Tree Identification and Species List

To assist you in identifying your trees, download the Field Guide to Desired Native Trees, which includes photos of seeds, leaves, and bark for each of the species needed by state nurseries. (PDF, 1.13 MB)

The list below includes the same trees listed in the Field Guide to Desired Native Trees. To learn more about any species, click on its name below for a fact sheet

Species Fact Sheets: Tree identification fact sheets courtesy of Virginia Tech Department of Forestry.

Species Name Description
Bald Cyprus
  • Leaf: Yellow-green; small; thin.
  • Bark: Fibrous red-brown or smother gray where worn by weather.
  • Seed: Spherical cone; 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter.
Black Oak
  • Leaf: 4 to 10 inches long; some variation in shape.
  • Bark: Thick and very dark on older trees; orange inner bark.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1/2 to 3/4 inch long with large cap; emerges August through October.
Black Walnut
  • Leaf: 10 to 24 inches long; composed of leaflets 3 inches long.
  • Bark: Light brown on surface; dark brown when cut; ridged.
  • Seed: Round with a greenish-yellow husk (stains clothing); from the outside, does not look like walnut; nut is inside husk; emerges September through October.
Chestnut Oak
  • Leaf: 4 to 6 inches long.
  • Bark: Gray-brown or black; older trees have ridged appearance.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1 inch long with thin, warty cap. Emerges September through October.
Chinkapin Oak
  • Leaf: 4 to 7 inches long; dark green on top; pale green on bottom. More pointed than rounded-pointed leaves of Chestnut Oak.
  • Bark: Brown-gray; thin and flaky; rough.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1/2 to 1 inch long; green on tree, dark brown when mature; usually has large cap; emerges September to October.
Green Ash
  • Leaf: 6 to 9 inches long; 7 leaves.
  • Bark: Ashy brown-gray; ridges form diamond pattern.
  • Seed: Single-winged helicopter; first emerges in fall but disperses over winter.
  • Note: Easily confused with White Ash. It is recommended that you have this species confirmed by a forester or master gardener before collecting.
Hazelnut
  • Leaf: 2 to 5 inches long; dark green above with light green underside; hairy.
  • Bark: Smooth; brown-gray in color; ridges form criss-cross pattern later in life.
  • Seed: Brown seeds enclosed in leaves; leaf case green in summer, turns to brown as seeds ripen in fall.
Northern Red Oak
  • Leaf: 5 to 8 inches long; pointed tips.
  • Bark: On older trees, wide, flat ridges with shallow furrows between them, resembling ski tracks.
  • Seed: Acorns; 3/4 to 1 inch long; flat, thick cap; emerge August to late October.
Overcup Oak
  • Leaf: 6 to 10 inches long; green with white underside.
  • Bark: Gray-brown and scaly; irregular plates; resembles White Oak.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1/2 to 1 inch long; almost completely covered by very warty cap; emerges September to October.
Paw Paw
  • Leaf: 5 to 11 inches long; 2 to 3 inches wide; light green.
  • Bark: Smooth gray-brown with gray patches; wart-like ridge protrusions.
  • Seed: Banana-like fruit; up to 5 inches long; green at first and ripening to yellow and brown in fall.
Persimmon
  • Leaf: 2.5 to 5 inches long; lustrous green.
  • Bark: Dark; broken up into thick square plates; younger bark smoother and ridged.
  • Seed: Plum-like fruit; up to 2 inches in diameter; orange to black when ripens September through November.
Pin Oak
  • Leaf: 3 to 6 inches long; lustrous green top, pale green below; u-shape between major lobes.
  • Bark: Gray-brown; very tight and thin; stays mostly smooth, but can develop ridges.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1/2 inch long; round with flat, thin cap; red-brown in color with red-brown scales; emerges September to December.
Sassafras
  • Leaf: 3 to 6 inches long; 1 to 3 lobes with one dominant lobe; strong, distinct smell and taste in leaves.
  • Bark: Brown with cinnamon-brown under-bark when cut; coarsely ridged and furrowed; spicy aroma.
  • Seed: Dark-blue, fleshy berries on red stalks; emerge August to September.
Southern Red Oak
  • Leaf: 5 to 9 inches long; somewhat lustrous; two common lobe arrangements: 3-lobe or 5- to 7-lobe.
  • Bark: Thick; dark gray-brown; scaly ridges and deep furrows; inner bark slightly yellow.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1/2 inch long; orange-brown; Thin, flat cap; emerges September to October.
Swamp Chestnut Oak
  • Leaf: 4 to 8 inches long; 3 to 5 inches wide; lustrous dark green top with pale downy underside.
  • Bark: Ash-gray; scaly; furrows with age.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1 to 1½ inch long acorns; chestnut brown; cap scaly and bowl-shaped; emerge throughout fall.
Swamp White Oak
  • Leaf: 3 to 7 inches long; 2 to 4 inches wide; lustrous dark green top with very pale underside.
  • Bark: Gray; scaly; develops ridges with age.
  • Seed: Acorn; 1 inch long; tan in color; cap bowl-shaped with longer stalk than Swamp Chestnut; emerges throughout fall.
Water Oak
  • Leaf: 2 to 4 inches long; very variable in shape; can have from 0 to 7 lobes; can have bristles or not.
  • Bark: Dark; tight; develops rough patches and ridges as it ages.
  • Seed: Acorns; ½ inch long, very dark; flat, scaly cap; emerges in September.
White Ash
  • Leaf: 8 to 12 inches long; 7 leaflets; hairless.
  • Bark: Ash-gray to brown in color; ridges form diamonds.
  • Seed: Single-wing helicopter; matures October to November; falls in winter.
  • Note: This is often confused with Green Ash. It is recommended that you have this species confirmed by a forester or master gardener before collecting.
White Oak
  • Leaf: 4 to 7 inches long; bright green on top, whitish below.
  • Bark: Whitish or ashy gray; scaly; patchy; blocky.
  • Seed: Acorn; warty cap that always detaches when ripe. Emerges July through September.
Willow Oak
  • Leaf: 2 to 5 inches long; linear in shape (can curve somewhat).
  • Bark: Gray; older trees are darker and have thick ridges and deep, irregular furrows.
  • Seed: Acorn; ¼- ½ inch; nearly round; yellow-green hue; thin, saucer-like, scaly caps.
Yellow Poplar
  • Leaf: 4 to 8 inches long; somewhat shaped like a tulip; alternate; palmately veined; 4-lobed with an entire margin.
  • Bark: Light gray-green; smooth when young, developing diamond patterns of ridges when older.
  • Seed: Single-wing helicopter; 1 1/2 inches long; emerges between August and October.

For additional native hardwood tree species, browse the angiosperm families on Virginia Tech's Tree Fact Sheets