During this past summer, I was able to learn how to identify trees during my internship. Before I was able to do so, I experienced something called Tree Blindness. I simply lived my life without ever really wondering about or knowing the types of trees I would walk by or lived near. Now, with the knowledge of being able to identify trees, I am always curious about the trees that I walk by, constantly stopping to examine the leaves, fruit, and bark in order to identify it. Hopefully, this page will help you do the same and get rid of the Tree Blindness!
American Hornbeam / Carpinus caroliniana
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Serrated
Tree Fact: The bark of this tree is smooth and resembles the look of a muscle, therefore getting the nickname of “Musclewood”.
American Elm / Ulmus americana
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Pinnately Complex
Leaf Margin: Serrated
Tree Fact: An easy way to identify elms is to look at two factors on the leaf! Elms have an uneven base to their leaves, creating a tilted base, and they also have double serrated edges!
Gingko / Ginkgo biloba
Here is the Gingko tree, a tree that I never matched its name to what it looked like until now. I think I understand what Tree Blindness really is now because I won’t ever forget the name of this one when I see it.
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Lobed
Tree Fact: Ginkgo trees are known as “living fossils” due to the fact that it is one of the oldest living tree species in the world, being over 250 million years old. (https://balconygardenweb.com/ginkgo-biloba-tree-facts/)
European Beech / Fagus sylvatica
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Entire
Tree Fact: Beech bark is very thin, causing it to scar fairly easily. Due to the delicate bark of this tree, any carvings or markings on the tree (like your initials) will remain because the tree isn’t able to heal itself. (http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-beech-trees/)
Bigtooth Maple / Acer grandidentatum
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Lobed
Tree Fact: This type of maple sap can be collected to make coarse sugar. (http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/pdf/Bigtooth_Maple.pdf)
Callery Pear / Pyrus calleryana
Location: Outside Celeste Laboratory, Habitat: Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Serrated
Tree Fact: This tree is actually extremely invasive to Ohio and aggressively outgrows the plants around it, therefore taking their resources such as sunlight. The Callery Pear also has a very unpleasant smell from its fruit, which blooms far earlier than other plants in the spring. (https://theoec.org/blog/callery-pear-pyrus-calleryana/)
Paperbark Maple / Acer griseum
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Leaf Complexity: Pinnately Compound
Leaf Margin: Serrated
Tree Fact: The bark of this tree peels, causing it to look like peeled paper (Hence, where it gets its name!).
American Sycamore / Plantanus occidentalis
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Lobed
Tree Fact: Sycamore leaves are actually soft and fuzzy to the touch, as well as fairly large, making it easy to identify from other trees.
Southern Crabapple / Malus angustifolia
Location: Ohio State Oval; Habitat: Woodsy Residential
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Serrated
Tree Fact: Crabapples are also known as the “jewels of the landscape”, as they grow pink or red buds in the spring, which open into white, pink, or red aromatic flowers. (https://homeguides.sfgate.com/crabapple-tree-43543.html)