A Field Guide to Eastern Trees

by Peterson, Roger Tory

• ISBN13: 9780395904558
• ISBN10: 0395904552
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-07-15
• Publisher: Houghton Miff

Summary

This field guide features detailed descriptions of 455 species of trees native to eastern North America, including the Midwest and the South. The 48 colour plates, 11 black-and-white plates, and 26 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Colour photographs and 266 colour range maps accompany the species descriptions.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Note vii
Preface ix
Illustrated Plan of the Six Main Sections xvi–xvii
How to Use This Book 1
Tree Silhouettes 19
PLATES 33
SPECIES ACCOUNTS 153
I. Trees with Needlelike or Scalelike Leaves Mostly Evergreen
(Plates 1–5) 155
Conifers with Needles in Clusters: Larches and Pines I
(Plate 1) 156
Conifers with Needles in Clusters: Pines II (Plate 2) 163
Conifers with Needles Short on Woody Pegs:
Spruces (Plate 3) 173
Conifers with Flat Needles (Plate 4) 175
Conifers with Scalelike or Three-sided Hollow Leaves
(Plate 5) 180
Needle-bearing Non-Conifers 185

II. Broad-leaved Trees with Opposite Compound Leaves
(Plates 6–9) 187
Trees with Opposite Fan-compound Leaves: Buckeyes and
Chastetree (Plate 6) 188
Small Trees with Opposite Compound Leaves:
Bladdernut and Elderberry (Plate 7) 192
Trees with Opposite Feather-compound Leaves:
Ashes I (Plate 8) 194
Trees with Opposite Feather-compound Leaves: Ashes II
and Ashleaf Maple (Plate 9) 196

III. Broad-leaved Trees with Opposite Simple Leaves
(Plates 10–14) 199
Trees with Opposite or Whorled Heart-shaped Leaves:
Princess-tree and Catalpas (Plate 10) 200
Trees with Opposite Lobed Leaves: Maples (Plate 11) 202
Trees with Opposite Simple Fine-toothed Leaves (Plate 12)
208
Trees with Opposite Simple Leaves, Not Toothed and

Mostly Leathery (Plate 13) 213
Trees with Opposite Simple Leaves Neither Toothed nor
Leathery (Plate 14) 218

IV. Broad-leaved Trees with Alternate Compound Leaves
(Plates 15–22) 224
Thorny Trees with Alternate Feather-compound Leaves
(Plate 15) 225
Walnuts and Similar Trees (Plate 16) 233
Hickories I: Pecans (Plate 17) 239
Hickories II: Shagbarks (Plate 18) 241
Hickories III: Pignuts (Plate 19) 243
Sumacs and Relatives (Plate 20) 245
Trees with Alternate Once-compound Leaves
Not Toothed (Plate 21) 248
Thornless Trees with Twice-compound Leaves (Plate 22) 252

V. Broad-leaved Trees with Alternate Simple Leaves
(Plates 23–46) 255
Thorny Trees with Alternate Toothed Leaves (Plate 23) 256
Thorny Trees with Alternate Leaves Not Toothed (Plate 24)
261
Trees with Alternate Fan-lobed Leaves (Plate 25) 264
Trees with Alternate Fan-veined and Triangular or
Heart-shaped Leaves (Plate 26) 270
Poplars and Tallowtree (Plate 27) 275
Oaks I: Leaves Feather-lobed with Bristle Tips (Plate 28)
284
Oaks II: Leaves Feather-lobed without Bristle Tips (Plate 29)
292
Oaks III: Leaves Wavy-edged or Toothed (Plate 30) 295
Oaks IV: Leaves Typically Smooth-edged (Plate 31) 298
Trees with Alternate Coarse-edged Leaves (Plate 32) 303
Elms and Water-elm (Plate 33) 307
Birches (Plate 34) 312
Other Trees with Mostly Double-toothed Leaves and/or
Small Woody Cones (Plate 35) 318
Cherries and Peach (Plate 36) 322
Thornless Plums (Plate 37) 326
Willows I: Leaves Very Narrow to Medium in Width 331
(Plate 38)
Willows II: Leaves Relatively Wide (Plate 39) 335
Deciduous Hollies (Plate 40) 339
Evergreen Hollies (Plate 41) 342
Miscellaneous Trees with Alternate Toothed Leaves
(Plate 42) 344
Miscellaneous Trees with Alternate Leaves Sometimes
Toothed (Plate 43) 351
Trees with Leaves Neither Toothed nor Evergreen (Plate 44)
357
Magnolias (Plate 45) 362
Trees with Leathery Evergreen Leaves Mostly Not Toothed
(Plate 46) 366

VI. Palms, Cacti, and Yuccas (Plates 47–48) 372
Fan-leaved Palms (Plate 47) 373
Feather-leaved Palms, Tree-cacti, and Yuccas (Plate 48) 376

VII. Trees Found Only in Florida 379

Appendix A. Key to Leafless Trees 387
Appendix B. Plant Relationships 393
Glossary 398
References 404
Photo Credits 407
Index 409

Excerpts

Feather-leaved Palms, Tree-cacti, and Yuccas (Plate 48) These feather-leaved palms are native in s. Florida and have ring- scarred trunks free of old leafstalk bases. Their leafstalks are not thorny. The only tree cacti in the eastern U.S. occur in s. Florida. The yuccas range more widely.FLORIDA ROYALPALM Roystonea elata (Bartr.) F. Harper Pl. 48 The smooth, cement-colored and bulging lower trunk topped by a smooth bright-green crownshaft cylinder is distinctive. Ring scars faint. Fronds 15' or longer. Frond segments do not lie flat but grow all around the midrib. Height to 125'. Flowers greenish white, developing from a spearlike green spathe at the base of the 5'6' long crownshaft. Fruits blue to purple, 1?2" in diameter, leathery. Rich soils, hammocks (swamp islands).

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Excerpted from A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, Including the Midwest by George A. Petrides
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.