Tree and Shrub Identification Made Simple

By Alice Brandon
 IDENTIFYING SHRUBS AND TREES IN THE FOREST PRESERVES

This guide is useful for identifying woody plants you will find in the Forest Preserves of
Cook County. “Woody” species are defined as plants whose stems and trunks survive
above ground during the winter season. This is unlike herbaceous plants that might still be
alive in the soil (roots) but the top of the plants dies back in the winter and must re-grow
branches and stems each spring.

TIPS: Use your observation and sensory skills to thoroughly examine an unknown tree
or shrub before you make an identification decision. Take your time and don’t jump to
conclusions.
 Avoid damaged leaves  Touch the branches and leaves…
 Examine multiple leaves and are they soft or rough?
branches  Observe if the plant has thorns
 Observe the habitat where the tree  Does the plant have flowers, seeds
is growing or acorns…this may help you
 Smell the leaves (this might give greatly
you a clue)

Basic Plant Terminology

Before getting started with identifying woody species in the field, it’s important to be familiar
with basic plant terminology and woody plant growth structure. Plant identification books such
as the “Tree Finder” by May Watts will use these terms to guide you through a series of questions to
reach a conclusion on what species you are observing in the field.

The first two questions that must be answered to successfully identify the tree / shrub are:

1. Does the woody plant have

compound or simple leaves? This is
determined by finding where the
bud is placed.

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 2. Are the branches arranged in an alternate or opposite pattern? There are far fewer species
with opposite leaf structure. (If the tree has opposite branches, identification will be
easier.)

TIP: Opposite-branched trees often lose limbs and branches from diseases or big storms.
Examine the whole tree before coming to a conclusion. At the very tip of new branches stems
grow closely together. This can make it difficult to determine if the tree is opposite or
alternative. In this situation, look at side branches and at the whole tree before making a final
determination.

3. If you determine, your tree / shrub has compound leaves, then you will need to determine
what type:

TIP: Compound leaves are less common in the preserves than simple leaves. The common tree
species with compound leaves are: ash, hickory, locusts, black walnut and box elder.

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Leaves come in all sizes and shapes. Below are basic terms used to describe leaves:

Leaf veins export sugars from the leaves down through the tree and import water and nutrients
from the roots. Here are some of the common vein types:

TIP: I have included the Latin names for the species listed in this guide. Learning scientific
(Latin) names is useful for many reasons. For one, the Latin names can give hints as to what
features the plant may have. Example: rubra means “red” in Latin. Quercus rubra is the Latin
name for red oak. Secondly, different species of plants can have the same common name or one
plant can have several common names. For example, the species of tree, Ostrya virginiana, is
sometime called Ironwood but is also called hop horn beam, which can be confusing at best.
See Appendix for additional Latin name tips.

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PART ONE: COMMON INVASIVE WOODY SPECIES These are the most frequently
encountered invasive shrubs and small trees you will be asked to identify and control. Learn these
seven invaders and you will be a highly successful member of your team.

Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera species)

 Shrub (multi-stemmed at base)
 Simple, opposite leaves
 Leaf entire, oval shaped or oval with pointed ends
 Bark is light brown to yellowish brown
 Old stems and branches are hollow in center
 Berries are red to orange
 Leaves (2 in. long) and doesn’t have hollow stems

Locations: Most prevalent in the Palos region, where it is the dominant woody invasive shrub.
Bush honeysuckles are the 2nd most common woody invasive group of the FPCC.

Potential Look-Alikes: Coralberry (a shrub native to central Illinois, uncommon Chicago region)
looks somewhat similar but this species is low growing (2 ft. tall) and sprawling rather than
upright, it has smaller leaves and pink colored berries.

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Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
 Shrub or small tree
 Round leaves are sub-opposite, toothed, usually dark green
 Small, weak “thorns”
 Deep pitchfork veins on underside (curved towards the leaf margins)
 Dark gray / black bark with orange under-bark.
 Sapling stems have lenticels (salted pretzel rod)

Locations: This is our most common invasive woody plant. It is especially dense along the North
Branch of the Chicago River.

Potential Look-Alikes: Young black cherry trees also have “salted pretzel rod” but their leaves
are alternate and lance-shaped not broad and rounded. Black cherry has no thorns, and no orange
under their bark. The glossy buckthorn also looks similar because it has pretzel rod bark (see next
page) but has entire leaves.

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Glossy Buckthorn (Rhamnus alnus or Rhamnus frangula)
 Shrub or small tree (12 ft.)
 Alternate entire leaves with wavy margins
 Leaf stems often reddish (can be green)
 Prefers moist habitats
 Gray bark with lenticels (salted pretzel rod)
 Bright orange under-bark

Locations: This species is less common than common buckthorn. It is most frequently seen in wet
woodlands and prairie habitats in the Calumet region.

Potential Look-Alikes: Young black cherry also has the “salted pretzel rod” bark (lenticels) but
the leaves have teeth and are lance shaped. See part two for pictures and a description of black
cherry.

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Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
 Multi-stemmed bushy shrub (2-8 ft.)
 Tiny leaves, oval to spatula-shaped (green or reddish-purple)
 Sharps spines /thorns
 Bright red berries (fall)

Potential Look-Alikes: none, easy to identify.

Locations: Prevalent in the Palos region and some areas of the Calumet region and quickly
becoming a problem in other areas. Used extensively in landscaping, take a walk down your
street and you’ll find it!

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Multi-Flora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
 Thorny, multi-stemmed shrub
 Compound with toothed leaflets (5-11)
 Each leaf stalk has a “hairy arm pit” (stipule)
 Showy white flowers in spring; red rose hips in fall

Locations: Common throughout the preserves in woodlands.

Potential Look-Alikes: There are many native roses to watch out for but none have “hairy
armpits” or curved thorns.

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Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
 Woody vine (can cover ground / climb trees)
 Alternate, toothed leaves (almost as long as wide)
 Vines twine and wrap tightly around trees and other plants
 Red-orange seeds (fall)

Locations: Can cover large areas in the Palos, Calumet and Spring Creek regions. Found
throughout the county.

Potential Look-Alikes: There is a native bittersweet, but it is uncommon and the leaves are twice
as long as wide. Its berries grow at end of twigs. In contrast, berries on oriental bittersweet grow
along the branches.

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European High Bush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus)
 Multi-stemmed shrub
 Leaves opposite, palmately-lobed (resemble a maple leaf), tri-lobed
 Distinctive glands on leaf stem
 Prefers moist woodlands

Locations: Prevalent at Dan Ryan Woods. Found at other sites but not in high densities,
however, it is important to know and eradicate so it doesn’t become a larger problem.

Potential Look-Alikes: The leaves resemble sugar maple, however, sugar maple doesn’t have
glands on the leaf stems, has 5 lobes not 3, and are trees not shrubs with multiple stems at the
base.

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PART TWO: COMMON NATIVE TREES OF THE FOREST PRESERVES

These are the trees you are most likely to encounter in the Forest Preserves. This is not a
comprehensive list (there are over 100 species present), but is a good place to start and master
before learning other trees. Suggested further reading and tree identification books are listed in
the appendix.

Opposite Branched Trees Alternate Branched Trees

Maple (Silver, Sugar and Box elder) A. Simple Leaves
Ash American basswood
Dogwood (small trees and shrubs) Black cherry
Ohio buckeye Cottonwood
Catalpa Elm (American and Slippery)
Hackberry
Hawthorn
Mulberry (Red and White)
Sycamore
Oak (White, Swamp, Bur, Red, Black, and Pin)

B. Compound Leaves
Black walnut
Black locust
Hickory (Shagbark and Bitternut)
Honey locust

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 Tree Key for this Guide

Maple, page 13
simple leaves Dogwood, page 14
Catalpa, page 14
If opposite, start
here
Box elder, page 13
compound leaves Ash, page 14
Are the tree Buckeye, page 14
branches opposite
or alternate?
simple leaves Many species

If alternate, start
here
Hickory, page 22
Black locust, page 22
compound leaves
Black walnut, page 21
Honey locust, page 23

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Opposite Leaved Trees – Simple and Compound

TIP: Use this saying to help with remembering opposite-leaved tree species: “MAD
Bucking Horse Charges”
M = maple
A = ash
D = dogwood
Bucking = buckeye
Horse = horse chestnut (not found in the FPCC)
Charges = catalpa

Maple (Acer species)

Silver Maple Sugar Maple Box Elder

 Prefers moist  Looks like  Compound leaves,
woodlands, streams Canada’s flag 3-7 leaflets
 Deeply cut lobes  Saplings sometimes confused
with poison ivy
 Young stems bright green
 Lives in disturbed habitats,
especially along streams

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Ash (Fraxinus species)
 Compound leaves, leaflets lance shaped
 Bark has diamond pattern (large trees)
 Multiple species, most common green ash
 Declining due to Emerald Ash Borer

Dogwood (Cornus species)

 Small trees and shrubs
 Opposite simple leaves with no teeth
 Leaf veins curve out towards leaf edge
 Silky connectors in leaves when torn (unique)
 Common in prairies (can be aggressive)

(Ohio) Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)

 Leaves compound and palmately lobed unique
 Distinctive prickly fruit

Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

 Large, heart-shaped leaves
 Long distinctive seed pods (“big green bean”)
 Native downstate (rare preserves)
 Popular neighborhood street tree

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Alternate Leaf Tree Species – Simple Leaves

American Basswood or Linden (Tilia americana)

 Large leaves (8 in. long), heart-shaped, lopsided base

 Often multi-stemmed tree (unique)
 Prefers moist woodlands along rivers and streams
 Winter buds bright red

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

 Toothed leaves (longer than wide)

 Leaf underside has rusty hairs along
main vein
 “Burnt potato chip bark”

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

 Triangular shaped leaves (flat base)

 Light brown, deeply-furrowed bark (old)
 Wind-pollinated with “cotton” like seeds
 Common along streams, wet areas

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Elm (Ulmus species)

 Simple pinnately veined leaves (lopsided bases)

 Leaves doubly toothed

American Elm (Ulmus americana) Slippery

Elm (Ulmus rubra)
 Under bark has layers of cream and
rusty colors…”patriotic”  Under bark layers are only rusty
 Mildly rough leaves layers
 Leaves feel like sandpaper

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

 Simple, toothed leaves (lopsided heart-shaped bases)

 Distinctive “ warty” bark

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Hawthorns (Crataegus species)

 Sharp, pointed thorns

 Simple, toothed leaves (some species also have
shallow lobes)
 Leaves get a fungus that forms yellowish spots
(rust)
 Shaggy, loose appearing brown bark

Mulberry Tree (Morus species)

Simple, toothed leaves. Some leaves are entire but others have lobes

Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) White Mulberry (Morus alba)

 Hairs on underside of toothed  No hairs on leaf underside or if
leaves present, only on main vein
 Most leaves unlobed with heart-  Lobed and unlobed leaves of
shaped bases diferent shapes on the same tree
(distinctive)

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)

 Large, simple leaves with 3-5 shallow lobes.
 Bark sheds to reveal “white” bone “sick” appearance
 Lives along streams

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COMMON OAK SPECIES OF THE PRESERVES
There are many Oak species, making them hard to identify but fortunately only a few
common ones found in the FPCC. They are separated into 2 major groups. These species
are the dominant trees of our woodlands and savanas.
Habitat Tips
A. White Oak Group – no bristle tips
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) Wetlands and Dense hairs on the underside
swampy areas of leaves, acorns have long
stems
White Oak (Quercus alba) Mesic habitat (in White bark, as it gets older,
between wet and dry) bark forms large flakey
plates that look like they
might fall off
Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) Most adapted to Dense, craggy bark. The
fire, lives well in leaves are indented almost to
prairies and dry the mid-vein at the center of
habitats but also the leaf, makes the leaf look
found in woodlands like a “witch”
B. Red Oak Group – bristle tips
Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Mesic habitat (in Glossy leaves. Bark is
between wet and dry). grayish when large. Has
Common in woodlands “ski” tracks along with bark.
Glossy, angled buds. Acorns
are large and look like a
frenchman wearing a beret
Black Oak (Quercus velutina) Dry habitat. Does The leaves are waxier than
well in sandy soils. the Red oak but can be hard
Also seen in to differentiate from Red
Woodlands. oak. The buds are usualy
densly hairy and grayish.
The acorn caps have fringed,
loose edges. Dark bark
Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) Swampy places, not Tiny leaves, shiny and waxy.
common in the Acorns are also “tiny”.
preserves Lower branches often angle
downward, narrow canopy

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White Oak Group – No bristle tips

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Red Oak Group – Bristle Tips

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Pin Oak

Very small, flat shallow cap, round acorn Dark green, shiny, waxy
leaves with bristle tips

Small, red-brown
terminal buds

Slightly ridged, shallow

furrowed. Dark gray-
gray-brown bark
Deep, U-shaped sinus

Alternate Leaf Tree Species – Compound Leaves

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

 15-23 leaflets, pointed tips,  Nut trees

pinnately veined  Stems with chambered pith (see
 Leaves aromatic when crushed picture)
(lemony smell)

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Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

 7-21 leaflets (no teeth, oval-shaped)

 Pair of spines (distinctive)
 Furrowed light brown bark
 Introduced from southern U.S.
(considered invasive)

Hickory (Carya species)

 5-9 leaflets (for species found here)
 The 3 terminal leaflets are larger than the other leaflets
 Nut trees

Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)  Large buds

 Distinctive shaggy bark
 5-7 leaflets with teeth

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Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis)
 7-9 leaflets with teeth
 Mustard yellow buds (distinctive)
 Small nuts

Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

 Once compound or
doubly-compound,
leaflets, oval, no teeth
 Many leaflets!
 Dark brown bark
 Common street tree,
tolerant of air pollution
 Pea family (seeds
resemble green bean)

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 APPENDIX

Common Scientific (Latin) names with their English Meaning:

Latin Term(s) English Meaning

Alba White
Bicolor Two-colored
Deltoides 3-sided
Nigra Black
Palustris Swampy or marshy
Rubra, Rubrum Red

Suggested Guides & Further Readings

 “Tree Finder” – May Theilgaard Watts ($6; fits in pocket)

 “Michigan Trees” – Burton V. Barnes and Warren H. Wagner, Jr. ($20 in-depth book)
 “Forest Trees of Illinois” – Jay C. Hayek and Robert H. Mohlenbrock (Available on
the University of Illinois Extension website: https://pubsplus.illinois.edu/C1396.html
$12)

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