American Chestnut Castanea dentata SIMPLE, ELLIPTICAL shaped leaves. Leaves have a TOOTHED margin with each tooth having a fine BRISTLE TIP. American chestnut leaves are smooth and hairless on both sides, while Chinese chestnut is fuzzy on the bottom side of the leaves. LEAVES Twigs have many small, white, raised lenticels. Lenticels are pores on the bark of woody plants that allow gases to be exchanged between the plant and the air. Fruits are large and brown with a spiny, sharp husk called a BUR. The bur contains 2-3 shiny nuts that are flattened on one side. Nuts ripen in autumn. Flowers are called CATKINS and appear in spring and summer. Suffers from the Chestnut Blight, which is a disease affecting the bark. Most American chestnuts found today are small stump sprouts but, before the blight began in 1904, American chestnut trees grew to 100 feet tall. Upland forest. CATKINS BLIGHT BURS TWIG NUTS
American Elm Ulmus americana SIMPLE leaves, ELLIPTICAL or OVATE in shape. DOUBLE SERRATE margins and UNEVEN leaf bases. Underside of leaves are soft and hairy. Flowers are greenish-red and arranged in dense clusters. Flowers mature in early spring. Fruits are rounded SAMARAS. Each samara contains a single flattened seed surrounded by an oval, thin papery wing. Samaras are deeply notched at the tip. Samaras are in clusters and mature in spring. Drooping crown giving the tree a vase-shaped appearance. Medium size tree reaching 60 feet tall. LEAF Moist soils near streams. FLOWERS SAMARAS
Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis LEAVES Leaves are EVERGREEN. Leaves are flattened NEEDLES attached singly to branches. There are 2 white lines on the underside of each needle. Seeds are in tiny egg-shaped CONES, ¾ inch long. Two small-winged seeds are found under each cone scale. Large, long-lived tree, reaching heights of 70 feet tall. Some old-growth forests have hemlocks that are up to 400 years old! Cool, moist forests. State tree of Pennsylvania. CONES FLOWERS
Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida OPPOSITE branching pattern. SIMPLE leaves that are 3-5 inches long. Leaves are OVAL shaped and the leaf margin is ENTIRE. Leaves are clustered towards the tips of the twigs. Leaves turn bright red in autumn. Buds look like miniature garlic cloves or onions. Flowers appear large and white, but the white parts are actually bracts, and the flowers are yellow in the center. Seeds are red egg-shaped DRUPES in clusters of 2-5. Visible in autumn. Bark is broken into small blocks like alligator skin. Small tree that grows about 30 feet tall. LEAF Forest understory DRUPES FLOWER
Paper Birch Betula papyrifera SIMPLE, OVATE leaves. DOUBLE SERRATE margins. Leaves are sharppointed at the tip with a rounded leaf base. Male flowers are CATKINS that are green to brown in color and occur in the spring. Fruits are brown STROBILES (small, soft, and cone-like fruit that contains many winged seeds). Bark is thin and white and peels in paper-like layers from the trunk. Medium size tree that grows about 60 feet tall. LEAF Moist soils. CATKINS BARK STROBILE
Red Oak Quercus rubra LEAVES SIMPLE leaves with LOBES and BRISTLE-TIPPED TEETH. Male flowers are CATKINS, appear in spring. Female flowers are spikes. Fruits are ACORNS. Caps cover ¼ of the nut. Medium to large size tree reaching heights of 60 feet. Forests, cities ACORN CATKINS
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Woody VINE. PALMATELY COMPOUND leaves with five TOOTHED, ELLIPTICAL shaped leaflets. Small green flowers appear in the spring. Small clusters of bluish-black BERRIES appear in early summer. Leaves turn a brilliant red in autumn. Forests, forest clearings, fencerows, and stream banks. LEAVES BERRIES
White Ash Fraxinus Americana LEAF OPPOSITE branching pattern. PINNATELY COMPOUND leaves with ELLIPTICAL to LANCE shaped leaflets. Leaves have 5-9 leaflets. Small, green flower clusters appear in spring. Fruits are SAMARAS that occur in late summer through autumn. A large tree that can reach 80 feet tall. Forests, school campuses, lawns, and parks. FLOWERS Clusters of SAMARAS Single SAMARA