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What tree is this? Start with one question.
Tree identification is not really about memorising leaf shapes. It is a sequence of yes-or-no questions, and the first one — are the leaves opposite or alternate — removes the large majority of species before you have looked at the leaf at all. Almost nobody starts there, which is why it feels hard.
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- Works in winter, not just in leaf
- Starts with leaf arrangement
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Start here: opposite or alternate?
Look at where the leaves join the twig. Are they in matched pairs directly across from each other, or staggered one after another? The vast majority of trees are alternate, so finding an opposite tree removes almost everything else in one step.
In North America, opposite-leaved trees are remembered as MAD Cap Horse: Maple, Ash, Dogwood, Caprifoliaceae (viburnums and elders), and Horse chestnut. That is very nearly the whole list.
Check partway along a healthy twig rather than at the tip, where crowding can make alternate leaves look paired. And check more than one twig.
1.How are the leaves arranged on the twig?
optionalThe most powerful question in tree identification. Most trees are alternate, so an opposite tree is already down to a handful of possibilities.
2.Simple or compound leaf?
optionalA compound leaf looks like several leaves but is one. Find the bud: buds sit where the whole leaf joins the twig, never at the base of an individual leaflet.
3.What is the leaf edge like?
optionalLobed means deep indentations, like a maple or an oak. Toothed means small serrations along an otherwise unbroken outline.
4.Any fruit or seeds?
optionalOften the quickest confirmation when present — and frequently still on the ground beneath the tree long after it has fallen.
5.What is the bark like?
optionalThe only character available in winter, and the one experienced people use most. It changes with age, so judge a mature trunk rather than a young branch.
- American BeechFagus grandifolia
- American SycamorePlatanus occidentalis
- Black WalnutJuglans nigra
- Eastern HemlockTsuga canadensis
- Eastern RedbudCercis canadensis
- Eastern White PinePinus strobus
- Flowering DogwoodCornus florida
- Northern Red OakQuercus rubra
- Norway MapleAcer platanoides
- Paper BirchBetula papyrifera
- Quaking AspenPopulus tremuloides
- Red MapleAcer rubrum
- Staghorn SumacRhus typhina
- Sugar MapleAcer saccharum
- Tree of HeavenAilanthus altissima
- White AshFraxinus americana
- White OakQuercus alba
The opposite-leaved trees
A short list, and worth knowing by heart. Everything else is alternate.
All species
Each page gives the characters that confirm it and the trees it is confused with.
Opposite or alternate — where the leaf joins the twig
Questions people ask
How do you identify a tree?
Start with leaf arrangement. Opposite leaves grow in matched pairs across from each other and belong to only a few groups — maple, ash, dogwood, the viburnum family and horse chestnut. Alternate leaves are staggered and cover almost everything else. Then check whether the leaf is simple or compound, look at the edge, and use fruit and bark to confirm.
How do I tell a simple leaf from a compound leaf?
Find the bud. A bud sits in the angle where a whole leaf joins the twig, and never at the base of an individual leaflet. If there is no bud where the stalk meets what looks like a leaf, you are holding a leaflet of a larger compound leaf.
How do you identify a tree in winter?
Bark, buds, twigs and any fruit still on the ground beneath. Bud arrangement follows leaf arrangement, so opposite buds still narrow the list to a handful of groups. Beech has long cigar-shaped buds, ash has a smile-shaped leaf scar, and sycamore has almost luminous white upper limbs.
Is there an app that identifies trees from a photo?
Yes — TreeIQ, and this site is its free web companion. A photograph of a leaf works well in summer and much less well in winter, when there is no leaf to photograph. The key here works from characters you can read in any season, starting with how the leaves or buds are arranged on the twig.
Is this site free, and do I need to sign up?
Free, no account, no email, and nothing you select is sent anywhere. The app is a free download for photo identification and offline use on a trail with no signal.
What is the first thing to look at when identifying a tree?
Leaf arrangement, before anything else. Are the leaves in matched pairs directly across from each other, or staggered one after another? The vast majority of trees are alternate, so finding an opposite tree removes almost everything else in one step — and in North America the opposite-leaved trees are nearly the whole of MAD Cap Horse: maple, ash, dogwood, Caprifoliaceae and horse chestnut. Almost nobody starts there, which is why identification feels harder than it is.