Identifying Common Trees and Shrubs in the Eastern U.S.

In this episode of All Things Wetland Plants, Jennifer Goulet, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, describes field features for identifying nearly 50 commonly occurring woody plant species (trees, shrubs, and a few vines) in the Eastern U.S. Species are organized into groups based on leaf characteristics. See below for list of species reviewed and timestamps for each group.

0:00 Intro to woody plants identification

3:32 Common Conifers
5:40 ...needles in bunches
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Larex larcinia (American larch)
Pinus resinosa (red pine)

8:54 ...two-ranked needles
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Abies balsamea (balsam fir)

11:38 ...spirally arranged needles
Picea rubens (red spruce)
Picea mariana (black spruce)
Picea glauca (white spruce)

14:05 ...scale or awl-shaped leaves
Thuja occidentalis (eastern arborvitae)
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar)


Common Broadleaf Trees
15:58 ...opposite, simple, lobed leaves
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)

18:37 ...opposite, compound leaves
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)
Fraxinus nigra (black ash)

21:30 ...alternate, simple, toothed leaves
Prunus serotine (black cherry)
Ostrya virginiana (hophornbeam)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula papyrifera (paper birch)
Betula nigra (river birch)
Salix nigra (black willow)
Carpinus caroliniana (American hornbeam)
Populus deltoides (eastern cottonwood)

33:18 ...alternate, simple, lobed leaves
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak)

36:46 ...alternate, compound, toothed leaves
Caria cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Juglans cinerea (butternut)


Common Shrubs
41:43 ...opposite, simple, entire leaves
Cornus amomum (silky dogwood)
Cornus alba (red twig dogwood)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Lonicera spp. (honeysuckle)

45:29 ...opposite, compound, toothed leaves
Sambucus nigra (black elderberry)
Sambucus racemosa (red elderberry)
Acer negundo (boxelder)

49:50 ...alternate, simple, entire leaves
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry)
Reynoutria japonica (Japanese knotweed)
Frangula alnus (glossy buckthorn)
Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn)

55:59 ...alternate, compound, toothed leaves
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)


57:07 Common Woody Vines
Vitus riparia (riverbank grape)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (eastern poison ivy)