Common trees: pick what you see
Choose the leaf shape, bark or fruit that matches, and the list narrows to the trees that fit. Each entry says what else to check, and when it flowers and fruits.
White oak
Quercus alba · Native, eastern North America
Rounded lobes with no bristles, and a shallow acorn cup.
- Bark
- Pale grey, in loose scaly plates or shallow ridges
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Red-brown to wine red
Northern red oak
Quercus rubra · Native, eastern North America
Pointed lobes each ending in a bristle. Acorns take two years to ripen.
- Bark
- Dark with long, flat-topped ridges, often with pale streaks high on the trunk
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Russet to red
Pin oak
Quercus palustris · Native, eastern and central North America
Deep, sharp lobes with rounded gaps (sinuses). Lower branches often droop. Acorns are small and round.
- Bark
- Smooth and grey-brown when young, shallowly ridged when old
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Bronze to red
Southern live oak
Quercus virginiana · Native, south-eastern United States
A wide-spreading evergreen oak. Leaves are leathery, mostly unlobed, and drop only as new ones come in spring.
- Bark
- Dark, rough and furrowed
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Nov
- Autumn
- Evergreen, with leaves replaced in spring
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum · Native, north-eastern North America
Five lobes with few teeth and smooth, rounded gaps between them. The source of maple syrup.
- Bark
- Grey-brown, in long irregular plates or ridges that curl at the edges on old trees
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Gold, orange and red
Red maple
Acer rubrum · Native, eastern North America
Toothed lobes, red twigs and buds, and red flowers before the leaves open. Its seeds ripen in late spring.
- Bark
- Smooth and pale grey when young, breaking into dark plates with age
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- May to Jun
- Autumn
- Bright scarlet
Silver maple
Acer saccharinum · Native, eastern North America
Deeply cut leaves with a silvery white underside. Flowers open in very early spring.
- Bark
- Grey, peeling in long flakes from older trunks
- Flowers
- Feb to Mar
- Fruit or seed
- May to Jun
- Autumn
- Pale yellow
Norway maple
Acer platanoides · Introduced from Europe
Broken leaf stalks ooze milky sap, which native maples do not. Its seeds hang with wings spread nearly flat.
- Bark
- Grey, with regular fine ridges
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Yellow
Boxelder
Acer negundo · Native, most of North America
A maple with compound leaves of three to seven leaflets. Seed pairs hang in bunches and often stay into winter.
- Bark
- Pale grey-brown and shallowly furrowed
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Dec
- Autumn
- Dull yellow
American elm
Ulmus americana · Native, eastern North America
Lopsided leaf base and double-toothed edge. Vase-shaped when grown in the open. Flowers and flat round seeds appear before the leaves.
- Bark
- Grey with interlacing ridges, and layers of lighter and darker bark when cut
- Flowers
- Feb to Mar
- Fruit or seed
- Apr to May
- Autumn
- Yellow
Slippery elm
Ulmus rubra · Native, eastern North America
Leaves are very rough, like sandpaper, on top, and larger than American elm's.
- Bark
- Dark brown, furrowed, with a sticky inner bark
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- Apr to May
- Autumn
- Dull yellow
White ash
Fraxinus americana · Native, eastern North America
Five to nine leaflets, paler beneath. Among the trees hardest hit by emerald ash borer.
- Bark
- Grey with deep ridges that cross in a diamond pattern
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Purple to yellow
Green ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Native, eastern and central North America
Leaflets are green on both sides and narrower than white ash's. Common as a street and shelterbelt tree.
- Bark
- Greyish brown with interlacing ridges
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Yellow
Shagbark hickory
Carya ovata · Native, eastern North America
Usually five leaflets. The nut is in a thick husk that splits into four.
- Bark
- Long grey plates peeling away from the trunk at the ends
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Golden yellow
Black walnut
Juglans nigra · Native, eastern North America
Fifteen to twenty-three leaflets. Round green husks stain skin brown and the twigs have chambered pith.
- Bark
- Dark brown to black, with deep, diamond-patterned ridges
- Flowers
- May to Jun
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Yellow, falling early
Paper birch
Betula papyrifera · Native, northern North America
Oval, double-toothed leaves. Bark is white in older trees and often reddish-brown when young.
- Bark
- White, peeling in thin papery sheets, with dark horizontal lenticels
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Aug to Sep
- Autumn
- Bright yellow
River birch
Betula nigra · Native, eastern United States
Grows beside rivers and on wet ground. Seeds ripen in late spring, earlier than other birches.
- Bark
- Salmon to cinnamon, curling away in ragged sheets
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- May to Jun
- Autumn
- Yellow
Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides · Native, across northern North America
Round leaves on flattened stalks that tremble in the slightest breeze. Often grows in large stands connected by roots.
- Bark
- Smooth, pale green-white with dark scars and patches
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- May to Jun
- Autumn
- Brilliant gold
Eastern cottonwood
Populus deltoides · Native, eastern and central North America
Big triangular leaves with coarse teeth. Female trees release cottony seeds in early summer.
- Bark
- Pale and smooth when young, becoming thick with deep ridges
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- May to Jun
- Autumn
- Yellow
Eastern white pine
Pinus strobus · Native, north-eastern North America
Soft, blue-green needles in bundles of five. Cones are long and slender.
- Bark
- Smooth and grey-green when young, deeply furrowed when old
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Red pine
Pinus resinosa · Native, north-eastern North America
Needles in bundles of two, long, and snap cleanly when bent.
- Bark
- Reddish brown, in broad flat scaly plates
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Loblolly pine
Pinus taeda · Native, south-eastern United States
Needles in bundles of three. Cones have sharp prickles on the scales.
- Bark
- Dark grey to brown in blocky plates
- Pollen
- Mar to Apr
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Ponderosa pine
Pinus ponderosa · Native, western North America
Long needles, usually in bundles of three in the west (two or three in some varieties).
- Bark
- Orange-brown plates separated by black fissures, like jigsaw pieces
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Lodgepole pine
Pinus contorta · Native, western North America
Needles in twos, short and slightly twisted. Some of its cones stay shut until fire opens them.
- Bark
- Thin and scaly, grey to orange-brown
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Scots pine
Pinus sylvestris · Native to Britain and Europe; planted in North America
Needles in twos, blue-green and twisted. The orange upper bark is a quick giveaway.
- Bark
- Upper trunk papery orange; lower trunk grey-brown and plated
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Nov
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Norway spruce
Picea abies · Native to Europe; widely planted
Branchlets hang from drooping branches. Cones are long, often 10 to 15 cm, and fall whole.
- Bark
- Reddish brown to grey, in thin scales
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens · Native, Rocky Mountains; widely planted
Stiff, very sharp needles, often silvery blue. Common as a garden tree.
- Bark
- Grey-brown with deep ridges
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Balsam fir
Abies balsamea · Native, north-eastern North America
Flat blunt needles with two pale lines beneath. Cones stand upright. A classic Christmas tree.
- Bark
- Smooth grey with resin blisters, becoming scaly on old trees
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Fraser fir
Abies fraseri · Native, southern Appalachians
Native only to a few high mountains. Widely grown as a Christmas tree in North Carolina.
- Bark
- Smooth grey with resin blisters
- Pollen
- May to Jun
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii · Native, western North America
Not a true fir. Hanging cones with three-pointed bracts that poke out between the scales.
- Bark
- Smooth with resin blisters when young, thick corky ridges when old
- Pollen
- Apr to May
- Cones ripe
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Eastern hemlock
Tsuga canadensis · Native, eastern North America
Short flat needles on tiny stalks, white-lined beneath, and small hanging cones about 2 cm long. No relation to poison hemlock.
- Bark
- Dark brown with deep ridges
- Pollen
- Apr to May
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Tamarack
Larix laricina · Native, northern North America
Soft needles in tufts on spurs. Grows in cold, wet ground. Its cones are tiny.
- Bark
- Reddish brown, flaking in small scales
- Pollen
- Apr to May
- Cones ripe
- Aug to Sep
- Autumn
- Golden yellow, then bare
European larch
Larix decidua · Native to the Alps and central Europe; widely planted
Needles in tufts of 30 or more on spurs. Cones are larger than tamarack's.
- Bark
- Grey-brown, deeply fissured when old
- Pollen
- Mar to Apr
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Golden yellow, then bare
Eastern redcedar
Juniperus virginiana · Native, eastern North America
A juniper, not a cedar. Scale leaves, with sharp needles on young shoots, and blue berry-like cones.
- Bark
- Reddish brown, peeling in long thin strips
- Pollen
- Feb to Mar
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Nov
- Autumn
- Evergreen, turning bronze in winter
Northern white-cedar
Thuja occidentalis · Native, north-eastern North America
Also called eastern arborvitae. Flat sprays of scale leaves and small cones about 1 cm long.
- Bark
- Reddish to grey-brown, in narrow shreddy strips
- Pollen
- Apr to May
- Cones ripe
- Aug to Sep
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Western redcedar
Thuja plicata · Native, Pacific north-west
Flat, glossy green sprays with white butterfly marks beneath. Cones are small and upright.
- Bark
- Reddish brown, fibrous and stringy
- Pollen
- Mar to Apr
- Cones ripe
- Aug to Sep
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Common juniper
Juniperus communis · Native, across the northern hemisphere
Sharp needles in whorls of three with a white stripe on top. Berries are blue-black and take two or three years to ripen.
- Bark
- Reddish brown and shredding
- Pollen
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Cedar of Lebanon
Cedrus libani · Native to the eastern Mediterranean; planted in parks and gardens
A true cedar. Needles in rosettes on spurs, and barrel-shaped cones that stand upright on the branch.
- Bark
- Dark grey, ridged and cracking into small plates
- Pollen
- Sep to Oct
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Nov
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum · Native, south-eastern United States
A deciduous conifer with feathery, flat sprays of soft needles. Knobbly 'knees' rise from the roots in wet ground.
- Bark
- Reddish brown, fibrous and peeling in strips
- Pollen
- Mar to Apr
- Cones ripe
- Sep to Nov
- Autumn
- Rusty orange, then bare
Tulip tree
Liriodendron tulipifera · Native, eastern North America
Leaves with four lobes and a notched or flat tip, as if cut off. Tulip-shaped flowers and upright cone-like seed clusters.
- Bark
- Pale grey with long, flat-topped ridges
- Flowers
- May to Jun
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Clear yellow
Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua · Native, south-eastern United States
Star-shaped leaves, alternate, unlike maples. Spiky round fruit balls fall in autumn.
- Bark
- Grey-brown, deeply furrowed; twigs may have corky ridges
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Dec
- Autumn
- Red, purple and yellow
American sycamore
Platanus occidentalis · Native, eastern North America
Broad shallow lobes and mottled bark. Fruit is a single round ball that breaks up in winter. Called buttonwood in some regions.
- Bark
- Mottled: flaking to reveal creamy white inner bark
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Mar
- Autumn
- Brown
Black cherry
Prunus serotina · Native, eastern North America
Glossy oval leaves with fine incurved teeth and a brownish fuzz along the midrib beneath. Fruit is a dark purple-black drupe.
- Bark
- Dark, with rough, upturned plates like burnt cornflakes on older trees
- Flowers
- May
- Fruit or seed
- Jul to Sep
- Autumn
- Yellow to red
Flowering dogwood
Cornus florida · Native, eastern North America
Opposite leaves with veins that curve towards the tip. The white 'petals' are bracts. Fruit is a cluster of red drupes.
- Bark
- Broken into small square blocks, like alligator skin
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Deep red
Eastern redbud
Cercis canadensis · Native, eastern North America
Heart-shaped leaves, and pink flowers that open on bare branches before the leaves. Flat bean-like pods.
- Bark
- Dark, scaly and shallowly furrowed
- Flowers
- Mar to Apr
- Fruit or seed
- Jul to Nov
- Autumn
- Yellow
Black locust
Robinia pseudoacacia · Native to the central Appalachians; widely naturalised
Pairs of short thorns at the base of leaves, hanging white flowers and flat brown pods.
- Bark
- Dark, with deep ridges that twist and cross
- Flowers
- May to Jun
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Dec
- Autumn
- Yellow
American beech
Fagus grandifolia · Native, eastern North America
Straight side veins end in a tooth. Slender pointed buds. Prickly husks hold two triangular nuts.
- Bark
- Very smooth, pale grey and thin, often scratched by carved initials
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Gold and bronze; dead leaves cling over winter
American basswood
Tilia americana · Native, eastern North America
Large, lopsided heart-shaped leaves. Fragrant flowers hang from a leafy, strap-like bract.
- Bark
- Grey-brown with narrow furrows
- Flowers
- Jun to Jul
- Fruit or seed
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Yellow
Sassafras
Sassafras albidum · Native, eastern North America
Leaves can be unlobed, mitten-shaped with one thumb, or three-lobed, all on the same tree. Crushed leaves smell spicy and citrusy.
- Bark
- Reddish brown with deep furrows
- Flowers
- April
- Fruit or seed
- Aug to Sep
- Autumn
- Orange, red and yellow
Horse chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum · Native to the Balkans; planted across Europe and North America
Five to seven leaflets spreading from one point, big sticky buds and spiky green husks holding glossy conkers. The conkers are not edible.
- Bark
- Grey-brown, flaking in plates
- Flowers
- May
- Fruit or seed
- Sep to Oct
- Autumn
- Yellow-brown
Apple
Malus domestica · Cultivated; descended from wild apples of Central Asia
Oval, finely toothed leaves, downy underneath. Pink-white blossom in spring and a fleshy pome with a core.
- Bark
- Grey-brown, scaly and flaking on older trees
- Flowers
- Apr to May
- Fruit or seed
- Aug to Oct
- Autumn
- Yellow
Cabbage palmetto
Sabal palmetto · Native, south-eastern coast of the United States
A fan palm, the state tree of Florida and South Carolina. Fronds are folded, with a curved midrib.
- Bark
- Fibrous trunk with old leaf bases that fall away to leave a smooth surface
- Flowers
- Jun to Jul
- Fruit or seed
- Oct to Dec
- Autumn
- Evergreen
Nothing matches every choice. Remove one filter, since bark and fruit are often only there part of the year.