EVERGREENS. Trees that do not lose their leaves in the winter

Trees of NH

EVERGREENS Trees that do not lose their leaves in the winter

White Pine

MOIST WELL-DRAINED ACIDIC SOIL The White Pine has 5 needles in a bundle. White Pine is distinctive as it reaches middle age, as its whorled branches and the spaces between them create a layered visual sight. With time, the top of the canopy becomes flat-topped or scalloped, and the middle of the canopy grows wider. The gray-green bark of White Pine remains relatively smooth for a number of years, until it finally begins to develop furrows and ridges that are dark gray to dark brown. Sap drippings from the bark are often a common sight and turn white upon exposure to air.

Red Pine

POOR ACIDIC SANDY SOIL The Red Pine has 2 needles in a bundle. Twigs of Red Pine are scaly and orange-red, while immature bark on young trees is flaky to scaly and orange-red to redbrown in color. On older trees, the bark is platy with a darker red-brown color.

Pitch Pine

POOR DRY SANDY SOIL Needles are in bundles of three and are twisted in appearance. They are stiff, 2½"-5" long, and yellowish green. The twigs are Stout, brittle, rough, golden-brown. Buds are egg-shaped, about ½" long, resinous, redbrown. Cones 1½"-3½" long with short, stiff prickles, nearly stalk less, often remains attached for 5 years or more after ripening. Many remain unopened until being heated by passing forest fire. The bark is green and smooth on young branches, thick, rough, grayish brown on older trunks.

TOP BOTTOM Eastern Hemlock

MOIST WELL-DRAINED ACIDIC SOIL Eastern Hemlock, has two rows of short, flattened, dark green needles on each side of its thin twigs. the needles of Eastern Hemlock are small, and occur on extremely short petioles (being "stalked needles"). The needles have bluewhite undersides, caused by stomata bands (microscopic pores) that appear to merge as solid lines. Eastern Hemlock is monoecious, having separate male (catkin) and female (cone) flowers in mid-spring. The female flowers quickly develop into small green cones that hang from the tips of the new growth of twigs. Eastern Hemlock has bark that starts out as fairly smooth on young branches, becomes very flaky on young trunks, and then transitions to prominent fissures and wide, flattened ridges with maturity, having a brown to brown-gray coloration. Even old Eastern Hemlock have branches and foliage to the ground.

Red Spruce

MOIST WELL-DRAINED ACIDIC SOIL The needle is 1/2 to 5/8 inch long, sharply pointed and foursided, tending to curve upwards, shiny yellow-green. Each needle borne on a raised, woody peg (sterigma). The cones are chestnut brown 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, The twig is orangish brown, finely hairy (may need a hand lens); as with all spruces, needleless twigs covered by short sterigmata (short pegs); buds orange-brown, small with loose scales. The bark is grayish brown on surface, more reddish brown beneath with irregular, fine flaky patches.

White Spruce

MOIST ACIDIC SOIL The short, blue-green needles on the terminal leader of White Spruce cluster around the entire twig, but those of the side branchlets tend to concentrate on the upper side of the twig. Needles are four-sided, sharp, and stiff, and are arranged spirally on the twigs; whitish-green and foul smelling when young, they become pleasant smelling with age. White Spruce cones are usually two inches or less in length. They are a medium green color throughout much of the summer, and turn brown in autumn and winter, when they release their seeds. The bark is loose, scaly and grayish-brown.

Balsam Fir

MOIST ACIDIC SOIL Balsam Fir has needles that are about one inch long, with the needles arranged in two rows on either side of the twig, curving upwards with a narrow V- shaped empty space along the top of the twig. No needles are found on the bottom of the twig, except at the very tips. Balsam Fir has needles that are especially fragrant when bruised or brushed against. in the summer, purple to green cones may be seen at the top of Balsam Fir, and binoculars reveal that they are held upright, rather than pendulous The mature bark of Balsam Fir looks like that of most of the Firs and Spruces - gray to brown, composed of flakes and plates and flattened ridges, often sprinkled with numerous light-colored sap drippings.

HARDWOODS Deciduous Trees Trees that lose their leaves in the Fall, go dormant during the Winter, and leaf out during Spring

Red Maple

WELL DRAINED AND WET SOILS Leaves of Red Maple are opposite with fairly long petioles, and may occur with a five-lobed character, where the two basal lobes are much smaller, or with a three-lobed, trident-shaped structure, which is more common. In either case, each lobe also has small serrations. The central lobe of Red Maple is wide at its base with shallow sinuses on each side, whereas the terminal lobe of Silver Maple is narrow at its base with deep sinuses. Red Maple is sonamed for its red winter twigs and buds, red spring flowers, and for its tendency to have red summer petioles and red fall foliage. The mature bark of Red Maple displays great variation in the wild. In terms of texture, it may be lightly fissured, platy, or shaggy, with the color of its outer plates composed of gray, silver, brown, and black shades. Its inner bark may be tinted with orange hues.

Sugar Maple

RICH WELL DRAINED SOIL Leaves of Sugar Maple are opposite, have a fairly long petiole, and have five lobes, each lobe of which is sparsely incised. Buds of Sugar Maple are very small, composed of tightly overlapping scales that are dark brown to near-black in color. The bark of Sugar Maple is highly variable in color (brown, gray, or near black, often with an orange interior bark) and appearance (flared vertical plates, semi-ridged, or with overlapping shingles).

Ash Leaf Maple

ORGANIC OR ROCKY OR WELL-DRAINED MOIST OR WET SOILS The Ash Leaf Maple (Box Elder) distribution is widespread across most of the United States and southern Canada. It is best utilized as a quick cover for sites subject to erosion (such as steep gullies or periodically flooded stream banks) or as a non-evergreen windbreak (as in fencerows or drainage ditches between agricultural fields) Leaves of Box Elder are opposite, pinnately compound, and usually have three leaflets on mature trees. Since some leaves are composed of five or more leaflets this tree is sometimes known as Ash leaf Maple. The bright green leaflets are coarsely toothed on their margins, and the terminal leaflet may be lobed or a fusion of three leaflets. The stems are green, often with a whitish to pink or violet waxy coating when young. Branches are smooth, somewhat brittle, and tend to retain a fresh green color rather than forming a bark of dead, protective tissue. The bark on its trunks is pale gray or light brown, deeply cleft into broad ridges, and scaly.

Red Oak

MOIST WELL DRAINED SOIL Leaves of Red Oak are alternate, moderately shiny, broadly obovate, with seven to eleven lobes that have bristles terminating each tooth on the forward-pointing lobes. Sinuses vary greatly from tree to tree in their depth, with some shallow, others two-thirds of the way to the midrib. Red oak buds are pointed, hairless and the bud cross-section is not angular. All oaks have clustered end-buds. As the bark matures, it develops shiny gray flattened ridges that have intervening darker reddish fissures.

Black Oak

MOIST WELL-DRAINED SOILS OR POOR DRY SANDY SOILS Leaves of Black Oak are alternate, moderately shiny, broadly obovate, with five to nine lobes that have bristles terminating each tooth on the forward-pointing lobes. Sinuses vary from tree to tree in terms of their depth, with some shallow, others two-thirds of the way to the midrib. Twigs of all Oaks terminate in a cluster of buds, which are hairy, and the cross-section of the bud is angular. Buds of Black Oak are slightly above average size as compared to other Oaks, being light-colored on reddish-brown twigs. The mature bark of Black Oak is dark gray to near black, moderately to deeply ridged and furrowed, supposedly with an inner bark that is yellow or orange.

White Oak

RICH WELL-DRAINED ACIDIC SOIL White Oak has leaves that are alternate and slightly obovate, with the widest portion of the leaf blade being where the longest lobes are located, just above the middle. Leaf shape is highly variable in White Oak, but consists of about seven to nine finger-like rounded lobes, with some lobes being sparsely crenate. Lobes differ greatly in their width and length, or looking at it another way, the intervening sinuses differ in the width and depth of the "space" that they create between the lobes. Lobes are not bristle-tipped, a chief characteristic of the White Oak group The terminal buds of White Oak are relatively large. Although its twigs are not corky, and its branchlets are not flaky, the branches develop distinct but not unique flares of bark, especially on the undersides of horizontal branches the platy bark is flared on its long sides, rather than loose at the ends, as in Shagbark Hickory. Mature bark becomes more highly ridged and deeply furrowed, but retains the light gray color that is characteristic of the White Oak group.

State Tree 1947 Paper(White) Birch

WIDE RANGE OF SOILS The Leaf is alternate, simple, pinnately-veined, ovate with an acute tip and rounded base and doubly serrate margins. Petiole is slender. Branchlets are slender and a reddy-brown. On young trees, trunk bark is reddish-brown but turns to its characteristic white color as the tree matures. The trunk generally divides low into several arching branches.

Black Birch

MOIST TO WET ACIDIC Leaves of Black Birch are alternate, elliptical to ovate, and singly to doubly serrated on their margins. Black Birch has young branches with a smooth, glistening, brown to red-brown to black bark in winter, with prominent, lighter-colored lenticels. Young trunks have the same traits, but transition to brown-black bark that breaks up into plates and scales with age. Broken branch smells like wintergreen

Yellow Birch

MOIST WELL DRAINED ACIDIC SOIL Leaves of Yellow Birch are alternate, elliptical to ovate, and singly to doubly serrated on their margins. Young Yellow Birch bark has shiny silver-gray, yellow-brown, or red-brown bark in winter, with prominent, lighter-colored lenticels. With maturity, the bark becomes yellow-silver in color and develops thin peels that exfoliate in a horizontal fashion Broken branch smells like wintergreen

Gray Birch

WIDE RANGE OF SOILS The leaves are alternate, simple, pinnately-veined, triangular with a very elongated acuminate tip, 2 to 3 inches long, doubly serrate margin, green above and paler below. The flower is monoecious; preformed male catkins near the end of the twig, 3/4 inch long, usually single; female upright, 1/2 inch long; appear or elongate (males) in early spring. The fruit is cone like, cylindrical, 3/4 inch long, deciduous at maturity, releasing tiny 2-winged nutlets. Matures in autumn, disperses over winter. The twig is slender, orange-brown to gray in color with warty, raised lenticels that give the twig a rough feel; buds are slender, pointed, green and brown, terminal bud is lacking. The Reddish brown bark has numerous lighter lenticels on very young stems, later turning gray to white and very chalky; remains smooth and generally does not peel.

American Elm

WELL DRAINED SOIL The leaves of American Elm have asymmetrical bases, doubly serrated margins, and prominent veins that run straight out to the edge of the leaf. The leaves that tremendously in size from one tree to another, but all are elliptical to ovate, and have leaves that are usually smooth (but occasionally slightly rough) on their upper surfaces. Twigs of American Elm have two types of buds, easily distinguished in late winter. The floral buds (already beginning to swell) occur at the base of the previous season's twig growth, while the vegetative buds remain dormant for a longer period of time, and are at the top of the twig. Twigs are generally smooth or only slightly pubescent. The bark of American Elm develops flattened ridges with intervening furrows, having a gray-brown coloration. Ridges may be straight on younger bark, but may interlace on mature bark. American Elm is characterized by its stereotypical vase shape; a straight trunk that quickly divides into several massive branches, which then spread to form an overall vase shape.

Cherry

MOIST WELL DRAINED SOIL The leaves are alternate, simple, and have fine serrations along their margins. The shiny leaves are dark green on their upper sides, light green on their undersides, and easily flutter in the breeze. Twigs of Black Cherry are thin, shiny, reddish-brown, and with prominent dotted lenticels. They give rise to the smooth branchlets and branches that are reddish-brown to reddish-gray and brightly shine in reflected sunlight, with striking horizontal lenticels. With age, the smooth bark becomes scaly then flaky, and takes on a dark silvery-gray to almost black coloration. It is one of the easiest trees to identify in the forest, especially in winter, when its black flaky bark is easily seen from a distance. Broken branches taste bitter

White Ash

UPLAND Leaves of White Ash are opposite, pinnately compound, and have 5 to 9 dark green leaflets (usually seven or nine) with white-green undersides (shown as a detached leaflet, being the reason that White Ash is so-named). The leaflets are smooth or only sparsely serrated on their margins, with short stalks that attach to the central rachis. When the leaves of White Ash drop in autumn, they leave behind U-shaped leaf scars on the twigs, like a wide horseshoe. A small lateral bud rests within the curved portion of the "U". The bark of all ash trees are ray to brown, with interlacing corky ridges forming a distinctive diamond pattern to the bark.

Green Ash

WETLANDS Leaves of Green Ash are opposite, pinnately compound, and have 5 to 9 leaflets (usually five or seven). The leaflets have either no stalks, or very short stalks attached to the central rachis. Leaflets are medium green to dark green in color, and are often finely serrated on the upper half of their margins. Green Ash is so named because the color of its leaves is green on both the upper leaflet surfaces and the lower leaflet surfaces, and because its autumn coloration often has a lot of green in it. When the leaves of Green Ash fall in autumn, they leave behind D-shaped leaf scars on the twigs (right side of image), where the "D" is laying on its side.

Quaking Aspen

DRY SOIL Quaking Aspen is perhaps the best-known tree for its shimmering leaves that move in the slightest breeze. Its alternate, broadly ovate to orbicular (rounded) leaves have flattened petioles, flattened (truncate) bases, finely serrated leaf margins, and drawn-out tips. Its leaf veins are prominent, and highly branched within the leaf blade The flowers are catkins 1.6 2.4 in long, produced in early spring before the leaves; it is dioecious, with male and female catkins on different trees. Its relatively smooth bark is yellow-green, silvery-gray, or dirty gray when young. The bark becomes a shimmering white as the tree quickly matures, with prominent horizontal bands.

Big Tooth Aspen

RICH WELL DRAINED SOIL Big tooth Aspen has alternate, ovate, shiny leaves with truncate (flattened) bases attached to long petioles, making them easily ripple in the wind. As its scientific and common names imply, it has "big teeth" on the edges of its leaves. Male and Female catkins are on separate trees. Male catkins are 1 to 3½ long, female catkins are 1¼ to 3⅛ long. Female catkins elongate when fruiting, becoming 3½ to 5⅞ long. Big tooth Aspen goes from having white-gray smooth bark with dark longitudinal fissures to white-creamy bark with large black horizontal bands, to furrowed and ridged, dark gray bark at the base of the trunk.

American Hornbeam

The American Hornbeam is also known as Blue Beech and as Ironwood. It is a small tree rarely achieving heights greater than 30 feet. The leaves are alternate, simple and egg shaped with long pointed tips and rounded bases. The leaf margins are finely and sharply double-toothed. In autumn the leaves turn scarlet or brilliant orange. The twigs are somewhat lustrous, reddish-brown in color and marked with numerous, small, pale lenticels. Its most distinctive characteristic is its muscular-appearing smooth, dark gray bark.

American Beech

WELL DRAINED SOIL Leaves of American Beech are alternate with coarse serrations on their slightly undulating margins. In the spring, they emerge as silvery-green, but quickly change to medium green then dark green Fruits of American Beech are composed of an outer prickly husk that splits open in late summer and early autumn to reveal one or two triangular, edible nuts. This tree is also easily identified in winter by its long, narrow, pointed buds, which occur at every zig and zag of the outer twigs. The bark of American Beech is its trademark, being steel gray in color and very smooth and thin, even on old trees

Black Walnut

MOIST WELL DRAINED SOILS American Basswood has alternate, ovate leaves that are about as wide as long, with a truncate (flattened) or heart-shaped base, finely serrated margins, and a short tip at the apex of the leaf. American Basswood has perfect, small, creamy flowers that open in early summer. These are noted for both their fragrance and for their nectar, which is a favorite of bees in the production of honey. Flowering is obvious from a distance - not because of the actual flowers, but due to the showy, limecolored, curving bracts that contrast against the background of dark-green foliage

American Basswood

Shagbark Hickory

WELL DRAINED and WET SOIL The large leaves of Shagbark Hickory are alternate, pinnately compound, up to fifteen inches long, and almost always have five wide leaflets (rarely seven or nine), with fine serrations on the leaflet margins.the stout twigs of Shagbark Hickory are reddish-brown or gray by the first winter, and have terminal and lateral buds that are larger than most other trees. The fruits of Shagbark Hickory are composed of an innermost sweet kernel, surrounded by a hard bony shell with four subtle ribs, surrounded by a thick outer husk that splits open into four quarters when ripe. The young gray bark of Shagbark Hickory is smooth and striated but soon develops wide buckling ridges that begin to separate from the underlying bark. With age, the long ridges separate and become peeling at one or both ends, forming long curly strips or plates, giving rise to the common name.

www.bing.com /images References www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry www.portraitoftheearth.com/trees www.agriculture.purdue.edu www.cas.vanderbilt.edu www.forestry.about.com www.hort.ucon.edu www.calphotos.berkely.edu www.csc.noaa.gov

PowerPoint Compiled by Maria Colby New England College Henniker, NH Mcolby@nec.edu 603 428-3723