How to Identify Trees By Fruit Type

Use samaras to identify maple trees.

Maple trees produce fruit known as samaras. These are actually winged seeds and not true fruit. The samara contains the seed of the tree and is produced in pairs by female flowers. The samara is flat, papery, and attached to a long stem that provides it with aerodynamic properties so it can be carried by the wind to new locations where it will take root. It consists of two small triangles joined at their bases which gives it the appearance of a propeller or rotor blade.

Use an acorn to identify an oak tree.

Oak trees produce acorns as their fruit. In North America, there are 60 species of oak tree and they can be found in a variety of climates. Oak leaves are lobed, with jagged edges and the amount of lobes can help identify what kind of oak it is. The bark can also vary depending on the type of oak tree and the bark can often be cracked or blackened at the base. The wood from an oak tree is very strong and durable which makes it a popular choice for building houses, floors, furniture and wine barrels. Oak trees can live hundreds of years and have been known to live up to 600 years old! They grow best in full sun but tolerate partial shade. They also grow in most soils but prefer well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter.

Plum, cherry, and apricot fruit grow on stone fruit trees.

Stone fruit trees produce a fleshy fruit with a pit inside. These fruits are also called drupes, which means the fleshy part of the fruit surrounds a hard seed inside, like in cherries, plums, and apricots.

Notice how stone fruits have similar shapes but come in different colors and sizes? The similarities between these fruits show that they come from the same tree. In other words, if you see one plum on the ground, you know there is probably a plum tree nearby. If you collect many samples and notice that all of them have pits inside, now you know they all came from stone fruit trees!

Identify magnolia by fruit type.

Magnolia trees produce an odd-looking cone-shaped fruit. These trees are found in China and North America, and there are more than 200 species of the magnolia tree. To identify the tree by fruit, look for a green cone that changes to brown as it ripens.

Nuts are produced by various types of trees.

Nuts are produced by various types of trees. The term nut encompasses a variety of tree fruit produced by deciduous trees, such as walnuts, hickories and pecans. Nut trees are monoecious, meaning they have both male and female flowers on the same tree. Because the male flowers produce pollen that is shed in the wind, they can be pollinated without insects. If you want to identify a deciduous tree with nuts, look for a long-lived, wind-pollinated plant with separate male and female flowers on the same tree.

Citrus trees have pomes or pyrenes as their fruit type.

Citrus trees have pomes or pyrenes as their fruit type. Pomes are fleshy fruits with a central core of seeds. An example of a pome is the quince. Citrus fruits are a type of pome.

Learn how the fruit of a tree can help you identify it.

Fruit type can be a valuable clue in helping you to identify a tree. Fruit type is one of the most revealing parts of a tree, as it varies greatly from tree to tree; fruit types can range from deeply lobed leaves to three-inch-diameter apples. The fruit type is usually fairly obvious, but sometimes it’s hard to tell whether something is considered a fruit or not. In general, if the thing is fleshy and contains seeds, then it’s considered a fruit; if it’s dry and contains seeds, then it’s just an accessory part of the plant (a cone or achene).