shining sumac Anacardiaceae Rhus copallinum

Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, up to 12 inches long, 7 to 15 leaflets per leaf; leaflets are lance-shaped, with entire margins, rachis has prominent wings between the leaflets, shiny, dark green above, paler and a bit fuzzy below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; greenish-yellow and small, borne on 3 to 5 inch wide, terminal pyramid-shaped panicles in mid to late summer.
Fruit: A dark red, round drupe borne on terminal cluster, 1/8 inch long, covered with short, sticky, red hairs; matures in fall but present through winter.
Twig: Medium-textured, speckled with lenticels, and covered with fine, velvety, reddish brown hair; buds are small, rounded and hairy, leaf scars horseshoe-shaped.
Bark: Light brown or gray, smooth with numerous lenticels when young, later with large, thin scales.
Form: A small tree or large shrub up to 25 feet with a short trunk and spreading branches.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

staghorn sumac Anacardiaceae Rhus typhina

Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, 16 to 24 inches long, with 11 to 31 lanceolate leaflets with serrate margins each 2 to 5 inches long, rachis fuzzy; green above and paler below.
Flower: Species is usually dioecious; small, with yellow-green petals, borne on upright, dense terminal cluster up to 8 inches long, appearing in mid-summer.
Fruit: A round (1/8 inch diameter), red, fuzzy drupe; borne on upright dense clusters; mature in late summer, but persist through winter.
Twig: Stout, brown and very fuzzy (resembling deer antlers in velvet); buds are small, rounded and covered with soft, brown hairs, nearly encircled by leaf scar.
Bark: Remaining fuzzy for several years, turning gray-brown and smooth with numerous lenticels, much later becoming a bit scaly.
Form: A shrub or small tree to 25 feet, with a short, often poorly formed trunk and wide spreading very open crown. Branches repeatedly and widely fork.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

yellow birch Betulaceae Betula alleghaniensis

Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate, 4 to 6 inches long, pinnately-veined, acute tip, rounded base, doubly serrate margins, somewhat soft or fuzzy, dark green above and paler below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males are preformed catkins occuring near ends of twig, 1 inch long, reddish green; females are upright 5/8 inches long, reddish green; appear or elongate (males) in the spring.
Fruit: Cone like, 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches long, rather plump, upright, with many hairy scales containing 2-winged nutlets, matures in fall and disperse over winter.
Twig: Slender, green-brown and hairy when young, light-brown and smooth later; spur shoots present on older trees; buds are ovoid, sharply pointed, reddish brown with ciliate scale margins. Twigs have a wintergreen smell when broken.
Bark: On younger stems shiny bronze (sometimes gray), peeling horizontally in thin, curly, papery strips; older trees develop red-brown scaly plates.
Form: A medium size tree to 75 feet with an irregular crown.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

alternate-leaf dogwood Cornaceae Cornus alternifolia

Leaf: Alternate, simple, oval to ovate, 2 1/2 to 5 inches long, arcuate venation, leaves tend to cluster near branch tips so they may appear whorled or opposite, margins may be somewhat wavy, green above and paler below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; small, white, in flat-topped clusters, 2 to 4 inches across, appearing in late spring.
Fruit: Bluish-black drupe in clusters, (3/8 inch in diameter); fruit stalks turn reddish, ripen in late summer.
Twig: Slender, red to dark purple, pith white; terminal buds small (1/4 inch long), ovoid with two or three scales showing, leaf scars small and narrow; dead twigs turn a yellow-orange.
Bark: Smooth, dark green, streaky; eventually turns light brown and develops shallow fissures.
Form: Large shrub, may occasionally reach 30 feet tall; slender branches often horizontal with the ground; developing a flat-topped crown.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

post oak Fagaceae Quercus stellata

Leaf: Alternate, simple, oblong, 6 to 10 inches long, with 5 lobes, the two middle lobes are distinctly square, resulting in an overall cruciform appearance, thickened texture; green above with scattered stellate pubescence, pubescent and paler below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; male flowers are yellow-green, borne in naked, hanging catkins, 2 to 4 inches long; female flowers are reddish and appear as single, short spikes from leaf axils, appearing with the leaves.
Fruit: Acorns are 1/2 to 2/3 inches long and ovoid; cap is bowl-shaped and warty/scaly, covering 1/3 to 1/2 of the nut; Individual scales are more apparent than white oak; maturing in one year and ripening in the fall.
Twig: Gray or tawny-tomentose and dotted with numerous lenticels; multiple terminal buds are short, blunt, orange-brown, somewhat pubescent, short, thread-like stipules may be present.
Bark: Ashy gray and initially quite scaly, later becoming more blocky and ridged, very similar to white oak.
Form: A small to Medium sized tree up to 65 feet tall with a crown that has gnarled and twisted branches.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

red spruce Pinaceae Picea rubens

Leaf: Evergreen needles, 1/2 to 5/8 inch long, sharply pointed and four-sided, tending to curve upwards, shiny yellow-green. Each needle borne on a raised, woody peg (sterigma).
Flower: Species is monoecious; males cylindrical reddish but turning yellow-brown; females purplish green.
Fruit: Chestnut brown ovoid cone, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, cone scale margins entire; seed disseminated in the fall and cones tend to drop their first winter.
Twig: 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.
Bark: Grayish brown on surface, more reddish brown beneath with irregular, fine flaky patches.
Form: Upright and straight, with a narrow crown; reaching a height of 60 to 80 feet and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

red pine Pinaceae Pinus resinosa

Leaf: Evergreen needles, 4 to 6 inches long, with two needles per fascicle that snap cleanly when bent, dark green.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males almost round, light red, in large clusters at branch tips; females a round, short cone, reddish brown.
Fruit: Cones are ovoid, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, shiny chestnut brown, umbo is not armed, maturing in early summer.
Twig: Medium textured, orange-brown in color with narrow, ovoid orange-brown buds.
Bark: On young trees, red-brown or pink to gray, flaky; eventually becoming plated, the plates have scaly surfaces with a reddish tinge.
Form: A medium size tree reaching up to 90 feet tall, with oval crown and a clear bole. Foliage is tufted, resembling a fox tail.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

loblolly pine Pinaceae Pinus taeda

Leaf: Evergreen needles, 6 to 9 inches long, with (usually) three yellow-green needles per fascicle.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males long cylindrical, red to yellow, in clusters at branch tips; females yellow to purple.
Fruit: Ovoid to cylindrical, 3 to 6 inch red-brown cones; umbo is armed with a short spine, maturing in early fall.
Twig: Orange-brown in color, fine to moderately stout; buds are narrowly ovoid, light reddish brown.
Bark: Initially red- to gray-brown and scaly; older trees are ridged and furrowed, with somewhat rounded scaly plates; very old trees have red-brown, flat scaly plates.
Form: A medium to large tree can reach well over 100 feet tall, self-prunes well and develops a fairly straight trunk and an oval, somewhat open crown.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes:

VT Dendro Lab Notes

apple Rosaceae Malus spp.

Leaf: Alternate, simple, elliptical to ovate, 1 1/2 to 3 inches, pinnately veined, finely serrated, sometimes borne on spur shoots, green above and paler, white pubescent below and on the petiole.
Flower: Perfect, showy, may be white to red in color, with 5 petals for each flower; appear in the spring, usually in umbels.
Fruit: Pomes of various sizes and color (cultivar dependent) ranging from yellow to red when ripe in the fall.
Twig: Moderate in thickness, brown to gray, rapid growth usually gray hairy, generally many spur shoots; buds plump ovate, gray hairy.
Bark: Variable, generally smooth when young, later thin and scaly.
Form: Generally poor, with twisted trunks and low branching; spur shoots are prominent. When unpruned, numerous sucker shoots form along trunk and in crown.
leaf flower fruit twig bark form map
Notes: