Tree IdentificationAshley Peebles

Delaware Forest Service

Taxonomic ClassificationKINGDOM

PHYLUM

CLASS

SPECIES

GENUS

ORDER

FAMILY

The basic processes of classification are grouping and ranking

Grouping involves the sorting of objects into groups that have some features in common – Ranking is the organization of the groups into a nested hierarchy of small groups within progressively more inclusive groups.

Each group that is recognized in the classification hierarchy is called a taxon

The lower the rank of a group, the more similar are the organisms grouped in it

PteriodophytesSEEDLESS PLANTS

ferns

VASCULAR PLANTS

BryophytaNON-VASCULAR PLANTS

mosses

SEEDED PLANTS

Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Gnetophyta, Coniferophyta

GYMNOSPERMSplants that do not flower

MagnoliophytaANGIOSPERMS

plants that flower

LiliopsidaMONOCOTS

grasses

MagnoliopsidaDICOTS

KINGDOM PLANTAE

A species is group of closely related, structurally and functionally similar organisms which can breed among themselves

KINGDOM

PHYLUM

CLASS

SPECIES

GENUS

ORDER

FAMILY

Metaphyta

Magnoliophyta

Magnoliopsida

Sapindales

Aceraceae

AcerNo standardized suffix

Suffix name emphasized

Acer rubrumNo standardized suffix

Tips for learning families Each plant family has its own pattern of variation

No one species is truly representative of that pattern unless it is the only member of its family

Usually a family has several genera, each comprising one of more species. They are united as members of one family because they share a set of characteristics and are thought to share some common ancestry.

A feature that is uniform in one family may be highly variable in another. These “diagnostic features” are used to distinguish one from family from another.

Usually no one feature by itself is diagnostic. Each family is characterized by a combination of features.

!!! It is your task as a student develop a concept for each of the families you are assigned to learn. This concept should be broad enough that you will be able to recognize family members on sight, even if they are species or genera that you have not seen before.

Disadvantages of common names

Common name given one language is not universally helfpful

Wide ranging plants may have several common names

Sometimes two or more kinds of plants have the same common name

Some rare plants do not have common names

Bionomial nomenclatureAcer rubrum

2 part scientific naming of species

The first word is a noun, the name of the genus to which the plant is assigned

The second word is usually either an adjective or a possessive noun

Designated in Latin

First adopted by Carl Linnaeus in 1753

Generic Names A generic name (name of a genus) is treated a Latin noun.

It should be capitalized and either underlines or typed in italics

Generic names comes from various sources but are all referred to as the Latin name

Acer………………………ancient Latin for mapleConium…………………..Latinized form of an ancient Greek name Artemisia…………………Greek mythology- Artemis, the goddess of the hunt Dimorphotheca………….Greek, meaning two forms of fruitTrifolium…………………..Latin, meaning three leavesKalmia…………………….Named for Peter Kalm, a student of Linnaeus and botanical explorer in eastern North America

Species NameQuercus alba

A species name is a two-word name that consists of a generic name and a specific epithet. The specific epithet by itself is NOT a species name.

The specific epithet is usually written in lower case and underlined or italicized.

May be descriptive of the plant, may refer to its geological range or it may be descriptive of its habitat.

albiflora………….Latin compound meaning white-floweredchrysantha………Greek compound meaning yellow-floweredserrata……………Latin for saw-toothedarvensis…………..Latin meaning for fieldamericana………..from America pensylvancia………from Pennsylvania

The Dichotomous KEY to Knowledge

Keys are written to identify many groups in the natural world i.e. trees, rocks, fish, fossils, wildflowers, ferns

Keys consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of an organism

Compares different expressions of the same character (flower red or flower white)

Process of elimination

Tree keys concentrate on leaves for identification

LEAF ANATOMY

petiole

marginleaf blade

midrib

veins

sinus

lobe

TYPES OF LEAVES

Needles in bundlesEx: pines, spruces, hemlocks, larches

Flattened, scale-like leavesEx: junipers and cedars

True leaves- petiole, blade and midribEx: maples, oaks, cherries

LEAF COMPLEXITY

COMPOUND LEAVES

LEAF ARRANGEMENT

Alternate leaves• One leaf and bud at every

node

Opposite leaves• Two leaves and two bud at

each node

The only three tree species in Delaware with an opposite leaf arrangement:

MAPLE, ASH, DOGWOOD

LEAF MORPHOLOGYMargins

LEAF MORPHOLOGYShapes

LEAF SURFACES

LEAF MORPHOLOGYVenation

pinnate cross-ventulate

longitudinal

palmate

parallelarcuate

TWIG MORPHOLOGY

COMMON FRUITS

Reproductive structures are unique from species to species and are great for identifying tree• However, may only be available during certain times

of the year

OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

TWIGS AND BUDS