![]() ![]() People usually need to take botany classes to learn how to use these dichotomous keys. The niche botanical vocabulary and lack of pictures in these guides are usually daunting for the layperson. More technical, dichotomous keys are the most accurate guides for identifying trees. However, since there are sometimes hundreds of tree species, these guides usually only list the common tree species. These sorts of guides act as visual references for tree ID. Some field guides are full of pictures or drawings. Similarly, that ‘Trees of the South’ guide will be better than a ‘Trees of North America’ guide. If you’re looking for a field guide, try to get the one that is the most specific to your region.Ī guide to the ‘Trees of Western North Carolina’ will be much more useful for someone living in Asheville than a generic ‘Trees of the South’ guide. Going to an arboretum or a botanic garden is also a great way to learn trees since trees in these places are usually identified with their species name.įield guides are only helpful if you know how to use them. Perhaps your friend can teach you a thing or two as well. Schools and other institutions offer classes and workshops on plant identification. The first, and in my opinion most valuable, is to go out with someone who knows the trees and can teach you firsthand. There are three main methods for learning tree species direct, in-person teaching, tree identification guides, and plant identification apps. These types of trees are deciduous conifers. Larches, dawn redwoods, and bald cypresses are all kinds of conifers that drop their needles in the fall. In fact, there are tons of broad-leafed evergreen tree species since most species of trees live in the tropics where trees don’t need to drop leaves because of a cold winter. Magnolias in the American south and live oaks in the American southwest and eucalyptus are common examples of evergreen broad-leafed trees. However, tons of broad-leafed trees are also evergreen. Likewise, broad-leafed is not interchangeable with deciduous.Īlmost all conifers are indeed evergreen. People often think of the terms conifer and evergreen as meaning the same thing. ![]() Think dogwood, hickory, or horse chestnut. Think spruce, fir, or juniper. Deciduous trees drop all of their leaves for winter. Evergreen and Deciduous Tree IdentificationĪn evergreen tree is a tree that never drops its leaves or needles. tree diversity is much higher east of the Mississippi river compared to the West.Ī larch loses its needles in the fall. There are about a half dozen species of trees in that massive area! If you’re in Florida you’d better get to work because there are hundreds of species in that state. If you’re in mainland Alaska then your task as a tree identifier is pretty easy. This accounts for about 20% of all plant species on the planet. There are about 60,000 species of trees on Earth. Palm ‘trees’ and bamboo fall under the monocot category and therefore aren’t trees (you can still think of them as trees though, only snobby botanists will call you out on this). This means that monocots are never trees. ![]() Nature never fits perfectly in the boxes we prescribe to it.īotanically speaking, only dichotomous plants can produce wood. Rarely, some ‘bushes’ can reach up to 40 feet high. However, if the plant has many trunks coming from the ground and is less than 15 feet tall, it is a bush rather than a tree. Bushes, like trees, are also woody plants. The line between bush and tree can be blurry. Vines also aren’t trees (although some tree branches have vine-like habits). This group includes herbaceous and perennial wildflowers. Let’s rule out some broad categories of plants that aren’t trees.Īny plants that die back to the ground in winter are never trees. The technical definition of a tree is a woody plant that has a single trunk that grows to a considerable height. Eucalyptus trees have interesting branching patterns and bark. ![]()
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