Once you have decided that a branch comes from a broad-leaved tree, the next thing to do is to decide whether the leaves and small twigs grow opposite to each other on the twig or whether they alternate along the length of the twig. This is often difficult to do; don't be happy with finding just one example on the branch; find several. It is important to do so because trees can be variable in their growth. In the winter, look for small twigs or for the buds that will become leaves next season.
If the twigs or leaves grow opposite to each other, the tree is in the maple, ash, dogwood, honeysuckle, or horsechestnut families. Next, decide if the leaves are simple or compound. Of course, you cannot do this in the winter. Other, more difficult cues are needed then.
A compound leaf has a stem originating from the branch and leaflets growing off of that. The best way to tell a leaf from a leaflet is to see if there is a bud where the stem grows out of the branch it is on. If so, it is a leaf; if not, it is a leaflet. This doesn't work in spring before the buds form. However, this identifier is good for the summer and fall.
Among trees with an opposite growth form, the dogwoods and honeysuckles are generally small and have leaves with smooth, or only slightly jagged or toothed edges. Maples have leaves with deep cuts in them. Ashes and horsechestnuts (native North American horsechestnuts are called buckeyes) have compound leaves. The horsechestnuts or buckeyes have leaflets growing out in all directions from the end of the leaf stem like the fingers of a hand. Ashes have leaflets growing along the sides of the leaf stem.
If the tree is a broadleaf and has an alternate growth pattern, life gets tough. More than half of the seven or eight hundred species of trees (depending on who's doing the counting) in North America fall into this group. The best thing to do is to find out what you have in your area, and then ask questions. Learn how to distinguish among the important groups, first. In some areas, such as the northeast United States, the oaks are fairly easy to tell from other groups. In some places, it is magnolias; others, poplars. If you can get at the tree itself, the smooth, but peeling bark of some birches is a clue. The smooth bark of beeches may be helpful.
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A Concise Guide To Trees.
Random*Identifies The Most Common Trees, With A Picture,Quick Reference Box And Informative Text For Each. Illustrated Throughout With Superb Color Photographs. Detailed Introduction Provides Infomation On How To Identify Trees, Their Distribution And The...
