Woody Trees, Shrubs & Climbers

Identifying woody plants simply from their leaves is not always possible, but it is a good starting point. In this section, woody trees, shrubs and climbers are grouped according to their basic leaf shape. In some cases, this means that you may have to follow more than one lead, returning to this page if the leaf you try doesn't lead you to your plant.

Within the leaf sections, the pictures are grouped so that similar-looking (though not necessarily closely-related) plants will be near each other. This should help to reduce your search time. Also, in cases where there are a number of very similar species, a representative species is shown here; clicking on it will take you to a page that tells you how to tell the more difficult species apart.

Probably the hardest is the section of alternate, simple leaves with toothed margins, as there are so many species here. You are likely to have greater success if your plant is flowering or in fruit, but if it is not, you should still be able to work out most species by looking at details of bark, twigs and the hairiness or otherwise of the leaves.

Some useful things to know: the words 'opposite' and 'alternate' as used here, refer to the arrangement of the leaves on the stem. The leaves will either be paired, opposite each other, or will be arranged singly, alternating from one side of the branch to the other. Compound leaves consist of a central stem or rachis with leaflets arranged along it and either with or without a single, terminal leaflet. Telling leaves from leaflets is usually pretty easy - where the stem of a leaf joins the twig, there will usually be a bud (often rather small). Leaflets do not have a bud at their base.

If you still can't find your plant, you either have something very interesting that you may wish to tell us about, or we just haven't got a picture of it yet - we're still working on the latter!!

Click on the pictures below to go to the species pages.

Needle-like Leaves
Japanese Black Pine Eastern Hemlock Bald Cypress Japanese Yew
pines

Eastern Hemlock

Bald Cypress

yews


Norway Spruce Douglas Fir Atlas Cedar Broom-crowberry
spruces

Douglas Fir

true cedars

Broom-crowberry


Scale-like Leaves
Atlantic White-cedar Saltcedar
junipers
& cypresses

tamarisks


Opposite Simple Leaves - Untoothed
Southern Catalpa Flowering Dogwood Withe-rod Amur Honeysuckle
catalpas

dogwoods

viburnums

honeysuckles

Common Lilac Common Box
Common Lilac

Common Box

Morrow's Honeysuckle Coralberry Chinese Privet European Privet
honeysuckles

Coralberry

privets

privets


Opposite Simple Leaves - Toothed
Japanese Spindle Winged Spindle Chinese Beautyberry Common Forsythia
evergreen spindles

deciduous spindles

Chinese
Beautyberry

forsythias

Foxglove-tree Rose Glorybower Southern Arrowwood Climbing Spindle
Foxglove-tree

Rose
Glorybower

arrowwoods

evergreen spindles


Opposite Simple Leaves - Lobed
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese
Honeysuckle


Opposite Simple Leaves - Palmate
Norway Maple Red Maple Guelder-rose
maples

maples

Guelder-rose


Alternate Simple Leaves - Untoothed
Common Buttonbush Common Persimmon Blackgum Alternate-leaved Dogwood
Buttonbush

Common Persimmon

Blackgum

dogwoods


Autumn-olive Black Huckleberry Staggerbush Mountain-laurel
Autumn-olive

ericaceous shrubs

ericaceous shrubs

ericaceous shrubs

Bearberry Sweetbay Magnolia Willow Oak Duke of Argyll's Teaplant
Bearberry

Sweetbay Magnolia

Willow Oak

Duke of Argyll's
Teaplant

Northern Spicebush Osage-orange Balsam Poplar Round-leaved Greenbrier
Northern
Spicebush

Osage-orange

poplars

greenbriers


Alternate Simple Leaves - Toothed
American Hornbeam American Beech Hazel Alder Intermediate Witch-hazel
American
Hornbeam

American
Beech

alders

Intermediate
Witch-hazel

Common Sweet Pepperbush American Chestnut
Common Sweet
Pepperbush

American
Chestnut

River Birch Gray Birch Gray Poplar Eastern Cottonwood
River Birch

Gray Birch

poplars

cottonwoods

Siberian Elm Common Hackberry White Mulberry Oriental Bittersweet-vine
elms

hackberries

mulberries

bittersweet-vines

Early Lowbush Blueberry Common Winterberry Virginia Sweetspire Oriental Bittersweet-vine
ericaceous shrubs

winterberries

Virginia
Sweetspire

bittersweet-vines

Sweetfern Steeplebush Eastern Baccharis American Holly
Sweetfern

Steeplebush

Eastern Baccharis

hollies

Common Pear Red Chokeberry Peach
pears

rose family

rose family

Golden Weeping Willow Northern Bayberry Inkberry
willows

myrtles &
bayberries

Inkberry


Alternate Simple Leaves - Lobed
White Mulberry Paper Mulberry Sassafras Chestnut Oak
mulberries

mulberries

Sassafras

oaks

White Oak Scarlet Oak Southern Red Oak Porcelainberry
oaks

oaks

oaks

vines


Alternate Simple Leaves - Palmate
American Plane-tree American Tulip Tree Sweetgum Porcelainberry
plane-trees

American
Tulip-tree

Sweetgum

vines

Common Moonseed Summer Grape Common Hop Japanese Hop
Common
Moonseed

vines

Common Hop

Japanese Hop


Opposite Compound Leaves
Trumpet Creeper American Elder Green Ash
Trumpet Creeper

Common Elder

Ashes

Box-elder Eastern Poison-ivy Chaste-tree
Box-elder

poison-ivies

Chaste-tree


Alternate Compound Leaves
Tree-of-heaven Winged Sumac Black Walnut Honey Locust
Tree-of-heaven

sumacs

Black Walnut

locusts

Mockernut Hickory Pignut Hickory Poison Sumac
hickories

hickories

Poison Sumac

Japanese Angelica-tree Kentucky Coffee Tree
aralias

Kentucky
Coffee Tree

Multiflora Rose Northern Dewberry Himalayan Blackberry Common Virginia-creeper
roses

dewberries

brambles

vines