Table of Contents

• All Trees
  • Tree having needle-like or scale-like leaves.
    • Tree having needle-like leaves and bearing cones.
      • Needles arranged in bundles.
        • Needles 1.5 inches or longer.
          • Needles in bundles of 2. -- Red Pine
          • Needles in bundles of 3. -- Pitch Pine
          • Needles in bundles of 5. -- White Pine
        • Needles about 1 inch long.
          • Needles in bundles of 10 on the end of the twig which is attached to the tree, but the needles are single near the tip of the twig. -- Tamarack
      • Needles not arranged in bundles.
        • Needles flat with 2 whitish lines on the underside. Needles are spiralled around twig, but look as if arranged oppositely to each other -- Eastern Hemlock
        • Needles are four-sided and arranged spirally around twig -- Red Spruce
    • Tree having scale-like leaves and bearing a berry-like fruit.
      • Twig may have two types of leaves. The most common are scale-like and short (.15 to .25 inches). The other is longer (up to .75 inches) and sharp. The fruit is berry-like in appearance. -- Redcedar
  • Tree having broad leaves.
    • Leaves compound.
      • Leaves and branches arranged oppositely. Five to nine leaflets per leaf. -- White Ash
      • Leaves and branches arranged alternately.
        • Stem has two thorns at base of leaf. Edge of leaflet having no teeth. Fruit looks like a pea pod. -- Black Locust
        • No thorns at the base of the leaf.
          • The pith is chambered.
            • Pith dark. 11 - 17 leaflets. The end leaflet is abouit the same size as the side ones. -- Butternut
            • Pith white. 15 - 17 Leaflets. The end leaflet is smaller than the side leaflets or it is missing. -- Black Walnut
          • The pith of the older part of the twig is solid.
            • Bark breaks off into loose plates, giving the bark a shaggy appearance. Lower pair of leaflets smaller than the others. Leaf smells fragrant when crushed. -- Shagbark Hickory
            • Bark doesn't break off into plates.
              • bud at end of twig dull yellow. 7 - 11 leaflets. -- bitternut hickory
              • bud at end of twig is not yellow, but is brownish in color.
                • Leaf having 7 - 9 leaflets. Leaf-stem covered with fine hairs. Aromatic when crushed and compared with Pignut Hickory. -- Mockernut Hickory
                • Leaflets 5. Twig not hairy. -- Pignut Hickory
    • Leaves simple.
      • Leaves and branches opposite to each other.
        • Leaves having no lobes or teeth on edge of leaf. Twig has two types of buds. -- Flowering Dogwood
        • Leaves having 3 to 5 lobes.
          • Bark Green with whitish stripes. Leaf has 3 lobes with many small teeth on edge. -- Striped Maple
          • Bark gray.
            • Edge of leaf has many teeth. There are three main lobes, may have two small ones at the base near the leaf-stem. -- Red Maple
            • Edge of leaf has few teeth.
              • Three (or possibly five) lobes on the leaf. Few Teeth. Leaf-stem hairy at the base (near bud). -- Black Maple
              • Five lobes. Few teeth. Leaf-stem has no hairs near bud. -- Sugar Maple
      • Leaves and branches alternately arranged.
        • No thorns on branches.
          • Three types of leaf on tree: 3-lobed, no lobes, and a mitten-shaped leaf. No teeth on edge of leaf. -- Sassafras
          • Only one type of leaf on tree.
            • Leaf unlobed.
              • Leaf having no teeth on the edge.
                • Leaf 2 - 4 inches long. Leaf shiny on topside and may be hairy on underside. Mature bark looks "blocky". -- Black Gum
                • Leaf 4 - 12 inches long. Twig red-brown with a peppery taste and smell. The bud is covered with whitish hairs which are very silky. -- Cucumbertree
              • Leaf has teeth on th edge.
                • Leaf-stem flat. Many large teeth on edge. -- Bigtoothed Aspen
                • Leaf-stem is round.
                  • Leaf heart-shaped, four to five inches long and 3/4 inches wide. The base of the leaf is often unequal. Edge of the leaf is coarsley toothed. Underside of the leaf smooth except for tufts of rusty colored hairs. Veins very noticeable. Twigs, gray-brown. -- Basswood
                  • Leaves not heart-shaped and not very wide, but may be long.
                    • Teeth on edge of leaf many and small.
                      • Small leaf-like structures (Stipules) at the base of leaf-stem. Leaf-stem is short. Leaf has a very pointy tip. -- Black Willow
                      • No stipules at the base of the leaf-stem.
                        • Bark smooth and gray
                          • Bark muscle-like. Leaves 2 - 4 inches long and double toothed. -- American Hornbeam
                          • Bark not muscle-like. Small red berries with a five - pointed star formed by sepals at the bottom. Fruit Edible. -- Serviceberry
                        • Bark rough and black or yellowish.
                          • Twig has somewhat bitter taste.
                            • Leaf narrow and tapered to tip. Many times the back of the leaf has many reddish-brown hairs near the base. Gray dots (lenticels) on the bark or branches. -- Black Cherry
                          • Twig has sweet wintergreen taste when chewed.
                            • Back Yellowish and the bark of older trees is peeling off. -- Yellow Birch
                            • Bark black and broken off into plates on older tree. -- Black Birch
                    • Teeth on edge of leaf few and large.
                      • Bark gray and smooth. Leaf-stem long and hairy. Small brown marks (lenticels) on branches. Buds long and sharp (cigar shaped). -- American Beech
                      • Bark is brown, Leaf-stem very short and there are lenticels on the branches. -- American Chestnut
            • Leaf lobed.
              • Lobes pointed at ends.
                • No teeth on edge of leaf. Leaf bright green. Usually having four lobes. Bark dark gray and having whitish dots (lenticels) on twigs. -- Tulip Tree
                • Teeth on the edge of the leaf.
                  • Leaf smooth on both sides. Seven to eleven lobes. Buds pointed and light brown. Acorns have a flat top and large nut. Inner bark cream colored. -- Red Oak
                  • Leaf more or less covered with rusty colored hairs on the underside. Buds blunt, yellow-gray, and covered with small hairs. Inner bark orange. Acorn has a deep round cup and a small nut. -- Black Oak
              • Lobes rounded at ends.
                • Five to nine lobes per leaf. Bark gray and having small ridges. -- White Oak
                • Many roiunded lobes on each leaf. The size of lobes get smaller toward the tip of leaf. Bark is brown-gray with deep furrows. -- Chestnut Oak
        • Thorns on branches.
          • Long smooth sharp thorns on younger branches. Leaves vary from tree to tree (simple or lobed with teeth on edge.) Bark brown and scaly when old. Fruit is small and applelike. -- Hawthorn
          • Thorns rough and short. Leaves vary from tree to tree. Fruit is a small irregular apple. -- Crabapple

Identify a Tree

This key was developed by "bt" in June 1982. It was put into HTML format by Stephen Ostermiller in July 1997. Copies of the entire guide in zip format that may be taken to camp on a laptop are available to those who write.