Alternate Tree Arrangement - Dormant Identification Markers of Alternates

Here are the important tree markers to look for in alternate ranked species:

Hickory (Carya spp.) -

• 5-sided pith.
• Variable bark not helpful except for loose, flaky shagbark hickory.
• Nuts and husks under tree.
• Stout twigs with large terminal bud.
• Tan, 5-angled pith.
• Large heart-shaped to 3-lobed leaf scar.

Common Hickories


Black Walnut (Juglans spp.) -


• Bark is furrowed and dark in black walnut (lighter in butternut).
• Leaf scars like upside down shamrock with 5 or 7 bundle scars.
• Walnuts and husks under tree.
• Chambered pith.
• Globose nut.

Black Walnut


Oak (Quercus spp.) -


• 5-sided pith.
• Variable bark not very helpful.
• Clustered buds at tip of twig.
• Persistent leaves on live and water oak.
• Slightly raised, semi-circular leaf scars.
• Numerous bundle scars.
• Acorns persistent on twigs or dropped under the tree.

Common Oaks


Yellow Poplar (Lireodendron tulipifera.) -


• "Duck bill" or "mitten" looking buds.
• Large stipule scars encircling the twig.
• Cone-like aggregate of samaras.
• Buds "fuzzy".
• Unique "inverted V" on limb to trunk connection.
• Gray-green bark with light furrows.
• Pith often divided by partitions of stone cells.

Yellow Poplar


Birch (Betula Spp.) -


• Often confused with beech, hophornbeam and ironwood.
• Has short scaled buds (vs. long scaled buds on beech).
• Mostly smooth bark but peeling in papery layers.
• Male and female parts on same tree (male long catkins, female short cones).
• Yellow birch has wintergreen tasting twig.
• River birch has salmon colored exfoliating bark.
• Paper (canoe) birch has creamy white thin bark separating into papery strips.

Common Birch


Beech (Fagus Spp.) -


• Often confused with birch, hophornbeam and ironwood.
• Has long narrow scaled buds (vs. short scaled buds on birch).
• Has grey, smooth bark and often called the "initial tree".
• Has no catkins.
• Often root suckers surround old trees.
• Has spiny-husked nuts.
• "Human-like" looking roots on older trees.

American Beech


Elm (Ulmus Spp.) -


• Has brown irregular bark that is tinged with red.
• Has zig-zag twigs.
• Bark acts like cork when pressed with finger nail (bounces back).
• Buds off center over the leaf scar.
• Favorite Baltimore oriole nesting tree.
• Bundle scars in three clusters.
• Terminal bud is absent.

Common Elm


Cherry (Prunus Spp.) -


• Has narrow corky and light, horizontal lenticels on young bark.
• Bark breaks into dark plates and raised edges on older wood described as "burnt cornflakes".
• Twig has "bitter almond" taste.
• Bark is dark gey but both smooth and scaly with reddish-brown inner bark.

Common Cherry


Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua.) -


• Corky outgrowth on twig bark.
• Spiny "gumballs" on long stalk.
• Green/orange-brown shiny bud scales.
• Terminal bud sticky.

Sweetgum


Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis.) -


• Zig-zag stout twigs.
• Mottled "camouflage" exfoliating (peeling) bark (green, white, tan).
• Spherical multiple achenes with long stalks (fruit balls).
• leaf scar nearly surrounds the bud.
• Numerous raised bundle scars.
• Buds are large and cone-shaped.

Sycamore

Identification of the Opposites

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