What tree is this?

Answer each question and follow the matching branch.

What do you have in front of you?

1. Leaves or needles

   What are the leaves like?

   1. Needles

      How are the needles attached?

      1. In bundles, wrapped at the base

         How many needles are in one bundle?

         1. Five → Eastern white pine
         2. Three → Three-needle pines
         3. Two → Two-needle pines
      2. In tufts on short, knobby spurs

         In winter, does the tree keep its needles?

         1. No, they turn yellow and drop → Larch
         2. Yes, it stays green → True cedars (Cedrus)
      3. Singly, all around the twig

         Roll a needle between your fingers. What is it like?

         1. Stiff, sharp and square, so it rolls → Spruce
         2. Sharp, three at a point, with a white stripe → Juniper
         3. Flat and soft

            What do the flat needles and cones look like?

            1. Cones stand upright; needles blunt with a round base → True fir
            2. Cones hang down with three-pointed tongues between the scales → Douglas-fir
            3. Short needles on tiny stalks; very small cones → Hemlock
            4. A red fleshy cup instead of a cone → Yew
   2. Tiny overlapping scales → Cedars, junipers and other cypress-family trees
   3. Broad, flat leaves

      Is each leaf one piece, or split into leaflets?

      1. One piece (simple)

         Are the leaves in pairs or staggered?

         1. Opposite: in pairs

            What is the leaf shaped like?

            1. Lobed, with several main veins from the base

               Look at the lobes, the twigs and the underside.

               1. Smooth, rounded gaps between lobes; few teeth → Sugar maple
               2. Toothed lobes, red twigs or buds → Red maple
               3. Deeply cut, silvery white beneath → Silver maple
               4. Milky sap from a broken leaf stalk → Norway maple
            2. Plain edge, curved veins → Probably a dogwood
         2. Alternate: one at a time

            What is the shape and edge of the leaf?

            1. Lobed, with rounded or bristle-tipped lobes

               Look at the tips of the lobes.

               1. Rounded, with no bristles → White oak group
               2. Pointed, each tip ending in a fine bristle → Red oak group
               3. Leathery, evergreen and unlobed → Live oak
            2. Lopsided base, double-toothed edge → Elm
            3. Round on a flattened stalk → Aspen and cottonwood
            4. Oval, double-toothed, with peeling bark → Birch
            5. Star-shaped, like a maple but staggered → Sweetgum or sycamore
            6. Four lobes with a square-cut tip → Tulip tree
            7. Mitten-shaped, unlobed or three-lobed → Sassafras
            8. Heart-shaped → Redbud or basswood
            9. Oval and toothed, with smooth grey bark or glossy leaves → Beech, cherry or apple
            10. None of these → Not covered by the key yet
      2. Split into leaflets (compound)

         Are the leaves in pairs or staggered?

         1. Opposite: in pairs

            How do the leaflets sit?

            1. Along a central stalk, like a feather → Ash, or boxelder
            2. Spreading from one point, like fingers → Horse chestnut and buckeye
         2. Alternate: one at a time

            What else can you see?

            1. A nut in a green or brown husk

               Slice a twig lengthwise. What is the pith like?

               1. Divided into chambers, like a ladder → Walnut
               2. Solid → Hickory
            2. Thorns at the leaf base, hanging white flowers or flat pods → Black locust
   4. Huge fronds on an unbranched trunk → Palms
2. Bark

   What is the bark like at chest height?

   1. Smooth → Trees with smooth bark
   2. Ridged or furrowed → Trees with ridged bark
   3. Scaly or in plates → Trees with scaly or plated bark
   4. Peeling in papery layers → Trees with peeling bark
   5. Shaggy or stringy → Trees with shaggy bark
3. Fruit, seeds or cones

   What kind of fruit, seed or cone is it?

   1. Acorn: a nut in a cap → Oaks
   2. Two winged seeds joined together → Maples
   3. A single winged seed, or a flat round wing → Ash and elm
   4. A hard nut in a husk → Nuts
   5. A woody cone → Conifer cones
   6. A fleshy fruit with one stone → Drupes
   7. A blue berry-like cone → Juniper
   8. A flat pod like a bean → Pods
   9. A fleshy apple-like fruit with a core → Apple
   10. A ball, catkin or small seeds on a stalk → Balls, catkins and clusters
4. A bare winter twig

   Are the buds in pairs or staggered?

   1. In pairs, facing each other → Opposite-bud trees
   2. Staggered, one at a time

      Look closer. What stands out?

      1. Buds clustered at the tip of the twig → Oak
      2. Long, slender, pointed buds on smooth grey bark → Beech
      3. The pith has chambers when sliced → Walnut
      4. Something else → Use the picker