Identifying My Tree
Some wish to learn to identify trees for purely recreational reasons while others
want to learn to select, plant, and care for trees and understand that identification
skills are critical.
It is easier to identify trees and plants in the field than collecting a leaf sample
for identification at home. There are often additional clues when we examine plants
in their natural environments such as milky sap, odor, or growth habit. If we do
take samples to identify at a later date, it is best to collect more than just a
leaf. Take leaf, twig and fruit samples (if available). When learning to identify
trees, it is best to learn leaf types and patterns, but we should always use several
tree characteristics such as bark, buds, fruit, flowers, twigs and leaves.
The following websites will help you learn more about identification and contain
many images of trees to view, but the best way to learn how to identify trees is
walking through the woods or visiting plant collections at arboretums, parks or
college campuses.
Common Trees of PA - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/commontr/
Penn State University Summer Key to Pennsylvania Trees -
http://rnrext.cas.psu.edu/PDFs/Summerkeyfortrees.pdf
Morris Arboretum’s Plant Information -
http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/plantinformation2.html
University of Conn Plant Database -
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/index.html
“Northern Trees,” a tree selection website designed by Rutgers,
University of FL, and the USDA Forest Service
http://orb.at.ufl.edu/TREES/index.html
Illinois Forestry - Urban and Community Forestry -
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/forestry/urban_comm_forestry.html
Ornamental Plants Websites listed at University of Connecticut
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/link.html
Ohio State Unv. Plants Facts Plant Lists -
http://plantfacts.osu.edu/plantlist/index.html
Plant Dictionary – Photos of Ornamental Plants and Pests, OH State University
http://plantfacts.osu.edu/images.lasso
Virginia Tech Tree ID Site -
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm
Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Flowers – University of DE
http://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticulture/ornamentals.htm
Urban Trees and Shrubs USFS -
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/uts/index.htm
Common Trees of Iowa -
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pages/tree/index.html
Horticopia - http://www.horticopia.com