 3 sets of bundle scars. Pith is light-colored and triangular in shape.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Speckled alder (Alnus incana subsp. rugosa) is a large native shrub. Hybrids between the two reportedly have varying combinations of leaf and fruit characteristics. Speckled alder has leaves of similar size but are more oval and have a rounded leaf base. There are more pairs of veins per leaf and teeth extend nearly to leaf base. Underside of leaf usually glaucous. Overwintering male catkins usually half the length of A. glutinosa.

—Smooth alder (A. serrulata) is another large native shrub that hybridizes with A. incana (and possibly A. glutinosa). Smooth alder leaves have finely, singly-toothed margins and are green on both sides. Overwintering female catkins stand upright on the twigs. Bark is smooth, gray; trunk fluted.

paper mulberry

Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér ex Vent

Family: Moraceae

Quick ID: alternate or opposite branching; simple, entire or lobed leaves similar to a Morus; leaves hairy on both sides; leaves and twigs have milky sap; leaf margin is toothed and petiole is long; twigs hairy and zigzag from nodes; twig with orange lenticels; fruit an orange-red, round, dangling aggregate; mature bark smooth, gray-brown.

This Asian species was long ago introduced to many Pacific Islands, including Hawaii. It has been cultivated for more than 1000 years for its bark, which is used, among other things, for making paper and cloth. The cloth is known as tapa, and is dyed and decorated for use in weddings, and other traditional ceremonies. Individual stems are harvested when about 1 inch in diameter and 10 to 12 feet tall. The bark is peeled off in strips and pounded flat. Today, the cloth is most often used for making souvenirs for the tourist trade in several Polynesian countries.

Form and Size: In the continental United States, paper mulberry is generally a small tree reaching 30–40 feet in height, although it can become larger. It has wide-spreading branches from a short trunk, and commonly suckers from the roots. Life span is apparently fairly short and it is hardy to Zone 6.

Habitat: Paper mulberry is native to Japan and Taiwan. It was brought into the United States for use as an ornamental, and has now escaped from cultivation, particularly in the Southeast. Only male clones were planted in the Pacific Islands, but apparently no such effort was made in the mainland U.S. It grows best in full sun, and tolerates “city life,” most soil types, heat and drought. In areas where it has escaped, it is found in waste places and disturbed or abandoned ground.

Wildlife Uses: This unique species has relatively stout limbs and is not regularly used for nesting by birds. Leaves are occasionally browsed by deer. Its sizable fruits are too large for songbirds that frequently use fruits of white and red mulberry, but they are readily taken by mammalian omnivores as are those of the mulberries.

Landscaping Value: Paper mulberry has been used as a shade tree, particularly along the east coast. If male clones are planted, there is little chance of escape into the wild. In Chicago’s Morton Arboretum, this species is killed back to the ground during harsh winter weather, after which it produces suckers. It has a shallow root system and is susceptible to blow down. There are a few cultivars that may be on the market.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red mulberry (Morus rubra) leaves are very similar but have ‘watered down” sap. Twigs are not densely hairy. Fruit is a small, fleshy aggregate that ripens in summer. Bark is brown and vertically ridged.

—Red elm (Ulmus rubra) leaves are similar to the unlobed leaf of paper mulberry in that they are covered with rough, sand-papery hairs. The leaf base is lopsided and the petiole is much shorter.

Leaves are up to 8 inches long and commonly have petioles of an equivalent length. The more vigorous the growth rate of the tree, the larger the leaf and petiole, and the more lobes per leaf. Leaves are hairy on both surfaces and have small to large teeth along the margin. The number of lobes is 3 to 5, but older trees generally only have leaves with entire margins. The petiole is hairy and exudes milky sap when cut.

Bark is mostly smooth, thin and gray-brown. With age trees develop scaly bark with shallow, vertical ridges. Orange lenticels are scattered along the trunk and always visible.

Twigs are slender, greenish-gray to brown and dotted with orange lenticels that are often hard to see through dense, bristly hairs common on first-year twigs. Slow-growing twigs zigzag from node to node, which is an unusual trait for any opposite-branched species. Buds are ovoid, brownish, and have few scales. Leaf scars are nearly round and contain several large, oddly-shaped bundle scars.

Flowers appear in the spring with the new leaves. They are usually single sex on an individual tree. Males are yellowish, densely woolly catkins in axillary clusters that are up to 3 inches long. Females are greenish rounded clusters that dangle from long peduncles, and are a little over ½ inch in diameter. Pollen is reportedly allergenic. (Photo credit: Will Cook)

Fruit ripens in the fall in rounded heads that are about ¾ inch in diameter. Each cluster, an aggregate of drupes, has orange-red flesh that has a brain-like appearance that contains numerous small seeds. (Photo credit: Will Cook)

Osage-orange, hedge apple, bois d’arc

Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C.K. Schneid.

Family: Moraceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; bright green, shiny leaves in clusters on older twigs; leaves have entire margins and elon-gated tip; leaf exudes milky sap; 1st year twigs on vigorous young trees have a single, “blood-tipped” spine; fruit a large-diameter green aggregate resembling a brain

Osage-orange is not a close relative of any citrus, but its large, grapefruit-sized fruit is said to resemble just that. The fruit is more commonly referred to as monkey brains, and one look at it immediately explains why. This tree was once planted extensively throughout the Midwest for several reasons. Its dense, durable wood was used for fence posts and bows. Trees were tightly planted in long rows to create a living fence that was cheap to “build” and maintain.

Form and Size: Osage-orange is a medium-sized tree with an interesting form. It has few, thick, often twisting or bent limbs, with the lowest ones often growing near ground level. The trunk is short and usually has a few large-diameter limbs low on the trunk. An average height is about 50 feet, but the trunk diameter can be massive—to 3 feet or more. Although native to more southerly states, this species is hardy to at least Zone 5 and has a moderate life span of 150 years or more. It has a relatively fast growth rate.

Habitat: This species is still commonly seen as a living fence between cultivated fields of the Midwest. Otherwise, it can be found escaped in old fields, overgrazed pastures, woods edges and roadsides. It prefers full sun, but can handle partial shade, which causes the often impressively large lower limbs to die back. It develops root suckers, and old trees continue to persist via this new growth.

Wildlife Uses: While individual trees now occur scattered in native habitats, where they have comparable wildlife values, major cover value is achieved where linear original plantings remain. The limby, thorny trees, often with limbs that droop to the ground, supply escape cover to many bird and mammal species, including ground-dwellers such as cottontails and bobwhite. Many songbirds, raptors and fox squirrels nest in the crowns of tangled limbs. The large fruits are broken apart, especially after the action of freezing and thawing softens them, by white-tailed deer and squirrels, the former eating the fruit itself and the latter the seeds. Once fruits are broken, seeds are taken by bobwhite, small rodents, and songbirds. Leaves and twigs are browsed by deer and cottontails.

Landscaping Value: This is one tough tree that can handle just about any site, from wet to dry, acidic to alkaline, and urban to rural settings. It has been in cultivation for several hundred years; there are several nearly “thornless” varieties such as ‘Wichita’ and ‘White Shield’ available on the market.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—White mulberry (Morus alba) has similar-looking mature bark that is usually lighter brown. Mulberry leaves are usually lobed and twigs never bear spines.

Leaves are shiny, grass-green and up to 5 inches long. They are widest at the middle and have an elongated leaf tip and entire margins. The petiole is up to 2 inches long and exudes milky sap when cut.

Flowers appear in the spring after leaf development with males and females on separate trees. Females are in solitary, round, dense heads about 1 inch in diameter. Males are greenish and in axillary clusters.

Fruit ripens in the fall in a large, green, dense, fleshy ball that is a multiple head of individual fruits. The surface is a matrix of channels and projections that resemble a brain. The 5 to 6 inch diameter fruit has milky, sticky, latex sap and is quite heavy.

Twigs are tannish-gray and zigzag from node to node. Young, vigorous growth produces a single “blood-tipped” spine between each leaf scar and lateral bud. First year twigs have a small, partially sunken brownish, turban-shaped bud above each leaf scar. Older twigs develop spur shoots that produce clusters of leaves. Leaf scars are slightly raised, kidney-shaped and contain 2 or 3 bundle scars.

Mature bark has thick brown ridges that are vertical or somewhat twisting. With age, bark can become fibrous and peel in long strips. Inner bark is deep orange and visible in the bark fissures. Wood is bright orange.

white mulberry, silkworm mulberry

Morus alba L.

Family: Moraceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; young trees with variously-lobed, shiny, smooth leaves; toothed margins; twigs exude milky sap when cut; fruit a fleshy cluster of drupes resembling a blackberry; bark orange-brown, thick; roots bright yellow

White mulberry has been a common feature on the midwestern landscape for so many centuries that it is hard to believe it is not a native tree. It was brought into the southeastern United States from China during the 1600’s in an attempt to feed imported silk-worms. Its seeds have now been spread by birds across the entire eastern United States and into the Plains States.

Form and Size: White mulberry is usually a small tree, reaching no more than 30 feet in height. It has a short, often multi-stemmed trunk with a dense, broad crown. Witches’-brooms are commonly seen in the crowns. This is a relatively short-lived species with poor form that is adapted to Zones 4–8. It grows quickly and produces fruit at a young age.

Habitat: This is a disturbance species that thrives in the full sun of open areas. It is commonly found growing along fence rows. It is a frequent weed in lawns, parks, gardens, and urban waste places. Trees can be found in old fields and woods edges, and along drainage ditches of farm fields.

Wildlife Uses: In contrast to native red mulberry (M. rubra) and paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), white mulberry produces a prodigious amount of fruit that has an extended ripening period of more than a month. Fruits are relished by all fruit-eating birds, especially gray catbirds and brown thrashers, and many omnivorous mammals as well – from squirrels to raccoons to coyotes. Again in contrast to other mulberries, it has a limby growth form that yields very good nest sites for many songbirds that use woods-edge and fencerow habitats, such as cedar waxwings, American robins, yellow-billed cuckoos and mourning doves. It is occasionally browsed by deer, and cottontails feed on bark of young stems in the winter.

Landscape Value: White mulberry is extremely common in the Midwest where forests were replaced by agriculture. Where natural woods are a large percentage of the landscape, red mulberry still rules. Hybrids between our native Morus rubra and white mulberry have been reported. This is a tree of all habitats, becomes established whether planted or not, and is considered a noxious weed. It tolerates all types of sites except poorly drained. Its fruit are messy beneath urban trees.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Red mulberry (M. rubra) leaves dark green, rough, with tiny teeth along the margins. Bark is brown, thinner and more scaly

—Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) leaves are similar but rough of both surfaces; bark is thin and dotted with obvious lenticels

—American basswood (Tilia americana) leaves have no lobes, no hairs; buds have 2 or 3 red scales; fruit a nutlet; bark is brown with flat-topped ridges

Leaves are shiny and of varying shapes, particularly on young trees. They are up to 6 inches long and mostly smooth. Mature trees have mostly unlobed leaves. The leaf margin has large, pointed teeth and the leaf base is evenly shaped on both sides. The petiole exudes milky sap when cut.

The greenish flowers appear with the leaves in the spring from short, axillary stalks. Male and female flowers can be on the same tree, or trees can have flowers of all one sex. Females (right) are produced along the twig, while males (left) are in clusters.

Fruit ripens in early to mid-summer and is dark red to purplish when ripe. Some fruit is off-white when ripe. The inch-long mulberry is an aggregate of small, fleshy fruits, each containing a tiny seed.

Twigs are pinkish-tan to reddish-brown, smooth, and are dotted with pale-colored lenticels. Leaf scars are raised, half-moon shaped with numerous bundle scars. Buds, covered with 4 to 8 striped scales, are broad at the base and sharp-pointed at the tip. Buds usually look dome-shaped on the upper surface.

Mature bark is thick with medium brown or orange-brown, somewhat twisting ridges. The inner bark is yellow-orange and is visible in the fissures.

royal paulownia, princess tree, empress tree

Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Sieb. & Zucc. ex Steud.

Family: Scrophulariaceae

Quick ID: opposite or whorled branching; large simple, heart-shaped, hairy leaves; long petiole dotted with white lenticels; violet, upright flowers in large clusters; next spring’s flower buds produced the summer before and visible all winter; 2-parted, woody persistent capsules in large clusters

It is hard to imagine a tree species utilized in more ways than paulownia. As a matter of fact, it is hard to name something for which it has not been used or into which it has not been fashioned! Within the genus Paulownia are the fastest growing hardwoods in the world, and they have been planted around the world by humans who capitalize on that impressive feature.

Form and Size: Paulownia is a medium-sized tree that commonly reaches a height of 50 feet, but can reportedly grow to twice that size. It is considered a long-lived tree in its native range in China, but is considered an old tree at 70 years of age in the United States. Trunk diameters of 6 feet have been reported. Trees have straight, tall trunks with a strongly angular branching that gives the canopy an open appearance when the leaves are gone.

Habitat: This species has naturalized throughout much of the eastern United States, but it is particularly common in many disturbed areas of the Appalachian Mountains. It is commonly found on dry, gravelly ridges and slopes, cliff faces and rock summits as well as stream sides where it grows best. It is well adapted to fire and vigorously sprouts from the roots after such an event. It grows best in full sun but will handle partial shade. It is hardy to Zone 5.

Wildlife Uses: Herbivores, such as deer and rabbits, frequently take leaves of paulownia, especially those of newly emerged leaves on seedlings in the spring. The prodigious quantities of small seed are likely used to a degree by songbirds and small mammals, but tests have indicated low palatability. The stout limbs yield poor sites for avian nests, but in areas where disturbance (fire) kills the aboveground portions of trees, root-suckering yields dense stands of saplings that provide substantial protective cover.

Landscape Value: Paulownia is very tolerant of a wide range of soil types and moisture regimes; it grows well in urban areas where air pollution may be problematic. It is extremely drought tolerant; branches are brittle and prone to wind-damage. The flowers are showy and fruiting pods are large and persistent. There are several hybrids that are more cold hardy. Trees root-sucker prolifically if the stem is cut or burned, and seeds quickly germinate once ripe.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Catalpa (Catalpa spp.) has whorled branching, but similar leaves. Leaves are not hairy and petioles are green. Flowers are whitish with a multi-colored throat. Fruit is an elongated, rounded capsule.

Leaves are simple, heart-shaped, and up to 12 inches long. They can be twice this size on fast-growing suckers. The upper surface is dark green and lightly hairy, while the lower surface is densely covered with rust-colored hairs. Leaf margin is entire but somewhat wavy. Petioles are long, often hairy and dotted with white lenticels.

Flowers appear before the leaves in April or early May. They are in large, upright clusters that are 10 inches long or more and pyramid-shaped in outline. Individual tubular flowers are pale violet (white), vanilla-scented, and have dark spots and yellow stripes in the throat. Preformed flower buds develop in the summer and remain on the branch tips during the winter.

Fruits ripen in early fall in large clusters that persist throughout the winter months. Each woody capsule is about 2 ½ inches long, has a pointed tip, and is covered with glandular hairs. When ripe, the capsules split in two to release thousands of tiny, white, winged seeds.

Twigs are stout, brownish and heavily marked with elongated, whitish lenticels. The leaf scars are mostly rounded with raised margins; each scar contains a circle of bundle scars. Pith is chambered or hollow.

Mature bark is thin and brownish-gray with interlacing, shallow ridges. The white lenticels expand with age and show up well on trunks of most ages.

white poplar, silver poplar

Populus alba L.

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves maple-like in shape, intensely white beneath and along upper veins and petiole; buds and twigs covered with dense white hairs; bark with diamond-shaped marks; clonal growth

White poplar is native to Europe and has been planted in the Midwest and eastern United States as an ornamental for more than 200 years. Ancient mythology states that Hercules “bound his brow” with a branch of white poplar symbolizing victory after a battle to the death with Cacus, a fire breathing dragon that fed on human flesh.

Form and Size: White poplar is a medium-sized tree that can grow to 70 feet tall. It is fast-growing and relatively short-lived. It often has a leaning main trunk, or several trunks growing in a small clump. Trunk diameters as large as 3 feet have been reported from Europe. Trees have few limbs that create a large, open, irregular crown. Like its cousin the aspen, white poplar sends up root suckers that create small clonal thickets around the original tree. It is hardy from Zone 4 – 9.

Habitat: Its native habitat is open, moist sites along waterways and depressional areas. In the United States and Canada, it can be found in all but the driest sites, but like the aspens, willows and cottonwoods – all members of the Salicaceae family - it prefers moist soil and requires full sun.

Wildlife Uses: White poplar tends to grow in dense clones and thus supplies cover for deer, woodcock, ruffed grouse and songbirds. The male buds and catkins are occasionally taken by gray and fox squirrels, but do not seem as preferred as those of cottonwood. Twigs are occasionally browsed by rabbits and deer, but are not highly preferred. Individual trees within clones are short-lived, and standing dead snags are often used as nest sites by flickers and downy and red-bellied woodpeckers.

Landscape Value: This species is commonly planted, and has become problematic through escaping cultivation, especially in the northeastern United States where it was first introduced. It is tolerant of drought and many soil types, but it has brittle wood that is damaged by ice and wind events. The bark is thin and easily damaged by mowers, and insect problems create unsightly limb deformities. There are several cultivars available including ‘Nivea’ and ‘Pyramidalis.’ In SE Canada and NE US, white poplar crosses with native aspens, and hybrids are common in these regions.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Aspen (Populus spp.) bark is similar in color to the gray-green young bark of white poplar. Aspens do not have the diamond-shaped marks along the trunk.

—Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) form is similar to that of the white poplar cultivar ‘Pyramidalis.’ Paper birch bark is thin and peels away from the trunk. White poplar leaves set it apart from all other trees.

Leaves are 3 to 5 lobed and up to 4 inches long. They are somewhat variable in shape and have been described as star-shaped and maple-like. They are dark green on the upper surface with hairs to varying degrees along the veins. The lower leaf surface is covered with dense white hairs. Leaf margins vary from coarsely toothed to lobed. Petioles are round and usually densely hairy.

Flowers appear before the leaves in the spring in hanging clusters (catkins) that are 3 to 4 inches long. Males and females are on separate trees, but all white poplar planted in the US are female clones, except for the variety ‘Pyramidalis,’ which is all male. Pictured here are females.

Fruit ripens in late spring in hanging clusters of capsules. Each capsule splits and releases tiny, infertile seeds that are attached to white, silky hairs.

Twigs are greenish-gray and dotted with orange lenticels, but the colors are often concealed by dense white hairs. Buds are ovoid-shaped and have 5-6 bronze-colored scales that are often covered by white hairs. Leaf scars are somewhat V-shaped and contain 3 groups of bundle scars.

Mature bark is dark brownish, fairly thick and develops fissures near the base. Young bark is smooth, greenish-gray and develops many dark, diamond-shaped marks along the trunk.

Callery pear

Pyrus calleryana Decne.

Family: Rosaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves dark green, shiny upper surface; leaves generally ovate-shaped with entire, wavy margins; profusion of white flowers in spring; buds elongate with numerous brownish scales mostly covered by dense, long, brownish hairs; twigs often with long thorns; fruit in clusters like tiny apples, brownish with rusty speckles; fruit persistent

There are many varieties of the Callery pear, including the fruitless ‘Bradford’ that was first introduced in the United States in the 1960’s. As Bradford’s popularity grew, other varieties were released, and apparently a cross-variety genetic mixing occurred that has resulted in fertile specimens that often produce copious quantities of marble-sized fruit. It is currently an escapee of cultivation in at least 25 states.

Form and Size: Callery pear is a small to medium-sized tree depending on the variety planted, but can grow to 50 feet or more in height. Bradford has a pyramidal crown with numerous, closely spaced branches – a form that is described as rigid-looking and out of place by some. It is fast-growing and has a life span of approximately 25 years. It grows best in full sun but tolerates moderate shade. Bradford is adapted to Zones 5 – 9, but other varieties can vary. Tight branch crotch angles are points of weakness on Bradford that eventually cause limb loss and unattractive, damaged trees.

Habitat: Pyrus calleryana is a native from China and Korea that is extremely adaptable to almost any site. There are many varieties found in towns and cities across the eastern United States, but the heat and humidity of the Southeast is usually too intense. It has escaped into waste places, open or heavily disturbed woodlots, fencerows and many urban areas.

Wildlife Uses: Although variable in morphology and taxonomy because of horticultural selection, most Callery pears have relatively small fruit (< ½ inch) that is very attractive to larger songbirds (especially American robins, cedar waxwings and unfortunately European starlings) and mammals, such as gray and fox squirrels and white-tailed deer. Deer also browse on twigs and foliage, although it is not highly preferred. Growth form varies, but when dense and thorny (as many escaped individuals seem to be), they supply good nesting cover for birds and squirrels.

Landscape Uses: Many varieties of Callery pear have been planted extensively as street trees, some of which are ‘Glen’s Form,’ ‘Autumn Blaze’ and ‘Aristocrat.’ Most tolerate air pollution and drought. Some varieties have serious problems with fire blight; most will escape from cultivation. The offspring of many if not all varieties have sizable, sharp thorns and produce a tremendous amount of messy fruit.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Crabapple (Malus spp.) leaves and fruit are generally very similar, although there are many varieties of Malus as well. Crabapples generally do not produce thorns. Buds are shorter and much less hairy.

Leaves are up to 3 inches long, leathery, and lustrous. They are of varying shapes depending on the variety, but may also differ in shape from elliptic to ovate on any given specimen. Leaves are hairless and green on both surfaces. Margins have fine toothing or are somewhat wavy.

Flowers are produced with the leaves in spring in malodorous clusters. Individual flowers are ¾ inch across and have 5 mostly white petals. In flower, Callery pear is very showy.

Fruits ripen in the fall in dangling clusters and are nearly woody-textured until freezing/thawing softens them. Each fruit is approximately ½ inch diameter, light brownish with russet-colored speckles. They resemble miniature apples and persist into the winter.

Twigs are brown and generally hairless. Buds are large, elongate and up to ¾ inch long. They are covered with numerous, overlapping brownish scales that are hidden to varying degrees by long, dense hairs. The twig tip often ends in a thorn, especially on young trees. Lateral buds strongly diverge from the twig.

Mature bark is medium to dark brown with numerous, shallow ridges that separate into small square blocks.

hybrid white willow, hybrid crack willow, white crack willow

Salix x rubens Schrank

Family: Salicaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; simple, elongated leaves with fine toothed margin; leaf stiff, dull, smooth when mature, pale green beneath with some hairs; petiole glandular with no stipules during most of the growing season; large diameter trees with thick, ridged bark.

This large willow is such a common feature in the upper midwestern landscape that most people assume it is native. It is naturalized across North America, thanks in part to its popularity with immigrating Europeans who used its wood and twigs in basketwork. For years, this species has been misidentified as either Salix babilonica—weeping willow, which is not hardy in the upper Midwest—or as one of our two native tree-sized willows. For greater detail on willows of the Midwest, see Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2010).

Form and Size: This is a medium-sized tree that can quickly reach a height of 70 feet or more. It usually has several large, leaning, clumped trunks each of which can easily grow to 4 feet in diameter. Its form can be erect or drooping, but not weeping. Like most willows, it is fast-growing but fairly short-lived, even though portions of limbs or trunk-sprouts continue to survive. It is hardy to Zone 1.

Habitat: Like most willows, this is a moisture-loving tree and is always found in areas where the water table is high, such as along lake shores, waterways and dunes. It is most common in the Lake States and much of Canada where it thrives in the cool environs. That being said, it has still been reported from 40 states.

Wildlife Uses: Structurally, white crack willow is very much like our native tree willows, and has many of the same values to nesting birds when mature. It does not tend to grow as densely when young, and thus does not have as much cover value to shrubland and wetland birds. Browsing by deer, moose, and beaver is occasional, especially since individuals usually occur in floodplains, proximate to water.

Landscape Uses: White crack willow has invaded many riparian areas across the country by stem fragmentation, and is capable of out-competing its putative parents, S. alba and S. fragilis, and our native tree willows. Willow roots take in large quantities of water and can potentially out-compete native plants when supplies are limited. The roots help stabilize soil in highly erodible areas such as floodplains and stream banks. Both parents of this hybrid are recognized as having allelopathic properties that may impact any natives that might grow near the root system of the hybrid.

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Crack willow (S. fragilis) leaves generally have no hairs beneath but otherwise similar. Rare.

—White willow (S. alba) new leaves are densely hairy, with long, white, silky hairs beneath. Lower surface glaucous and slightly hairy when mature. Rare.

—Black willow (S. nigra) leaves are more narrow with shiny upper surface and usually smooth all over.

—Peachleaf willow (S. amygdaloides) new leaves have patchy, short, crinkly hairs or none at all. Mature lower leaf surface glaucous and smooth.

Leaves are elongated, of various widths, and up to 6 inches long. The leaf surface is smooth and dark green, while the lower surface is pale green and smooth or with very sparse, long hairs when mature. The leaf margin is finely toothed and the petiole is usually glandular near its top. Stipules are small and generally fall after leaves mature.

Flowers appear in early May through early June with or after the leaves are fully developed. They are in slender catkins, with a single sex on a given tree. There are five clones in cultivation; the female plants are sterile, but males produce pollen. Catkins are about 3 inches long.

Fruit is a 3-inch-long cluster of loose-fitting capsules. They ripen from late May to late June. Each capsule splits to release many tiny, wind-blown seeds.

New twigs are slender, yellowish to brownish, smooth to hairy. The small, lateral buds have a single, hairless scale that is the same color as the twig; buds are all of one size. Leaf scars are slender and contain 3 bundle scars.

Mature bark is medium brown with thick, discontinuous ridges and deep furrows.

Siberian elm

Ulmus pumila L.

Family: Ulmaceae

Quick ID: alternate branching; leaves commonly about 1 inch long; leaves dark green, shiny, smooth above, rough-textured and paler beneath, singly-toothed margin; leaf base sometimes lopsided; twigs very slender, brittle with numerous, small, round buds; bark thick, with all reddish-brown layers

Siberian elm’s initial use in the United States was for soil stabilization in the treeless, abandoned Plains States region where the Dustbowl was most detrimental. As an ornamental, however, there is hardly a poorer choice, especially for use as a shade tree. Its weak wood, short life span, and disease and insect-prone leaves have led to its fall from favor.

Form and Size: Siberian elm is a medium-sized tree, reaching 60 feet or more in height. It has an open, finely-branched crown with somewhat drooping branches. It can attain a sizable trunk diameter of 3 feet in a short life span of 60 years. Weak wood almost always leads to substantial limb breakage, especially in ice and high wind events. It is fast growing and is hardy to at least Zone 5.

Habitat: This elm grows best in moist, well-drained soils, but is able to tolerate the poorest, driest sites. It is mainly found in cities and urban areas where it establishes in abandoned lots and city parks. Lawn trees in more rural areas have helped the establishment of the species in fence rows, roadsides and woods edges.

Wildlife Uses: Siberian elm is used somewhat sparingly by wildlife, when contrasted with native species. It does not seem as preferred as American elm for browse by deer, and its flowers and seeds are not as relished by squirrels as those of the native midwestern elms. The paucity of foliage caused by infestation by the elm leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta luteola), to which Siberian elm is especially susceptible, reduces the tree’s cover value for nesting birds and the lack of drooping limb tips makes it less attractive to the signature elm nester, the Baltimore oriole.

Landscape Uses: There are many Asian species and their hybrids that have come on the market over the last 30 years or so, along with several U. pumila cultivars, that show promise of better form and durability. Siberian elm naturally hybridizes with the native U. rubra to produce U. x notha. There is still a market for Siberian elm in the Plains States, where trees are scarce and hard to grow, and it is easy to purchase online. Cultivars include ‘Coolshade’ and ‘Lincoln.’

Similar Species Distinctions:

—Chinese /lacebark elm (U. parvifolia) has similar-sized leaves but the bark is strikingly sycamore-like, even on young trees.

—Winged elm (U. alata) leaves are not shiny, and more narrow. Twigs are usually winged and have pointed buds.

—Water elm (Planera aquatica) is a rare species found in flood plains with similar leaves that have a dark green dull upper surface. Bark is thin and shreddy or scaly.

Leaves are simple and up to 2 inches long, but commonly only 1 inch in length. The leaf margin is usually singly-toothed and the leaf base is mostly uniform on each side of the midvein, especially when compared to the leaves of our native elms. Leaves are dark green and shiny above, paler beneath with rough hairs along the veins.

Mature bark is thick, hard and brown with vertical, interlacing ridges that are separated by deep fissures. The inner bark is layered, but all layers are reddish-brown in color.

Twigs are very slender, gray, brittle, and mostly smooth. Buds are numerous, small, and rounded with overlapping brownish scales that have tufts of dark brown hair. Buds are smaller and more numerous than those of any native elm.

Flowers appear in March and April, usually before the leaves in small, stalkless, nondrooping clusters. They are mostly perfect (some are single-sex) and have no petals.

Fruit ripens in early spring and is up to ½ inch in diameter. Each winged fruit has a single seed encased by a thin, smooth, papery husk that is notched at the tip.

Mature Chinese elm bark.

How to Use Keys

Keys are integral tools in plant identification, especially when the plant in question is totally unfamiliar to the observer. Yet few lay persons use keys, largely because of the highly technical terms that are frequently employed. We encourage everyone to try to “key-out” unknown trees; to facilitate that process we have striven to make these keys as user-friendly and devoid of technical terms as possible. Nevertheless, some terminology that may be foreign to the general user is necessary and in those cases, the reader should refer to our glossary, which depicts the features in question. Additionally, close observation is occasionally required, and everyone is encouraged to obtain and use a magnifying lens, ideally a compact 10-power hand lens, available at most college bookstores.

This book includes two major, relatively lengthy keys—one for use in summer and one for winter, when deciduous trees are without their leaves. These keys, after their successful negotiation, will deliver the user to the correct species or, in cases where more than two species in a single genus are included, to the correct genus. For the latter cases, additional, shorter species keys are presented following the larger keys and placed in alphabetical order by genus. Once the correct genus is established by using the general keys, one can determine the correct species with these species keys.

All keys are composed of similarly numbered couplets that require a selection between contrasting features. Each decision results in the identification of the correct genus or species or in the direction to another couplet, where the process is repeated. A number in parentheses following the first member of a couplet indicates the previous couplet, which directed the user to the current couplet. Following each genus or species designation is a page number that directs the user to the text page where that taxon is found.

As an additional aid in identification, parts of the key are color-coded to match the color-coded sections of the book. This allows the user who is not sure of his/her choice to go to the section that contains other species with generally similar features as their target species, allowing visual comparisons among similar species.

Many keys exist to assist in the identification of trees, and because the major features by which trees are separated are static, most keys are very similar in many respects. In addition to our own expertise, we have assimilated features from other keys into ours. For further information and additional keys, readers are referred to Petrides (1986), Braun (1989), Brown and Kirkman (1990), Farrar (1995), and Leopold et al. (1998).

One final word of instruction and caution. These keys contain tree species native to our Midwestern region and a variety of introduced species that have frequently escaped into the wild and are often viewed as problematic. Many other species are planted horticulturally, and may occasionally be encountered in seemingly natural situations. These species will not be found in our keys, but the keys may deliver you to the correct “group,” which should assist in ultimate identification. Additionally, since only native and widely escaped introduced species are included, the general keys occasionally terminate at a particular species, based solely on features of genera. For example, an evergreen conifer with a suction-cup-like needle attachment is identified as balsam fir (Abies balsamea), because it is the only fir native to our region. Introduced firs, such as white fir (Abies concolor), that are frequently planted in the Midwest as ornamentals, will key to the same conclusion. In such cases, descriptions in the text will not match and reference to a more general tree identification book will be necessary. We include a list of commonly planted introduced species and recommended guides can be found in our bibliography.

KEYS

Summer Key to Genera, and Occasionally Species

(Genera with 3 or more representatives are covered in separate species keys.)

go to couplet

page

1.

Trees strongly conical in shape; leaves are scale-like or needle-like and < inch wide

2

1.

Trees with leaves > inch wide

10

2 (1).

Leaves (needles) on current growth (twig ends) attached singly, but those on second-year growth attached in clusters to spur-shoots

Larix laricina

40

2.

Leaves not clustered on spur-shoots

3

3 (2).

Leaves needle-like

4

3.

Leaves scale or awl-like, usually appressed

9

4 (3).

Needles attached 2-ranked to numerous shoots at end of limbs giving feathery appearance (shoots ultimately deciduous and last year’s often found beneath tree with needles still attached); no leaf scars; fruit round, ball-like; base of trunk buttressed and fluted

Taxodium distichum

42

4.

Needles attached along main stems; leaf scars evident on older stems where needles have been shed; trunk not typically buttressed or fluted

5

5 (4).

Needles in clusters of 2–5, joined at base with sheath

Pinus (key page 337)

20

5.

Needles attached singly to twig

6

6 (5).

Needles without white lower surface lines; sharp needles attached to peg-like projections that remain on older stems after needles fall

7

6.

Needles with distinct white lines (stomata) on bottom surface

8

7 (6).

Twigs light brown (may be tinged reddish) and smooth; needles relatively long (to almost 1 inch) with unpleasant pungent odor when crushed; cones generally >1 inch long

Picea glauca

16

7.

Twigs reddish brown and hairy; needles usually about ½ inch long; cones relatively small (generally <1 inch long)

Picea mariana

18

8 (6).

Blunt needles (>½ inch) attached suction-cup-like to twig; large round leaf-scars remain on older twigs after needles fall; cones often clustered near top and scales shatter, leaving upright central spikes

Abies balsamea

12

8.

Needles short (<½ inch) with tiny petioles; small cones pendant and persistent

Tsuga canadensis

36

9 (3).

Leaves scale-like and 2-ranked; this feature and terminal-limb shape combine to give the appearance of flattened sprays; cones woody and often persist to following spring

Thuja occidentalis

34

9.

Leaves scale-like and awl-like, not in single plane; fruits (cones) berry-like

Juniperus virginiana

14

10 (1).

Leaves opposite or whorled

11

10.

Leaves alternate

19

11 (10).

Leaves whorled (and opposite), and very large (usually 6-16 inches long) generally heart-shaped

12

11.

Leaves opposite

13

12 (11).

Leaves usually whorled, heart-shaped without lobes; twigs with solid white pith; prominent white flowers in clusters in May yield long pod-like capsules (6-20 in) by late summer (persist until late spring)

Catalpa speciosa

88

12.

Leaves usually opposite, generally heart-shaped but frequently shallowly 3-lobed; flower clusters pale blue (late April) and yield multiple woody capsules (about 1 inch) by late summer, which persist to spring

Paulownia tomentosa

304

13 (11).

Leaves simple

14

13.

Leaves compound

17

14 (13).

Leaves may be both lobed or unlobed, but always have milky sap when petiole broken

Broussonetia papyrifera

298

14.

Leaves either lobed on unlobed; not both on same tree; sap is not milky

15

15 (14).

Leaves lobed

Acer (key page 331)

46

15.

Leaves not lobed

16

16 (15).

Leaves up to 3 inches long, tapered on both ends, and serrate from middle toward tip; bark brown, with lenticels and slight wartiness; almost always grows in wet soil or standing water

Forestiera acuminata

60

16.

Leaves entire (3–6 inches) with lateral veins arching toward tip and paralleling margin; young twigs greenish to purple; fruits (about ½ inch long) in clusters turning from green to bright red when they ripen

Cornus florida

58

17 (13).

Leaves palmately compound with 5 (occasionally 7) leaflets; twigs few and thick

Aesculus (key page 332)

66

17.

Leaves pinnately compound

18

18 (17).

Leaves with 3–5 (occasionally 7) leaflets that are 2–4 inches long and coarsely toothed; twigs greenish to purplish with white glaucous coating

Acer (key page 331)

46

18.

Leaves with 5–11 leaflets, most commonly 7; leaflets variable in length (generally ≥4 inches), margin morphology, and presence of pubescence

Fraxinus (key page 335)

74

19 (10).

Leaves compound

20

19.

Leaves simple

31

20 (19).

Thorns or spines present on stem or trunk

21

20.

Thorns or spines absent

24

21 (20).

Spines present only in pairs at nodes; leaves pinnately compound with entire leaflets

Robinia pseudoacacia

280

21.

Spines and thorns not in pairs

22

22 (21).

Leaves bipinnately (or even tripinnately) compound; leaflets 1–3 inches long with finely serrated margins; prickles widely distributed on twig, but more abundant at nodes

Aralia spinosa

244

22.

Thorns branched; both pinnately and bipinnately compound leaves present; male and female flower structures present on separate trees in early summer; fruits (pods) present on females in late summer

23

23 (22).

Leaflets about 1 inch long; thorn side branches large (>50% of total thorn length); thorns tend to be round in cross-section; long pods (>12 inches) evident by midsummer

Gleditsia triacanthos

272

23.

Leaflets smaller (½–1 inch long); thorn side branches small (<25% of total thorn length); thorns tend to be flattened in cross-section; small pods (<2 inches) present by midsummer; tree almost always adjacent to or in shallow water

Gleditsia aquatica

270

24 (20).

Leaves bipinnately compound

25

24.

Leaves pinnately compound

26

25 (24).

Leaves very large, often >2 feet in length; individual leaflets (pinnules) 1-3 inches long; twigs few and very thick

Gymnocladus dioicus

274

25.

Leaves 1-1.5 feet long; leaflets (pinnules) tightly packed and only ½ inch long, close onto rachis at night

Albizia julibrissin

294

26 (24).

Leaflets not toothed, except may have 2 or more coarse glandular teeth on base

27

26.

Leaflets toothed to some extent; leaflets opposite each other on central stalk

28

27 (26).

Leaflets 5-7; not opposite each other on rachis; numerous small pods evident by midsummer; bark smooth; gray

Cladrastis kentukea

268

27.

Leaflets 11-41; opposite on rachis; margins smooth except for few glandular teeth on base margin; dark gray bark with shallow, light fissures on older trees

Ailanthus altissima

292

28 (27).

Numerous leaflets (from 11–22); pith chambered

29

28.

Pith continuous; leaflets few (5) to many (17)

30

29 (28).

Leaflets 14–22, terminal leaflet usually absent (or greatly reduced in size); leaf scars (previous year’s growth) deeply notched; fruits, when present, round

Juglans nigra

278

29.

Leaflets fewer, 11–17, with terminal leaflet present; leaf scars (previous year’s growth) not notched and with hairy fringe on upper margin; fruit, when present, elongated and pointed

Juglans cinerea

276

30 (28).

Leaflets 9–17, terminal leaflet generally smaller than lateral leaflets; showy white flowers in late spring yield heads of orange/red fruits in late summer; bud scars (previous year’s growth) crescent-shaped

Sorbusspp.

282

30.

Leaflet number variable (5–17); terminal leaflet usually larger than (or equal to) lateral leaflets; fruit is husked nut (husks from previous year’s nuts usually beneath older trees); bud scars (previous year’s growth) shield-shaped

Carya (key page 333)

246

31 (19).

Leaves lobed

32

31.

Leaves not lobed

39

32 (31).

Buds clustered near tip of twig (evident by midsummer); pith star-shaped in cross-section; fruit is an acorn (small fruits present in mature trees in early summer)

Quercus (key page 339)

176

32.

Buds not clustered at tip of twig; pith not star-shaped in cross-section

33

33 (32).

Twigs with thorns or spines; leaves with irregular lobes and strongly serrated

34

33.

Twigs do not have thorns or spines

35

34 (33).

Thorns are spur-shoots that have leaves or leaf scars

Malus coronaria

140

34.

Thorns on twigs without leaves or leaf scars

Crataegus mollis

120

35 (33).

Leaves serrated or toothed

36

35.

Leaf margins entire

38

36 (35).

Leaves may have single side lobe or several; some leaves have no lobes; milky sap

58

36.

Leaves all lobed; sap not milky

37

37 (36).

Leaves with 5 distinct lobes (rarely 7) and finely serrate, almost star-like in shape; twigs often with corky ridges; unique prickly fruiting head present by early summer, previous year’s often beneath tree

Liquidambar styraciflua

128

37.

Leaves with lobes fairly irregular and coarsely toothed; round fruiting heads non-prickly; lateral buds enclosed by base of petiole; young stems with prominent stipules

Platanus occidentalis

154

38 (35).

Tip of broad leaf shallowly or rather deeply V-shaped; leaves and stems not aromatic when crushed

Liriodendron tulipifera

130

38.

Leaves with single lobe (mitten-shaped) or with 2 lobes, some with no lobes; twigs and leaves aromatic when crushed or scratched; twigs green, often with reddish tint

Sassafras albidum

226

39 (31).

Leaf margins entire, or with 1 or 2 large, irregular teeth

40

39.

Leaves serrate or toothed

49

40 (39).

Petioles swollen at both ends; leaves heart-shaped; fruit is flattened pod (3–4 inches), sometimes produced prolifically

Cercis canadensis

118

40.

Petioles not swollen at both ends; fruit not pod

41

41 (40).

Twigs armed with curved spines (<1 inch); sap of cut twig milky

42

41.

Twigs not armed; sap not milky

43

42 (41).

Leaves ovate (wider toward base); bark with linear ridges and furrows; fruit a large (≥4 inches diameter) globose aggregation of drupes, resembling a brain

Maclura pomifera

300

42.

Leaves elliptical (wider toward tip); bark scaly; fruit a small (<½ inch) black drupe

Bumelia lycioides

108

43 (41).

Pith diaphragmed or chambered

44

43.

Pith continuous

46

44 (43).

Pith diaphragmed (white pith, green diaphragms) on current year’s growth, becoming brown and ultimately chambered on older stems; leaves large (≥9 inches) with strong odor when crushed; terminal bud (by midsummer) naked and rich brown

Asimina triloba

94

44.

Pith diaphragmed; leaves usually <7 inches in length and without strong odor if crushed; terminal bud with scales

45

45 (44).

Leaves >5 inches long, frequently with few, irregularly spaced teeth; fruits (obvious on females by midsummer) about 1 inch long; usually on very wet sites or in standing water, with buttressed trunk

Nyssa aquatica

144

45.

Leaves <5 inches long, usually without irregular teeth; fruits, when present, approximately ½ inch long; frequently on upland sites, although may occur in bottomlands

Nyssa sylvatica

146

46 (43).

Leaves large (>6 inches in length); large, showy yellow-green or white flowers yield cone-like fruits by midsummer; terminal buds generally large (½–2 inches); stipule scars encircle twig

Magnolia (key page 336)

132

46.

Leaves generally ≤6 inches in length; stipule scars do not encircle twig; fruit not cone-like

47

47 (46).

Leaves with distinct bristle tip; buds, after they form, clustered near tip of twig; fruit is an acorn

Quercus (key page 339)

176

47.

Leaves without bristle tip; buds not clustered at end of twig

48

48 (47).

Single tree typically has unlobed leaves, plus those with single-side lobes (mitten-shaped) and with lobes on each side; twigs and leaves aromatic when crushed or scratched; twigs green, often with reddish tint

Sassafras albidum

226

48.

No lobed leaves present; twigs brown and not aromatic when scratched; distinct light vein pattern on upper, dark green surface of leaves; large (≥1 inch diameter) fruits with woody, 4-lobed calyx evident by midsummer

Diospyros virginiana

122

49 (39).

Leaves stiff, leathery, and dark green with sharp spiny teeth

Ilex opaca

286

49.

Leaves without spiny teeth

50

50 (49).

Buds, after they form, naked; leaves oblong, with lateral veins of lower leaf surface raised and distinctly parallel before curving sharply toward leaf tip just before reaching margin

Rhamnus caroliniana

220

50.

Buds with at least 1 scale; leaves different from above

51

51 (50).

Leaves 2–6 inches long and very narrow (≥4 times as long as wide); buds with single, cap-like scale; usually in moist soil along streams, ponds, and marshes

Salix (key page 344)

51.

Leaves <4 times as long as wide; buds with more than 1 scale

52

52 (51).

Teeth distinctly bristle-tipped; pith star-shaped in cross section; twigs shiny yellowish-red

Castanea dentata

112

52.

Teeth not bristle-tipped

53

53 (52).

Pith chambered, at least at nodes

54

53.

Pith solid

56

54 (53).

Pith chambered (or with scattered pores); leaves even at base; unique 4-winged fruit evident by early summer

Halesia tetraptera

126

54.

Pith chambered only at nodes; young bark basically smooth, but often with warty projections and ridges; leaves asymmetrical at base, with lowest pair of lateral veins originating from petiole just below leaf blade

55

55 (54).

Leaves often have small, round galls; limbs frequently with witches’-brooms; young bark with many warty ridges and projections

Celtis occidentalis

116

55.

Leaves without galls and tree usually free of witches’-brooms; young bark basically smooth with pyramid-shaped protuberances

Celtis laevigata

114

56 (53).

Leaves ovoid, approaching as wide as long (or less than 2x as long as wide)

57

56.

Leaves more linear, ≥2x as long as wide

62

57 (56).

Leaves on same tree may be entire or with 1 or 2 lobes; sap milky

58

57.

No leaves have lobes; sap not milky

60

58 (36,57).

Leaves may be opposite or alternate, lobed or entire; velvety hairy above and below; pith very large, white and interrupted by green diaphragm at nodes

Broussonetia papyrifera

298

58.

Leaves alternate, lobed or unlobed; not hairy above and below, or if hairy, very rough on upper surface; pith white but without diaphragms at nodes

59

59 (58).

Leaves dark green, dull, and very rough (scabarous) on upper surface; buds (if present) greenish and divergent from twig

Morus rubra

142

59.

Leaves shiny, medium green and smooth (glabrous) on top; bud (if present) orange and appressed to twig

Morus alba

302

60 (57).

Leaves heart-shaped, with asymmetrical bases; buds, after forming, have 2–3 scales; elongated bracts to which flowers and fruit clusters are attached very evident for most of summer; tree often has multiple stems from single base

Tilia americana

228

60.

Leaves with symmetrical bases, generally not heart-shaped

61

61 (60).

Leaves wider toward tip and blunt; lateral buds (after forming) are stalked with 2 scales; usually with cone-like woody fruits from previous year

Alnus glutinosa

296

61.

Leaves broad, pointed and wider toward base; buds, after forming, have multiple scales and are often resinous

Populus (key page 337)

156

62 (56).

Leaves with blunt, large teeth; after forming, buds clustered near tip of twig; fruit an acorn

Quercus (key page 339)

176

62.

Leaves with pointed teeth

63

63 (62).

Leaves singly serrate, giving the appearance of aligned teeth on edges

64

63.

Leaves irregularly or doubly serrate (larger teeth have smaller teeth), giving a jagged appearance to margin

68

64 (63).

Leaves papery, with distinctly parallel lateral veins, each ending in prominent tooth; buds, after forming, very elongate

Fagus grandifolia

124

64.

Leaves with lateral veins not obviously parallel and failing to extend unbranched into marginal teeth

65

65 (64).

Leaves minutely serrate and elliptic in shape (widest toward middle); twigs red to olive-green, sour-tasting (as are leaves); flowers and resulting capsules on finger-like heads evident almost throughout summer

Oxydendrum arboreum

150

65.

Leaves with fine serrations and tend to be widest toward base; fruits not capsule

66

66 (65).

Leaves with obvious glands (usually 2) on petiole near beginning of leaf blade; scratched twig often yields acrid (cyanide) smell; fruits present in late summer

Prunus (key page 338)

168

66.

Leaves without obvious glands on petiole; scratched twigs lack strong odor

67

67 (66).

Twigs without thorns; leaf dull above; pith 5-pointed in cross-section; bark smooth and gray

Amelanchier arborea

92

67.

Twigs with thorns that are straight and have leaf scars and buds; leaf shiny above; pith round in cross-section; bark rough, brown

Pyrus calleryana

308

68 (63).

Bark often peeling and curling; prominent lenticels on young twigs; staminate catkins evident most of summer

Betula (key page 333)

96

68.

Bark not peeling; lenticels not prominent

69

69 (68).

Leaves smooth above with angled base; lateral veins extend unbranched to margin; bark smooth and gray, but trunk distinctly fluted

Carpinus caroliniana

110

69.

Leaves hairy or roughened above; lateral veins branch before reaching margin; bark not smooth

70

70 (69).

Leaves very rough, usually with distinctly asymmetrical bases (if symmetrical, twigs have corky wings); fruits not present during majority of summer

Ulmus (key page 344)

230

70.

Leaves not rough, or only slightly so; bases only slightly asymmetrical, if at all; bark very scaly

67

71 (70).

Leaves slightly rough on upper surface (may be smooth); fruits unique, warty but not present past early summer; bark flakes to expose reddish inner bark; grows near or in shallow water

Planera aquatica

152

71.

Leaves soft, slightly hairy above; fruits present through much of summer within clusters of inflated membranous sacks; staminate catkins often present in late summer; young bark cherry-like (prominent lenticels) but strikingly flaky when older; occurs on variety of sites

Ostrya virginiana

148

Winter Key to Genera, and Occasionally Species

(Genera with 3 or more representatives are covered in separate species keys.)

1.

Trees strongly conical in shape; evergreen with leaves scale-like or needle-like and < inch wide or deciduous with no leaf scars or with spur shoots

2

1.

Trees deciduous or evergreen with leaves > inch in width

10

2 (1).

Trees deciduous with no leaf scars or spur shoots present on second-year twigs

3

2.

Trees evergreen with leaves < inch wide

4

3 (2).

No leaf scars present; shed deciduous shoots with attached needles often beneath tree

Taxodium distichum

42

3.

Twigs older than 1 year have spur shoots where needles were attached; small cones often persistent

Larix laricina

40

4 (2).

Leaves needle-like

5

4.

Leaves scale or awl-like, usually appressed

9

5 (4).

Needles in clusters of 2–5, joined at base with sheath

Pinus (key page 337)

20

5.

Needles attached singly to twig

6

6 (5).

Needles without white undersurface lines; sharp needles attached to peglike projections that remain on older stems after needles fall

7

6.

Needles with distinct white lines (stomata) on bottom surface

8

7 (6).

Twigs light brown (may be tinged reddish) and smooth; needles relatively long (to almost 1 inch) with unpleasant pungent odor when crushed; cones generally >1 inch long

Picea glauca

16

7.

Twigs reddish brown and hairy; needles usually about ½ inch long; cones relatively small (generally <1 inch long)

Picea mariana

18

8 (6).

Blunt needles (>½ inch) attached suction-cup-like to twig; large, round leaf scars remain after needles fall; buds in threes (occasionally fours) on end of twig; cones often clustered near top and scales shatter leaving upright central spikes

Abies balsamea

12

8.

Needles short (<½ inch) with tiny petioles; small cones pendant and often persist into winter

Tsuga canadensis

36

9 (4).

Leaves scale-like and 2-ranked; this feature and terminal-limb shape combine to give the appearance of flattened sprays; cones woody and often persist through winter

Thuja occidentalis

34

9.

Leaves scale-like and awl-like, not in single plane; fruits (cones) berry-like

Juniperus virginiana

14

10 (1).

Trees evergreen; leaves broad with spine-tipped teeth

Ilex opaca

286

10.

Trees deciduous

11

11 (10).

Leaf scars whorled or opposite

12

11.

Leaf scars alternate

19

12 (11).

Leaf scars whorled and/or opposite; twigs stout with raised, round (crater-like) leaf scars

13

12.

Leaf scars opposite, not as above

14

13 (12).

Leaf scars dark with bundle scars in shape of “C”; pith large, solid, white; large trees have long thin fruiting capsules remaining throughout winter

Catalpa speciosa

88

13.

Leaf scars not dark with bundle scars arranged in a ring; pith white, chambered and occasionally hollow; large trees have multiple egg-shaped fruiting capsules remaining through winter

Paulownia tomentosa

304

14 (12).

Twigs exude milky sap when cut; trees often with cluster of trunks from root sprouts

Broussonetia papyrifera

298

14.

Twigs without milky sap; generally single stems

15

15 (14).

Buds with valvate scales (or appear to have single pair)

Cornus florida

58

15.

Buds with 4 or more scales

16

16 (15).

Single bundle scar; very small buds (< inch); often growing in shallow water

Forestiera acuminata

60

16.

Bundle scars 3 or more

17

17 (16).

Terminal bud large (½ inch or longer); leaf scars very large, shield-shaped with 6–7 bundle scars

Aesculus (key page 332)

66

17.

Terminal bud <½ inch long; leaf scar with 3 or more bundle scars

18

18 (17).

Bundle scars 5 or more, often indistinct or crescent-shaped; twigs often flattened at nodes; terminal bud crown-shaped

Fraxinus (key page 335)

74

18.

Bundle scars 3; opposite leaf scars often connected by ridge

Acer (key page 331)

46

19 (11).

Thorns or spines present on stem or trunk

20

19.

Thorns or spines absent

29

20 (19).

Spines in pairs at nodes

Robinia pseudoacacia

280

20.

Thorns and spines on twigs, not paired

21

21 (20).

Thorns branched

22

21.

Thorns or spines not branched

23

22 (21).

Thorn side-branches small (<50% of total thorn length); thorns tend to be flattened in cross-section; small pods (≤2 inches in length), usually with single seed, often remain on tree in winter; tree usually in water or very wet sites

Gleditsia aquatica

270

22.

Thorn side-branches large (>50% of total thorn length); thorns tend to be rounded in cross-section; large pods (>12 inches) often remain on tree or can be found beneath; tree may be found in both upland and bottomland sites

Gleditsia triacanthos

272

23 (21).

Cut twig exudes milky sap

24

23.

Twigs without milky sap

25

24 (23).

Twigs reddish-brown with many light colored lenticels; thorns blackish and curved; bark thin, smooth becoming scaly with age

Bumelia lycioides

108

24.

Twigs orange-brown, thorns mostly straight, and 2-toned with reddish tip; bark orange on young stems, becoming orange-brown and deeply furrowed with age

Maclura pomifera

300

25 (23).

Twigs very thick; leaf scars large, nearly encircling twig; prickles widely distributed on twig, although more abundant at nodes

Aralia spinosa

244

25.

Spines or thorns at nodes or at ends of spur shoots

26

26 (25).

Thorns at ends of spur shoots (bases have leaf scars); twigs have horizontal lenticels; true terminal bud absent and buds absent on spur shoots

Prunus (key page 338)

168

26.

True terminal bud present; thorns axillary or at ends of spur shoots with buds

27

27 (26).

Single thin, sharp thorn at nodes; buds tend to be rounded, bright red, and slightly hairy

Crataegus mollis

120

27.

Thorns at ends of spur shoots (spur shoots have buds)

28

28 (27).

Bud blunt with bright red scales frayed with hairs; fruits large (1½ inch diameter) and generally drop from tree with pedicels in fall (may remain beneath tree)

Malus coronaria

140

28.

Bud conical, with brown scales with varying amounts of pubescence; small fruit (<½ inch), prominently speckled, borne in clusters with the fruits or pedicels (after removal by birds) remaining throughout the winter

Pyrus calleryana

308

29 (19).

Bundle scars 3 or fewer

30

29.

Bundle scars 4 or more

53

30 (29).

Bundle scars 3

31

30.

Bundle scar 1

50

31 (30).

Buds naked, without scales

Rhamnus caroliniana

220

31.

Buds covered by 1 or more scales

32

32 (31).

Pith chambered only at nodes or continuous with diaphragms

33

32.

Pith continuous, without diaphragms

36

33 (32).

Pith chambered at nodes; buds flattened; stipule scars present

34

33.

Pith diaphragmed; buds rounded; stipule scars absent

35

34 (33).

Buds about ¼ inch long; numerous corky protuberances on trunk; trees often have witches’-brooms

Celtis occidentalis

116

34.

Buds smaller, about inch long; trunk often fairly smooth, occasionally with pyramid-shaped protuberances; trees have few if any witches’-brooms

Celtis laevigata

114

35 (33).

Buds usually about ¼ inch long; trees often in upland sites

Nyssa sylvatica

146

35.

Buds larger, up to 1 inch long; trees often in wet sites or standing water with buttressed trunks

Nyssa aquatica

144

36 (32).

True terminal bud

37

36.

False terminal bud

41

37 (36).

Leaf scars with 3 prominent, somewhat linearly arranged bundle scars; buds often resinous

38

37.

Bundle scars not prominent; buds not resinous

39

38 (37).

Twigs often with corky ridges; unique fruit (spiny, globose heads) persistent on tree; edges of bud scales with short, bristle-like hairs

Liquidambar styraciflua

128

38.

Twigs without corky ridges; no persistent fruit; buds with most proximate scale directly above leaf scar

Populus (key page 337)

156

39 (37).

Buds usually ovate, <2× longer than wide; twigs frequently with prominent, light-colored lenticels; twigs have distinctive bad (cyanide) odor when scratched

Prunus (key page 338)

168

39.

Buds very elongate (>3× longer than wide); bark gray and relatively smooth

40

40 (39).

Stipule scars present and nearly encircle twig; bud straw-brown and straight; lateral buds divergent

Fagus grandifolia

124

40.

Stipule scars absent; buds with purplish tinge and usually twisted and appressed

Amelanchier arborea

92

41 (36).

Bud completely sunken into twig; twigs very thick with pinkish pith

Gymnocladus dioicus

274

41.

Buds not sunken

42

42 (41).

Single bud scale, like a cap on the bud

Salix (key page 344)

42.

Two or more bud scales

43

43 (42).

Lateral buds with 2–3 scales

44

43.

Lateral buds with 4 or more scales

46

44 (43).

Buds globose, as wide as long; 2 buds often stacked above leaf scar

Albizia julibrissin

294

44.

Buds elongated (longer than wide) and pointed, not stacked

45

45 (44).

Lateral buds with 2 (occasionally 3) scales; twigs shiny reddish brown with light lenticels

Castanea dentata

112

45.

Lateral buds with 3 scales (more scales on solitary buds on dwarf shoots); young twigs often with hairs and/or resin glands; staminate catkins present during winter

Betula (key page 333)

96

46 (43).

Leaf scars raised, with the upper edge having an irregular hair tuft on either side of bud; 2–3 ridges extend from leaf scar; twigs zigzagged

Cercis canadensis

118

46.

Leaf scars not raised and without hair fringes and ridges

47

47 (46).

Lateral bud scales usually not appearing to be arranged in rows; staminate catkins often present throughout winter; bark brown and flaky

Ostrya virginiana

148

47.

Lateral bud scales arranged in vertical rows of 2 or 4

48

48 (47).

Lateral bud scales in 4 vertical rows; trunk fluted; bark smooth and gray

Carpinus caroliniana

110

48.

Lateral bud scales in 2 rows, alternating left and right as viewed straight-on

49

49 (48).

Buds minute, < inch long; bark of larger trees flaky with red inner bark often exposed; usually growing in saturated soil or standing water

Planera aquatica

152

49.

Buds usually > inch long, diverging somewhat from twig and often positioned off-center from leaf scar

Ulmus (key page 344)

230

50 (30).

Pith chambered; lateral buds superposed (2 buds stacked above leaf scar) with uppermost triangular in shape; false terminal bud; 4-winged fruit often present

Halesia tetraptera

126

50.

Pith continuous (or diaphragmed); lateral buds not superposed

51

51 (50).

Leaf scars raised and half-round in shape; buds with 2 scales; twigs brown; fruit or unique, 4-lobed woody calyx often persists into winter

Diospyros virginiana

122

51.

Leaf scars not raised; bud scales more than 2

52

52 (51).

Twigs green, occasionally with reddish cast; strong, spicy odor when twig bark scratched; true terminal bud

Sassafras albidum

226

52.

Twigs usually bright red, but may also blend into a dark green; no spicy odor; false terminal bud; 1-sided raceme of capsules persists through winter

Oxydendrum arboreum

150

53 (29).

Buds naked, rich reddish brown

Asimina triloba

94

53.

Buds with 2 or more scales, or if naked, not reddish-brown

54

54 (53).

Stipule scars prominent and circling twig at nodes

55

54.

Stipule scars absent or not prominent, not encircling twig when evident

57

55 (54).

Leaf scar completely surrounds lateral buds; bark predominantly white or white beneath flaking gray-brown plates; ball-like fruiting heads persistent

Platanus occidentalis

154

55.

Leaf scars not surrounding lateral buds; bark grayish to brown; terminal buds large and prominent

56

56 (55).

Terminal bud very large, greater than ½ inch and frequently 1–2 inches in length; terminal bud with single, cap-like scale or naked

Magnolia (key page 336)

132

56.

Terminal bud flattened, ≤½ inch in length, with 2 valvate scales; cone-like fruit persists in winter, often reduced to central spike as samaras disperse

Liriodendron tulipifera

130

57 (54).

Buds naked; leaf scar completely surrounds bud (petiole may persist to cover bud); clusters of tan fruit pods often persist; bark smooth, gray

Cladrastis kentukea

268

57.

Buds with scales and not encircled by leaf scar

58

58 (57).

Lateral buds distinctly stalked; leaf scar triangular and small; frequently with woody, cone-like fruits from previous summer

Alnus glutinosa

296

58.

Lateral buds not stalked; leaf scar not triangular; no cone-like fruiting structures

59

59 (58).

Buds pointed and very resinous; fruit heads often persist

Sorbus spp.

282

59.

Buds not resinous

60

60 (59).

Twig very stout, with large, shield-shaped leaf scars; buds partially sunken into twig; bad odor when scratched

Ailanthus altissima

292

60.

Twigs to moderate thickness; buds not sunken, unpleasant odor not evident

61

61 (60).

Twigs yield milky sap when cut

62

61.

Twigs without milky sap

64

62 (61).

Buds with only 1 or 2 visible scales; twigs hairy when young; pith continuous but with thin green diaphragms at nodes; leaves occasionally opposite

Broussonetia papyrifera

298

62.

Buds with 4-8 scales; twigs smooth; pith without green diaphragms at nodes

63

63 (62).

Twigs slender, usually light orange; buds small (~1/8 inch), tan, about as broad as long and appressed to stem; margins of scales hairy and same color as scales

Morus alba

302

63.

Twigs reddish to greenish brown; buds larger (~Vi inch) greenish-brown, longer than wide, and somewhat divergent from twig; scales with dark margins

Morus rubra

142

64 (61).

Buds with 2–3 scales (arranged like a smiling shark head), bright red

Tilia americana

228

64.

Buds with 4 or more scales

65

65 (64).

Buds strongly clustered at ends of twigs

Quercus (key page 339)

176

65.

Buds not clustered

66

66 (65).

Pith continuous; buds not superposed (2 stacked above leaf scar); leaf scars shield-shaped with scattered bundle scars

Carya (key page 333)

246

66.

Pith chambered; buds often superposed; leaf scar 3-lobed (heart-shaped) with bundle scars clustered into 3 groups

67

67 (66).

Leaf scar not notched, with hairy fringe above scar; terminal bud tan, hairy, and somewhat elongated (about ½ inch long)

Juglans cinerea

276

67.

Leaf scar notched, with no hairy fringe; terminal bud grayish, only slightly hairy, somewhat ovoid, and about 1/3 inch long

Juglans nigra

278

SPECIES KEYS (for all genera that have 3 or more species)

Keys to the genus Acer

Summer

1.

Leaves compound (pinnately or trifoliate); new twigs greenish (becoming purplish) with whitish coating

Acer negundo

64

1.

Leaves simple

2

2 (1).

Leaf margin entire (although leaf is lobed and has occasional teeth (1–2 per inch) on lobes); flowers appear with leaves, and fruits present all summer, maturing in fall

3

2.

Leaf margin obviously serrated

5

3 (2).

Twigs stout and shiny; pulled leaf or cut petiole yields milky sap

Acer platanoides

290

3.

Twigs medium, may be dull or shiny; leaf has no milky sap

4

4 (3).

Leaves generally 3-lobed (if 5-lobed, pair at base of leaf very small); leaf usually has large stipules at base of petiole; leaf edges often somewhat rolled, giving a drooping appearance

Acer nigrum

48

4.

Leaves usually 5-lobed and without stipules at base of petiole; leaves do not appear droopy

Acer saccharum

56

5 (2).

Leaves deeply 5-lobed, with substantial teeth yielding a jagged look; seed wings >1½ inches long; scratched twigs have strong unpleasant odor; flowers and fruits produced before leaves appear

Acer saccharinum

54

5.

Leaves usually 3-lobed (occasionally 5) with shallow, V-shaped sinuses; seeds produced early or late, seed wings <1 inch long; scratched twigs without unpleasant odor

6

6. (5).

Young bark dark green, distinctly marked with longitudinal white streaks; flowers produced with leaves and fruits remain all summer, ripening in fall

Acer pensylvanicum

50

6.

Young bark light gray; flowers and fruits produced before leaves

Acer rubrum

52

Winter

1.

Buds with only 2 scales and stalked; young bark dark green with prominent longitudinal white stripes

Acer pensylvanicum

50

1.

Buds with >2 scales and unstalked; bark not prominently striped

2

2. (1).

Twigs pale green (often with purplish tint) and covered with white coating; buds with dense hairs

Acer negundo

64

2.

Twigs not green and without white coating; buds not densely hairy

3

3 (2).

Terminal bud sharp-pointed and with >4 pairs of scales; buds brown or black; twigs brownish

4

3.

Terminal bud rounded with <4 pairs of scales

5

4 (3).

Twigs slender and shiny red-brown; buds brown and only slightly hairy

Acer saccharum

56

4.

Twigs stout, dull, and mottled brown; buds blackish brown and hairy

Acer nigrum

48

5 (3).

Twigs stout, greenish-brown to brown; bud usually plump, purplish-green to brown; opposite leaf scars meet around twig

Acer platanoides

290

5.

Buds and twigs of new growth reddish; frequently have plump, reddish floral buds clustered at tips of dwarf shoots; opposite leaf scars do not meet around twig

6

6 (5).

Twigs have notable unpleasant odor when scratched

Acer saccharinum

54

6.

Twigs without unpleasant odor when scratched

Acer rubrum

52

Keys to the genus Aesculus

Summer

1.

Flowers red, fruits large and without spines; bushy growth form, often forming thickets; occasionally reaching tree size

Aesculus pavia

72

1.

Flowers yellow; fruits with or without spines; individuals usually single-stemmed

2

2 (1).

Flowers with petals of equal length and with stamens that protrude beyond flower; fruit spiny; crushed or scratched leaves and twigs have unpleasant odor

Aesculus glabra

70

2.

Flowers with petals of unequal length and without protruding stamens; fruit smooth; crushed leaves without unpleasant smell

Aesculus flava

68

Winter

1.

Bud scales keeled; broken or scratched twigs have unpleasant odor; fruit (if still present) spiny; individuals single-stemmed

Aesculus glabra

70

1.

Bud scales not keeled; twigs without unpleasant odor; fruit smooth; tree-like or shrubby

2

2 (1).

Individuals usually single-stemmed; terminal buds about ⅔ inch long; fruit can be >2 inches in diameter

Aesculus flava

68

2.

Individual often multi-stemmed, shrub-like; terminal buds ≤½ inch in length; fruits generally less than 2 inches in diameter

Aesculus pavia

72

Keys to the genus Betula

Summer

1.

Base of leaves cordate (heart-shaped) or rounded and unequal; scratched twig has strong wintergreen smell

2

1.

Base of leaves flat (truncate) or angled (occasionally may be cordate); scratched or broken twigs without wintergreen smell

3

2 (1).

Base of leaf cordate and equal; large tree, commonly reaches >50 feet; twigs hairy; buds (after they form) often hairy; young bark reddish brown, becoming golden and peeling

Betula alleghaniensis

98

2.

Base of leaf unequal; generally small tree (<50 feet); twigs smooth, as is bud after it forms; young bark dark red, almost black, becoming dark gray with plates

Betula lenta

100

3 (1).

Leaf triangular with very elongated tip; twigs not hairy, but with many resin glands

Betula populifolia

106

3.

Leaf ovate, without elongated tip; new twigs hairy, becoming smooth with time

4

4 (3).

Leaf base wedge-shaped; petiole without black glands; fruits ripen in early summer; bark pinkish-tan, peeling

Betula nigra

102

4.

Leaf base variable, wedge-shaped to round to occasionally slightly cordate; petiole with black glands; fruit ripens in fall; bark white, with black markings, peeling in wide strips

Betula papyrifera

104

Winter

1.

Cut or scratched twig has wintergreen smell

2

1.

Twig without wintergreen smell

3

2 (1).

Buds hairy, pressed against twig; twigs slightly hairy; bark reddish brown, turning golden with age

Betula alleghaniensis

98

2.

Buds mostly hairless, diverging from twig; twigs hairless; bark deep red (almost black), turning gray with age

Betula lenta

100

3 (1).

Bark pinkish-tan, very peely; buds often with slight hook at tip; usually occurs naturally in wet sites

Betula nigra

102

3.

Bark whitish; usually occurs on upland sites

4

4 (3).

Bark white and peels in large strips; male catkins in groups of 2 or 3; tree usually with single stem

Betula papyrifera

104

4.

Bark dull white and usually not peely; male catkins typically single; tree often has many stems from single base

Betula populifolia

106

Keys to the genus Carya

Summer

1.

Leaves typically with 9 or more leaflets (occasionally 7 in 1 species); buds (after forming) with valvate scales (appear naked); fruit with winged sutures

2

1.

Leaves typically 5–7 (occasionally 9); buds (after forming) have overlapping scales; fruit without winged sutures

4

2 (1).

Leaves typically with 7–11 (frequently 9) leaflets; buds bright yellow; tight interlacing bark

Carya cordiformis

250

2.

Leaves typically with more leaflets (9–17); bud yellow-brown; bark somewhat loose

3

3 (2).

Leaflets 4–8 inches long; terminal bud about ½ inch long; nut round in cross-section and elongated

Carya illinoinensis

254

3.

Leaflets 2–5 inches long; terminal bud about ½ inch long; nut strongly flattened and not elongate

Carya aquatica

248

4 (1).

Mature leaves (including rachis and leaflets) smooth

5

4.

Mature leaves pubescent or with tufts of hairs on leaflet margins

6

5 (4).

Leaflets usually 5; husk of fruit splitting only partway when ripe; nut without ridges; bark light with diamond pattern

Carya glabra

252

5.

Leaflets usually 7; husk of fruit splitting to base; nut with 4 ribs above center; bark shaggy in older trees, but not as much as shagbark

Carya ovalis

258

6 (4).

Trees with loose bark, separating into shaggy plates

7

6.

Trees with tight, non-shaggy bark

8

7 (6).

Leaves large, to 20 inches, usually with 7 leaflets; twigs tannish, with orange lenticels; leaflet margin hairs not in tufts; fruit to 2½ inches in diameter, husk often splitting along >4 sutures

Carya laciniosa

256

7.

Leaves 8–14 inches long, usually with 5 leaflets; twigs brown, lenticels light but not orange; leaflet margins have tufts of hairs on teeth; fruit to 2 inches in diameter, husk splitting along 4 sutures

Carya ovata

260

8 (6).

Rachis densely wooly; nuts with thick husks (¼– inch); terminal buds, after forming, very large (to ¾ inch long); no minute scales on leaflets, buds, or fruits

Carya tomentosa

266

8.

Rachis may be hairy but not wooly; nuts with thin husks ( inch); leaflets, buds, and fruits have minute yellow or silvery scales and/or rusty pubescence

9

9 (8).

Rachis, leaflets (spring), and fruit husk have minute yellow or silvery scales (easily seen when scratched lightly)

Carya pallida

262

9.

Fruit husk has yellow scales; young twigs and undersurface of leaflets covered with red hairs, giving tree a rusty cast when viewed from below

Carya texana

264

Winter

1.

Buds with valvate scales (appear naked); fruit with winged sutures

2

1.

Buds with overlapping scales; fruit without winged sutures

4

2 (1).

Bud bright sulfur-yellow; bark tight

Carya cordiformis

250

2.

Bud yellowish brown; bark in older trees somewhat shaggy

3

3 (2).

Terminal bud about ¼ inch long; nut very flattened

Carya aquatica

248

3.

Terminal bud about ½ inch long; nut elongate and round in cross-section

Carya illinoinensis

254

4 (1).

Terminal buds have loosely spreading, brittle outer scales; bark in older trees with long, shaggy plates

5

4.

Terminal buds have no loose outer bud scales; bark usually tight and not shaggy

6

5 (4).

Terminal buds to 1 inch long; twigs tan to orange-brown with orange lenticels; fruit to 2½ inches in diameter, husk often splitting along >4 sutures; occurs in bottomlands

Carya laciniosa

256

5.

Terminal bud to ¾ inch long; twigs brown; fruit to 2 inches in diameter, husk splitting along 4 sutures; occurs primarily in uplands

Carya ovata

260

6 (4).

Terminal bud large (to ¾ inch long and plump); nut to 1½ inches with thick husk (¼–⅓ inch); twigs pubescent

Carya tomentosa

266

6.

Terminal bud ¼–½ inch long; nut with thin (about inch) husk; twigs smooth

7

7 (6).

Bud scales dotted with tiny silvery or yellow scales or tips of bud scales with tufts of rusty hairs; fruit husk with same silvery or yellow scales

8

7.

Bud scales and fruit husk not dotted with silvery or yellow scales; buds densely hairy

9

8 (7).

Bud scales, twigs, and fruit husks dotted with tiny silvery or yellow scales

Carya pallida

262

8.

Bud scales with tufts of red hairs at tips; fruit husks dotted with silvery or yellow scales; some rusty pubescence may remain on current twigs

Carya texana

264

9 (7).

Fruit with husk splitting to base; nut 4-ribbed above middle of nut; bark on older trees may be somewhat shaggy

Carya ovalis

258

9.

Fruit with husk splitting only partway to base; nut not ribbed; bark tight

Carya glabra

252

Keys to the genus Fraxinus

Note: Seperating white, green, and occasionally pumpkin ashes from each other is problematic. Although keys give classic characteristics for separation, many individual trees have mixed features, some of 1 species and some of another, or features that seem intermediate between those of 2 species. Correct identification to species will therefore often be tentative. We guarantee (and share) your frustration.

Summer

1.

Leaflets sessile (without stalks) on rachis; bark corky

Fraxinus nigra

78

1.

Leaflets stalked; bark with ridges and furrows

2

2 (1).

Twigs 4-angled and slightly ridged

Fraxinus quadrangulata

84

2.

Twigs not 4-angled

3

3 (2).

Twigs hairy; rachis and major veins of leaflets also hairy; fruit (samara) to 3 inches long; grows on very wet sites

Fraxinus profunda

82

3.

Twigs not hairy; varying degrees of hairiness on veins on underside of leaf; samara to 2 inches long

4

4 (3).

Margin of leaf usually toothed for entire length; leaflet stalks winged; wing of samara extends ⅓–½ way down body of seed

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

80

4.

Margin of leaf not toothed, or with broad, rounded teeth only on terminal half of leaf; wing of samara scarcely extends down side of seed

Fraxinus americana

76

Winter

1.

Twig 4-angled and slightly ridged

Fraxinus quadrangulata

84

1.

Twig not 4-angled

2

2 (1).

First pair of lateral buds down stem from terminal, with area of bark in between (terminal bud said to be stilted); bark corky

Fraxinus nigra

78

2.

First pair of lateral buds just below terminal at tip of twig, with no intervening area of bark; bark ridged and furrowed

3

3 (2).

Current twigs hairy; occurring in very wet situations

Fraxinus profunda

82

3.

Current twigs not hairy; trees may occur in variety of sites

4

4 (3).

Leaf scars deeply notched with lateral buds sitting in notch; fruits (samaras), if available, have wings that scarcely extend down side of seed

Fraxinus americana

76

4.

Leaf scars are half-circles with no substantial notch, with lateral bud sitting atop scar; fruits, if available, have wings that extend –½ way down body of seed

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

80

Keys to the genus Magnolia

Summer

1.

Leaves very large (20–30 inches long), lobed at base and strikingly white beneath; fruit head globose

Magnolia macrophylla

136

1.

Leaves ≤20 inches in length; base of leaf without lobes, may be lighter below but not white; fruit head elongate

2

2 (1).

Leaves large (10–20 inches), grouped at end of twig; petals creamy white; fruit heads cylindrical (about 2× longer than wide)

Magnolia tripetala

138

2.

Leaves smaller (6–10 inches); petals greenish yellow; fruit heads linear (about 3× longer than wide)

Magnolia acuminata

134

Winter

1.

Terminal bud small (¾ inch or less); bark with scaly ridges and longitudinal fissures

Magnolia acuminata

134

1.

Terminal bud ≥1 inch; bark gray and smooth

2

2 (1).

Terminal bud blunt, white, and densely pubescent

Magnolia macrophylla

136

2.

Terminal bud pointed, purplish with whitish coating, not hairy

Magnolia tripetala

138

Key to the genus Pinus

1.

Needles in bundles of 5; leaves flexible and blue-green; cones long (to 8 inches), with much resin, and dangling from end of limbs

Pinus strobus

30

1.

Needles in bundles of 3 or 2

2

2 (1).

Needles in bundles of 3

3

2.

Needles in bundles of 2

4

3 (2).

Needles 3–5 inches long, stiff, and twisted; cones ovoid, 2–4 inches long, often remaining closed at maturity; cones often persist for many years; leaf clusters and small limbs frequent on trunks

Pinus rigida

28

3.

Needles 3–5 inches long, flexible and not twisted; cones to 2-4 inches long with small prickles that are often lost; cones may persist; needles may be in bundles of 2

Pinus echinata

24

4 (2).

Needles > 3 inches long

5

4.

Needles ≤ 3 inches long, often twisted

6

5 (4).

Needles 4–6 inches long; very brittle (breaking when bent); cones 2–3 inches, without spines; cones drop following year

Pinus resinosa

26

5.

Needles 3–5 inches long, flexible (not brittle); cones to 2½ inches long with small spines that are eventually shed; cones may persist for years; needles may be in bundles of 3

Pinus echinata

24

6 (4).

Needles 2–3 inches long with substantial sheath (¼ inch); cones 1½–3 inches long with large prickles; cones generally open at maturity and persist

Pinus virginiana

32

6.

Needles <2 inches long, with small sheath (⅛ inch), which allows the 2 needles to diverge from each other; cones about 2 inches long, without prickles (minute ones may be present) and often remaining closed at maturity

Pinus banksiana

22

Keys to the genus Populuss

Summer

1.

Petiole of leaf distinctly flattened

2

1.

Petiole of leaf rounded

4

2 (1).

Leaf triangular with elongated tip; usually found in moist soils

Populus deltoides

160

2.

Leaf tends to be rounded (or ovate), usually without elongated tip; generally found in uplands

3

3 (2).

Leaves generally 3–4 inches long with large, rounded teeth (usually 3–5 teeth per inch of leaf margin)

Populus grandidentata

162

3.

Leaves generally 1–3 inches long (although terminal leaves on small trees can be larger); margin serrate (generally 10–12 teeth per inch of leaf margin)

Populus tremuloides

166

4 (1).

Mature leaves heavily tomentose (thick curly hairs) below; branch bark smooth and white

Populus alba

306

4.

Mature leaves not tomentose below (may be woolly on both surfaces when young); twigs brownish

5

5 (4).

Leaves with rounded base (may be slightly heart-shaped) and approaching 2× as long as wide; undersides smooth, often with white coating and/or orangish blotches; occurs on moist bottomland sites in northern portions of our region

Populus balsamifera

158

5.

Leaves with heart-shaped bases and about as wide as long; undersides densely hairy; occurs in very wet sites in southern portions of our region

Populus heterophylla

164

Winter

1.

Buds resinous, sticky when squeezed

2

1.

Buds not resinous or with dried resin, not sticky when squeezed

3

2 (1).

Sticky resin on buds (or scratched twig) very fragrant; young twigs bright reddish brown; terminal bud about 1 inch long, orange-brown; occurs principally in moist bottomland sites

Populus balsamifera

158

2.

Sticky resin on buds not fragrant; buds with minute hairs; young twigs yellowish; occurs proximate to water

Populus deltoides

160

3 (1).

Buds and twigs covered with conspicuous white down; twigs green beneath white down

Populus alba

306

3.

Buds and twigs not downy-white; usually reddish brown or gray

4

4 (3).

Buds smooth, shiny reddish brown, claw-like; terminal twigs slender (< inch in diameter)

Populus tremuloides

166

4.

Buds hairy, dull; terminal bud relatively stout; terminal twigs ≥ inch in diameter

5

5 (4).

Terminal twigs about inch in diameter; pith white; occurs principally on dry to mesic upland sites

Populus grandidentata

162

5.

Terminal twigs > inch in diameter; pith orange; occurs principally on very wet sites

Populus heterophylla

164

Key to the genus Prunus

1.

Stems with spur shoots, often ending in thorns; fruit large (>½ inch in diameter) and usually produced singly

Prunus americana

170

1.

Stems lacking spur shoots and thorns; fruits small (about ¼ inch in diameter) and produced in clusters

2

2 (1).

Twigs and young bark reddish brown with small, pale lenticels; flowers and fruits in racemes (with central stalk); underside of leaves often with rusty-colored hairs along midrib

Prunus serotina

174

2.

Twigs and young bark a striking golden-red, with large, horizontal, raised, orange lenticels; flowers and fruits in umbel (no central stalk); leaves often very linear (lanceolate) and smooth beneath

Prunus pensylvanica

172

Keys to the genus Quercus

Summer

1.

Leaves with bristle(s) on tips

2

1.

Leaves without bristles

14

2 (1).

Leaves not lobed or indistinctly 3-lobed and shaped like duck’s foot

3

2.

Leaves distinctly lobed

5

3 (2).

Leaves very broad toward tip (duck-foot shaped) and indistinctly 3-lobed; leaves very thick and leathery; usually on dry sites

Quercus marilandica

196

3.

Leaves not as above

4

4 (3).

Leaves oblong, >1 inch wide, somewhat thick and leathery, pubescent below

Quercus imbricaria

190

4.

Leaves lanceolate, <1 inch wide; leaves smooth below

Quercus phellos

208

5 (2).

All sinuses extending less than halfway to the midrib

6

5.

At least some sinuses extending more than halfway to midrib

7

6 (5).

Buds smooth and somewhat angled; acorn cap saucer-like, covering ¼ of nut or less; acorn large (to 1 inch long) and barrel-shaped

Quercus rubra

210

6.

Buds pubescent and strongly angled; acorn cup deep (covering about ½ of acorn) with fringed edge; acorn pubescent and tends to be striped

Quercus velutina

218

7 (5).

Leaves pubescent on lower surface or buds large (¼ inch long), pubescent, and strongly angled in cross-section

8

7.

Buds not pubescent

11

8 (7).

Twigs pubescent; buds reddish; acorns small (<½ inch long)

9

8.

Twigs smooth; buds gray or brownish; acorns larger (>½ inch long)

10

9 (8).

Margins of lobes generally ascending (not at right angle to midrib); leaf base often bell-shaped; leaves often appear as if wilted; upland sites

Quercus falcata

188

9.

Margins of lobes tending to be at right angles to midrib; often in wet bottomlands

Quercus pagoda

204

10 (8).

Leaves tawny beneath with tan hairs on veins of lower surface; leaves with 5–7 lobes and a few bristle tips on larger lobes; acorn cap with fringe of loose scales; acorn to ¾ inch long, pubescent and striped; inner bark yellow

Quercus velutina

218

10.

Leaves smooth beneath except for tufts of hair in axils of midrib and major veins; leaves with 7 lobes (usually) with multiple bristles on major lobes; acorn cap knobby; acorn similar to black oak, but with concentric circles around tip; inner bark reddish

Quercus coccinea

184

11 (7).

Buds straw-colored

12

11.

Buds reddish brown

13

12 (11).

Leaves with 5–9 lobes that tend to stay same size or become narrower toward their tips; acorns to 1 inch long, caps deep; bark very smooth, even on large trees

Quercus texana

216

12.

Leaves with 7–9 lobes; major lobes widen toward tips and develop sub-lobes, often with total of 10 or more bristles; acorns to 1¼ inches long, caps shallow; older bark with thick, flat scaly ridges

Quercus shumardii

212

13 (11).

Leaves tend to be about as wide as long; upper edge of lobe tends to be at right angle to midrib; acorn small (<½ inch long), wider than long, strongly striped, cap shallow; trees retain dead lower limbs; often occurs in wet bottomland

Quercus palustris

206

13.

Leaves similar to pin (Q. palustris), lobes not so much at right angles to midvein; acorn shaped like a top (>½ inch long), cap encloses –½ of acorn; occurs on dry, sandy or clay soils

Quercus ellipsoidalis

186

14 (1).

Branches with corky ridges; acorn large (to 2 inches long) remaining enclosed in a heavily fringed cap; leaf often divided into 2 parts by major central sinuses

Quercus macrocarpa

194

14.

Branches not corky

15

15 (14).

Leaves in general characterized by a narrow basal half, changing rather sharply to a broad terminal half

16

15.

Leaves tend to increase gradually in width from base

17

16 (15).

Leaves distinctly cross-shaped, with large pair of central lobes with squarish ends; leaves hairy below; acorn small (about ¾ inch long) with bowl-shaped cap covering about of nut; typically in dry sites

Quercus stellata

214

16.

Leaves with rather long, pointed, terminal lobes; few hairs on veins on underside; acorn to 1 inch long and broad, completely (except for tip) enclosed in non-fringed cap; occurs in very wet sites

Quercus lyrata

192

17 (15).

Leaf margin with 7–9 lobes and usually deep sinuses, often more than halfway to midrib; acorn to 1 inch long with knobby cap that encloses ½ of nut

Quercus alba

180

17.

Leaf margin without deep sinuses, with coarse teeth or shallow lobes

18

18 (17).

Leaf marginal teeth irregular, broad, and not generally beginning until some distance from base of leaf; leaf underside often whitish and hairy; acorns caps with very long (>1½ inches) distinctive stalk

Quercus bicolor

182

18.

Leaf margin with rather regular teeth beginning at base of leaf; underside green or pale, not white

19

19 (18).

Tips of lobes lacking glands; leaf petioles yellow; leaves widest at or slightly beyond middle of leaf; acorns large (to 1½ inches long), with thin cap covering about ½ of nut; mature bark distinctive with narrow, tannish gray ridges and deep furrows

Quercus montana

200

19.

Tips of lobes have distinct glands (translucent, yellowish or reddish spots); leaf width greatest slightly past or considerably past middle of leaf

20

20 (19).

Leaves noticeably widest well toward tip of leaf; acorn large (to 1½ inches long), enclosed about with thick, bowlshaped cap; grows in moist sites

Quercus michauxii

198

20.

Leaves widest at middle or slightly toward tip; acorn small (about ¾ inch long) and turning shiny black when ripe, with thin, brown, wooly cap covering about ⅓ of nut; occurs in dry to mesic uplands

Quercus muehlenbergii

202

Winter

Note: Identification of oaks to species in winter is difficult and becomes somewhat subjective; efforts are greatly enhanced by ancillary clues. Thus, one should search beneath tree for shed leaves or acorns (or more likely acorn caps).

1.

Buds typically pointed; previous year’s twigs sometimes have very small, immature acorns; mature bark typically with ridges and furrows, often dark; remnant leaves with bristle tips

Red Oak Group—2

1.

Buds typically oval and blunt (a few may be sharply pointed but are generally broad); previous year’s twigs without immature acorns; bark often light gray and breaking into plates and/or scales; remnant leaves without bristle tips

White Oak Group—13

2 (1).

Buds not angled in cross-section or only very slightly so (examine from tip with hand lens)

3

2.

Buds angled in cross-section

10

3 (2).

Terminal buds average >¼ inch long (on vigorous shoots); bud may be slightly angled and bud scales may be slightly hairy on tips; bark of mature trees with light-colored “skitracks”; acorns large (to 1½ inches long) and barrel-shaped with flat cap

Quercus rubra

210

3.

Terminal bud on vigorous shoots ≤¼ inch long

4

4 (3).

Buds hairy; twigs and undersurface of leaves also pubescent

5

4.

Buds smooth (or occasionally very slightly hairy)

6

5 (4).

Terminal bud about ¼ inch long, laterals smaller; remnant leaves with bell-shaped base and narrow lobes; acorns small (about ½ inch) with flat cap; bark dark and deeply fissured; often on dry, upland sites

Quercus falcata

188

5.

Terminal bud to ¼ inch long; remnant leaves with angular base and broad lobes with sub-lobes; acorn small (about ½ inch) with flat cap; bark becoming scaly with age, resembling that of black cherry; occurs in moist soils

Quercus pagoda

204

6 (4).

Buds may be slightly hairy; dead leaves retained through winter and are unique to oaks of our region in being oblong, >1 inch wide and without lobes and serrations; small acorn (to slightly more than ½ inch) enclosed about –½ in thin, bowl-shaped cap

Quercus imbricaria

190

6.

Buds smooth

7

7 (6).

Terminal buds on vigorous shoots average about ¼ inch long

8

7.

Terminal buds on vigorous shoots average about inch long

9

8 (7).

New twigs hairy, reddish brown; acorn to 1 inch long, top-shaped, –½ covered with slightly pubescent cap with tightly appressed scales; occurs on dry sandy or clay soils

Quercus ellipsoidalis

186

8.

New twigs smooth, olive green to reddish brown; acorn variable, to 1 inch long, striped, and ½ enclosed in sessile (without stem) cap; occurs in wet floodplain soils

Quercus texana

216

9 (7).

Buds reddish brown; remnant leaves with substantial lobes at right angles with midrib; acorns small (to ½ inch long), as broad as long, striped, in flat, saucer-like cap; occurs in wet bottomlands and as upland pioneer

Quercus palustris

206

9.

Buds brown, scales with lighter edges; remnant leaves lanceolate, without lobes or serrations and <1 inch wide; acorn and cap similar to that of pin oak (Q. palustris), but not as broad; occurs in bottomlands (planted elsewhere) in extreme southern portion of our region

Quercus phellos

208

10 (2).

Buds smooth, light brown; bark with “ski-track” ridges that are continuous; acorns to 1¼ inches long with shallow, bowl-shaped cap; occurs in bottomlands in southern parts of our region

Quercus shumardii

212

10.

Buds hairy

11

11 (10).

Buds to inch and wooly; twigs also hairy; bark dark, with squarish plates; acorns to ¾ inch, enclosed ½-way by deep cap with loose, hairy scales; small tree of dry sites in southern portions of our region

Quercus marilandica

196

11.

Buds about ¼ inch long and varying in degree of pubescence; twigs smooth

12

12 (11).

Bud with white pubescence only on tips of scales and only slightly angled in cross-section; acorn to 1 inch long, usually with concentric rings (grooves) around tip, enclosed about ½-way in bowl-shaped cap with tight scales; inner bark pinkish; occurs on dry sites

Quercus coccinea

184

12.

Bud completely hairy, occasionally wooly, strongly angled in cross-section; acorns to 1 inch long, striped, and without concentric circles around tip; acorn cap covers about ½ of nut; scales of cap loose, yielding fringe around nut; also occurs on dry sites, but occasionally on mesic sites as well; inner bark yellow

Quercus velutina

218

13 (1).

Terminal buds on vigorous shoots pointed; twigs hairless

14

13.

Terminal buds on vigorous shoots rounded; twigs may be hairy or hairless

15

14 (13).

Terminal buds >¼ inch, silky-hairy (especially on margins of scales), tend to be angled; acorns to 1½ inches long, enclosed about ½ with thin, knobby, bowl-shaped cap; mature bark brownish with broad, rounded ridges

Quercus montana

200

14.

Terminal bud <¼ inch long, orange-brown but with scales that have gray margins, not hairy; acorn to ¾ inch long, black when ripe, enclosed ⅓ with thin, wooly cap; mature bark grayish and scaly

Quercus muehlenbergii

202

15 (13).

Terminal bud clusters typically have persistent stipular appendages (“claws”) among buds

16

15.

Terminal bud clusters do not have persistent stipular appendages

18

16 (15).

Twig hairy; beginning on second-year twigs, limbs develop conspicuous corky ridges; lateral buds pressed against twig; acorns to 2 inches long, ¾ enclosed in heavily fringed cap

Quercus macrocarpa

194

16.

Twig smooth or slightly hairy; twigs not developing corky ridges; lateral buds tend to diverge from twig

17

17 (16).

Bud wooly pubescent; tree with twisted branches and often buttressed base; acorn to 1 inch long, almost completely enclosed in warty cup (not fringed like bur oak, Q. macrocarpa); often growing on very poorly drained site

Quercus lyrata

192

17.

Bud smooth or slightly hairy; bark on upper branches often peeling (similar to that of Betula); acorn to 1 inch, -way enclosed by cap that is on long stalk (1–4 inches); grows on moist soils

Quercus bicolor

182

18 (15).

Twigs stout and hairy; buds pubescent; bark of trunk has subtle twisting around bole; acorns to ¾ inch, enclosed in bowl-shaped cap that is slightly knobby and hairy; occurs on dry sites

Quercus stellata

214

18.

Twigs thin to moderate and smooth or lightly hairy; buds smooth or lightly hairy; bark not twisting; acorns often 1 inch or longer; occurs on mesic or moist sites

19

19 (18).

Buds inch, smooth and often appearing polished; twig slender to moderately stout, hairless, often with whitish coating; acorn size varies from ½ to 1½ inches long with very knobby cap covering about of nut; occurs on many sites

Quercus alba

180

19.

Buds to ¼ inch long and finely hairy; twig moderately stout, dark green and hairy changing to reddish brown and smooth; acorn large (to 1½ inches long), enclosed with thick cap with wedge-shaped scales; occurs in wet bottomland soils

Quercus michauxii

198

Keys to the genus Salix

Summer

1.

Leaves proportionately broader; <5x as long as broad

Salix amygdaloides

1.

Leaves proportionately slender; blade >5x or long as broad

2

2 (1).

Leaves green on both surfaces; stipules large and persistent; unfolding leaves glabrous

Salix nigra

2.

Leaves glaucous (whitish) beneath; stipules small and are shed early; unfolding and young leaves with long white hairs

Salix x rubens

Winter

Salix trees are essentially impossible to separate into species during winter, especially since small specimens may be confused with the 20 + shrub willow species occurring in the Midwest. A tree-sized willow (~ 40-50 feet) encountered in the wild in this region is most likely one of these 3 (although some other introduced tree-sized species have escaped to a degree). The following key may assist somewhat in separating these 3; however, trees (as well as shrubs) should be marked and revisited in all seasons to assure proper identification!

1.

Twigs and small branches retain some degree of pubescence or scattered individual hairs, especially at nodes

Salix x rubens

1.

Twigs and small branches smooth

2

2 (1).

Branches flexible to somewhat brittle at bases; not forming colonies by stem fragmentation (rooting of stem broken from parent tree)

Salix amygdaloides

2.

Branches highly brittle at base (readily snap off); sometimes forming colonies by stem fragmentation

Salix nigra

Keys to the genus Ulmus

Summer

1.

Leaves usually <4 inches in length;

2

1.

Leaves usually ≥4 inches in length;

4

2 (1).

Leaves ≤2 inches long; singly serrated; twigs without corky wings

Ulmus pumila

312

2.

Leaves doubly-serrated; twigs have corky wings, perhaps only on older limbs

3

3 (2).

Leaves usually ≤2 inches long; twigs with numerous corky wings; flowers and fruits in spring

Ulmus alata

232

3.

Leaves typically >2 inches long; may have corky ridges, but principally on older limbs; flowers and fruits in late summer and fall

Ulmus serotina

238

4 (1).

Twigs usually with corky ridges, amount of corkiness seems to increase with increasing latitude; tree typically has central stem to top of tree; flowers and fruits with central stalk (raceme)

Ulmus thomasii

240

4.

Twigs without corky ridges; tree usually has a straight trunk, dividing into multiple limbs to form a broad crown without obvious central stem; flowers and fruits each on separate stalk from a central location (umbel)

5

5 (4).

Leaves large, to 7 inches in length, and very rough-textured (sandpapery) above and hairy below; bark dark in cross-section; fruit hairy on seed, but wing without hairs

Ulmus rubra

236

5.

Leaves usually smaller, to 6 inches; smooth or finely pubescent, usually somewhat rough; bark alternating layers of brown and white in cross-section; fruit smooth on seed, but hairy on edges of wing

Ulmus americana

234

Winter

1.

Twigs have corky ridges, may not be evident on all twigs or limbs

2

1.

Twigs without corky ridges

4

2 (1).

Twigs with substantial corky wings even on youngest twigs; buds small (⅛ inch long) and smooth; occurs in southern portions of our region

Ulmus alata

232

2.

Corky ridges on twigs not as evident, often developing on older limbs; buds ¼–½ inch long, smooth or hairy

3

3 (2).

Degree of corkiness increases with latitude within range; buds ¼ inch long, sharply pointed and divergent from twig; more common in northern portions of our region

Ulmus thomasii

240

3.

Amount of corkiness varies; buds about ½ inch long and smooth; rare, occurring only in southern extremes of our region

Ulmus serotina

238

4 (1).

Buds sharp-pointed, hairy on scale margins, divergent from twig; tree usually with strong central stem to top

Ulmus thomasii

240

4.

Buds relatively blunt, usually appressed to stem; tree without strong central stem, but breaking into multi-limbed broad crown

5

5 (4).

Twigs quite hairy, twigs gray with blackish buds that contrast sharply with gray twig; buds usually hairy

6

5.

Twigs hairless, or almost so

Ulmus rubra

236

6 (5).

Buds about inch, brown; twig brown

Ulmus americana

234

6.

Buds numerous, blunt, small (≤⅛ inch), dark brown and somewhat pubescent; contrasting with grayish twig

Ulmus pumila

312

Introduced Species in the Midwest

This list includes both foreign exotics and species native to other parts of the United States that are commonly planted in the Midwest. Some of these species are well-behaved and stay where they are planted, not spreading to any degree into natural environments. Others are somewhat aggressive, spread to native habitats, and may be classed as “invasive exotics.” Some of these latter species, the ones that are most likely to be encountered in the woods and fields, are included in this 2nd edition.

Conifers

Abies concolor

white fir

Abies fraseri

Fraser fir

Ginkgo biloba

ginkgo

Larix decidua

European larch

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

dawn redwood

Picea abies

Norway spruce

Picea omorka

Serbian spruce

Picea pungens

blue spruce

Pinus nigra

Austrian pine

Pinus sylvestris

scotch (Scots) pine

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Douglas-fir

Thuja orientalis

Oriental arborvitae

Hardwoods

Acer platanoides

Norway maple

Acer palmatum

Japanese maple

Acer ginnala

Amur maple

Aesculus hippocastanum

horsechestnut

Ailanthus altissima

ailanthus, tree-of-heaven

Albizia julibrissin

mimosa

Alnus glutinosa

European black alder

Betula pendula

European white birch

Broussonetia papyrifera

paper-mulberry

Carpinus betulus

European hornbeam

Castanea mollissima

Chinese chestnut

Catalpa bignonioides

southern catalpa

Cotinus obovatus

smoketree

Elaeagnus angustifolia

Russian olive

Fagus sylvatica

European beech

Fraxinus excelsior

European ash

Maclura pomifera

Osage-orange

Magnolia grandiflora

southern magnolia

Magnolia stellata

star magnolia

Morus alba

white mulberry

Paulownia tomentosa

royal paulownia

Platanus x acerifolia

Oriental planetree

Populus alba

white poplar

Populus nigra

lombardy poplar

Pyrus calleryana

callery pear

Quercus acutissima

sawtooth oak

Quercus nigra

water oak

Quercus robur

English oak

Salix alba

white willow

Salix fragilis

crack willow

Salix x rubens

hybrid white willow

Sorbus aucuparia

European mountain-ash

Tilia cordata

littleleaf linden

Ulmus parvifolia

Chinese elm

Ulmus procera

English elm

Ulmus pumila

Siberian elm

Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Bibliography

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Braun, E. L. 1989. The Woody Plants of Ohio. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.

Brown, C. L., and L. K. Kirkman. 1990. Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc.

Collingwood, G. H., and W. D. Brush. 1974. Knowing Your Trees. Washington, D.C.: American Forestry Association.

Dahlstrom, P., and E. Sunesen. 1978. Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. 2nd ed. London: Harper Collins Publishers.

Deam, C. C. 1953. Trees of Indiana. 3rd ed. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Fort Wayne Printing Co.

Dirr, M. A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publ. L.L.C.

Farrar, J. L. 1995. Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. Ames: Iowa State University Press.

Fernald, M. L. 1987. Gray’s Manual of Botany. 8th ed. Portland, Oregon: Dioscorides Press.

Flint, H. L. 1983. Landscape Plants for Eastern North America. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

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Hightshoe, G. L. 1988. Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Urban and Rural America. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Jackson, M. T. (editor). 1997. The Natural Heritage of Indiana. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Leopold, D. J., W. C. McComb, and R. N. Muller. 1998. Trees of the Central Hardwood Forests of North America. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.

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Mohlenbrock, R.H. (no date). Forest Trees of Illinois. 8th ed. Springfield: Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Panshin, A. J., and C. DeZeeuw. 1964. Textbook of Wood Technology. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Peattie, D. C. 1966. A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Petrides, G. A. 1986. A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Sargent, C. S. 1965. Manual of the Trees of North America. New York: Dover Publishing, Inc.

Sinclair, W. A., H. H. Lyon, and W. T. Johnson. 1987. Diseases of Trees and Shrubs. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

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Wharton, M. E., and R. W. Barbour. 1973. Trees and Shrubs of Kentucky. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press.

Species Index

Numbers in bold type indicate detailed species description.

Abies balsamea, 12

Abies fraseri, 12

albizia, 294

Acer negundo, 48, 64

Acer nigrum, 46, 48, 52, 56

Acer pensylvanica, 50

Acer platanoides, 56, 290

Acer rubrum, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54

Acer saccharinum, 46, 48, 52, 54

Acer saccharum, 46, 48, 52, 56

Acer spicatum, 50

Aesculus flava, 66, 68, 70, 72

Aesculus glabra, 66, 68, 70, 72

Aesculus hippocastanum, 70

Aesculus pavia, 66, 68, 72

Ailanthus altissima, 292

ailanthus, 292

Albizia julibrissin, 294

Albizzia julibrissin, 294

Alnus glutinosa, 296, 297

Alnus incana, 297

Alnus nigrum, 290

Alnus saccharum, 290

Alnus serrulata, 297

Amelanchier arborea, 92, 110, 124

Amelanchier sanguinea, 92

Aralia spinosa, 244, 274

arborvitae, Oriental, 34

ash, black, 76, 78, 82, 84

ash, blue, 78, 84

ash, green, 74, 76, 80, 82

ash, pumpkin, 76, 80, 82

ash, white, 74, 76, 80, 82

Asimina triloba, 94

aspen, bigtooth, 160, 162, 164, 166

aspen, quaking, 156, 158, 162, 164, 166

basswood, American, 118, 142, 228

basswood, white, 228

beech, American, 92, 110, 124, 268

Betula alleghaniensis, 96, 98, 100

Betula lenta, 96, 98, 100, 102

Betula nigra, 96, 98, 100, 102

Betula papyrifera, 96, 98, 100, 104, 106, 306

Betula pendula, 104, 106

Betula populifolia, 96, 104, 106

birch, European white, 104, 106

birch, gray, 96, 104, 106

birch, paper, 96, 98, 100, 104, 106

birch, river, 96, 98, 100, 102

birch, sweet, 96, 98, 100, 102

birch, yellow, 96, 98, 100

blackgum, 122, 144, 146, 190, 226

black alder, 296

black spruce, 16, 18

bois d’arc, 300

boxelder, 48, 64

Broussonetia papyrifera, 298, 302

buckeye, Ohio, 66, 68, 70, 72

buckeye, red, 66, 68, 72

buckeye, yellow, 66, 68, 70, 72

buckthorn, Carolina, 220

buckthorn, smooth southern, 108

Bumelia lycioides, 108

butternut, 278

Callery pear, 308

Carpinus caroliniana, 92, 110, 124

Carya aquatica, 248, 250, 254

Carya cordiformis, 248, 250, 254, 258, 264

Carya glabra, 252, 258, 262, 264

Carya illinoinensis, 246, 248, 250, 254

Carya laciniosa,256, 258, 260

Carya ovalis, 252, 258, 264

Carya ovata, 256, 258, 260, 266

Carya pallida, 258, 262, 264

Carya texana, 254, 258, 262, 264

Carya tomentosa, 258, 262, 266

Castanea dentata, 112, 200

Castanea mollissima, 112

Catalpa bignonioides, 88

catalpa, northern, 88

catalpa, southern, 88

Catalpa speciosa, 88

Celtis laevigata,114, 116

Celtis occidentalis, 114, 116, 152

Celtis tenuifolia, 116

Cercis canadensis, 118, 228

cherry, black, 168, 172, 174, 204

cherry, pin, 172, 174

cherry, sour, 170

chestnut, American, 112, 200

chestnut, Chinese, 112

Chinese elm, 230

Chionanthus virginicus, 60

Cladrastis kentukea, 268

coffeetree, Kentucky, 274

common alder, 296

Cornus florida, 58

cottonwood, eastern, 130, 156, 158, 160, 162, 164, 166

cottonwood, swamp, 160, 164

crabapple, wild, 120, 140

Crataegus mollis, 120, 140

cypress, bald, 40, 42

devils-walkingstick, 244, 274

Diospyros virginiana, 122, 144, 146, 150, 190

dogwood, flowering, 58

elm, American, 148, 152, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240

elm, cedar, 230

elm, rock, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240

elm, September, 230, 232, 236, 238, 240

elm, Siberian, 230

elm, slippery, 234, 236, 240

elm, winged, 232

empress tree, 304

European black alder, 296

Fagus grandifolia, 92, 110, 124, 268

fir, balsam, 12

fir, fraser, 12

Forestiera acuminata, 60, 108

Forestiera ligustrina, 60

forestiera, upland, 60

Fraxinus americana, 74, 76, 80, 82

Fraxinus nigra, 76, 78, 82, 84

Fraxinus pennsylvanica, 74, 76, 80, 82

Fraxinus produnda, 76, 80, 82

Fraxinus quadrangulata, 78, 84

fringe tree, 60

Fusarium, 294

Gleditsia aquatica, 204, 270, 272, 280

Gleditsia triacanthos, 270, 272, 280

Gleditsia, 294

Gymnocladus dioica, 274, 292

hackberry, 114, 116, 152

hackberry, dwarf, 116

Halesia tetraptera, 126

hawthorn, downy, 120, 140

hedge apple, 300

hemlock, eastern, 36

hickory, bitternut, 248, 250, 254, 258, 264

hickory, black, 254, 258, 262, 264

hickory, mockernut, 258, 262, 266

hickory, pignut, 252, 258, 262, 264

hickory, red, 252, 258, 264

hickory, sand, 258, 262, 264

hickory, shagbark, 256, 258, 260, 266

hickory, shellbark, 256, 258, 260

hickory, water, 248, 250, 254

holly, American, 286

Homadaula anisocentra, 294

honeylocust, 270, 272, 280

hophornbeam, eastern, 110, 148

hornbeam, American, 92, 110, 124

horse chestnut, 70

hybrid crack willow, 310

hybrid white willow, 310

Ilex opaca, 286

Ilex verticillata, 170

Juglans cinerea, 276, 278

Juglans nigra, 276, 278, 292

Juniperus virginiana, 14, 34

larch, eastern, 40

Larix laricina, 40

Liquidambar, styraciflua, 128

Liriodendron, tulipifera, 130

locust, black, 268, 280

Maclura pomifera, 300

Magnolia acuminata, 132, 134, 136, 138

magnolia, bigleaf, 134, 136, 138

magnolia, cucumber, 132, 134, 136, 138

magnolia, Fraser, 132, 136, 138

Magnolia fraseri, 132, 136, 138

Magnolia grandiflora, 132

Magnolia macrophylla, 134, 136, 138

magnolia, southern, 132

Magnolia tripetala, 134, 138

magnolia, umbrella, 134, 138

Mahonia, 286

Malus coronaria, 120, 140

maple, black, 46, 48, 52, 56

maple, mountain, 50

maple, Norway, 56

maple, red, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54

maple, silver, 46, 48, 52, 54

maple, striped, 50

maple, sugar, 46, 48, 52, 56

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, 42

mimosa, 294

Morus alba, 300, 302

Morus rubra, 118, 142, 226, 228, 298, 302

mountain-ash, 282

mulberry, red, 118, 142, 226, 228

mulberry, white, 142

Norway maple, 290

Nyssa aquatica, 144, 146

Nyssa sylvatica, 122, 144, 146, 190, 226

oak, black, 184, 186, 196, 204, 210, 212, 218

oak, blackjack, 196

oak, bur, 182, 192, 194, 198

oak, cherrybark, 188, 204

oak, chestnut, 112, 200, 202

oak, chinkapin, 112, 200, 202

oak, laurel, 190, 208

oak, live, 194, 208

oak, northern pin, 184, 186, 206

oak, northern red, 210, 212, 218

oak, Nuttall’s, 206, 216

oak, overcup, 180, 192

oak, pin, 184, 186, 206, 216

oak, post, 180, 214

oak, sand post, 214

oak, scarlet, 184, 186, 188, 206, 218

oak, shingle, 190, 208

oak, Shumard, 204, 210, 212, 216

oak, southern red, 188, 196, 204

oak, swamp chestnut, 182, 194, 198, 202

oak, swamp post, 214

oak, swamp white, 182, 194, 198, 202

oak, water, 208

oak, white, 180, 192, 210, 214

oak, willow, 208

Oplopanax horridum, 244

Osage-orange, 300

Ostrya virginiana, 110, 148

Oxydendrum arboreum, 150, 190

paper mulberry, 298

paulownia, royal, 88

Paulownia tomentosa, 88, 304

pawpaw, 94

pecan, 246, 248, 250, 254

persimmon, 122, 144, 146, 150, 190

Pyrrhalta luteola, 312

Picea glauca, 16, 18

Picea mariana, 16, 18

pine, black, 26

pine, eastern white, 20, 30

pine, jack, 22, 32

pine, pitch, 24, 28

pine, red, 22, 26

pine, shortleaf, 20, 24, 28, 32

pine, Virginia, 20, 22, 24, 28, 32

Pinus banksiana, 22, 32

Pinus echinata, 20, 24, 28, 32

Pinus nigra, 26

Pinus resinosa, 22, 26

Pinus rigida, 24, 28

Pinus stobus, 20, 30

Pinus virginiana, 20, 22, 24, 28, 32

Planera aquatica, 152, 312

planetree, London, 154

Platanus occidentalis, 154

Platanus x acerifolia, 154

plum, American, 170

poison ivy, 64

poplar, balsam, 158, 162, 164, 166

poplar, European white, 156

poplar, Lombardy, 156

Populus alba, 156, 306

Populus balsamifera, 158, 162, 164, 166

Populus deltoides, 130, 156, 158, 160, 162, 164, 166

Populus grandidentata, 160, 162, 164, 166

Populus heterophylla, 160, 164

Populus nigra, 156

Populus tremuloides, 156, 158, 162, 164, 166

princess tree, 304

privet, swamp, 60, 108

Prunus americana, 170

Prunus cerasus, 170

Prunus pensylvanica, 172, 174

Prunus serotina, 168, 172, 174, 204

Pyrus calleryana, 308

Quercus alba, 180, 192, 210, 214

Quercus bicolor, 182, 194, 198, 202

Quercus coccinea, 184, 186, 188, 206, 218

Quercus ellipsoidalis, 184, 186, 206

Quercus falcata, 188, 196, 204

Quercus imbricaria, 190, 208

Quercus laurifolia, 190, 208

Quercus lyrata, 180, 192

Quercus macrocarpa, 182, 192, 194, 198

Quercus margaretta, 214

Quercus marilandica, 196

Quercus michauxii, 182, 194, 198, 202

Quercus montana, 112, 200, 202

Quercus muehlenbergii, 112, 200, 202

Quercus nigra, 208

Quercus pagoda, 188, 204

Quercus palustris, 184, 186, 206, 216

Quercus phellos, 208

Quercus rubra, 210, 212, 218

Quercus shumardii, 204, 210, 212, 216

Quercus similis, 214

Quercus stellata, 180, 214

Quercus texana, 206, 216

Quercus velutina, 184, 186, 196, 204, 210, 212, 218

Quercus virginiana, 194, 208

redbud, eastern, 118, 228

redcedar, eastern, 14, 34

redwood, dawn, 42

Rhamnus caroliniana, 220

Rhus, 292

Robinia pseudoacacia, 268, 280

royal paulownia, 304

Salix alba, 224, 310, 311

Salix amygdaloides, 222, 311

Salix babylonica, 224, 310

Salix discolor, 224

Salix fragilis, 310, 311

Salix nigra, 222, 224, 311

Salix x rubens, 310

sassafras, 64, 226

Sassafras albidum, 64, 226

serviceberry, downy, 92, 110, 124

Siberian elm, 312

silktree, 294

silkworm mulberry, 302

silverbell, Carolina, 126

silver poplar, 306

Sorbus spp., 282

sugarberry, 114, 116

sweetgum, 128

sycamore, American, 154

Taxodium distichum, 40, 42

Taxus spp., 36

Thuja occidentalis, 14, 34

Thuja orientalis, 34

Tilia americana, 118, 142, 228, 302

Tilia heterophylla, 228

Toxicodendron radicans, 64

Tsuga canadensis, 36

tree of heaven, 292

tuliptree, 130

Ulmus alata, 232, 312

Ulmus americana, 148, 152, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240

Ulmus crassifolia, 230

Ulmus parvifolia, 230, 312

Ulmus pumila, 230, 312

Ulmus rubra, 234, 236, 240, 298, 312

Ulmus serotina, 230, 232, 236, 238, 240

Ulmus thomasii, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240

Ulmus x notha, 312

walnut, black, 276, 278

walnut, white, 276

water-elm, 152

waterlocust, 270, 272, 280

water tupelo, 144, 146

white-cedar, northern, 14, 34

white crack willow, 310

white mulberry, 302

white poplar, 306

white spruce, 16, 18

willow, black, 222, 224

willow, peachleaf, 222

willow, pussy, 224

willow, weeping, 224

willow, white, 224

winterberry, 170

yellowwood, 268

yew, 36

About the Authors

Sally Weeks was born and grew up on a dairy farm near Winamac, Indiana. She received a BSF in wild-life management and an MS in Forestry from Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, where she has taught aspects of tree identification for 25 years.

Harmon P. Weeks, Jr., is a Professor of Wildlife Science in Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University, and has taught Habitat Management for 35 years.

George Parker is Professor Emeritus of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University and studied old growth forests and the dynamics of forest communities.