Adapted from C. Massengale

Georgia is located in the biome called Temperate Deciduous Forrest, because we have four distinct seasons, evenly spaced rainfall all year, and the primary organism are broadleaf (deciduous) trees! In addition, more than half of the state is covered with trees. The climate and soils of Georgia also support a great variety of trees, both conifers and deciduous.Trees are one of Georgia' most important crops.Forests are also valuable as a key player in the water cycle (transpiration), in preventing erosion, in offering parks and recreational areas, and in providing homes for wildlife. In addition, many treeshave beenintroduced into the state as ornamentals.

Leaf collecting is a good way to learn the trees native to your area. Collecting leaves will also help you to learn leaf margins, shapes, andvenations and how to use different taxonomic keys to identify trees.

For this project you are going work in teams to create virtual leaf collections of the “Trees of Cross Keys”.

Materials needed:

  • Digital Camera
  • IPod with leaf snap app and Leaf Key
  • Computer
  • Power Point software
  • Small notebook
  • Pencil
  • Leaf labels
  • Taxonomic keys (Trees of Georgia published by the Georgia ForestryCommission, etc.)

Getting started with your collection:
1. Study the shapes, margins, venations, tips, bases, etc. in your Trees of Georgia books and your leaf handout.

2. Learn to distinguish simple leaves from compound leaves and conifers from deciduous trees. Also learn to distinguish leaf arrangements, forms, shapes, margins, tips, bases and veins.
3. Learn to distinguish a tree from a shrub.
4. Gather your collecting materials together - camera, pencil, & small notebook.
5. Be sure to collect photos of the leaf, the tree and any visible flower, fruit, cone etc.
6. Record the name of each leaf, date collected, and placecollected in your notebook as you collect. Also, record tree characteristics such as shape of the crown, color and type of bark, etc.

Collecting:
1. Remember to get a “good” photograph the front and back of every type of leaf!

2. You should have some sort of identifier in the picture to show that this leaf is yours. (An object that in all your pictures!)
3. Photograph an entire leaf, not a leaflet, from the tree.
4. If leaves are damaged or torn, don't use them because you will not receive credit.
5. Make sure that none of the leaf parts extend beyond the edge of the photograph.
6. You may also photograph seeds and/or fruits from some trees.

7. Photograph the entire tree, and note its exact location on campus. (Remember your identifier!)

Labeling and identifying:
1. See identification label, below. This information, in this form, must be filled out for each tree and placed on the slide. Identification Label

1. Common name ______

2. Scientific name ______

3. Tree, not leaf, description ______

______

______

4. Uses of tree, fruit, leaves, etc. ______

______

______

5. Deciduous or Conifer ______

6. Area of campus where tree located ______

______

7. Leaf Shape ______

8. Leaf Margin ______

9. Leaf tip ______

10. Leaf base ______

11. Leaf venation ______

12. Simple or Compound leaf ______

2. Use taxonomic keys, leaf snap and other sources to identify each leaf, and include both the scientific & common name of the tree on the label.
4. Determine the shape, margin, tip, base, and venation of your leaf and whether it is a simple or compound leaf; record this on your label.
5. Use you key to give a description of the tree, not the leaf.
6. Research uses for the tree, its fruit, etc. and record on your label.
7. Tell if the leaf is deciduous or coniferous.

”Mounting leaves”:
1. Use Power Point to construct a book of Cross Keys trees.
2. Upload the photos you took to computer (no credit will be awarded for pictures from other sources).
3. Each page (slide) should have only one type of leaf (tree) on it.
4. Arrange the photos so they do not overlap each other. The leaves should look nice on the page.
5. Make a cover page (slide) for your book. Include the following items on your cover:

  • Title (Creative, but correct!)
  • Student names
  • Date collection turned into teacher
  • Class period
  • Subject
  • Teacher’s name

6. Make a table of contents page (slide). Include the following information in the contents:

  • Common Tree name
  • Scientific name
  • Page it can be found on

7. You will also have an “extras” page (or pages). This page should include:

A. Diagram of the parts of a leaf. The following parts should be labeled:

  • ApexMargin
  • PetioleMidrib
  • Stipules

B. Diagram of cross section of the leaf. The following parts should be labeled:

  • Cuticle Epidermal cells
  • mesophyll cellspalisade mesophyll
  • spongy mesophyllintercellular spaces
  • Xylemphloem

These drawings should be “hand done”. Use a computer program to draw or draw by hand and scan or photograph and place into a slide or slides. They should be colorful, attractive and accurate.

8. The finished virtual book should have a cohesive, organized, appealing look and style. (Hint: Extraneous stuff does not a better project make! Avoid unnecessary sounds, graphics, animations etc.)

Required leaves:
1. Native, Georgia trees are preferred. Refer to your Trees of Georgia books.
2. All trees and leaves must be from the campus of Cross Keys.

3. Leaves photographed must be in perfect condition without damage or tears.
4. Each tree species may only be represented once in the collection. However, if a tree is common on our campus, you may note some of the various locations on the slide.
5. Each tree must have a slide with the following information.

  • Title: Common name of tree
  • Photos of: Front of leaf and whole (most of) tree. Also, any flower, fruit, cone currently visible.
  • Tree identification label information (see under “Label and Identify”) in that form filled out as specifically as possible.

6. There must be 20 species of trees in the collection. The work (photographing trees, typing, uploading, organizing, editing etc.) can be divided up according to talent and interest.

7. Below are some of the more common trees of Georgia:

  • Sweet gum
  • American sycamore
  • Pine (several types)
  • Flowering dogwood
  • Redbud
  • Ash (several types)
  • Persimmon
  • Eastern red cedar
  • Red or silver maple
  • Hickory (several type)
  • Pecan
  • Pin oak
  • Willow oak
  • Water oak
  • Elm (severaltypes)
  • Magnolia

This is a test grade!

Think about and discuss: How will you all divide the work? Who will do what? How will you organize the work? Who is good at what? When will you meet? When will you do the work?

Have fun!