BUTTERNUT
Growth Form: Large tree up to 150 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 5 feet; crown broadly rounded; trunk straight, columnar, not buttressed at the base.
Bark: Black, thick, deeply furrowed.
Twigs: Stout, greenish or orange-brown, hairy, smooth and gray; pith brown, divided by partitions; leaf scars alternate, shield-shaped, elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: More or less rounded at the tip, pale brown, soft, hairy, up to ½ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 15-23 leaflets; leaflets up to 3½ inches long and 1½ inches wide, broadly lance-shaped, pointed at the tip, rounded at the asymmetrical base, toothed along the edges, yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and hairy on the lower surface, turning yellow in the autumn.
Flowers: Borne separately but on the same tree, appearing when the leaves are partly grown, the staminate several in thick, yellow-green, hairy catkins, the pistillate much fewer in small spikes, neither of them with petals.
Fruit: In groups of 1 or 2, spherical, up to 2 inches in diameter, green or yellow-green, slightly roughened, the husk thick, the nut very hard, oval, dark brown, deeply ridged, the seed sweet.
Wood: Hard, heavy, coarse-grained, dark brown.
Uses: The wood is used for furniture, interior finishing, cabinets; the nuts are edible.
Habitat: Rich woodlands.
Range: Massachusetts across to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Black Walnut is recognized by its characteristic buds, its chambered pith, and its fruits.
BLACK WALNUT
Other Names: Juniper; Eastern Red Cedar.
Growth Form: Medium tree to 90 feet tall, usually much smaller; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown narrowly pyramidal or broad and rounded.
Bark: Reddish-brown, splitting into long shreds.
Twigs: Slender, brown.
Leaves: Of 2 types, either flat, triangular, opposite, and up to ¹/₁₆ inch long, or short and needle-like, up to ¾ inch long, blue-green to green to yellow-green.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate on different trees, the staminate in small, narrow yellowish spikes, the pistillate in small, ovoid, purplish clusters.
Fruit: Berry-like, spherical, up to ¼ inch in diameter, dark blue with a whitish covering, with sweet flesh and 1-2 seeds.
Wood: Durable, light in weight, close-grained, red, fragrant.
Uses: Clothing chests, pencils, fence posts.
Habitat: Fields, dry woods, cliffs.
Range: New Brunswick across to North Dakota, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The 2 kinds of leaves readily distinguish this species.
RED CEDAR
Growth Form: Medium tree to 50 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 15 inches; crown straight and more or less columnar.
Bark: Light brown, scaly.
Twigs: Moderately stout, yellowish, with numerous conspicuous leaf scars or, when older, with short lateral spurs.
Leaves: Needles borne many in clusters from short spurs, or borne singly on new branchlets, soft, yellow-green, up to about one inch long, somewhat triangular, falling from the tree in the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but on the same tree, appearing as the new leaves begin to appear, the staminate in nearly round, yellow heads, the pistillate in oblong, bright red “cones.”
Fruit: Cones oblong, upright, up to 1¼ inches long, containing numerous small, winged seeds.
Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, orange-brown.
Use: This tree is sometimes planted as an ornamental.
Habitat: Around homes where it has persisted from cultivation.
Range: Native of Europe; infrequently escaped from cultivation in northeastern North America.
Distinguishing Features: The European Larch differs from the American Larch by its slightly longer cones, its yellow-green needles, and its yellower twigs.
EUROPEAN LARCH
Other Name: Tamarack.
Growth Form: Medium to large tree to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1½ feet; crown narrowly pyramidal.
Bark: Reddish-brown, broken into scales.
Twigs: Slender, light brown or orange, smooth; leaf scars alternate, elevated, borne on spurs, with 1 bundle trace.
Buds: Spherical, reddish-brown, up to ⅛ inch in diameter.
Leaves: Needles numerous in clusters, soft, up to about 1 inch long, light green, falling away during the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate spherical, yellow, usually not subtended by leaves; pistillate oblong, rose-colored, usually subtended by leaves.
Fruit: Cones oblong, up to ½ inch long, chestnut-brown.
Wood: Heavy, hard, durable, close-grained, orange-brown.
Uses: Fence posts, railroad ties, interior finishing; sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Habitat: Bogs and swamps.
Range: Labrador to Alaska, south to Minnesota, northern Illinois, and West Virginia.
Distinguishing Features: American Larch is distinguished by its short, pale green needles borne many in a cluster or singly on long shoots.
AMERICAN LARCH
Other Name: Red Gum.
Growth Form: Up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter sometimes more than 3 feet; crown usually pyramidal.
Bark: Usually dark gray and broken into scaly ridges.
Twigs: Stout, often bordered by corky wings; leaf scars alternate, half-elliptical, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Large, shiny, pointed, sometimes sticky to the touch.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades shaped like 5- to 7-pointed stars, each point toothed along the edge, as much as six inches long and nearly as broad. In the autumn, the leaves turn a variety of colors, from red to yellow to purple.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate on same tree crowded together in rounded clusters, opening at about the same time as the leaves unfold.
Fruit: Dry “ball” about one inch in diameter, covered by numerous short, often sharp projections, with many seeds, most of which are incapable of germinating.
Wood: Hard, strong, durable.
Uses: Lumber, furniture, flooring. The attractive leaves make this tree a handsome ornamental.
Habitat: Bottomland woods.
Range: Southwestern Connecticut across southern Illinois to eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas, east to central Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The star-shaped leaves readily distinguish this tree.
SWEET GUM
Other Names: Yellow Poplar; Tulip Poplar.
Growth Form: Stately tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown oblong or pyramidal from a long, columnar trunk.
Bark: Grayish, becoming deeply furrowed at maturity; furrows often whitish within.
Twigs: Smooth, reddish-brown; leaf scars alternate, nearly spherical, with several bundle traces, with stipule scars encircling the twig.
Buds: Flattened, up to 1 inch long, resembling duckbills.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades divided into four broad lobes, the upper two lobes usually with a conspicuous notch between them, bright green, averaging 4 to 6 inches long and broad.
Flowers: About two inches long, cup-shaped, with six yellow-green petals with an orange base surrounding a cone-shaped cluster of pistils; opening in May.
Fruit: Dry “cones” about 2½ inches long, composed of several winged seeds.
Wood: Soft, durable.
Uses: Lumber, veneer cores to which other wood can be glued, canoes, frames.
Habitat: Rich soil.
Range: Connecticut and Vermont across to southern Michigan, southwestward across Illinois to Louisiana, east to Central Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The shape of the leaf is unlike that of any other tree in Illinois.
TULIP TREE
Other Names: Hedge Apple; Bow Wood.
Growth Form: Medium tree to 40 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown rounded or dome-shaped, with several rather stout, spreading branches.
Bark: Light gray-brown tinged with orange, separating into shaggy strips.
Twigs: Dull orange-brown, smooth, zigzag, with short, sharp, axillary spines; leaf scars alternate, half-round, elevated, with usually 3 groups of bundle traces.
Buds: Round, reddish-brown, smooth, very tiny.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate or ovate-lanceolate, long-pointed at the tip, narrowed or a little bit heart-shaped at the base, up to 5 inches long and 3½ inches broad, smooth along the edges, green and smooth on both surfaces; leafstalks smooth, up to 2 inches long.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, yellow-green, very tiny, the staminate crowded in short clusters on stalks up to 4 inches long, the pistillate crowded into spherical heads on short, stout stalks.
Fruit: Large, spherical, greenish-yellow compound fruit up to 6 inches in diameter, containing many seeds, succulent flesh, and milky sap.
Wood: Heavy, hard, flexible, durable, coarse-grained, orange when first cut, becoming brown.
Uses: Bows, fence posts, railroad ties, tool handles; often planted as a windbreak.
Habitat: Hedge-rows, woods.
Range: Native only in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas; commonly planted elsewhere and often escaped from cultivation.
Distinguishing Features: The Osage Orange is distinguished by its spiny branches, its long-pointed, toothless leaves, its milky sap, and its large, spherical, yellow-green fruits.
OSAGE ORANGE
Other Name: Cucumber Tree.
Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown broadly rounded or pyramidal.
Bark: Gray or brown, with shallow furrows when older.
Twigs: Rather stout, reddish-brown, smooth; leaf scars alternate, U-shaped, with several scattered bundle traces.
Buds: Silvery-white, hairy, up to nearly 1 inch long, with a single bud scale.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades usually elliptic, short-pointed at the apex, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 10 inches long and more than half as broad, entire along the edges, yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and sometimes hairy on the lower surface.
Flowers: Greenish-yellow, up to 3 inches long, with usually 6 elongated, pointed petals, appearing in April.
Fruit: Oblong fruits up to 3 inches long, deep red, with several seeds. Young fruits look like small cucumbers, thus accounting for the common name. The fruits ripen from late August to October.
Wood: Light weight, soft, pale brown.
Uses: Cabinets, flooring.
Habitat: Rich woodlands.
Range: New York to southern Illinois and Oklahoma, south to Louisiana and Georgia, also southern Ontario.
Distinguishing Features: The large toothless leaves are distinctive from leaves of all other Illinois trees except the Tupelo Gum, a tree of swamps which usually had 1-3 coarse teeth along the edges of each leaf. The silvery buds are also distinctive, as are the flowers and fruits.
CUCUMBER MAGNOLIA
Growth Form: Small tree to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 9 inches; crown spreading.
Bark: Reddish-brown, deeply furrowed, scaly.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown or pale brown, smooth, sometimes spur-like; leaf scars alternate, narrow, curved, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, brown, up to ¹/₁₆ inch in diameter, finely hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic to oblong, rounded or pointed at the tip, narrowed to the base, to 2 inches long, less than half as broad, toothed along the edges, seldom shallowly lobed, green and smooth on the upper surface, a little paler and smooth or sparsely hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks slender, up to 1 inch long, smooth or hairy.
Flowers: Showy, up to 1 inch across, on long stalks, usually 3 or more in a cluster, with 5 narrow, rose petals, appearing during May and June.
Fruit: Apples up to 1 inch across, yellow-green, edible.
Wood: Heavy, close-grained, brown.
Use: The fruit is used in making jelly.
Habitat: Rather moist woods.
Range: Maryland across to southern Missouri, south to Louisiana, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: This crab apple is distinguished by its narrow leaves which are usually unlobed.
NARROW-LEAVED CRAB APPLE
Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown widely spreading.
Bark: Gray-brown to red-brown, with rather deep furrows between the scales.
Twigs: Moderately stout, reddish-brown, often spurlike, sometimes spiny, usually smooth at maturity; leaf scars alternate, narrow, curved, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, reddish, about ¼ inch in diameter, smooth or nearly so.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oval, rounded to short-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 3 inches long, about half as broad, toothed along the edges and sometimes slightly lobed, yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 2 inches long, smooth or hairy.
Flowers: Showy, up to 1½ inches across, on long stalks, usually 3 or more in a cluster, with 5 rounded, white or pinkish petals, appearing during May and June.
Fruit: Apples up to 1 inch across, yellow-green, edible.
Wood: Heavy, close-grained, reddish-brown.
Uses: Wood is used for tool handles; crab apples used in making jelly.
Habitat: Woods; edge of fields; edge of prairies.
Range: New York and southern Ontario across to Wisconsin, south to Kansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Distinguishing Features: The Prairie Crab Apple differs from the Narrow-leaved Crab Apple by its broader leaves and from the Iowa Crab Apple by its usually less-lobed leaves and smooth flowers.
PRAIRIE CRAB APPLE
Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown spreading.
Bark: Reddish-brown, scaly.
Twigs: Moderately stout, reddish-brown, sometimes spiny, usually somewhat hairy at maturity; leaf scars alternate, narrow, curved, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, reddish-brown, less than ⅛ inch in diameter, finely hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic to oval, rounded or pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 4½ inches long and less than half as broad, toothed along the edges and often shallowly lobed, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, yellow-green and usually somewhat hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 1 inch long, hairy.
Flowers: Showy, up to 2 inches across, on long stalks, usually 3 or more in a cluster, with 5 rounded, white or rose petals, appearing during May and June.
Fruit: Apples up to 1¾ inches across, yellow-green, edible.
Wood: Heavy, close-grained, brown.
Use: The fruit is used in making jelly.
Habitat: Edges of prairies and fields.
Range: Wisconsin and Minnesota, south to Nebraska, Texas, and Louisiana.
Distinguishing Features: The Iowa Crab Apple is distinguished from the other crab apples in the state by the greater frequency of lobed leaves and by its hairy flowers.
IOWA CRAB APPLE
Growth Form: Medium tree up to 50 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly rounded, with many short branchlets.
Bark: Light brown, sometimes tinted with orange, divided into long, scaly plates.
Twigs: Slender, yellowish, smooth or sometimes hairy, more or less zigzag; leaf scars alternate, half-round, elevated, with numerous bundle traces.
Buds: Pointed, reddish-brown, smooth, about ⅙ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, short-pointed at the tip, rounded or cut straight across at the base, up to 5 inches long and nearly as broad, coarsely round-toothed, sometimes 2-lobed, sometimes 3-lobed, sometimes deeply several-lobed, sometimes unlobed, green and smooth to the touch on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface, except for a few hairs sometimes on the veins; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, smooth.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, either on the same tree or on different trees, appearing as the leaves unfold, the staminate crowded into narrow green clusters up to 2 inches long, the pistillate crowded into short, thick spikes up to 1 inch long.
Fruit: A cluster of tiny drupes up to 1¼ inches long, white or pinkish, more rarely red or purple, sweet, juicy.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, coarse-grained, orange-brown.
Uses: Fence posts; the fruit is edible.
Habitat: Woods, along roads, in disturbed areas.
Range: Native of Asia; naturalized from Maine to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to Georgia.
Distinguishing Features: The White Mulberry lacks hairs on the lower surface of the leaves (except sometimes along the veins), thus differing from the Red Mulberry.
WHITE MULBERRY
Growth Form: Medium tree up to 50 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly rounded, with many short branchlets.
Bark: Dark brown, divided into long, scaly plates.
Twigs: Slender, smooth or sometimes hairy, reddish-brown to dark brown, more or less zigzag; leaf scars alternate, half-round, elevated, with numerous bundle traces.
Buds: Pointed, brown, smooth, up to ¼ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades mostly ovate, abruptly pointed at the apex, more or less heart-shaped at the base, up to 6 inches long and sometimes nearly as broad, coarsely toothed, sometimes 2-lobed, sometimes 3-lobed, often unlobed, green and usually rough to the touch on the upper surface, paler and with short white hairs on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 1½ inches long, smooth at maturity. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, either on the same tree or on different trees, appearing as the leaves unfold, the staminate crowded into narrow, green clusters up to 2 inches long, the pistillate crowded into short, thick spikes up to 1 inch long.
Fruit: A cluster of tiny drupes up to 1½ inches long, at first red, becoming purple or nearly black, rarely remaining pale, sweet, juicy.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, durable, coarse-grained, orange-brown.
Uses: Fence posts and barrels; the fruit is edible.
Habitat: Woods, particularly along streams.
Range: Vermont across to Minnesota and South Dakota, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: Red Mulberry differs from White Mulberry in the presence of some hairs on the lower surface of the leaves.
RED MULBERRY
Other Names: Swamp Tupelo; Water Tupelo; Cotton Gum.
Growth Form: Large tree up to 85 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet, often swollen at the base; crown spreading, with numerous branchlets.
Bark: Light gray to dark gray to brown, broken into thin scales.
Twigs: Stout, more or less angular, gray or brown, smooth; leaf scars alternate, broadly U-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, smooth, about ⅛ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oblong to somewhat ovate, pointed at the tip, tapering to rounded to even heart-shaped at the base, up to 8 inches long and about half as broad, the edges smooth or with a few coarse teeth, dark green, shiny, smooth or somewhat hairy on the upper surface, paler and soft-hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 3 inches long, hairy.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, appearing as the leaves begin to unfold, greenish, small, the staminate several in spherical clusters, the pistillate solitary on long stalks arising from the leaf axils.
Fruit: Fleshy, oblong, dark purple with pale speckles, up to 1 inch long, bitter, 1-seeded, ripening in September.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, close-grained, pale brown.
Uses: Paper pulp, broom handles, floors.
Habitat: Swamps and low woods.
Range: Virginia to southern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Tupelo Gum is characterized by its large, irregularly toothed leaves and its oblong, purple fruits.
TUPELO GUM
Other Name: Black Gum.
Growth Form: Medium to large tree to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown rounded, often with many small, drooping branchlets.
Bark: Brown to black, often broken up into squarish blocks.
Twigs: Rather stout, reddish-brown, smooth, sometimes zigzag; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, with 3 bundle traces. The pith is continuous but marked with distinct partitions.
Buds: Short-pointed, yellowish or reddish, smooth, about ⅛ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades abruptly pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the base, up to 6 inches long and usually about half as wide, smooth or with a few coarse teeth along the edges, dark green, shiny, and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and usually somewhat hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 1½ inches long, smooth or sparsely hairy. The leaves turn scarlet in the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne on separate trees, appearing after the leaves begin to unfold, greenish, very small, the staminate several in spherical clusters, the pistillate 2-several on long stalks arising from the leaf axils.
Fruit: Fleshy, oval, dark blue, up to ⅔ inch long, bitter, 1-seeded, ripening in October.
Wood: Heavy, strong, soft, not durable, pale yellow.
Uses: Pulpwood, gun-stocks, flooring; sometimes used as an ornamental.
Habitat: Dry wooded slopes, low woods.
Range: Maine across to Michigan and Wisconsin, south to Missouri and Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: Sour Gum is easily confused with Persimmon, but differs by its leaves which are abruptly short-pointed at the tip, and by its twigs which have continuous pith marked by distinct partitions.
SOUR GUM
Other Name: Ironwood.
Growth Form: Small tree up to 35 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown usually rounded.
Bark: Brown and scaly at maturity.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, sometimes hairy, tough to break; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Small, pointed at the tip.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic to ovate, pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 5 inches long, finely doubly toothed, green and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and usually slightly hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to ¼ inch long, hairy.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately but on the same tree. The staminate catkins are on the tree through the winter before opening in late April or May.
Fruit: Nutlets enclosed by an inflated bladder, crowded together in a cluster resembling hops.
Wood: Hard, strong, durable.
Use: Tool handles.
Habitat: Upland woods; rocky slopes; along streams.
Range: Nova Scotia across to Manitoba and northeastern Wyoming, south to eastern Texas and northern Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Blue Beech, with similar leaves, differs by its scaly bark. Elms, which also have somewhat similar leaves, usually have their leaves asymmetrical at the base.
HOP HORNBEAM
Other Name: Paulownia.
Growth Form: Small to medium tree to 45 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1½ feet; crown rounded.
Bark: Gray, more or less smooth.
Twigs: Stout, grayish, finely hairy; leaf scars opposite, nearly spherical but with a notch at the top, with many bundle traces in a ring.
Buds: Half-round, minutely hairy.
Leaves: Opposite, simple; blades mostly heart-shaped, tapering to a short point at the tip, up to about 10 inches long and nearly as broad, smooth along the edges, minutely hairy on both surfaces.
Flowers: Large, showy, fragrant, several in a large cluster, appearing in late April or early May, the clusters sometimes a foot long, each flower up to 2 inches long, the petals violet with yellow stripes.
Fruit: Ovoid capsules up to 1½ inches long, pointed at the tip, brown, containing numerous winged seeds.
Use: Popular as an ornamental because of its handsome flowers.
Habitat: Along roads, around home sites.
Range: Native of Asia; occasionally escaped in the eastern United States.
Distinguishing Features: The leaves of the Princess Tree resemble those of the Catalpa, but they are always opposite and never in whorls. The violet flowers and the short, ovid capsules further distinguish the Princess Tree.
PRINCESS TREE
Other Names: Gray Pine; Scrub Pine.
Growth Form: Medium tree to 75 feet tall in some parts of the United States; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown open but often irregular.
Bark: Reddish-brown, rough and scaly.
Twigs: Slender, dark brown, becoming roughened.
Leaves: Needles in clusters of 2, stiff, curved, up to 1½ inches long, dark green.
Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into few to several purple clusters.
Fruit: Cones oblong, curved, upright, up to 2 inches long, each scale comprising the cone bearing a small curved prickle; seeds triangular, up to ¹/₁₂ inch long, with a wing up to ⅓ inch long.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, reddish-brown.
Uses: Railroad ties, fence posts, fuel, pulpwood.
Habitat: Rocky woods.
Range: Quebec across to Yukon, south to Minnesota, northern Illinois, and New York, Nova Scotia.
Distinguishing Features: The Jack Pine is distinguished by its short, stiff, curved needles in clusters of 2 and by its short, curved cones.
JACK PINE
Other Name: Yellow Pine.
Growth Form: Large tree to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown pyramidal or rounded.
Bark: Reddish-brown, broken into large plates.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, becoming shreddy.
Leaves: Needles in clusters of both 2 and 3 on the same tree, flexible, up to 5 inches long, dark green.
Flowers: Staminate crowded into several pale purple spikes up to ¾ inch long; pistillate in groups of 1-3, rose-colored.
Fruit: Cones 1-3 in a group, ovoid, up to 2½ inches long, each scale comprising the cone often bearing a small sharp prickle on the back; seeds triangular; less than ¼ inch long, with an asymmetrical curved wing up to ½ inch long.
Wood: Hard, heavy, coarse-grained, reddish-brown.
Uses: Interior finishing, paper pulp, construction.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes; widely planted in a variety of sites.
Range: Southern New York across Pennsylvania and southern Illinois to Oklahoma, south to Texas, east to northern Florida.
Distinguishing Features: Shortleaf Pine is distinguished by its needles which may be in clusters of 2 and 3 on the same tree.
SHORTLEAF PINE
Growth Form: Medium to large tree to 150 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown pyramidal.
Bark: Reddish-brown, divided irregularly into plates.
Twigs: Stout, reddish-brown, becoming roughened.
Leaves: Needles in clusters of 2, flexible, up to 6 inches long, dark green.
Flowers: Staminate crowded into several purple spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into fewer scarlet clusters.
Fruit: Cones ovoid, mostly straight, up to 2 inches long, each scale comprising the cone without any prickles; seeds triangular, up to ⅛ inch long, with a wing up to ¾ inch long.
Wood: Rather hard, heavy, close-grained, reddish-brown.
Uses: Ships, bridges, general construction.
Habitat: Dry, rocky woods.
Range: Newfoundland across to Manitoba, south to Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; also north-central Illinois and West Virginia.
Distinguishing Features: The Red Pine is distinguished by its dark green needles usually clustered near the tips of the twigs.
RED PINE
Growth Form: Tall tree well over 100 feet tall in some regions of the United States; trunk diameter sometimes in excess of 3 feet; crown pyramidal.
Bark: Brown, divided into broad ridges by shallow fissures.
Twigs: Slender, orange-brown, smooth or slightly hairy.
Leaves: Needles in clusters of 5, very flexible, up to 5 inches long, blue-green.
Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ⅓ inch long; pistillate crowded into fewer groups, pink to purple.
Fruit: Cones oblong, curved, drooping, up to 8 inches long, each scale comprising the cone lacking any prickles; seeds narrowly oblong, up to ¼ inch long, with a wing up to ¾ inch long.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, light brown.
Uses: Interior finishing, construction.
Habitat: Moist woods, wooded slopes.
Range: Newfoundland across to Manitoba, south to Iowa, northern Illinois, and in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.
Distinguishing Features: The soft, blue-green needles in clusters of 5 readily distinguish the White Pine.