2015 street tree guide_evergreen version_150325

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ID Tips

Top 24

Leaf Image

Very geometric leaves have milky sap in petiole

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Species Name

Common Name

Frequency

Leaf Arrangement

How to Use This Guide

O

Acer platanoides

Norway Maple

You may know some species by a slighly different name. There’s great variation in common names.

Common Name1

This is the unique, unvarying name that scientists use to refer to a species.

2 Species Name

The green dots give an indication of how likely you are to see a tree of this species on the streets of New York City.

3 Frequency

This icon appears whenever leaves join directly across from each other on a twig in an Opposite branching pattern. While leaf shape varies within a species, the Leaf Arrangement is always the same.

4 Leaf Arrangement

Use these notes to help you distinguish between trees with similar leaves. For some species the fruits, seeds, bark, and branching shape may also be helpful.

ID Tips6

5 Leaf ImageThe leaf photos are a jumping off point for your identification. Use them to narrow down your guesses but don’t worry if the leaf in your hand doesn’t look exactly like the leaf on the page. Leaves on the same tree can vary based on their age and location on a branch, and trees of the same species may have very different leaves from one another. With practice you’ll learn to hone in on the details that matter.

Trunk looks muscular.

Trees that are especially rare are given smaller squares on the page. All of the same information is given.

Frequent

CommonUncommon

Rare

American HornbeamCarpinus caroliniana

The 24 most common street trees of New York City have a star by their name, and they’re repeated within their respective leaf shape categories.

7 Top 24*Guide to the Street Trees of New York City

Using Leaves to Identify Trees

The stem-like part of the leaf that joins to the twig

Petiole

The main body of the leafBlade

Where the leaf blade curves in towards the midrib

Lobe

The primary vein leading through the center of the leaf blade to the twig

Midrib

Leaf ShapesThis guide organizes the most common leaf shapes into 11 broad categories, indicated in green squares.

Leaf MarginLeaf Margin is the term for the charac-teristics of a leaf at the edges. Once you’ve determined the overall shape of a leaf, look at the margin for additional clues.

Alternate v Opposite

Smooth (Entire) Wavy

Toothed (Dentate or Serrate)

Doubly Toothed

This is one of the best things you can learn in order to quickly narrow down potential ID matches. Leaves may be different shapes on different parts of a tree or on two trees of the same species, but Leaf Arrangement never changes. These are the two main arrangements you will see:

A O

Leaves alternate between joining on the left and right sides of the twig.

AlternateLeaves join the twig immediately across from one another.

Opposite

Simple versus CompoundPay attention to where the bud is located on your tree. This will tell you if you’re looking at a tree with simple or compound leaves.

The petiole joins to the twig. Most NYC street trees have sim-ple leaves.

Leaflets join along a central stalk, which attaches to the twig.

Leaflets all join at the same point on a central stalk.

Simple

CompoundLine

CompoundHand

Spade Some leaves may blur the boundaries between categories, so if you’re not confident in your ID, check to see if it’s listed in a different leaf shape category.

When the leaf blade makes a contour towards the midrib

Veins

Guide to the Street Trees of New York City

Leaves are tough and waxy

Leaves are often doubly compound and tree may have long, green or brown, twisting bean pods

Leaves 2” - 4” long

Whorled leaf arrangement; knobby twigs

Undersides of leaves are pale to silvery white

Bark has lenticels

White and tan bark peels off and looks like camouflage


Most common oak species in NYC

Bark has lenticels; tree is tightly vase-shaped

O

OO

O

Platanus x acerifolia

London PlanetreeAcer platanoides

Norway Maple Callery PearPyrus calleryana

HoneylocustGleditsia tricanthosvar. inermis

Pin OakQuercus palustris

Little-Leaf LindenTilia cordata

Japanese ZelkovaZelkova serrata Acer rubrum

Red Maple Green AshFraxinus pennsylvanica

Ginkgo bilobaGinkgo Silver Maple

Acer saccharinumCherryPrunus cultivar


NYC’s Top 24 Tree Species

Twigs are green

Spherical fruit with sharp point


Leaves 2” - 5” long; white and hairy underneath


Bark has pronounced lenticels

Bark has lenticels

Acorns tops perch on the acorn bodylike a cap

Sandpapery leaf; tricolor calico patchwork bark

Undersides of leaves are fuzzy

O

Northern Red OakQuercus rubra

SophoraStyphnolobium japonicum Liquidambar styraciflua

Sweetgum

Tilia americanaAmerican Linden Silver Linden

Tilia tomentosa

Crimson King Maple Purple Leaf PlumPrunus cerasifera

Schubert Cherry

American ElmUlmus americana

Chinese ElmJapanese Treelilac Swamp White OakSyringa reticulata Ulmus parvifolia Quercus bicolor

Prunus virginianaAcer platanoides ‘Crimson King’


Lenticels

Narrow pores on the bark of tree bark and branches

Bark has lenticels

Bark has pronounced lenticels

Bark has len-ticels

Bark is light grey, smooth, and has lenticels; young trees are columnar

Buds are fuzzy

O

CherryPrunus cultivar

Purple Leaf Plum

CrabappleMalus cultivar

Flowering DogwoodCornus florida

Prunus cerasifera

ServiceberryAmelanchier cultivar

European HornbeamCarpinus betulus

ChokecherryPrunus virginiana

MagnoliaMagnolia cultivar

Sawtooth OakQuercus acutissima

Willow OakQuercus phellos


Football

Smooth silver bark

Tough leathery leaves with spiny teeth

Persistent fruits look like conifer cones

Bark has lenticels; older barklooks like burnt cornflakes

Showy bracts go from white to green

Leaves have wihite rubbery fluid inside

Trunk looks muscular

Bark is smooth and whitish

Stiff leaves with fuzzy brown undersides

Bud leaf scar has three dots, perfectly spaced

OO

European Beech Holly

KousaDogwood

ChineseFringetree

Black Cherry

Fagus sylvatica

Ilex cultivar

Cornus kousa

Chionanthus retusus

Prunus serotina

Chinese Chestnut

EuropeanAlder

Castanea mollissima

Alnus glutinosa

Two-Winged SilverbellHalesia diptera

Hardy Rubber Tree

BlackGum

Shingle Oak

CrepeMyrtle

PersianIronwood

JapaneseSnowbell

Eucommia ulmoides

Nyssa sylvatica

Quercus imbricaria

Lagerstroemia cultivar

Parrotia persica

Styrax japonicus

American Hornbeam

CockspurHawthorn

SouthernMagnoliaSmoketree

JapaneseHornbeam

Carpinus caroliniana

Crataegus crusgalli var. inermis

Magnolia grandiflora

Cotinuscoggygria

Carpinusjaponica

American HophornbeamOstrya virginiana


Watch out for

Call 1-877-STOP-ALB to report a sighting

ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE

Bud has two parts like a duck bill; Batman leaves

Spherical fruit with sharp points

Undersides of leaves are pale to silvery white


Very fringy leaves can be many colors; tree rarely more than 25’ tall

White and tan bark peels off and looks like camouflage


O

O

O O

O OOOO

Platanus x acerifolia Acer platanoidesLondon Planetree Norway Maple

Sycamore MapleAcer pseudoplatanus Liriodendron tulipifera Liquidambar styraciflua

Japanese MapleSilver MapleAcer palmatumAcer saccharinum

Tulip Poplar Sweetgum

Crimson King MapleAcer platanoides ‘Crimson King’ Acer saccharumAcer rubrum

Sugar MapleRed Maple


Hand

Has milky sap in the petiole

Whorled leaf arrangement; twigs are knobby

Trees have three different shapes of leafLeaves are hairy

O O

O OO O

Ginkgo bilobaGinkgo *

Acer ginnalaAmur Maple

Acer campestre Crataegus cultivarHawthornHedge Maple

TridentMapleAcer buergerianum

TartarMapleAcer tataricum

SassafrasSassafras albidum

TurkishHazelnutCorylus colurna

ShantungMapleAcer truncatum

BlackMapleAcer nigrum


Leaf shape varies: may be mitten-shaped or have 3-5 lobes

Bark has lenticels; tree is tightly vase-shaped

Leaves are tough and waxy

Weeping form; bark has lenticels

Bark peels off in papery sheets

Only Dogwood with alternate leaves

Long bean- like seed pods; big leaves Smooth silver bark

Large fuzzy silver buds

O O

MulberryMorus cultivar

Japanese ZelkovaZelkova serrata

Callery PearPyrus calleryana

QuakingAspenPopulus tremuloides

AmericanBeechFagus grandifolia

Silver BirchBetulapendula

Big-ToothAspenPopulus grandidentata

Black BirchBetula nigra

PagodaDogwoodCornus alterniflora

CornelianCherryCornus mas

OsageOrangeMaclurapomifera

CucumberMagnoliaMagnolia acuminata

CatalpaCatalpacultivar


Teardrop

Common Types of Tree Fruits and Seeds

Honeylocust, Eastern Redbud

Seed PodOaksAcorn

Feather, Broom, and Scale categories

ConeMaples, Ashes, Elms

SamaraDogwoods, Holly, Prunus species

Drupe

Learning basic categories of fruits and seeds can help you make better and faster identifications, but remember that for the most part they’re only on the tree for part of the year.

Flowers and fruit emerge directly from branches

Bark has lenticels

Bark has lenticelsGigantic leaves

O

Katsura TreeCercidiphyllum japonicum

Eastern RedbudCercis canadensis

Schubert CherryPrunus virginiana

EmpressTreePaulownia tomentosa

PaperBirchBetula papyerifera

OklahomaRedbudCercisreniformis

EasternCottonwoodPopulusdeltoides


Spade

Linden Fruits

All three Linden species in this guide have similar clusters of fragrant flowers (which turn into seeds) attached to a leaf-like blade



Leaves 2” - 5” long; white and hairy underneath

Sandpapery leaf; tricolor calico patchwork bark

Sandpapery leaf; warty silver bark

Celtis occidentalisCommon Hackberry

Ulmus parvifoliaChinese Elm

Tilia americanaAmerican LindenLittle-Leaf Linden

Tilia cordata

SiberianElmUlmus pumila

American ElmUlmus americana

ChineseTreelilacSyringapekinensis

Silver LindenTilia tomentosa Syringa reticulata

Japanese Treelilac


Uneven

Watch out for

Call 1-866-322-4512 to report a sighting

EMERALD ASH BORER

Bark is orange when scratched

Undersides of leaves are fuzzy Elongated acorns

Most common oak species in NYC

Acorns tops perch on the acorn bodylike a cap

SouthernRed Oak

Shumard Oak

BurOak

ScarletOak

BlackOak

Quercus falcata

Quercus shumardii

Quercus macrocarpa

Quercus coccinea

Quercus velutina

White OakQuercus alba

English OakQuercus robur

Swamp White OakQuercus bicolor

Northern Red OakQuercus rubra

Pin OakQuercus palustris


Oak

Leaves are often doubly compound; tree may have long, green or brown, twisting bean pods

Twigs are green

Very sparsely branched with giant leaves

Weedy tree; leaf smells awful when bruised

Irregular growth habit

Smooth silver bark

O

O

O

MimosaAlbizia julibrissin

BlackLocustRobiniapseudoacacia

Golden RaintreeKoelreuteria paniculata

Kentucky CoffeetreeGymnocladus dioicus

Tree of HeavenAilanthus altissima

MaackiaMaackia amurensis

BlackWalnut

AmurCork Tree

KentuckyYellowwood

PignutHickory

Juglans nigra

Phellodendron amurense

Cladrastis kentukea

Carya glabra

WhiteAshFraxinus americana

HoneylocustGleditsia tricanthosvar. inermis

SophoraStyphnolobium japonicum

Green AshFraxinus pennsylvanica


CompoundLine

Cinnamon- colored bark that peels

Tree has a strong pyramidal shape

Foliage has classic cedar scent

OO

O O

O

Horse ChestnutAesculus hippocastanum

Ohio BuckeyeAesculus glabra

Red HorseChestnutAesculus x carnea

PaperbarkMapleAcer griseum

BoxelderAcer negundo

Pond CypressTaxodium ascendens

EasternRedcedarJuniperus virginiana

ArborvitaeThuja occidentalis

AtlanticWhite CedarChamaecyparis thyoides

FalseCypressChamaecyparis pisifera


CompoundHand

Scales

Five needles per bundle

Two needles per bundle and upper trunk is orange

Three needles per bundle

Needles emerge from spur-like twigs

Needles emerge from spur-like twigs

Two needles per bundle





Two white lines on the undersides of needles

O

Dawn RedwoodMetasequoia glyptostroboides

Bald CypressTaxodium distichum

Atlas Cedar

AmericanLarch

BlackPine

VirginiaPine

Scots Pine

HimalayanCedar

Cedrus atlantica

Larix larcina

Pinus nigra

Pinus virginiana

Pinus sylvestris

Cedrus deodara

NorwaySprucePicea abies

BlueSprucePicea pungens

Douglas-FirPseudotsuga menziesii

EasternHemlockTsuga canadensis

White PinePinus strobus

RedPinePinus resinosa

Pitch PinePinus rigida


Broom

Feather

TreeKIT

Image Sources: Kumar, Neeraj, Peter N. Belhumeur, Arijit Biswas, David W. Jacobs, W. John Kress, Ida C. Lopez, and João VB Soares. “Leafsnap: A Computer Vision System for Automatic Plant Species Identification.” In Computer Vision–ECCV 2012, 502–16.

Springer, 2012. “Dendrology at Virginia Tech,” June 2014. v Supplementary images sourced from Wikipedia Commons. For more information, please visit www.parks.nyc.gov.

This publication is copyrighted under Creative Commons Protocol Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International. The terms of the copyright are viewable at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

2015 street tree guide_evergreen version_150325

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