HollyAsh

Rowan

Horsechestnut

Sessile oakPedunculateoak

Sycamore Norwaymaple

Field maple

Wild servicetree

White poplarAlder

Wych elm Englishelm

Hazel

uppercrown

lowercrown

undersurface

KEY FOR BROADLEAVED SPECIES

1a Leaves compound, consisting of several distinct leaflets growing from the leaf stalk. 2 b Leaves with lobes or deep indentations around the margins. 3 c Leaves simple, without lobes or deep indentations. 7

d Evergreen with glossy dark green, hard, leaves; 6–8 cm long, in lower parts of crown with

6–8 spreading, sharp, yellowish spines. Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

e Leaves digitate with 5–7 long (to 20 cm) stalkless leaflets. Large buds, sticky in Spring. Spectacular flowers and ‘conkers’.

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

2a Leaves and leaflets opposite. Leaflets usually more than 6 cm. long. Bark light coloured, smooth at first, becoming evenly and shallowly fissured in older trees. Buds black and velvety. Seed winged.

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

b Leaves alternate, leaflets opposite, regularly toothed, not more than 6 cm. long. Flowers white, fruits red. Small tree to 15 m.

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

3a Leaves longer than broad and lobed, usually arising in clusters at the ends of twigs. Bark evenly fissured. Crown large. Bears acorns.

4—Oaks

b Leaf about as broad as long with 5 (occasionally 3) lobes pointing outwards. Leaves opposite. Seeds winged and in pairs.

5—Maples

c Leaves similar to (b) but alternate, often with fewer than 5 lobes 6

4a Leaves wedge-shaped at base; petiole long, 1–2.5 cm. Acorns in clusters of 2–6, on very short stalks of 5–10 mm.

Sessile oak (Quercus petraea)

b Leaves with auricles at base; petiole short, 3–7 mm. Acorns in clusters of 2–3, on long stalk of 4–8 cm. (Intermediate forms between these two sometimes occur, indicating hybrids).

Pedunculate oak (Q. robur)

5a Leaf stalks often red, to 15 cm; leaf up to 18 x 26 cm, with three main lobes and two minor basal lobes; very coarsely and unevenly toothed; leathery and dark. A large tree to >30 m.

Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)

b Leaf stalk to 15 cm, leaf 12 x 15 cm, similar to (a) except leaf is thin textured, bright, shiny green, with finely pointed lobes and teeth.

Norway maple Acer platanoides)

c Leaf stalk to 5 cm; leaf to 8 x 12 cm, teeth rounded. Usually a small tree, rarely to 20 m. Field maple (A. campestre)

6a Leaves with 3–5 pairs of lobes, rather like a maple, but alternate, 10 x 8 cm. Buds globular. Wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis)

b Leaves of sucker shoots and ends of long shoots deeply palmately 5-lobed, those of short shoots almost circular, broadest below the middle. All leaves persistently hairy white beneath. Petioles flattened.

White poplar (Populus alba)

7a Leaf tips broadly rounded or slightly indented, 10 x 7 cm, margin slightly wavy, irregularly and very shallowly toothed, dark green, with 7 pairs of veins. Buds on 3 mm stalks. Female catkins hard and cone-like. Generally found near streams or in damp places.

Alder (Alnus glutinosa)

b Leaf tips pointed. 8

8a Leaves very hairy and roughened above. 9

b Leaves smooth, or at least not roughened above. 10

9a Bark smooth, silvery for many years, becoming darker and ridged with age. Leaves quite large shouldered with abrupt long points, 10–18 cm x 6–9 cm, very unequal at base, c. 17 pairs of veins, very harshly hairy above. Leaf stalks short (<3 mm), hairy, thick.

Wych elm (Ulmus glabra)

b Leaves variable in shape and size but oblique at base, short pointed, very double toothed, often curled or puckered, harshly hairy above, 10–12 pairs of veins, petiole 5 mm. Due to Dutch elm disease, only small trees growing from suckers, usually in hedgerows.

English elm (U. procera)

c A tall broad bush as coppice and undershrub. Bark smooth, light grey to coppery brown, often peeling. Young shoots and leaf stalks densely hairy, and hairs have swollen tips. Leaves almost circular, 10 x 10 cm, heart-shaped at base, sharp, triangular, unequal teeth which are themselves serrated, very hairy. Produces hazel nuts.

Hazel (Corylus avellana)

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10a Leaves almost circular in outline. 11 b Leaves almost triangular in outline. 14

c Leaves oval to oblong in outline. 15 d Leaves at least four times as long as broad. 16

11a Leaves large (to 15 x 15 cm), oblique at base, heart shaped, abruptly pointed at tip; serrated edges, only hairy on veins on both sides; leaf stalk coarsely hairy at first. Twig ends and buds crimson; buds with two unequal outer scales, appearing ‘humped’.

Large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos)

b Leaves to 5 x 5 cm, undersides with prominent buff or orange tufts of hairs in axils, leaf paler beneath than (a), leaf stalk hairless. (Hybids between these two species of limes—T. x europaea—are commonly planted)

Small-leaved lime (T. cordata)

c Leaves not as above. 12

12a Leaf margin crinkled, teeth blunt. 13 b Leaf margin flat, teeth pointed. 14

13a Bark grey and smooth, with conspicuous rhomboidal lenticels. Leaves rounded, coarsely toothed with up to 10 teeth, hairless, up to 6 cm long, broadest about the middle, often broader than long; petiole up to 6 cm strongly compressed laterally allowing leaves to tremble. Tree to 20 m, suckers freely

Aspen (Populus tremula)

b Similar to (a) but leaves coarsely toothed with c. 4–6 obtuse, triangular teeth each side, greyish-white hairs generally persistent.

Grey poplar (P. x canescens)

14a Shoot roughened by raised white warts. Leaves 3–7 cm, pointed; six pairs of veins to protruding pointed teeth that are separated by 2–3 small triangular teeth. Leaf stalk 1.5 cm and hairless. Bark often white or silver, smooth in young trees. A small tree on light soils.

Silver birch (Betula pendula)

b Similar to (a) except that shoots are covered in short, soft, shiny white hairs, leaves more rounded and uniformly toothed, leaf stalk densely hairy. Bark brown. Grows on damp soils. (Intermediate forms between these two birches sometimes occur, indicating hybrids).

Downy birch (B. pubescens)

c Bark dark and fissured. Leaves pointed, 5–10 cm, with narrow translucent borders and numerous (c. 20) forward-curved, hooked teeth; petiole 3–6 cm, flattened laterally. Trunk and larger branches often with large burrs.

Black poplar (Populus nigra)

15a Bark always smooth and pale grey in colour. Buds red-brown, long (2 cm) and pointed. Leaves oval, hairless except on margins, 4–9 cm long with wavy margin and short teeth at the ends of 6–7 veins each side. Often a large tree. Characteristic seeds (‘mast’) and seed cups.

Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

b Leaves 3–10 cm long with about 15 pairs of parallel veins, and finely and sharply double toothed, otherwise very similar to beech. Bark light grey, often fluted. Branches ascending at 20–30o..

Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

c Leaf ovate, usually 8 x 5 cm, irregularly shallowly toothed. When mature, yellow-green above but densely hairy and pure white beneath.

Whitebeam (Sorbus aria)

d Bark smooth, often shiny, reddish, with prominent bands of pale lenticels; can be peeled in horizontal strips. Leaves to 10 cm long x 4.5–7 cm wide with short points and sharp forward-pointing teeth. Leaf stalk grooved, red above, with 2–5 glands near leaf base.

Cherry (Prunus avium)

e Bark with fissures tending to spiral round trunk in older trees. Leaves large, 15–20 cm long x c. 10 cm wide, hard, glossy dark green with about 20 prominent, parallel main veins each side each ending in a large, abruptly spined tooth, elongated, with pointed apex, and pronounced saw-tooth edges. Produces edible chestnuts that have husks covered in sharp, 1.5 cm long spines.

Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa)

16a Leaves 5–10 cm long, and often at least 6 times as long as broad, finely serrated and covered with white silky hairs on both surfaces; petiole c. 5–8 mm. Tree to 10–25 m with branches quite steeply ascending at 30–50o, forming a narrow, silvery-grey crown.

White willow (Salix alba) (includes cricket bat and weeping willows)

b Leaves 6–15 cm and often about 7 times as long as broad, usually asymmetric at apex, rather coarsely serrated, underside hairless (except when very young), bluish or paler green than top surface; petiole 1–3 cm with 2 small glands at top. Tree to 10–25 m branches spreading widely at 60–90o, forming a broad crown.

Crack willow (Salix fragilis)

Aspen

Grey poplar

Silverbirch

Blackpoplar

Large-leaved limeSmall-leaved lime

BeechHornbeam

Whitebeam

Cherry

Sweetchestnut

Whitewillow

Crackwillow

undersurface

undersurface

under surface

Downybirch

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Scots pine

Corsicanpine

Lodgepolepine

Cedar

European larch Japanese larch Sitka spruce

Norwayspruce

Grand fir Western hemlock

Douglas fir Yew Lawson’s cypress Western red cedar

undersurface

unde

r su

rfac

e

KEY FOR CONIFERS

1a Needles arising from twig in pairs, 5 cm or more in length. 2—Pines

b Needles arising from twigs in whorls (short shoots) as well as singly. 3—Larches and Cedars

c Needles arising from twig singly. 4 d Adult leaves scale-like, completely covering and pressed to twig. 7—‘Cypresses’

2a Needles dark blue-green in colour, not more than 7.5 cm in length. Buds 1.5–2 cm rather squat and abruptly pointed. Bark deeply fissured at base, and red towards top of tree.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

b Needles very dark green, more than 7.5 cm in length, terminal bud drawn out to long fine point. Bark slightly fissured or scaly and grey in colour. Planted at low elevations only .

Corsican pine (Pinus nigra)

c Usually an upland species. Buds dark brown, long, cylindrical, needles deep green, twisted. Cones in whorls of 2–4, pointing back down stem.

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia)

3a Needles evergreen, stiff and sharp. Cedar (Cedrus spp)

b Leaf-bearing twigs pale yellow. Leaves deciduous, soft, usually 2–3 cm, green. Cones tall, egg-shaped, scales are not turned outwards as in L. kaempferi.

European larch (Larix decidua)

c Leaf-bearing twigs reddish. Leaves similar to (b) but broader and greyer, about 4 cm with two broad grey bands beneath. Cones flattened, bun-shaped, with edges of scales strongly turned out and down like a rose. (Hybrids between these two larches are commonly planted).

Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi)

4a Leaves hard, pointed, stiff and spiny, mounted on small woody pegs, stem smooth to scaly. 5—Spruces

b Leaves arising direct from twig or small swelling. Leaves soft. 6

5a Needles flat but strongly keeled, 2–3 cm, sharply pointed, very stiff, with two blue-white bands beneath. Foliage appears blue-grey. Bark tending to flake off, particularly on older trees.

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)

b Needles moderately stiff, spreading each side of and above shoot, 1–2 cm, four sided and each side the same dark green. Bark slightly fissured at base, reddish.

Norway spruce (P. abies)

6a Leaves long, 2–5 cm, very flat and arranged like a comb , two bright, narrow, silver bands beneath; highly aromatic with a fruity orange-scent, leaving a disk-like scar when they fall. Bark smooth and often containing many resin blisters.

Grand fir (Abies grandis)

b Leaves parted each side above shoot, of mixed sizes: upper rows c. 0.6 cm, lowest rows c. 1.7 cm, dark green above with two bright white bands beneath. Bark closely and vertically fissured. Leading shoots drooping by 50–60 cm.

Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

c Buds pale brown, to 7 mm spindle-shaped like a beech. Leaves 2–2.5 cm, soft with two variably bright white bands beneath. Cones with characteristic three-pronged bracts. Bark dark grey-green and resin-blistered in young trees, deeply fissured in older trees.

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

d Shoots grooved below leaves. Buds minute. Leaves 2–4 cm, linear, narrowing abruptly to a sharp point. Needles soft, dark green above, lighter beneath. Bears crimson arils , not cones.

Yew (Taxus baccata)

7a Leading shoot drooping. Finest branchlets only 2 mm across. Foliage gives a resinous parsley-like scent. Translucent glands in centre of median leaves (difficult to see). Bark finely vertically fissured and dark brown in colour. Cones, when green, are globular, when mature dry, brown and open.

Lawson’s cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)

b Leading shoot erect. Finest branchlets at least 2 mm across, usually 3 mm. Has fruity aroma of pineapple. Bark finely vertically fissured and dark reddish brown in colour. Cones oval, leathery 1.5 cm long, scale tips spreading as spines.

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata)

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