HancockShakerVillage
Tree Identification
When we go to the HancockShakerVillage, you’ll be asked to identify some trees AND be able to explain how you did so. I’ve made you a dichotomous key for the trees that you’ll need to find. I’ve listed those trees below and put them in bold in the key.
Tree list
white pinebasswoodAmerican elm
hemlockblack cherry Am. white birch
black ashmountain mapleyellow birch
white ashgoosefoot maplered oak
butternutsugar maplewhite oak
Your job here is to practice using the key and to get some idea of what the leaves look like. To do this, you’ll be making a useful guide that you can bring with you to the HancockShakerVillage along with the key.
What to do
1. Be sure you’re familiar with the following terms:
oppositesimpleleaftoothed/lobed
alternatecompoundleafletentire
2. Go through the key. Find each of the trees in the list.
3. Look up each tree. Take a look at its leaves. See if there are any other identifying characteristics that might be useful.
4. Make a sketch (no cut and paste! no tracing!) of the leaves of each tree, it its box (on the back of this page). Add any other useful information to each tree’s box.
Grading
A: You have a careful, accurate, useful sketch for the leaves of each tree. You have additional information for at least half the trees on the list.
B: You have a careful, accurate, useful sketch for the leaves of each tree.
C: You have careful, accurate, useful sketches for at least nine of the trees.
D: You made some sketches but they are either not useful OR you made fewer than nine.
F: You don’t participate in the assignment in a constructive way.
Resources to start with (if these don’t have what you need, search using scientific name):
Arbor Day Foundation: What Tree Is That?
enature: field guides
white pinePinus strobus / basswood
Tilia americana / American elm
Ulmus americana
Eastern hemlock
Tsuga canadensis / black cherry
Prunus serotina / American white birch
Betula papyrifera
black ash
Fraxinus nigra / goosefoot maple
Acer pennsylvanicum / yellow birch
Betula alleghaniensis
white ash
Fraxinus americana / mountain maple
Acer spicatum / red oak
Quercus rubra
butternut
Juglans cinerea / sugar maple
Acer saccarum / white oak
Quercus alba
DICHOTOMOUS KEY for HSV trip
adapted from Watts, M.T. “Tree Finder”. Nature Study Guild. 1986.
1. Needles or flat leaves. If the tree has needles, go to 2.
If the tree has flat leaves, go to 3.
2. Long needles or short.
a. IF needles are long, and in bundles of five, the tree is a white pine.
b.IF needles are short, and leave twig rough when they fall, the tree is ahemlock.
3. Opposite leaves or alternate leaves. If leaves/buds are opposite, go to 4.
If leaves/buds are alternate, go to 13.
OPPOSITE
4. If leaves are compound, go to 5.
If leaves are simple, go to 8.
Opposite, compound
5. If leaflets have no stem, it is a black ash.
If leaflets have a short stem, go to 6.
6. If twigs and leaf stalks are hairy, it is a red ash.
If twigs and leaf stalks are not hairy, go to 7.
7. If leaflets are whitish beneath, it is a white ash.
If leaflets are green on both sides, it is a green ash.
Opposite, simple
8. If leaves aren’t lobed, you don’t care.
If leaves are lobed, go to 9.
Opposite, simple, lobed
9. If notches are V shaped, go to 10.
If notches are U shaped, go to12.
10. If leaves are five-lobed, you don’t care.
If leaves are clearly three lobed, go to 11.
11. If the leaves are hairless and the bark green with white stripes, it isgoosefoot maple.
If the leaves and twigs are hairy and the bark is not obviously striped, it ismountain maple.
12. If stem leaks milky juice when broken and base of leaf doesn’t curve, it is a Norway maple.
If juice isn’t milky and the base of the leaf curves, it is a sugar maple.
ALTERNATE
13. If leaves are compound,and toothed, go to 14.
If leaves are simple, go to18.
Alternate, compound, toothed
14. If there are many teeth along the margins of each leaflet, go to 15.
Otherwise, you don’t care.
15. If plant is shrubby and/or leaflets are small (~3cm) on a small leaf (~15cm) you don’t care.
If leaflets are large and there is some evidence of nuts under the tree, go to 16.
16. If crushed leaf is aromatic and end leaflet does not narrow gradually to a long, straight-sided V-shape, go to 17.
Otherwise, you don’t care.
17. If the end leaflet is small or absent, and the leaf tapers continuously, it is a black walnut.
If the end leaflet is present and the sides of some of the leaflets are parallel along the mid-section, it is a butternut.
Alternate, simple
18. If leave is toothed, or has a wavy margin or lobes, go to 19.
If leave is entire, you don’t care.
19. If leaf is lobed, go to 38.
If leaf is not lobed, go to 20.
Alternate, simple, toothed
20. If teeth are all about the same size, go to 21.
If margin is double-toothed, alternating large and small teeth (or large and small notches), go to 29.
Alternate, simple, even teeth
21. If teeth terminate side veins (#teeth = #side veins), it’s likely to be a type of beech.
If the number of teeth is greater than the number of side veins, go to 22.
22. If leaf stem is long and blade is wide with blunted teeth,you don’t care.
Otherwise, go to 23.
23. If the two side veins that start at the base of the leaf are longer and more obvious than other side veins, go to 24.
If the side veins all appear to be of equal importance, go to25.
24. If base of leaf is not symmetrical, and leaf is broad it is basswood.
If base of leaf is symmetrical, you don’t care.
25. If leaves are long and narrow, taper gradually to a long point with have many veins AND the twigs are slender and supple, you don’t care.
Otherwise, go to 26.
26. If leaf is 10cm or less with a short leaf stem and veins that are somewhat curved and show some branching AND base of leaf is not rounded or heart-shaped, go to 27.
Otherwise, you don’t care.
27.If leaf ends in a sudden point and the bark is shaggy with thorn-like twigs, you don’t care.
Otherwise go to 28.
28. If leaf is firm and narrow with incurving teeth and a broad mid-rib that is sometimes hairy near the base it is a black cherry.
Otherwise it’s likely to be some other kind of cherry.
Alternate, simple, uneven teeth
29. If base of leaf is lop-sided, go to 30.
If base of leaf is symmetrical, go to32 .
30. If leaf is rough on both surfaces and flake of bark shows red, it is slippery elm.
If leaf is not rough below, go to 31.
31. If leaf base is distinctly lop-sided and either sandpaper-like or smooth above, it is American elm.
Otherwise, you don’t care.
32. If leaf has a pointed tip AND the bark is paper-smooth, shiny, peeling or ragged, go to 33.
Otherwise, you don’t care.
33. If trunk is white, go to 34.
If trunk is yellowish to red-brown, go to 36.
34. If leaf is triangular with long, tapering tip, it is likely to be a gray birch.
If leaf is oval, go to 35.
35. If leaf buds are shiny and sticky, it is a European white birch.
If leaf buds are not sticky and shiny, it is an American white birch.
36. If base of leaf is wedge-shaped and bark is ragged and shaggy, it is a black birch (Betula nigra). .
If base of leaf is heart-shaped, go to 37.
37. If bark is dark brown and not peeling, it is a cherry birch.
If bark is bronze or silvery and peeling, it is a yellow birch.
Alternate, simple, lobed
38. If leaf has only 2-4 lobes, you don’t care.
If leaf has more than 4 lobes, go to 39.
39. If lobes are bristle-pointed, go to 40.
If lobes are rounded, go to43.
40. If leaf is deeply lobed (more than half-way to rib), you don’t care.
If leaf is not deeply lobed, go to 41.
41. If leaf is small and white downy on the undersurface, it’s a scrub oak.
Otherwise, go to 42.
42. If leaf is thin, firm, smooth beneath and has more than seven lobes, it is a red oak.
If leaf is thick, leathery, somewhat hairy beneath, with about seven lobes, it is a black oak.
43. If leaf is small (5-10cm), has ear-like lobes at the base and a very short stem, it is an English oak.
Otherwise, go to 44.
44. If lobes are somewhat similar in size and shape, it is a white oak.
Otherwise, you don’t care.