Common Forest Trees in Virginia

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Common Forest Trees in Virginia
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Eastern White Pine

• Five needles per cluster.
• Needles are 3 5 inches long.
• Needles are very soft.
• Cones are 4 6 inches long.

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Loblolly Pine

• Three needles per cluster.
• Needles are 6 9 inches long.

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Virginia Pine

• Two, short, stiff, twisted needles per cluster.
• Needles are 1 3 inches long.

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Shortleaf Pine

• Two or three needles per cluster.
• Needles are 3 - 5 inches long.

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Hemlock

• Needles are 1/3 - 2/3 inches long, 1/8 inch wide
  and flat.
• Cones are small, about 3/4 inches long.

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Eastern Redcedar

• Needles are of 2 types. One is short and
  scale-like, the other is sharp-pointed.
• The bark is reddish brown to ashy gray peeling
  off in long strips.

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Black Walnut

• Compound leaf 12 - 24 inches long.
• 15 -23 leaflets per leaf.
• The bark is dark brown.

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Hickory

• Compound leaf, 6 -10 inches long.
• 5 - 9 leaflets per leaf.
• The bark is light gray and very hard.

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Black Willow

• Simple leaf, 3 - 6 inches long less than ½ inch
  wide.
• The bark is deeply divided into flat ridges, and
  becomes very shaggy on older trees.

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American Hornbeam

• Simple leaf, 2 - 3 inches long.
• Oval shaped leaf.
• Double toothed margin.
• The bark is deeply fluted or muscle-like.

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Beech

• Simple leaf, 3 - 4 inches long.
• Toothed margin.
• The buds are long, slender and pointed.

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Oak Trees

• Oak trees are divided into two categories, white
  oaks which have rounded lobes, and mature their
  acorns in one year and red oaks which have
  pointed lobes and take two years to mature their
  acorns.

White Oak
Red Oak
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Northern Red Oak

• Simple leaf, 5 - 9 inches long and 4 - 6 inches
  wide.
• Pointed lobed margin.
• The bark is brown with red streaks.

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Pin Oak

• Simple leaf 3 - 5 inches long.
• Pointed lobed margin.
• The lower branches are very droopy.

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Scarlet Oak

• Simple leaf, 3 - 6 inches long.
• Leaf has deep cuts into the leaf (owl-eyed leaf).
  
• This tree has many dead lower limbs.

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Black Oak

• Simple leaf 5 - 10 inches long and 3 - 8 inches
  wide.
• Pointed lobed margin.
• The inner bark is yellow and bitter tasting.

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Black Jack Oak

• Simple leaf 4 - 10 inches long.
• Leaf is somewhat cross shaped.

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Southern Red Oak

• Simple leaf, 3 - 5 inches long.
• Bell shaped leaf.

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White Oak

• Simple leaf, 5 - 9 inches long.
• Lobed margin.
• The bark is light gray.

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Post Oak

• Simple leaf, 4 - 5 inches long.
• Cross shaped leaf.
• Leaf is thick and leathery.
• The bark is light gray.

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Chestnut Oak

• Simple leaf, 5 - 9 inches long.
• Wavy margin.
• The bark is thick and deeply divided.

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American Elm

• Simple leaf, 4 - 6 inches long.
• Double toothed margin.
• One-sided leaf (One side of the leaf is larger
  than the other).

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Slippery Elm

• Simple leaf, 4 - 6 inches long.
• Double-toothed margin.
• One-sided leaf.
• The leaf is rough on both sides.

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Hackberry

• Simple leaf, 2 - 4 inches long.
• Double toothed margin.
• The bark is light gray with warty bumps.

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Red Mulberry

• Simple leaf, 3 - 5 inches long.
• Double toothed margin.
• This tree has oval, mitten and double mitten
  shaped leaves on the same tree.

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Yellow Poplar

• Simple leaf, 4 - 6 inches long.
• Tulip shaped leaves.
• The bark is light gray and very hard.

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Sassafras

• Simple leaf, 4 - 6 inches long.
• Smooth margin.
• This tree has oval, mitten and double mitten
  shaped leaves on the same tree.

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Sweet Gum

• Simple leaf, 5 - 7 inches long.
• Star shaped leaf.

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Sycamore

• Simple leaf.
• Circular shaped leaf.
• The bark is green, brown, white, and very scaly.

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Black Cherry

• Simple leaf, 3 - 4 inches long.
• Double-toothed margin.
• The bark is dark brown and smooth on young trees,
  but rough and scaly on older trees.

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Redbud

• Simple leaf, 3 - 5 inches long.
• Heart shaped leaf.
• Smooth margin.
• This tree has 3 - 5 inch long pods.

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Honey Locust

• Double compound leaf.
• This tree has 1 ½ - 2 inch long thorns.
• Pods are 10 - 18 inches long.

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Black Locust

• Compound leaf, 6 - 10 inches long.
• Seven to 19 leaflets per leaf.
• This tree has 3/4 - 1 inch long thorns.
• Pods are 3 - 5 inches long.

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Holly

• Simple leaf 2 4 inches long with spiny teeth.
• The leaf is thick and leather-like.

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Sugar Maple

• Simple leaf, 3 5 inches long.
• Pointed lobed margin.
• Winged fruit.

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Red Maple

• Simple leaf, 3 - 5 inches long.
• Double toothed margin.
• Red stems.
• Winged fruit.
• The bark is smooth and gray on young trees but
  rough on older trees.

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Basswood

• Simple leaf 3 - 6 inches long.
• Heart shaped.
• Double toothed margin.

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Dogwood

• Simple leaf 3 - 5 inches long.
• Oval shaped.
• Smooth margin.
• The bark is reddish brown to black and divided
  into small blocks.

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Black Gum

• Simple leaf 2 - 3 inches long.
• Oval shaped.
• Smooth margin.
• The branches extend from the trunk at a 90 degree
  angle.

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Persimmon

• Simple leaf 4 6 inches long.
• Oval shaped.
• Smooth margin.
• Bark is dark brown and broken into thick blocks.

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White Ash

• Compound leaf 8 - 12 inches long.
• 5 9 leaflets per leaf.
• Bark is light gray and very soft.

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Work Cited

• Dendrology at Virginia Tech web page.
  http//www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/
  syllabus/biglist_frame.htm
• Virginia Department of Forestry. Forest Trees of
  Virginia. Charlottesville Department of
  Forestry, 2001.