Download life tree brochure - LaPorte County Parks

Sugar Maple leaves have three lobes
with big teeth on the edges. The seeds
are double winged. Maple syrup is
collected in the spring time. Thirty
gallons of maple sap makes 1 gallon
of syrup after boiling.
Red maple leaves also have three
lobes, but the leaves are double
toothed on the edges. The leaf stem
is red and so are the leaf veins. The
seeds are double winged. More sap
is needed to make syrup from a Red
Maple than from a Sugar Maple.
Tree
Life
In
LaPorte
County Parks
Conifer
White Pine has soft, long needles
in bundles of five. Red Pine has
bundles of two needles. The bark is
dark and cones are long and
narrow with rounded scales. Pine
lumber is commonly used for
construction.
Red Cedar has scale shaped
needles with points on the edges,
unlike White Cedar that has
rounded edges. Berries are blue or
purple in color. Wood is rot
resistant and is used for posts,
siding, and other outdoor uses.
Larches are also called Tamaracks.
They are found in wetlands. Needles
are an inch long and come in
bundles of 12 or more. It is also
called a Deciduous Conifer, because
it drops its needles in the Fall.
LaPorte County Parks
Department
LaPorte County Parks Department
Canada Lodge & Administrative Offices
0185 South Holmesville Road
LaPorte, IN 46350
(219) 873-7014 Ext 223 or (219) 325-8315
Luhr County Park Nature Center/Naturalist Office
(219) 324-5855 TTY/TDD/Voice
www.alco.org/countyparks
Tree Identification Chart
Deciduous cont’D
Deciduous
Flowering Dogwoods have four
petal flowers in Spring and
smooth edged oval leaves. They
are not tall and are shade tolerant.
The wood from this dogwood has
been used for golf club heads.
Red Bud trees grow red clusters of
flowers all over the branches before
they grow leaves. The leaves are
smooth edged and heart shaped. They
are not tall and are shade tolerant.
Osage Orange trees are also known
as Hedge Apples. This non-native
tree to Indiana was planted as
hedge rows around fields. The
leaves have smooth edges and the
branches have long thorns. Most
know this tree for its large softball
size green fruit.
Black Willows live in wetlands and
look a lot like the Asian relative
Weeping Willow. Leaves are long
and narrow and attach to drooping
branches. Some grow tall and some
short like a shrub.
Elms have declined in numbers due
to diseases. Slippery Elm leaves
are single toothed and American
Elm are double toothed. Seeds look
like bulls’ eyes with a seed
surrounded by a wing.
Hackberry leaves are toothed and
usually have wart-like bumps on
the underside caused by mites.
The bark is gray and looks warty.
The wood is weak. The berry is
usually single and purple.
American Beech has smooth gray
bark that unfortunately often has
initials carved into it. Many become
hollow with age making them a
valuable timber, but an invaluable
home for wildlife. The leaves are
toothed and highly veined. The nut is
pyramid shaped.
Black Cherry trees have dark bark, almost
appearing burned. The leaves have small
teeth along edges. White flower clusters
appear in May-June. Berries are dark and
bitter. Throat lozenges originated from
chewing on Black Cherry wood.
Paper Birch has silvery white bark that
peels off like paper. This tree is
found in wet areas like creek flood
plains. Seeds are located in catkins
that hang from the branches like tails.
Wind spreads the seeds around.
Quaking and Bigtooth Aspens have
greenish white bark and live in sandy
soil. The seeds are located in catkins
and wood has been used for matches.
Bigtooth Aspen leaves have coarse
teeth on the edges and Quaking Aspen
has fine teeth.
Cottonwood leaves are triangular
shaped and have fine teeth. Quaking
Aspens are often mistaken as
Cottonwoods. They grow in sandy
soils like the Dunes and have pale
gray bark. Seeds are often seen
blowing around like cotton.
Tulip Trees are also called Yellow
Poplars. It is Indiana’s State Tree. It
grows tall and straight with greenish
wood. Late Spring flowers are tulip
looking and leaves can have four
lobes. Wood has been used for canoes
and log cabin flooring.
Hawthorns have smooth brownish
gray bark. The tree has long thorns
and toothed leaves. Hawthorns do not
grow taller than 15-20 feet. The tree
has white or pink flowers and dark red
berries.
Paw Paw trees are shade tolerant and
do not grow tall. Leaves are large,
smooth edged, and top heavy. The
fruit is edible, but hard to find. New
trees can grow from the roots of old
trees.
Sycamores are found near creeks and
other waterways. They have gray
camouflage bark that peels off and
very large big leaves with pointed
lobes. Button ball seed clusters can be
seen on the tree when leaves are gone.
Red Mulberry trees do not grow tall.
The leaves have toothed edges and may
have 2 or more lobes. The berries are
dark red when ripe and are edible.
Berries should not be eaten by humans
when unripe.
Black Walnut leaves are a foot long with
13-23 leaflets. The walnut is covered in
thick green skin that has been used for
brown dye. Nuts give off a spicy fragrant
scent. The lumber is very valuable in
furniture making.
White and green ash trees have
compound leaves with 5-9 leaflets.
Green Ashes have hairy leaf branches
and White Ashes have smooth leaf
branches. The tree has opposite branch
arrangements. The seeds are called
“keys” with one seed attached to one
wing. The wood has been used to make
bats and tool handles.
White Oak leaves have round lobes
and deep indentions between lobes.
The acorns mature in 1 year and are
large. Acorns are eaten by animals
and bread can be made from them.
Most oaks have valuable lumber.
Bur Oaks are in the White Oak
family, but have larger leaves.
The leaves are top heavy and
acorns have bur-like caps with
a hairy fringe.
Post Oaks are in the White Oak
family which has rounded leaf
lobes. The leaves look like a
cross with two large side lobes.
Red Oaks have pointed leaf lobes and
more bitter tasting acorns than the
White Oak family. The bark has
silvery streaks running down the
trunk. Red Oak trees have the most
valued lumber of all the Red Oak
family members.
Pin Oaks are in the Red Oak family
with pointed leaf lobes. The leaves
have very deep lobe indentions.
Black Oaks are in the Red Oak
family with pointed leaf lobes. The
leaves have wide bodies and deep
indentions with a dark shiny top.
Inner bark is yellow/orange in color.
Shagbark Hickory trees have
compound leaves with 5-7 thick
leaflets. The bark peels from the
trunk on top and bottom. The nut is
covered with a thick green husk.
Hickory wood is highly valued.
Pignut Hickory leaves have 5-7
narrow leaflets. The nut has a thin
green husk that does not split away
like Shagbark Hickory nut husks.