Using a Dichotomous Key to identify coniferous trees in our region

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KNOW YOUR KENTUCKY TREES

• Using a Dichotomous Key to identify coniferous
  trees in our region
• click to continue

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How to Use this Dichotomous Key to Identify
Evergreen Trees

• Your teacher will give you a small tree sample to
  observe.
• As you work through this Powerpoint you will need
  to observe and make specific decisions about the
  needles and cones or seeds of your sample.
• The Powerpoint will ask you to make choices about
  the sample. Having a small ruler may be helpful
  unless you are a good judge of size or length.
• If you think you have reached a slide in error,
  right click and choose Previous slide to return
  to where you started.

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Look closely at your leaf sample and decide
between the two choices given below1a. If your
leaves are needle-like, Click
here ?1b. If your leaves are
scale-like, Click here ?
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2a. Are these evergreen needles arranged in
clusters of 2-5? These are pine trees.Choose
one from below.For clusters of For clusters
of For clusters of
or2b. Are these evergreen
needles arranged singly ? around the twig?
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5
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SCALE-LIKE NEEDLES

• Are the leaves yellow-green, overlapping scales
  that circle the twigs, and are arranged in
  fan-like sprays?It is a northern white cedar
• or
• Are the leaves dark green, blue-green, or
  purple-green, and scales circle the twig but
  are not arranged in flattened sprays?It is an
  eastern red cedar.

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Northern White Cedar Thuja
occidentalis This tree is easy to
identify. Look for small, flat branches with
close-knit, scale-like leaves. It also grows as a
compact tree with lots of branches like a thicket
(thick bush). The leaves of this tree give off a
pleasant aromatic scent when you crush them
between your fingers. Many people like to have
ornamental varieties of the "arbor vitae" (French
word meaning tree of life) in their yard. A
row of these trees acts as a natural fence
because the branches grow so thick. Deer
love to browse on this evergreen in the winter
when food is scarce.Porcupines eat the thin cedar
stems as a tasty snack and red squirrels nibble
on the buds. Pileated woodpeckers will excavate
large, oval holes in the sides of the
white cedar in search of carpenter ants. The
cone, or fruit, is small (1/3-1/2 inches long)
and oval. It is yellowish-brown with 6-12 scales
and grows alone or in clusters on the end of the
branch. The seeds are about 1/8 of an inch long
and have two narrow wings almost circling the
seed. The bark is thin with a gray or
reddish-brown color that grows in long,
vertical, narrow shreddy strips. People use the
light, soft and brittle wood for making fence
posts, building poles, rot-resistant lumber, and
shingles for buildings.
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Eastern Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana
This evergreen has a rounded shape with two
different kinds of leaves. Most likely youll
find dark green, miniature leaves that look like
scales. They are in groups of four finger-like
leaves. The other leaf type is found on young
trees or new shoots. They have sharply pointed
ends with white coloring on the underside. The
bark on this tree is just like the northern white
cedar, with reddish-brown strips that look
shredded vertically. The red cedar grows as high
as 30 feet tall. It likes to grow in dry,
gravelly soil and rocky ledges in the southern
half of the state. Youll also see the red cedar
growing in abandoned fields. The red
cedars fruit is easy to spot. It has a dark
blue berry-like cone, about1/4 of an inch in
diameter. There are fourseeds inside the sweet
flesh. These fruitsmake a winters meal for some
birds. Song sparrows sometimes nest on the
groundunder the cedar. The wood is fragrant
anddurable. People use it for woodwork in
theirhomes, hope chests, closets, for lead
pencils,posts and poles.
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• Clusters of 2
• Are the needles mostly 3/4"-1 1/2" long,
  yellow-green, and widely spread in bunches?
• It is a jack pine.
• OR
• Are the needles 1 1/2"-4" long, blue-green to
  yellow-green, and twisted?
• It is a scotch pine.

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Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) This
tree can be found on sandy soils. The jack pine
is unique because its resinous cones open and
release seeds during a fire or from an intense,
hot sun. They are the first tree to grow in the
burned over area. They grow 50-70 feet tall. The
trunks stay small at under 2 feet in diameter.
The tree shape is conical (like a cone). It keeps
dead branches on the trunk all the way to the
ground. Look for dark brown bark with small
scales divided by deep furrows (indented lines).
Jack pine needles are dark to yellow-green,
sharply pointed and measure 1 inch long. They
grow in bundles of two needles that are slightly
twisted. Their cones are uniquely shaped with a
wide base curving to a rounded narrow end. They
are about 1 1/2 inches long, resinous, and brown
when they are ripe. Sometimes they stay on the
branches and dont open for many years. The seeds
inside are small-winged triangular seeds that can
be carried far by strong winds. Their wood
is light and soft. They are used mostly for
pulpwood for papermaking, but they are also used
for box material and lumber. The Kirtlands
warbler depends on young jack pines to provide
nesting habitat. Animals that urrow live in the
barren jack pine understory mammals, snakes,
salamanders and insects.. Black bears like to
feed in small openings in a pine forest or rest
their weary bones in the cool shade. In the
winter, snowshoe hares, deer, spruce grouse,
and porcupines come in search of plants to browse
on.
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Scotch Pine Pinus
sylvestris A beautiful evergreen which is
hardy and adaptable to nearly all climates. Can
be used as either a windbreak or a single
specimen. Grows to 60 in height and 40' spread.
This trees pair of spiral needles are 2 to 4
inches long. The Scotch pine does well in full
sun and will tolerate moderate drought
conditions. It grows in acidic, drought tolerant,
loamy, moist, sandy, well drained, wide range,
and clay soils. Scotch Pine trees are widely
used for Christmas trees because of their
excellent form and their ability to hold their
needles for a long period of time. There are many
color variations within the species and some
trees are sprayed with green color to make them
more attractive as some naturally have brown
needles during the winter months. It is also a
good tree for reclamation sites because of its
re-seeding capabilities. The Scotch Pine
provides nesting sites and winter cover for many
kinds of mammals and birds. It was widely planted
on old farm fields at the turn of the century.
Early farmers were familiar with this species
from its growth throughout Europe and knew it
could tolerate poor, dry soil. Eventually they
found that the trees did not mature into the fine
timber stands they envisioned, but often
stagnated or had twisted trunks. It was the
beginning of the realization that seed sources
vary widely and must be matched to the planting
site. Today, seed sources are selected with care
and varieties of Scotch Pine are favored to
provide the species' best qualities, especially
when planting for the Christmas tree market.
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Clusters of 3

• Are the needles 3"-5" long, somewhat twisted,
  often sprouting in tufts from the trunk?
• It is a pitch pine.
• OR
• Are the needles 6"-9" long?
• It is a loblolly pine.

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PITCH PINE
Pinus rigida Pitch Pine is one such conifer.
Pitch Pine is found in the northern half of the
Eastern Deciduous Forest and is the dominant tree
species is areas of sandy soils. Pitch Pines can
grow to 50 or 60 feet in height, but under the
worst conditions in very arid, sandy soils they
can be stunted. All pine trees have needles
in bundles. Pitch Pine has three needle per
bundle, although other pine species have
differing numbers of needles in a bundle. The
fruit of pine trees is distinctive. The pine cone
of Pitch Pine is from 3 to 5 inches long, brown
when mature and composed of a number of cone
scales each tipped with a short, hooked spine.
Pitch Pine is highly adapted to fire. The cones
may stay closed on
the trees for up to 10 years, opening only when
fire passes through the
stand. The opening cones seed the newly
opened land for the next
generation of Pitch Pine. Pitch Pine,
unlike most conifers, can sprout
from the base of the tree if
the tree has been destroyed by the
fire. An ecosystem
whose dominance in a region is promoted by
fire is called a
Fire Disclimax.
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Loblolly Pine Pinus
taeda Loblolly Pine is characterized by
needles in bundles of 3 from 6 to 9 inches long.
The cones are elongate and cylindrical (6 9
in.) and the mature tree is tall with spreading
branches. Mature individuals 80 to 100 feet tall
with a straight trunk and widely spread branches.
The trunk is about 2 feet wide at breast height.
Cones scales are thin, rounded at the apex and
with a short apical spine. Needles are 6 to 9
inches long, slender, but stiff. The color may
be yellow-green or pale green and the needles may
be slightly twisted. The native range of
Loblolly Pine extends through 14 States from
southern New Jersey south to central Florida and
west to eastern Texas. Loblolly Pine does not
grow naturally in the Mississippi River flood
plain. Loblolly Pine is an adaptable species that
has been successfully planted along the periphery
of its natural range and has been introduced on
other continents with varying degrees of success.

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Clusters of 5 Are the needles clustered in groups
of 5 and the cones long with thin scales? It is
an eastern white pine.
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Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
This popular tree grows statewide in sandy,
well-drained soils and along rock ridges. The
white pine has a straight stem and a nice pyramid
shape with soft gray-green needles, making it one
of the most majestic trees in the state. It can
grow to be 100 feet tall. The bark is thin
greenish-gray on young bark, but gray, thick and
deeply cut on older trees. Look for the
distinctive bluish-green needles that are 3-5
inches long. They grow in bundles of five. You
can remember that the white pine has five needles
per bundle by counting the number of letters in
the word white (5). White five letters, white
pine five needles. The cones are long (4-6
inches) with thin and far-spread scales that each
contain two small winged seeds. Cones mature
after two years, in August or September.
The wood from the white pine is light and soft,
used for making matches and lumber. People also
make cabinets, windows, interior woodwork and
wooden craft items. White pine is very
susceptible to air pollution damage and can be
an indicator of poor air quality.
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Single needles around the twig Are the needles
fairly easy to roll between your fingers?These
are spruce trees. OR Are the needles
difficult to roll between your fingers?This is a
bald cypress.
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Spruce Picea Most spruce needles are
four-sided, stiff, and less than one inch long,
2.5 centimeters to be exact. Woody, peglike
projections help join the needles to the twigs.
Spruce trees grow tall and most are shaped like
pyramids. Some grow as tall as one hundred and
fifty feet, specifically the white spruce. The
spruce tree is an evergreen color but specific
types of spruces, the black spruce for example,
are named for the color of their bark and
foliage. The needle-like leaves attached to
the common spruce trees are used to hold in
moisture. The blue spruce is widely planted in
yards because of its beautiful silver-blue
foliage. Some spruce trees grow beyond the
Arctic Circle, whereas others can grow as far
south as the Pyrenees Mountains. Approximately
forty different types of spruce trees are native
to the Northern Hemisphere. In North America,
spruce trees grow as far south as North Carolina
and Arizona. The Sitka spruce grows on the
Pacific Coast from northern California to Alaska.

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Bald Cypress Taxodium
distichum The Baldcypress tree is the classic
tree of southern swamps. There, in its native
habitat, it displays a peculiar habit of raising
conical "knees" from its roots. The function of
these growths is something of a mystery, although
some believe it is a way to help the roots get
oxygen. This tree dwells in swamps because it
out-competes most other trees on such sites. To
the surprise of some people, when the Baldcypress
is planted on the right soil in yards or along
streets, it does quite well and is a beautiful
specimen tree. It has been grown successfully in
cities as far north as Milwaukee and on dry Texas
hills. A stately deciduous conifer adaptable
to wet or dry conditions. Best known in wet
areas, does well in city conditions as far north
as Milwaukee. As a benefit to wildlife the
Baldcypress form characteristic groves in swampy
areas that support complex and variable
ecosystems, and are used by many wildlife
species. Baldcypress trees are native from
Maryland along the eastern coast to Texas
and as far west as the Mississippi valley. The
first scientific reference to the species was
made in 1640. This tree has inspired much poetry
and prose over the centuries due to its
melancholy and mysterious appearance.

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Related Internet Sites
Title and Internet Address Description Grade Level
Comparing Leaves http//ericir.syr.edu/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/ Lessons/Science/Botany Students will compare trees by studying leaves, in order to tell them apart and will be able to determine differences in trees by their leaves, seeds, and flowers. Kdg. - 6
Deciduous and Coniferous Trees http//ericir.syr.edu/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/ Lessons/Science/Botany There are distinguishing characteristics of deciduous and coniferous trees. Students will learn through a hands-on approach about these characteristics. 3 - 5
What Tree is That ? http//www.arborday.org/trees/treeID.html Dichotomous key activity for simple identification of trees as they are listed regionally in our country. Samples of tree leaves and fruit / cones is helpful. 4 - 8
Kentucky Trees http//www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/kytreewebsite/welcome.htm Provides information on many of the common trees native to Kentucky 3 - 8
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Related Internet Sites cont.
Title and Internet Address Description Grade Level
What Tree Is This? http//www.oplin.lib.oh.us/products/tree/ You see an unknown tree. Or perhaps have found part of a tree, and you want to know from what kind of tree it came. Often, you can identify an unknown tree by just one part, such as a leaf or a fruit. 3 - 6
Arbor Day Foundation Tree Guide http//www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/browsetrees.cfm detailed information on dozens of commonly planted landscape trees that grow throughout the United States. Here you will find information on height and spread, soil and sun requirements, leaves and fruit, history, wildlife habitat, and more 6 - 10
Environmental Education for Kids http//www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/veg/trees/ This section of the webpage Environmental Education for Kids is actually from the state of Wisconsin. Many of these trees are also found in our state. This page gives excellent descriptions and advantages to choosing these trees. 4 - 8
Native Conifers of North America http//www.nearctica.com/trees/conifer/index.htm Online dichotomous key and specific descriptions of trees including identifying characteristics, range and habitat. 4 - 8