Acer pensylvanicum L. “Striped maple”
This tree is a small North American species of maple native to Nova Scotia and the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, west to southern Ontario, Michigan, and Saskatchewan; south to northeastern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and along the Appalachian Mountains as far south as northern Georgia. Its common names are “Striped maple,” “Moosewood,” “Moose maple,” or “Goosefoot maple.” It is a small deciduous tree growing to 5 – 10 m tall, with a trunk up to 20 cm in diameter. Its shape is broadly columnar, with a short, forked trunk that divides into arching branches which create an uneven, flat-topped crown. The young bark is striped with green and white, and when a little older, brown. Its bloom period is around late spring.
Acer spicatum Lam. “Mountain maple”
This is a species of maple native to northeastern North America, from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, and south to Pennsylvania. It also grows at high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. It grows in moist woods in rich, well-drained soils, on rocky hillsides, and along streams. It also grows on ravines, cliff faces, and forested bogs. It colonizes the understory of hardwood forests. Its common names are “Mountain maple,” “Dwarf maple,” “Moose maple,” or “White maple.” It is a deciduous shrub or small tree reaching 3 – 8 m in height with a spreading crown, a short trunk and slender branches. Its leaves are opposite and simple, 6 – 10 cm long and wide, with 3 or 5 shallow broad lobes. They are coarsely and irregularly toothed with a light green hairless surface and a finely hairy underside. They turn brilliant yellow to red in autumn. Its bark is thin, dull gray-brown, and smooth at first, but becoming slightly scaly. Its fruit is a paired reddish samara, 2 – 3 cm long, maturing in late summer to early autumn.
Betula papyrifera Marshall. “Paper birch”
Betula papyrifera is a species of “Birch” belonging to the Betulaceae family native to North America. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree that can reach up to 20 m in height, exceptionally up to 35 m, with a trunk of up to 80 cm in diameter. It is also known as “American white birch” and “Canoe birch.”
Its common name “Paper birch” comes from the tree’s thin white bark, which often peels in paper like layers from the trunk. It flakes in fine horizontal strips to reveal a pinkish or salmon-colored inner bark. It often has small black marks and scars.
Betula populifolia Marshall “Gray birch”
This tree species belongs to the betulacea family. It is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America. It can be found from southeastern Ontario east to Nova Scotia, and south to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with disjunct populations in Indiana, Virginia, and North Carolina. It prefers poor, dry upland soils, but is also found in moist mixed woodlands. Living only about 30 years, it is a common pioneer species on abandoned fields and burned areas. Its common name is “Gray birch.” It grows fast reaching up to 7 -9 m in height and about 38cm in diameter with an irregular open crown of slender branches. It often has multiple trunks branching off an old stump. Its bark is chalky to grayish white with black triangular patches where branches meet the trunk. Its wood is medium hard and is used for high grade plywood, furniture, drum shells, spools and firewood.
Fraxinus profunda (Bush) Bush “Pumpkin ash”
This tree belongs to the olive (Oleaceae) family. It is an ash species native to eastern North America. It has a scattered distribution on the Atlantic coastal plain and interior lowland river valleys from the Lake Erie basin in Ontario, and New York west to Illinois, southwest to Missouri and southeast to northern Florida. It grows in bottomland habitats, such as swamps, floodplains and riverbanks. Its common name is “Pumpkin ash.” It is a medium sized deciduous tree reaching between 12 – 30 m in height with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. Its bark is gray, thick and fissured with a diamond pattern on mature trees. Its buds are dark brown to blackish, with a velvety texture. Pumpkin ash trees provide resources for humans and animals such as deer and birds.
Gymnocladus dioicus (L.) K. Koch
“Kentucky coffee tree”
This tree belongs to the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to the Midwest, Upper South, Appalachia, and small pockets of New York in the United States and Ontario in Canada. Its common names are “Kentucky coffee tree,” “American coffee berry,” “Kentucky mahogany,” “Nicker tree,” and “Stump tree.” It grows between 18 – 21 m high with a spread of 12 – 15 m and a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. It usually separates 3 to 4½ m from the ground into three or four divisions which spread slightly and form a narrow pyramidal head. Its branches are stout, pithy, and blunt; its roots are fibrous. The “Kentucky coffee tree” is a moderately fast-growing tree, often grown in parks and along city streets for ornamental purposes
Liquidambar styraciflua L. “American sweetgum”
This is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar. Its common names are “American sweetgum,” “American storax,” “Hazel pine,” “Satin walnut,” “Star-leaved gum,” or simply “Sweetgum.” It is native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. “Sweetgum” is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves (like maple leaves) and its hard, spiked fruits. It is a medium-sized to large tree, growing to 15 – 20 m in cultivation and up to 45 m in the wild, with a trunk up 60 – 90 cm in diameter, on average. This tree may live to 400 years. It has a symmetrical shape and crowns into an egg shape when the branches get too heavy after its first two years of cultivation.
Maclura pomifera (Raf.Schneid.) “Osage orange”
Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the “Osage orange,” is not related to the orange. It is a small deciduous tree or small shrub native to the south-central United States. It typically grows about 8 – 15 m tall. Mature trees range from 12 – 20 m tall with short trunks and round-topped canopies. Its roots are thick, fleshy, and covered with bright orange bark. The tree’s mature bark is dark, deeply furrowed and scaly. Its distinctive fruit is roughly spherical, bumpy, 8 – 15 cm in diameter, and turns bright yellow green in the fall. These fruits secrete a sticky white latex when cut or damaged. Due to this latex secretions and woody pulp, the fruit is typically not eaten by humans and rarely by foraging animals. “Osage orange” is a tree species member of the Mulberry family, Moraceae.
Pinus virginiana Mill. “Virginia pine”
This is a medium sized tree, often found on poorer soils from Long Island in southern New York, south through the Appalachian Mountains, western Tennessee and Alabama. Its common names are “Virginia pine,” “Scrub pine”, “Jersey pine,” and “Possum pine.” Its size ranges between 9 – 8 m but can grow larger under optimum conditions. Its trunk can be up to 50 cm. This tree prefers well drained loam or clay, but will also grow on very poor, sandy soil, where it remains small and stunted. Its typical life span is 65 to 90 years. Th pe “Virginia pine” is useful for reforesting and provides nourishment for wildlife. Its other main use is on Christmas tree farms, despite having sharp-tipped needles and yellowish winter color. It also can provide wood pulp and lumber.
Populus grandidentata Michaux “American aspen”
This is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America, found mostly in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Its common names are “American aspen,” “Large-tooth aspen,” “Big-tooth aspen,” “Canadian poplar,” and “White poplar.” It is a medium sized tree with a straight trunk and gently ascending branches. The bark of younger trees is olive-green, thin and smooth; after 30 – 40 years, the bark is gray, thick and rough with grooves. This species can adapt to a wide range of soils, though it is most abundant on sands, loamy sands and light sandy loams. “American aspens” can tolerate sandy uplands and high, rocky sites. Its wood is light-colored, straight-grained, fine-textured, and soft. Various wildlife feed on the bark, foliage, and twig buds.
Prunus pensylvanica L.f. “Pin cherry”
This is a North American Cherry tree species belonging to the Prunus genus. It is commonly known as “Pin cherry,’ “Bird cherry,” “Fire cherry,” or “Red cherry.” It grows as a shrub or small tree, usually with a straight trunk and a narrow, round-topped crown. It reaches between 5 – 15 m in height with a 10 – 51 cm trunk diameter. Trees up to 30 m tall have been found in the southern Appalachians, with the largest found on the western slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains. Its foliage is thin, with leaves 4 – 11 cm long and 1 – 4.5 cm wide. Its flowers occur in small groupings of five to seven with individual flowers 1 cm across. Its fruits are drupes ranging from 4 – 8 mm each with a single seed. ikThis is a short-lived species with a lifespan of only 20 to 40 year following rapid maturation. Its root system is shallow, with roots tending to grow laterally. It is an important food source for many animals.
Quercus bicolor Willd. “Swamp white oak”
This is a North American species of medium sized trees belonging to the Beech family. Its common name is “Swamp white oak.” It is found in America’s north central and northeastern mixed forests. It can survive in a variety of habitats. It can rapidly grow up to 18 – 24 m tall. Its bark resembles that of the “White oak.” Its leaves are broad ovoid 12 -18 cm long and 7 -11 cm wide. In autumn they turn brown, yellow-brown or even reddish. Its fruit is a peduncled acorn between 1.5 – 2 cm long that matures about six months after pollination. the “Swamp white oak” may live up to 300 years. It is one of the more important white oaks for lumber production. In recent years, this tree has become a popular landscaping tree due to its relative ease of transplanting. Wildlife such as deer, bears, turkeys, ducks, and geese as well as other animals are attracted to this tree when acorns are dropping in the fall.
Quercus ilicifolia Wangenh. “Bear oak”
This is a small shrubby oak native to the Eastern United States and, less commonly, to southeastern Canada. Its range in the United States extends from Maine to North Carolina, with reports of a few populations north of the international frontier in Ontario. The name ilicifolia means “holly leaved.” It is commonly known as “Bear oak” or “Scrub oak.” It is a deciduous shrub or tree occasionally reaching a height of 6 m but usually much smaller. It is gangly and can form a dense thicket. The plant grows from a large taproot, which reaches 20 cm in thickness. The taproot lives a long time, producing several generations of above ground parts. The alternately arranged leaves are each up to 15 cm in length by 10 cm in width. This tree provides food and shelter for many animal species. Bears and different types of squirrels and birds consume its bitter acorns. White-tailed deer eat its acorns, stems and foliage. A variety of insect species live on these trees.
Quercus imbricaria Michx. “Shingle oak”
This is a deciduous tree in the “Red oak” group of oaks. It is native primarily to the Midwestern and Upper South regions of North America. It is commonly known as “Shingle oak.” It usually reaches 15 – 18 m in height. It has a broad pyramidal head when young, becoming broad-topped and open in old age. Its trunk reaches up to 1 m in diameter. It is most found growing in uplands with good drainage, less often along lowland streams, at altitudes of 100–700 m above sea level. It is distinguished from most other oaks by its leaves, which are shaped like laurel leaves, 8 – 20 cm long and 1.5 – 7.5 cm broad with an untoothed margin; they are bright green above, paler and somewhat downy beneath. Its bark is light brown, scaly and smooth. Its wood is pale reddish brown, heavy, and hard coarse-grained, used for shingles and sometimes in construction. These trees are an important food source for squirrels and some bird species.
Quercus lyrata Walter “Overcup oak”
This tree is an oak (Quercus) in the “White oak” group. Its common name “Overcup oak” refers to its acorns which are mostly enclosed within the acorn cup. It is native to lowland wetlands in the eastern and south-central United States, in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. It is a medium to large-sized deciduous tree, growing as tall as 47 m with an average height of 24 m. The trunk averages up to 80 cm in diameter, rarely up to 140 cm. It is a slow-growing tree that often takes 25 to 30 years to mature. It has an estimated lifespan of 400 years. It has simple leaves that are alternately arranged. Its bark is light to dark gray in color with irregular bark plates. Its wood is considered less valuable than that of other white oaks due to its relatively high susceptibility to injury and disease. Its acorns are eaten by birds and mammals.
Quercus macrocarpa Michx. “Bur oak”
This is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. Its most common name is “Bur oak,” or “Burr oak” but it is also known as “Mossycup oak,” “Mossycup white oak.” “Blue oak,” or “Scrub oak.” Its acorns are the largest of any North American oak and are an important food source for wildlife. It is a large deciduous tree growing up to 30 m, rarely 50 m in height. It is one of the most massive oaks with a trunk diameter of up to 3 m. It is one of the slowest-growing oaks, with a growth rate of 30 cm per year when young. “Bur oaks” commonly get to be 200 to 300 years old and may live up to 400 years. They are widespread in the Atlantic coastal plain from New Brunswick to North Carolina, west as far as Alberta, eastern Montana, Wyoming, and northeastern New Mexico. Its wood is commercially valuable; it is durable, used for flooring, fence posts, cabinets, and barrels. Its acorns can be eaten boiled and raw.
Quercus michauxii Nutt. “Swamp chestnut oak”
This is a species of oak in the “White oak” Quercus section in the Beech family. Its common name is “Swamp chestnut oak.” This tree typically grows to around 20 m tall, though the tallest specimen currently known is over 42 m tall. Its leaves are simple, 10 – 28 cm long and 5 –1 8 cm broad, with 15 – 20 lobe-like, rounded simple teeth on each side. They turn red in autumn. The fruit is an acorn 2.5 – 3.5 cm long and 2 – 2.5 cm broad, borne on a 2 – 3 cm peduncle, maturing in the fall, about 6 months after pollination. These acorns are large, relatively sweet, and edible. This tree is native to bottomlands and wetlands in the southeastern and midwestern United States, in coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, inland primarily in the Mississippi–Ohio Valley as far as Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The “Swamp chestnut oak” is also called “Basket oak,” since its wood is easily split into long, thin, flexible strips excellent for basket weaving.
Quercus phellos L. “Willow oak”
This is a North American species native to the south-central and eastern United States. It is a deciduous tree in the “Red oak” group of Oaks. Its common name is “Willow oak.” It is a medium-sized tree growing to 20 – 30 m tall with a trunk up to 1 – 1.5 m in diameter. It is distinguished from most other oaks by its leaves, which are shaped like willow leaves 5 – 12 cm long and 1 – 2.5 cm broad with an entire untoothed and unlobed margin. They are bright green above, paler beneath, usually hairless. Its fruit is an acorn 8 – 12 mm long, and almost as wide as long, with a shallow cup. This tree it is one of the most prolific producers of acorns, starting its production around 15 years of age, earlier than many oak species. These acorns are eaten by squirrels and other wildlife. The “Willow oak” is often used as an ornamental tree. Its wood is used as lumber as well as for pulp and paper production.
Quercus shumardii Buckland “Shumard oak”
This tree is one of the largest of the oak species in the red oak group. It is native to the Atlantic coastal plain primarily from North Carolina to northern Florida and west to central Texas. It is also found north to southern Michigan, southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, western New York, and the extreme south of Ontario, Canada. Its common names are “Shumard oak,” “Spotted oak,” “Schneck oak”, “Shumard red oak,” and “Swamp red oak.” This oak typically reaches heights of 25 – 35 m with a trunk diameter of 60 – 100 cm and a crown width of 12 – 18 m. Typical size varies according to region, with larger specimens occurring in the southern portions of its native range in the United States. “Shumard oak” is valued for commercial use and as shade tree. It tolerates and thrives in a wide range of soil types. Its acorns provide food for a variety of bird species, white-tailed deer, feral hogs and various rodents and squirrels.
Salix herbacea L. “Dwarf willow”
This is a species of tiny creeping willow belonging to the Salicaceae family. Its common names are “Dwarf willow,” “Least willow,” and “Snowbed willow.” It is one of the smallest woody plants and it is adapted to survive in harsh arctic and subarctic environments. It is widely distributed in alpine and arctic environments on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is found in the northern Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. It grows in tundra and rocky moorland, usually at over 1,500 m elevation in the south of its range, but down at sea level in the Arctic. It typically grows to only 1 – 6 cm in height, with spreading prostrate branches, reddish brown and very sparsely hairy at first, growing just underground forming open mats. Its leaves are deciduous, rounded, crenate to toothed and shiny green with paler undersides, 0.3 – 2 cm long and broad. Like other willows, it is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate plants. As a result, the plant’s appearance varies; the female catkins are red when ripe, while the male catkins are yellow.
Tilia heterophylla (Vent.) Pigott) “Tilia americana”
This is a tree species in the Malvaceae family and Tilia genus. It is one of the four subspecies of Tilia Caroliniana. It is widely known as the “Tilia americana” or “Tilia Mexicana.” This tree may grow up to 30 m tall with a trunk up to 150 cm in diameter. Its leaves are large, very unequal at the base, 7 – 19 cm long and 6 – 14 cm broad, with a finely toothed margin; they are light green and smooth above, and silvery downy beneath. The principal characteristic that differentiates this one from the other North American Tilia species is the presence of a dense foliage (tomentum) with white veins under its leaves. It is native to Mexico and to the southern and south-eastern states of the U.S., from the center of New York state to the south and southwest of Florida, to the west of Missouri, it is very common to see in the Appalachian Mountains.
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