| Ash |
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- Opposite structure
- Tall, pointed lateral buds
- Terminal buds more cone shaped
- Buds are black or very dark, looking sooty
- Pitchfork-like limb tips on many species
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- Leaf scar is shield shaped - looks like a smiley face
- Twigs often stout and never reddishBark is smooth grey or a pale grey-brown in young trees.
- In older trees the bark becomes fissured into interwoven ridges which may look diamond shaped
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Ash, Oak-leafed |
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- Reddish bark with white lenticels
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Left: Ash-note opposite branching structure & longer, pointy terminal buds.
Middle Top: Fuzzy Aspen buds
Middle Bottom
: Note black spots along trunk where Aspen shed little branches
Right: Oak-leafed Ash - young tree with reddish trunk and white, raised lenticels. |
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Aspen, Quaking |
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- New bark is smooth and whitish, may have green caste
- Dark scars on trunk where branches have dropped off
- Bud size varies from stand to stand
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- Buds typically hug stem
- Bud size varies from stand to stand
- Trees often found in clumps or groves
- Male trees (not sold in town) get furry buds
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Boxelder |
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- Opposite bud structure
- Twigs usually reddish-purple
- Twigs have a white waxy coating that rubs off easily
- Leaf scars meet in the middle of twig.
- Twigs can be light yellow-green
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- Mature bark often has noticeable yellowish tinge compared to other trees.
- Often they send out shoots from the main trunk, even on old and mature trees
- Mostly older ones in Alamosa
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Cottonwood |
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- Alternate branching
- Long pointed buds, up to ½” on twigs, often angling out, yellowish brown & maybe gummy
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- Mature bark is brown & deeply furrowed and has thick round- or angular-sided ridges
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Crabapple |
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- Often have 2 varieties of twigs. New twigs from last growing season are hairy, while older ones not.
- Buds typically reddish and hairy.
- Bark somewhat flaky and mottled
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- Apple litter often remains on the ground
- Very hybridized so fruit size variable. Often smaller-fleshed fruit clings to tree and looks like shriveled cherries.
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Left: Cottonwood: Brown, deeply furrowed bark of mature tree.
Above: Cottonwood - long, pointy buds
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Crabapple: Reddish stems and buds (these aren't hairy). Small apples still cling to stem. |
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| Dogwood – Red Osier (shrubs in Alamosa) |
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- Clove-shaped flower bud
- Leaf scar encircles the twig
- Opposite branching
- Redish stems
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- White pith
- Mature bark is spotted looking – raised lenticel humps that look whitish
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| Elm (Ulmus spp.) |
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- Zigzag twigs
- Alternate branching
- Bark acts like cork when pressed with finger nail (bounces back).
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- On Siberian flower buds are nearly spherical.
- On Siberian leaf buds are small, round and very dark.
- Buds are off center over the leaf scar.
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Hackberry (celtis occidentalis) –member of Elm family |
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- Alternate branching
- Lumpy, warty bark some say look like mountain ranges
- Extremely twiggy silhouette, especially in mature trees
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- Buds are small, somewhat flattened
- No terminal bud
- Older trees often have “witches broom”, twiggy outgrowths clusters (I haven’t seen in Alamosa)
- Produce small berries (I haven’t seen in Alamosa)
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Left: Red-osier Dogwood (shrub in Alamosa) -- shows white, raised lenticels on red stems.
Middle: Siberian Elm -- zigzag twig pattern and dark, almost sperical lateral buds
Right: Hackberry -- note dense twigging structure near main trunk.
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| Honeylocust (gleditsia triacanthos) |
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- Lateral buds often barely visible
- Zigzag twig pattern
- Seed pods spiral – may still be attached.
- Natural-growing Honey Locust is extremely thorny, with long dagger-like thorns – often branching thorns
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- There are thorn-less varieties that are commonly planted in cities.
- Young trunks have white oblong lenticels
- Bark is usually unique, being somewhat slatey-gray and peeling to one side on mature trees.
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| Kentucky Coffee ( ) |
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- Looks dead in winter due to tiny buds, thick twigs and sparse branching.
- Large leaf scars often almost heart-shaped
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- Absence of a prominent terminal bud
- Lateral bud: bud placement off from leaf scars
- Leaf scars are alternate and very large
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Left: Honeylocust -- distinctive spiral seed pods
Center: Kentucky Coffee in its dead-looking winter mode.
Right: Kentucky Coffee -- tilt your head left to see heart-shaped leaf scar. |
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| Maple ( ) |
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- Opposite bud structure
- Red buds and new red stems on red maple
- Red maples often have clumped flower buds
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- Crescent shaped leaf scar
- Terminal bud is egg-shaped and slightly larger than lateral buds
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| Maple, Amur ( ) --usually shrub-like in Alamosa |
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- Opposite branching
- Often retains seed pods
- Small buds
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- Leaf scars ledge-like
- Terminal buds occasionally paired
- Usually grown as shrub
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| Oak (Quercus spp.) |
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- Alternate branching
- Sometimes have clustered bud ends
- Often retains leaves until late winter
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- Acorns persistent on twigs or dropped under tree
- Slightly raised, semi-circular leaf scar
- Bark varies a lot, so not very helpful indicator
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Left: Red Maple(Autumn Blaze)-- note red buds and oppostie branching
Middle: Bur Oak - note cluster of terminal buds -- hard to see opposite branching
Right: Bur Oak -- retained winter leaf |
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Left: Russian Olive: retained olives
Above: Gambel's Oak (shrub) acorns on ground -- haven't seen any on young Bur Oaks around town |
| Russian Olive ( ) |
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- Alternate branching
- Thorns
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- Twigs often grey looking
- Redish stems
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| Willow ( ) |
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- Alternate branching
- Most have yellow or orange twigs
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