Botany

   

We examined two major classes of trees, conifers and deciduous. Conifers have cones, such as pines. Deciduous are trees that lose their leaves seasonally, such as maple and ash. Deciduous trees are further classified into monocots and dicots. Monocots are trees that have one seed leaf, or cotyledon, such as grass or corn. Dicots have two cotyletons and produce two seed leaves upon germination.

Plant Identification

The following list was used to distinguish various trees:

1. needles or broadleaves

2. opposite or alternate branching

3. simple or compound leaves

4. a certain number of lobes

5. a particular depth and shape of first lobe (V-shape or U-shape)

6. serated or smooth leaf edges

7. a certain type of vein contour

Plant-life in Ethan Allen Park:

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

The Sugar Maple is found in richly wooded areas. It grows to a height of 40 to 60 feet. Its leaves are five lobed with notches between each and opposite branching. Its trunk is dark brown with vertical ridges.

Hop Hornbeam (Alnus caroliniana)

Hop Hornbeam has simple compound leaves arranged in an alternating branching pattern. Its leaves bear a double serated edge.

Flowering Raspberry (Rubus ordoratus)

The Flowering Raspberry has simple broad-leaves, which alternate. The leaves have fine hairs. It has raspberry-colored petals and bears red fruit. Bundle scars (dots) may be found on the stem.

Alternate leafed Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

Found in open woods. It grows to a height of 25 feet. Its leaves are 2-5 inches long and have venation which follows the shape of the leaf. It is the only member of its species which does not have opposite leaves, meaning that its leaves stem off the branch in an alternating pattern as opposed to an opposite pattern in which leaves stem off in pairs.

Roundleaf Dogwood (C. circinata)

This tree is broad-leafed. Its simple leaves are arranged opposite one another. The veins of the leaves follow the contour of the leaf. Both the leaf and branch are a greenish color; however the branch may be purplish too.

American Basswood (Tilia americana)

The Basswood is found in the understory and grows in co-dominance with sugar maples. There are deep furrows in its bark.

Cat Grape (Vitaceae rubra)

This is a woody vine with bright red flowers. Its leaves are about 4 to 6 inches long and about twice as wide. It produces purple or black fruits.

Four-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)

The Four-leaf Milkweed is a broad-leafed plant with opposite branching. If injured it will leak milky white juice. Its flowers have 5 sepals (found under the petals) and 5 flower petals.

White Ash (Fraxinus americana)

This broad-leaf with opposite branching and a compound leaf is found in upland areas. When the leaf is separated from the branch it leaves a deeply notched leaf scar (bud is below surface of stem).

Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)

This is a tree with broad compound leaves. There are from 5 to 7 leaves per compound section. These sections are arranged in an alternating pattern along the branch of the tree.

Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)

This is closely related to the milkweed family and will leak white sap if cut. Members of its family have been used in medicine.

Staghorn Summac (Rhus typhina)

This tree has alternating leaves and clusters of dry red berries.

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

This produces colorful fruits which may be present during the winter. It is commonly used as a hedge around housing.

Red Elderberry

This is composed of compound leaves. They stem out from the branch in an opposite pattern.

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

The American Beech is common among rich uplands, growing from 60 to 80 feet tall. It is a tall tree with smooth gray bark. Its leaves are oval shaped.

Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

The Quaking Aspen has a simple leaf arrangement whose stems alternate along the branch. The bark is a smooth reddish-brown.

Cottonwood (P. deltoides)

This tree has toothed triangular leaves and seeds which resemble cotton.

White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)

The White Cedar has scales instead of leaves. Its bark is stringy and it is a calciophile, meaning that it lives in calcium-rich environments.

Common Juniper (Juniperus communis)

This is a coniferous shrub found on dry hills and grows to be about 1 to 4 feet tall. Their needles are sharp, and range in size from 1/4 to 7/8 inches long. It grows blue-black berries which are eaten by birds.

Flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

The Trillium is a short plant with three leaves and a dark red flower.

 

Jack-in -the-pupit (Arisaema triphyllum)

This plant is smooth leafed with netted veins. The blossom is located beneath the leaves and is in the shape of a pitcher. It also has a tuberous root.

Jewelweed (Impatiens)

The Jewelweed has either orange or yellow flowers in late autumn. Then the plant is crushed its juices can counteract stinging nettles.

Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odera)

Sweet Goldenrod will grow to a height of 2-5 ft. It is a perennial. The plant tapers to a point at the top.

 

Cow vetch (Vicia cracca)

This plant grows to a height of 2-5 ft. It has compound leaves with 8-12 pairs of narrow oval leaflets. Its leaves and stem are hairy.

Wild Basil (Satureja vugaris)

This has short stalks, egg-shaped leaves, opposite branching of 4 angled stem, slightly serated leaves with soft hairs, and flowers arranged in crowded whorls.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

This is a short-duration perennials found in meadows. Several stems may form one plant. Its leaves are smooth with little hairs and are oval shaped.

Rock Sandwort (Arenaria stricta)

The Rock Sandwort is found in rocky places. It has stiff narrow leavs about 1/4 to 3/4 iches long found in dense clusters.

Mossy Stonecrop (Sedum acre)

The Mossy Stonecroop has yellow starlike flowers with 5 petals which branch from the stem. The leaves are flat, rubbery, and fleshy.

To view our tree corings click here. 

Information on this reseach page was based on the following sources: