Tree IdentificationBy: Tristan Yeomans

American Holly Ilex opaca Leaves are leathery, thick,

evergreen, with spiny margins, arranged in clusters

Fruit is spherical shape called drupes, dull red or light yellow

Bark is light gray and brown or gray twigs

Shade tolerant Grows in dry, swampy soil

Black Cherry Prunus serotina Leaves are deciduous, alternate

leaf arrangement, egged shaped, heart shaped at base, margins toothed

Fruit borne in clusters, dry, reddish purple, sweetish

Bark is dark gray and scaly, gets rougher as tree ages

Shade tolerate Grow in subtropical and warm

temperate regions

Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia Leaves are deciduous, with

alternate leaf arrangement, long, compound with oval leaflets, smooth margins

Fruit is bright red-brown pod, twigs and branchlets armed at nodes

Bark is light gray with deep furrows Does not compete well with other

trees and does not tolerate shade Grows in rocky soil, and most often

found in old fields, open areas, woods, and stream sides

Black Oak Quercus velutina Leaves are deciduous, alternate

leaf arrangement, obovate shape, bristle tip lobes, thick and leathery, dark green and shiny

Fruit is large, bright red-brown, broad acorn

Bark is dark brown or nearly black, and divided into broad rounded ridges

Does not tolerate shade Grows in cool, moist soils and

often found in open areas

Black Walnut Juglans nigra Leaves are deciduous,

with alternate arrangement, serrated margins, single toothed, ovate shaped

Fruit is spherical with thick hull

Bark is dark brown divided into broad, rounded ridges

Leaflets usually die before maturity

Black Willow Salix nigra Leaves are narrow (long

and skinny), have toothed margins

Fruit is small capsule, reddish-brown

Bark is dark brown, almost black, with ridges

Does not tolerate shade Found along streams,

marshes, and usually first to take the area

Live Oak Quercus virginiana Leaves evergreen, oblong and

rounded, margins slightly rolled and elliptical shaped, alternate leaf arrangement

Fruit is oblong acorn, blackish-brown in the exposed part

Has distinct spreading appearance Bark is dark brown tinged with red Has moderate shade tolerance Found near the coast and

westward in lower coastal plains

Loblolly Pine Pinus taeda Needles 6-9 inches long Fruit or cone is light reddish-

brown at maturity, long and 2-6 inches long

Bark on young trees are dark and deeply furrowed

Moderately tolerate when young but intolerant with age

Found generally throughout the state of Georgia but less in the mountains, less plentiful in coastal plain than piedmont region

Long-Leaf Pine Pinus palustris Needles 10-18 inches long, dark

green, grow in clusters Fruit or cone matures at the end

of second growing season, slightly curved

Bark is light orange-brown, papery scales, can reach 100 ft. in height

Does not compete well with other plants and is not shade tolerant

Grows in areas too dry and sterile for the other Southern Yellow Pines

River Birch Betula nigra Leaves deciduous, oval or somewhat

triangular, double toothed margins, Fruit is cone shaped and ripens in the spring Bark is reddish-brown, peeling off in thin,

papery, curling layers Moderately shade tolerant Common near streams, rivers of lower

mountains and piedmont, less common in coastal plains