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Black cherry
(Prunus serotina)
Description: Largest of the native cherries and the only
one of commercial value. Well suited for furniture wood
or veneer.
Habit: A medium sized tree up to 90 feet tall.
Mast: Fruits turn from orange to red to black.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, edges are finely serrated;
dark green and shiny above, paler below.
Stems: Brown, slender stems. Bark is scaly and graybrown.
Flowers: Small white clustered flowers in columns 4 to 6
inches long, fragrant.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, floodplains, forests
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Ruffed Grouse, Red Fox
Credits: UCONN Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs and
Vines, U.S.D.A Forest Service
Blackberry
(Rubus allegheniensis)
Description: The bark, roots and berries have been
harvested for their medicinal properties. Purple to dull
blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Habit: Multi-stemmed woody shrub that grows 3-6 feet
tall and 6-12 feet wide.
Mast: Fruit starts green and turns red to black. When
picked, the fruit does not separate from its core.
Leaves: Alternate, palmately compound, 3 to 7 oval
leaflets with serrated edges, prickles at leaf attachment;
dark green above, much paler below.
Stems: Stout, dull reddish brown, strongly angled with
large hooked prickles.
Flowers: Showy white flowers with 5 petals, 1 inch
across.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, forest edges, meadows, fields
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Red Fox, Pheasant
Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree, Plants For A Future
Blueberry
(Vaccinium myrtilloides)
Description: Leaves are used for medicinal purposes.
Habit: Shrub 8-20 inches tall, forming large colonies.
Mast: Fruits are bright to dark blue with many seeds.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, soft and thin, edges not
toothed; green above, hairy and pale below.
Stems: Green-brown and covered with dense bristly
hairs.
Flowers: White and sometimes with pink, 5 petals, urnshaped and drooping.
Habitat: Bogs, cliffs, fens, forests, meadows, fields,
mountain summits, plateaus, ridges, ledges, woodlands
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Ruffed Grouse, Red Fox
Credits: Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium
Chokecherry
(Prunus virginiana)
Description: Wood is heavy, hard and close-grained, but
rarely develops a trunk large enough to be commercially
useful.
Habit: Small tree up to 25 feet tall and 6 inches in
diameter, often forming shrubby thickets.
Mast: Fruits turn green to red to purple.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, edges are finely serrated,
pointed tip; dark green above, paler below.
Stems: Twigs slender, but stouter than black cherry,
light brown to gray, strong unpleasant odor when
broken; buds covered with brownish scales. Bark is
smooth, gray-brown, that develops into shallow
fissures.
Flowers: Small white clustered flowers in columns 3 to 6
inches long.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, forest edges, meadows, fields,
shrublands, thickets, woodlands, sand dunes
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Elk, Red Fox
Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree, U.S.D.A Forest Service
Dogwood
(Cornus spp.)
Description: The dense wood of the larger-stemmed
species is valued for certain specialized purposes. The
bark is rich in tannin and has been used as a substitute
for quinine.
Habit: Woody shrubs or deciduous trees, growing up to
15-30 feet tall.
Mast: Fruit can be blue, red-pink, bright red, purple, or
white.
Leaves: Opposite or alternate, untoothed edges, veins
curving distinctively as they approach the edge of the
leaf.
Stems: Can be dark gray, brown, red, orange-brown,
purple-red, green or black, slender hairy stems. Bark
can be scaly or fissured.
Flowers: Small, white, 4 to 6 petals, grown separately or
in dense clusters up to 20.
Habitat: Open woodlands, lower to middle slopes
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Elk, Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Pheasant
Credits: Lawyer Nursery Inc., U.S.D.A Forest Service
Dwarf red raspberry
(Rubus pubescens)
Description: Leaves are used for medicinal purposes. A
purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Habit: Non-woody forb, 6-20 inches tall; main stems
creep along the ground with erect stems shooting up
with no prickles.
Mast: Small, dark-red berry, difficult to separate from
receptacle.
Leaves: Alternate, compound, divided into 3 leaflets,
long stalk, with toothed edges.
Stems: Covered in fine hairs.
Flowers: White-pink flower, 5 narrow petals, occurs
alone or in small clusters, petals stand up from base.
Habitat: Forests, wetland margins, bogs, cedar swamps
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Red Fox, Pheasant
Credits: Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium, Michigan
State University Native Plants
Elderberry
(Sambucus canadensis)
Description: The genus name comes from Greek
sambuce, an ancient musical instrument, and refers to
the soft pith, easily removed from the twigs and used to
make flutes and whistles.
Habit: Multi-stemmed woody shrub 5-12 feet tall, broad
and rounded crown with arching branches.
Mast: Small purple-black berries, 3-5 mm in diameter,
produced in drooping clusters.
Leaves: Opposite, pinnately compound, 5 to 11 leaflets
with one terminal leaflet, edges are sharply serrated.
Stems: Smooth and brown with obvious warts.
Flowers: Small white flowers in dense, flat-topped
clusters, up to 8 inches across.
Habitat: Riverbanks, forest edges, along highways and
fence rows, clearing edges
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Elk, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant
Credits: eNature, Illinois Wildflowers, UCONN Plant
Database of Trees, Shrubs and Vines
Hawthorn
(Crataegus spp.)
Description: Often planted as an ornamental. Several
species have been used in traditional medicine. Very
popular in folklore and commonly used for firewood.
Habit: Generally very dense shrubs or small trees up to
25 feet tall.
Mast: Fruit occurs in small drooping clusters, turns from
yellow to a dark red, occasionally has spots.
Leaves: Highly variable, but generally alternate, simple,
edges are serrated, can be lobed or unlobed; dark green
above and paler below.
Stems: Slender, with true terminal buds that are usually
dark, shiny red and round. Most species have 1 inch
long thorns. Bark is smooth and gray-brown when
young, later turning dark and scaly.
Flowers: Small white flowers, with 5 petals produced in
clusters near the end of the twig.
Habitat: Forests
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey
Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree
Highbush cranberry
(Viburnum trilobum)
Description: Planted as an ornamental. Fruit can be
eaten raw or cooked. Fruit may also be used for its
medicinal properties.
Habit: Shrub 8-12 feet tall and equally wide with a
dense, rounded crown.
Mast: Fruit occurs in clusters, turn from green to bright
red, becoming translucent as it ripens.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3-lobed with serrated edges.
Stems: Waxy appearance, large shiny buds grow
opposite of each other on twig.
Flowers: Smaller creamy white flowers in center and
larger white flowers on perimeter.
Habitat: Stream banks, low moist ground, forests
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant,
Wild Turkey
Credits: UCONN Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs and
Vines; U.S.D.A Natural Resources Conservation Service
Plant Fact Sheet
Huckleberry
(Gaylussacia baccata)
Description: The fruit is very beneficial to bees and
butterflies.
Habit: Colony-forming shrub, 1-3 feet tall with many
branches.
Mast: Fruits are shiny and blue-black, fleshy, contains
10 seeds.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, smooth edges, with yellow
dots above and below.
Stems: Slender, hairy and red-brown.
Flowers: Pink and urn-shaped with 5 petals.
Habitat: Dry or moist woods, thickets, clearings, acidic
sandy soils
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse,
Bobwhite Quail, Wild Turkey
Credits: West Virginia University Agriculture & Natural
Resources Development, U.S.D.A Forest Service
Mapleleaf viburn.
(Viburnum acerifolium)
Description: Cultivated for its attractive summer
flowers and foliage.
Habit: Shrub 3-6 feet tall, densely branched.
Mast: Egg-shaped clustered berry, turning red-purple to
black.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3-lobed, serrated edges, and
somewhat hairy.
Stems: Slender, hairy and grayish-brown.
Flowers: Yellowish-white, appears in flat-topped
clusters.
Habitat: Upland forests, forest edges, streamsides,
lakeshores, woodlands, ravine slopes, hillsides
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant,
Wild Turkey
Credits: UCONN Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs and
Vines; U.S.D.A Natural Resources Conservation Service
Plant Fact Sheet
Pokeweed
(Phytolacca Americana)
Description: All parts of this plant are considered highly
toxic and may be fatal if eaten. Pokeweed contains a
protein that has shown anti-tumor effects as well as
inhibiting the replication of the HIV virus in human cells.
Habit: Large, non-woody bush-like plant, grows up to 10
feet tall.
Mast: Fruit clusters become heavy and drooping,
resembling a grape bunch, shiny, and initially green,
becoming black-purple at maturity. The stems holding
the berries turn a bright red-purple. Fruit contains one
seed that is lens-shaped, black and shiny.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, leaves are typically smaller
toward the top of the plant; dark green and shiny
above, pinkish-green with pink veins below.
Stems: Trunk is smooth, fleshy and thick, typically
reddish to deep red-purple, branched in the upper
portion, diameter of 4 inches and are usually hollow.
Several may emerge from one taproot and can grow to
be 3 to 10 feet tall.
Flowers: Whitish-green flowers are produced in long,
narrow, unbranched clusters at the ends of stems and
upper branches. Each flower in the cluster is borne on
an individual flower stalk. The flower cluster often
occurs opposite a leaf.
Habitat: Low, rich, somewhat disturbed, gravelly soils;
Pastures, roadsides, fencerows, open woods, wood
borders
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Red Fox
Credits: Ohio State University: Ohio Perennial and
Biennial Weed Guide, Fairfax County Public Schools:
Study of Northern Virginia Ecology
Serviceberry
(Amelanchier arborea)
Description: This species name is derived from the
Sarvis tree. The alternate name "shadbush" was coined
because the species' flowering often coincides with the
time of the upriver migration of the shad fish.
Habit: A shrub or small tree up to 40 feet tall with a
narrow crown.
Mast: Fruits are red-purple, round, and grow in short
hanging clusters.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, edges are finely serrated;
green above, paler and sometimes hairy below.
Stems: Slender, flexible, red-brown to gray, may be
covered with fine hairs when young; buds are long
pointed, yellow-green to red, often hooking around
twigs. Trunk is smooth when young, ashy-gray with
darker stripes; later becoming rough with furrows.
Flowers: 5 strap-like white petals, occurring in
elongated, drooping bunches.
Habitat: Swampy lowlands, dry woods, sandy bluffs,
ridges, forest edges, open woodlands, fields
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Elk, Ruffed Grouse, Beaver
Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree, U.S.D.A Forest Service
Wild grape
(Vitis riparia)
Description: Berries are harvested for jellies, jams and
wine. Used extensively in grape breeding programs due
to its cold hardiness and fungal disease resistance.
Habit: Woody vine growing up to 50 feet long.
Mast: Fruits turn from green to dark purple and hang in
clusters.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, fairly wide with serrated
edges; yellow-green to blue-gray above, pale green with
white hairs below.
Stems: Occasionally branching, yellow-green to red and
hairless.
Flowers: Small, green-yellow with 5 petals, grown on
drooping stem up to 5 inches long.
Habitat: Lowland to upland forests, disturbed areas,
shorelines, dunes
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,
Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Pheasant
Credits: Illinois Wild Flowers, University of Michigan
Wild raisin
(Viburnum cassinoides)
Description: Parts of plant are toxic if ingested. Grown
as an ornamental because of its excellent spring
flowers, fall color and fall-winter fruit.
Habit: Dense, multi-stemmed shrub, 5 to 6 feet tall and
equally wide; dense, rounded crown with arching
branches.
Mast: Fruits turns pink to black and grow in branching
clusters.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, leaves change from reddish to
a dull green.
Stems: Brown, rough, and flexible.
Flowers: Creamy white, occurs in flat-topped clusters 2
to 5 inches wide.
Habitat: Moist / wet open woods, thickets, swamps
mixed wood, boreal forests
Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant,
Wild Turkey
Credits: Missouri Botanical Garden, Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, UCONN Plant
Database of Trees, Shrubs and Vines