Leaf shapes

Outlines you will meet

Match the shape of the whole blade first, ignoring the stalk. The drawings are simplified, and real leaves vary, so use them as a starting point and then check the tree page.

• Palmately lobedSeveral main veins fan from the base, and the lobes follow them. Maples, sweetgum and sycamore.
• Pinnately lobedOne midrib with lobes either side. Oaks.
• Oval, toothedA plain oval with small teeth along the edge. Cherries, birches, beech and apple.
• Oval, smooth-edgedNo teeth or lobes. Dogwood and live oak.
• Heart-shapedThe base is notched where the stalk joins. Redbud and basswood.
• Rounded or triangularAspen and cottonwood.
• Square-tippedA leaf that looks as if its tip has been cut off. Tulip tree.
• Mitten-shapedA thumb on one or both sides. Sassafras.

Compound leaves

A leaf of many leaflets is read the same way, one step further. First decide whether the leaflets are pinnate or palmate, then count them and look at their edges.

• PinnateLeaflets along a stalk with one at the tip. Ash, hickory, walnut and black locust. Boxelder has three to seven.
• PalmateLeaflets spread from one point. Horse chestnut and buckeye.

Needles and scales

Conifer foliage is described by how the needles are carried rather than by outline.

• Bundles or tuftsPines in bundles of two, three or five, and larches and cedars in tufts on spurs.
• Single stiff needlesSpruces, and junipers in threes.
• Flat needlesFirs, hemlock, yew and bald cypress.
• ScalesArborvitae, cypress and juniper adults.
• Fan frondPalmettos and other fan palms.

How leaves are arranged

The arrangement on the twig is one of the most reliable clues, since it does not change with the age of the tree.

• AlternateOne leaf at each point, staggered up the twig. Most trees.
• OppositePairs facing each other. Maples, ash, dogwood, horse chestnut.

Edges and bases

An entire edge has no teeth. Serrate means saw-toothed, and double-serrate means each tooth has smaller teeth on it. A lopsided base is a classic mark of elm, and basswood often shows it too. Veins that run straight to the teeth point to beech or elm.

Try the picker

The common trees page lets you tap a shape and see every tree in the guide with that kind of leaf. Combine it with bark or fruit to narrow the list.