Sugar Maple The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a deciduous tree that can grow more than 100 feet tall. It is the most common maple tree in the United States and is found mostly in the eastern half of the country, where it is prized for its ornamental value and tapped to produce maple syrup….
American hickory American Hickory (Carya ovata) You’ll recognize this species by its large, oval-shaped leaves that grow in groups of five to nine. Look for trees with compound leaves to identify this hickory. The bark is dark and shaggy, and it grows in a wide range of soils from the foothills of the Ozark Mountains…
Beech tree Beech trees are deciduous, so their buds are visible in the winter. The buds are small and clustered at the ends of the twigs. They have a single pointed tip, which is reddish-brown. Beech tree bud scales are narrow and long, but not hairy. Magnolia tree Magnolia trees have leaf buds that are…
Trees With Needles If a tree has needles instead of leaves, it is a conifer. The word “conifer” comes from the Latin words for “cone” and “bearing.” Conifers produce their seeds in cones. Conifer needles are soft, flexible, and have a leathery texture when you touch them. Needles grow in bundles on the branches. If…
Type The boxelder is a very common tree in Utah. It is a deciduous (meaning it sheds its leaves every year) maple that reaches heights of 50 feet and spreads 40 feet wide. The leaves are not divided, but rather have three to five pointed lobes with edges that are doubly toothed. Boxelders grow fast,…
Simple Leaf Identification A simple leaf is simply a single blade attached directly to the stem of the plant. Simple leaves are either broad or needle-like: Broad simple leaves can be lobed or unlobed, rounded, pointed, oblong or some combination of these characteristics. Broad simple leaves can also be smooth or toothed along the edges….
Identifying conifers Take a look at the needles, or leaves, of the tree. Conifers have needle-like leaves or scales. Evergreens are plants that keep their green foliage all year long as opposed to deciduous trees which lose their leaves in the colder months of the year. Most evergreen conifers are wind pollinated and monoecious, which…
Black Spruce Black spruce (Picea mariana) is a small evergreen tree native to the boreal forest of North America. This coniferous species of tree grows in Canada and the northern United States. Black spruce grows at elevations under 2,600 feet and at latitudes above 40 degrees north. The bark is dark brown or black and…
Coniferous trees Needles on a tree. Finally, something good. Not long ago, the coniferous trees in our backyard were promising to resemble thin needles at all times of the year, but they had yet to deliver. For some time the evergreens made promises that never turned into reality; the trees weren’t always green and not…
Cedars and junipers are two groups of trees. Both cedars and junipers are conifers. Conifers are cone-bearing trees that have needles or scale-like leaves, and they’re an important part of the ecosystem because they provide food and shelter for a variety of birds and other wildlife. They also make excellent landscaping plants. Cedars and junipers…