Tree Identification of Common Tree Species found in Ontario

1
Tree Identificationof Common Tree Species found
in Ontario

• As simple as one two tree!

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Topics covered

• What is a tree?
• Forest regions of Canada
• Coniferous vs. Deciduous
• Whats in a name?
• Identification features
• Coniferous trees of Ontario
• Deciduous trees of Ontario

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What is a tree?

• Woody perennial plant
• Grows to a height of at least 4.5 m
• Two divisions
• Pinophyta (cone-bearing plants)
• Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)

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Coniferous vs. Deciduous

• Deciduous
• Also known as hardwoods and broadleaf trees
• Bears a leaf
• Leaves fall off the tree in the autumn
• Has a true flower
• 84 native species in Ontario

• Coniferous
• Also known as softwoods and evergreens
• Bears a needle-like or scale-like leaves
• Needle or scale-like leaves do not fall in autumn
  (except for larch)
• Bears a cone
• 14 native species in Ontario

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Whats in a name?

• Each tree has a common name and a scientific
  name.
• Common name may change depending on where you
  live
• Scientific names are grouped by Family, Genera
  and Species and never change.
• Common Name Sugar maple
• Scientific name Acer saccharum Marsh.
• Family Aceraceae
• Genus Acer
• Species Saccharum
• Person who named the tree Marsh.

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How to identify a tree?

• Learn the tree identification features
• Know your site or habitat
• Upland, lowland, soil type
• Use a tree identification key
• Determine whether coniferous or deciduous.
• Check to see bud or leaf arrangement

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Tree Identification Features

• Leaf
• Twig and bud
• Bark
• Size and form
• Shade tolerance
• Seed
• Wood
• Site or habitat

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1. Leaf identification

• A Leaf type
• B Arrangement on twig
• C Leaf shape
• D Leaf margin

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A Leaf Types

• Simple or Compound Leaf
• Scale-like Leaf
• Needle-like Leaf
• Singly on twig
• In bundles of 2, 3, 5 or more

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Leaf Types continue

• Simple
• undivided

• Compound
• Divided into leaflets

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Leaf Types continue
Scale-like Leaf
Needle-like Leaf
In bundles of 5
In bundles of 2
Singly on twig
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B Leaf Arrangement

• Alternate
• Leaves grow alternately on twig
• Opposite
• Leaves grow opposite of each other on twig
• Whorled
• Leaves grow in a circular fashion on the twig

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C Leaf Shape
oval
reversed oval
linear
heart-shaped
cordate
cuneate
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D Leaf Margins

• Smooth
• Toothed
• Wavy or lobed

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2. Twig and Buds

• Twig with opposite bud arrangement

Terminal bud
Leaflets
Lenticels
Lateral bud
Compound leaf
Leaf-scar
End bud-scar
Double compound leaf
Solid pith
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Twig and Buds continue

• Twig with alternate bud arrangement

Terminal bud
Lateral bud
Leaf tip
Midrib
Lenticels
Sinus or Cleft
Lobe
Leaf stalk
Vein
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3. Bark

• Identifying features

• Colour

White Grey
Brown/Black

• Structure

Flaky Smooth
Rough
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3. Bark

• Identifying features
• Pattern

Furrowed
Flat Topped Ridges
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3. Bark

• Varies by age and growth rate

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4. Size and Form

• Form refers to the shape of the
• crown, the branches and the trunk.
• Each species has a characteristic
• form when grown in the open

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5. Shade Tolerance

• All tree species have a tolerance level for
  shade.
• Intolerant
• Species that cannot survive in shaded conditions.
  They need direct sunlight to grow.
• Intermediate
• Species that can survive in partially shaded
  conditions.
• Tolerant
• Species that can live in shaded conditions

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Shade Tolerance Chart
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6. Seed

• Acorns and Nuts
• e.g. oaks, American beech, American chestnut
• Winged
• e.g. maples, eastern hemlock, spruces
• Fleshy fruit and pods
• e.g. viburums, dogwoods, black locust

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7. Wood
Butternut

• Density
• Colour
• Grain

Hemlock
Oak
Cedar
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8. Site or Habitat

• Soil structure, texture and fertility, moisture
  regime, slope and aspect and climate all have an
  impact on species of trees growing on a
  particular site
• Examples
• Bog black spruce, larch
• Upland, rocky terrain sugar maple, hickory,
  beech, red oak, jack pine
• Lowland black ash, red maple, elm, tamarack

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Trees of Canada
A great source of information! Written by
John Laird Farrar ISBN 1-55041-199-3 Publi
shed by Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited and the
Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada
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Coniferous

• Needle Trees, Evergreens, Softwoods
• Class Magnoliopsida
• Division Pinophyta

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Coniferous Leaf

• Scale-like Leaf
• Needle-like Leaf
• Singly on twig
• Needles in bundles

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Scale-Like Leaf
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Eastern Red-Cedar

• Juniperus virginiana Eastern Juniper, Red juniper

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Eastern White Cedar

• Thuja occidentalis
• Northern White Cedar, Swamp Cedar, Eastern
  Arbovitae

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Other Conifers with Scale-Like Leaves
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Needle-Like Leaf
Singly on Twig
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Balsam Fir

• Abies balsamea
• Canada Balsam, Canada Fir, White Fir

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White Spruce

• Picea glauca
• Cat Spruce, Skunk Spruce, Pasture Spruce,
  Canadian Spruce

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Blue Spruce

• Picea pungens
• Colorado Spruce, Silver Spruce

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Red Spruce

• Picea rubens
• Eastern Spruce, Yellow Spruce

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Black Spruce

• Picea mariana
• Bog Spruce, Swamp Spruce

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Norway Spruce

• Picea abies
• Common Spruce

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Eastern Hemlock

• Tsuga canadensis
• Canada Hemlock, Hemlock Spruce

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Other Conifers with Needle-Like Leaves (Single
Needles)
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Needle-Like Leaf

• Needle Bundles

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Red Pine

• Pinus resinosa
• Norway Pine

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Austrian Pine

• Pinus nigra
• European Black Pine

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Jack Pine

• Pinus banksiana
• Black Pine, Gray Pine, Scrub Pine, Banksian Pine

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Scots Pine

• Pinus sylvestris
• Scotch Pine

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Mugho Pine

• Pinus mugo
• Swiss Mountain Pine

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Eastern White Pine

• Pinus strobus
• Northern White Pine, Weymouth Pine

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Pitch Pine

• Pinus rigida

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Tamarack

• Larix laricina
• American Larch, Alaska Larch

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European Larch

• Larix decidua

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Other Conifers with Needle-Like Leaves (Needles
in Bundles)
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Deciduous

• Broadleaf, Hardwoods, Flowering Trees
• Division Magnoliophyta
• Class Magnoliopsida

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Opposite Leaf Arrangement

• Simple Leaf Type

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Sugar Maple

• Acer saccharum
• Hard Maple, Rock Maple, Birds-Eye Maple

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Red Maple

• Acer rubrum
• Swamp maple, soft maple

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Silver Maple

• Acer saccharinum
• Soft maple, White Maple, River Maple

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Black Maple

• Acer nigrum
• Black Sugar Maple, Rock Maple

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Mountain Maple

• Acer spicatum
• Dwarf Maple, Moose Maple

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Striped Maple

• Acer pensylvanicum
• Moose Maple, Moosewood, Goosefoot Maple

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Norway Maple

• Acer platanoides

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Norway Maple
Cleveland
ColumnareErectumOlmsted
Drummondii Harlequin
Crimson KingCrimson Sentry
Schwedler
Faasens Black
GlobosumGlobe
Emerald Queen
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Sweet Viburnum

• Viburnum lentago
• Nannyberry, Sheepberry

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European Buckthorn

• Rhamnus cathartica
• Common Buckthorn, Purging Buckthorn

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Other Deciduous Trees, Opposite Leaf Arrangement
(Simple Leaves)
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Other Deciduous Trees, Opposite Leaf Arrangement
(Simple Leaves)
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Opposite Leaf Arrangement
Compound Leaf Type
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Manitoba Maple

• Acer negundo
• Box-Elder, Ashleaf Maple

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White Ash

• Fraxinus americana
• American Ash, Canadian White Ash

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Black Ash

• Fraxinus nigra
• Swamp Ash, Hoop Ash, Basket Ash

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Red Ash

• Fraxinus pennsylvanica
• Green Ash, Soft Ash

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Horsechestnut

• Aesculus hippocastanum
• Common horsechestnut, chestnut

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Other Deciduous Trees, Opposite Leaf Arrangement
(Compound Leaves)
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Alternate Leaf Arrangement
Compound Leaf Type
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Butternut

• Juglans cinerea
• White walnut, Lemon Walnut, Oilnut

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Black Walnut

• Juglans nigra
• American walnut

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Shagbark Hickory

• Carya ovata
• Upland hickory, Scalybark Hickory

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Shellbark Hickory

• Carya laciniosa
• Big shagbark hickory, Kingnut Hickory, Big
  Shagbark Hickory

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Red Hickory

• Carya glabra
• Pignut Hickory, Black Hickory, Broom Hickory

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Bitternut Hickory

• Carya cordiformis
• Swamp Hickory

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Kentucky Coffeetree

• Gymnocladus dioicus
• Coffeenut

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Black Locust

• Robinia pseudoacacia
• False Acacia, Common Locust

84
Honey Locust

• Gleditsia triacanthos
• Thorny Locust, Sweet Locust, Tree-Thorned Acacia

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Showy Mountain Ash

• Sorbus decora
• Northern Mountain Ash, Dogberry

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Staghorn Sumac

• Rhus typhina
• Velvet Sumac, Sumac Vinegar-Tree

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Common Hoptree

• Ptelea trifoliata
• Wafer Ash, Stinking Ash, Three-Leaved Hop-Tree

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Tree-of-Heaven

• Ailanthus altissima
• Ailanthus, Chinese-Sumac

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Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Compound Leaves)
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Alternate Leaf Arrangement

• Simple Leaf Type
• Lobed Leaf Margins

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Sycamore

• Platanus occidentalis
• Buttonball, American Sycamore, American Plane-Tree

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Sassafras

• Sassafras albidum
• White Sassafras, Cinnamon-Wood, Greenstick,
  Mitten-Tree

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Tulip Tree

• Lirodendron tulipifera
• Tulip-Poplar, Yellow-Poplar, Tulip-Magnolia,
  Whitewood

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Red Oak

• Quercus rubra
• Northern Red Oak, Grey Oak

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Black Oak

• Quercus velutina
• Yellow Oak, Quercitron Oak

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Pin Oak

• Quercus palustris
• Swamp Oak, Spanish Oak, Water Oak

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White Oak

• Quercus alba
• Stave oak, Northern White Oak

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Bur Oak

• Quercus macrocarpa
• Blue Oak, Mossycup Oak, Scrubby Oak

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Swamp White Oak

• Quercus bicolor
• Blue Oak, Swamp Oak

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Chinquapin Oak

• Quercus muehlenbergi
• Yellow Chestnut Oak, Yellow Oak, Rock Oak

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Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Lobed Margin)
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Alternate Leaf Arrangement

• Simple Leaf Type
• Toothed Leaf Margins

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Red Mulberry

• Morus rubra

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American Beech

• Fagus grandifolia
• Red Beech

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American Chestnut

• Castanea dentata
• Sweet Chestnut

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Witch Hazel

• Hamamelis virginiana
• American Witch-Hazel, Snapping-Hazel,
  Spotted-Alder, Winterbloom

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Basswood

• Tilia americana
• American Linden, Whitewood, Spoonwood, Bee-Tree,
  Lime-Tree

108
White Birch

• Betula papyrifera
• Paper Birch, Canoe Birch, Spoolwood, Silver Birch

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Gray Birch

• Betula populifolia
• White Birch, Swamp Birch, Fire Birch, Wire birch

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Yellow Birch

• Betula alleghaniensis
• Gold Birch, Swamp Birch, Curly Birch, Red Birch,
  Newfoundland-Oak

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Speckled Alder

• Alnus incana ssp.rugosa
• Tag Alder, Gray Alder, Hoary Alder, Red Alder,
  River Alder

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Blue Beech

• Carpinus caroliniana
• American hornbeam, Musclewood, Ironwood,
  Smooth-Barked Ironwood

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Ironwood

• Ostrya virginiana
• American Hop-Hornbeam, Leverwood, Deerwood,
  Rough-Barked Ironwood

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Pussy Willow

• Salix discolor
• Tall Pussy Willow, Glaucous Willow, Pussy Feet

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Black Willow

• Salix nigra
• Swamp Willow

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Golden Weeping Willow

• Salix alba var. vitellina
• White Willow, Weeping Willow, Common Willow,
  French Willow

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Balsam Poplar

• Populus balsamifera
• Eastern Balsam Poplar, Hackmatack, Balm Poplar,
  Balsam, Rough-Barked Poplar

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Eastern Cottonwood

• Populus deltoides
• Big Cottonwood, Necklace Poplar, Liard

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Trembling Aspen

• Populus tremuloides
• Quaking Aspen, Aspen Poplar, Golden Aspen,
  Smalltooth Aspen

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Largetooth Aspen

• Populus grandidentata
• Big-Toothed Aspen, Largetooth Poplar

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Lombardy Poplar

• Populus nigra
• European Black Poplar, Column Poplar

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Silver Poplar

• Populus alba
• White Poplar, Silver-Leaved Poplar, European
  White, Silver Maple

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White Elm

• Ulmus americana
• American Elm, Grey Elm, Soft Elm, Water Elm,
  Swamp Elm

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Rock Elm

• Ulmus thomasii
• Cork Elm, Winged Elm

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Slippery Elm

• Ulmus rubra
• Red elm, Moose Elm, Soft Elm, Sweet Elm

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Hackberry

• Celtis occidentalis
• Common Hackberry, Northern Nackberry, Bastard
  Elm, Nettle-Berry, Sugarberry

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Common Apple

• Malus sylvestris
• Wild Apple, Paradise Apple

128
Pin Cherry

• Prunus pensylvanica
• Wild Red Cherry, Fire Cherry, Bird Cherry, Hay
  Cherry

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Black Cherry

• Prunus serotina
• Black Chokecherry, Rum Cherry, Cabinet Cherry,
  timber Cherry, Wine cherry

130
Choke Cherry

• Prunus virginiana
• Eastern Chokecherry, Red Choke Cherry, Sloetree,
  Wild Cherry, Chuckley-Plum

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Canada Plum

• Prunus nigra
• Red Plum, Black Plum, Wild Plum, Horse Plum

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American Plum

• Prunus americana
• Wild Plum, Brown Plum, Red Plum, Yellow Plum

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Fleshy Hawthorn

• Crataegus succulenta
• Succulent Hawthorn

134
Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Toothed Margin)
135
Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Toothed Margin)
136
Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Toothed Margin)
137
Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Toothed Margin)
138
Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Toothed Margin)
139
Alternate Leaf Arrangement

• Simple Leaf Type
• Smooth Leaf Margins

140
Pawpaw

• Asimina triloba
• False Banana, Pawpaw Custard-Apple, Prairie Banana

141
Black Gum

• Nyssa sylvatica
• Black Tupelo, Sourgum, Pepperidge

142
Cucumber Tree

• Magnolia acuminata
• Cucumber Magnolia, Pointed-Leaved Magnolia

143
Other Deciduous Trees, Alternate Leaf
Arrangement, (Simple Leaves, Smooth Margin)
144
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• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
• Ontario Stewardship
• Ontario Forestry Association
• Eastern Ontario Model Forest
• With contributions from
• City of Ottawa
• Purdue University