GLEBE TREES AND SHRUBS
IDENTIFYING GLEBE TREES
WINTER AND EARLY SPRING
Notes
- Late winter and spring are good times to identify trees.
Without leaves, the pattern of branching, buds, leaf scars,
and remnants of old keys and husks, and stems of old
fruit can be good clues. Some trees keep dead leaves
through the winter. The patterns of the younger bark can
be seen higher in the tree, and this can be helpful in
identification.
- Pages for the rest of the seasons are pending.
- Shrubs and evergreen trees will be added to this section
later.
Section one: Very tall trees
Section two: Medium and small trees
SECTION ONE: Very tall trees in winter and early spring
1. Which tall trees are most common in the Glebe?
2. Oppositely-arranged trees
3. Alternately-arranged trees
1. Which tall trees are most common in the Glebe?
By probability, a very tall tree in the Glebe is most
likely a maple. Next numerous are the ash. After that,
are far fewer very tall elm, and then much fewer of the
remaining species, discussed below.
2. Oppositely-arranged tall trees
There are 4 very tall trees in the Glebe which are oppositely-arranged.
The mnemonic for these is MACH.
MACH = maple, ash, catalpa and horse chestnut. There are only a
few examples of the latter two. So in practice, consider maple and
ash. The difficulty is telling the species of each of these apart.
There are 4 species of very tall maple commonly seen in the Glebe:
silver, red, sugar and sometimes Norway. Of these, Norway maple
are the most common in the Glebe but only occasionally are they very
tall.
There are 3 type of ash: white, green/red (now considered one species
by the City of Ottawa) and black. Green/red ash are the most common.
Telling maple and ash apart (when there are no leaves)
The bark usually tells the answer.
Ash usually has a diamond-shaped pattern, easiest to see toward the
bottom of the trunk.
Maple has vertical ridges and grooves. Some ash trees have an easy
telltale sign: the bottom couple of feet of the trunk looks fat, as if it has
sagged.Look as well at the branches. Ash branches are often quite thick,
unpretty, and with numerous knobby rings. Some have old withered black
clumps which are probably flowers but look ugly. Some have old paddle-
shaped samaras still hanging. Branches are sometimes U-shaped and
can run for a distance without branching further. In the Glebe, ash have
often been planted several next to each other.
Telling the kinds of ash apart
To differentiate the species of ash, you have to check the leaf scar and
the terminal bud, and old samaras if available. See the books for this.
Telling the kinds of maple apart
To differentiate the 4 types of tall maple, first look for the big red
pompoms which are the flower buds. These are very obvious and
their presence eliminates sugar maple and Norway maple from the list.
The tree must be silver maple or red maple.
Silver maple has most pompoms linearly arranged along the branches like
a rattle-snake tail, and they are big. Some are on dwarf shoots, as
in red maple below.
Red maple has pompoms arranged on short dwarf twigs, many in a
ladder-like arrangement along the twig, and they are somewhat
smaller.
Now look for corroborating features: silver maple pompoms become
yellowish as they flower. It is the first maple to flower (April 4-5 in 2009).
Red maple should follow within a week or two. The bark of silver
maple is often in strips that can run somewhat diagnonally and
detach at the top or bottom. The bark may be a lighter grey than
many red maple. Red maple bark may be dark yet looking up at the
smaller high branches, it is a light grey (which is how the trunk of very
young red maple often looks).
If there are no pompoms, the tree is either sugar maple or Norway maple.
Norway maple are numerous in the Glebe, though most are not very tall.
They have nice nobby easily-seen buds, and in many instances
these are accompanied by old maple key stems. These are
clustered, about 2" long, and bent at angles. Perhaps 3-8 little
stems come off the main one. There are many of them in most
cases. The bark of Norway maple tends to have quite regular
linear grooves. On the younger trees, these look like pinstripes.
It is the most orderly bark of the maples. On older, bigger trees
this is less obvious at the trunk at eye level, but shows on the
younger parts of the trunk high up. If the tree is towering, it is
probably not a Norway maple.
Sugar maple buds are thin, long and pointy. They are difficult to see
on a tall tree. There may be a few old key stems too, but not many,
and they seem smaller and thinner. Sugar maple have a dormant,
bare look to them at this time of year. If a maple is seen with old
overwintered leaves, it is more likely a sugar maple, in my experience.
The bark of a mature sugar maple tends to detach from the sides to
some extent and it's fissures are more chaotic than Norway maple.
The bark of younger trees is often a bland grey, without the stripes of
Norway maple.
(Manitoba maple are also common in the Glebe but very tall ones are the exception. They are
scraggly, tend to grow along fences, lean over, and generally seem
to be making a nuisance of themselves. They can have a somewhat
yellowish cast. Their buds are distinctive: light grey mice, somewhat
reminiscent of pussy willow and unlike any of the other maples.)
3. Alternately-arranged tall trees
There are far fewer very tall trees in the Glebe that are alternately-
arranged. The mnemonic is TOWEE: trembling aspen, oak,
walnut/butternut, elm, eastern cottonwood
The only very tall trembling aspen I've seen in the Glebe are on
Queen Elizabeth Drive along Landsdown Park. The bark is whitish
and smooth for the most part, almost like birch but not peeling.
The buds are very big but high up.
Walnut and butternut are very similar. See the books to differentiate,
mainly by their fruit. The bark looks like the rocky mountains and
is dark,
Oak: described in the medium-size tree section
Eastern cottonwood are rare here. There are two very tall ones
on Ralph at Woodlawn. There may be a younger one at Patterson
Creek near O'Connor. They former are very big and have a strongly
curderoyed-looking bark. Yellowish brown. The uppermost branches
glint light grey in the sun. Younger trees have that smoother grey bark.
The buds are hard to see because the branches are very high up.
But they are very big buds, becoming visible from a distance by mid-
April.
Elm: there are three types of elm seen with any frequency in the
Glebe and only two are very tall:
White elm (at least one), a number of Siberian elm, and the smaller
slippery elm. The best example of white elm is on the island at
Queen Elizabeth Drive near the Bank Street bridge. The buds of
white elm are not distinctive but the terminal buds are tilted to an
angle in most cases. This may be the case for all elm.
Siberian elm are on Monk, along the parking lot of the Beer Store.
Elm often have a distinctive bark pattern that looks like basket-
weaving. They have a beautiful form, shooting straight up and
then arching out in a full circle. White elm arch out and down.
Siberian elm don't arch down much but rather form
clusters of branching units that look like they are sweeping the sky.
The buds of Siberian elm are very distinctive. They look like rows of
black ticks.
SECTION TWO: Medium and small trees in winter and early spring
1. Which trees are most common in the Glebe?
2. Oppositely-arranged trees
A. Growing in clumps
B. Not growing in clumps
3. Alternately-arranged trees
4. Trees with catkins
1.Which medium and small trees are most common in the Glebe?
March and April are good months for identifying trees. Their shape and form are
obvious; their buds are clearly visible; overwintering leaves, fruit stems, seed
capsules can assist in identifying; and the timing of flowering gives a clue.
By numbers, a medium or small tree in the Glebe is most likely a maple.
There are also many ash, little-leaf linden, honey-locust, purple-leaf sandcherry,
Japanese lilac, a number of common lilac, some buckthorn. There are a lesser
number of oak. After that are fewer elm and ginkgo, and a very few nannyberry.
Determine first if the tree is arranged oppositely or alternately. At this time of
year, the arrangement of buds is a useful guide, and sometimes the twig
arrangement.
The oppositely-arranged trees: maple, ash, lilacs, buckthorn and a very few
nannyberry The rest are alternately-arranged.
2. Oppositely-arranged medium and small trees
A. Growing in clumps, or having multiple trunks
Buckthorn, common lilac, nannyberry and one of the maples (Amur) are usually small
and almost always grow in clumps or with multiple trunks.
If that is what you are looking at, they can be differentiated as follows:
Buckthorn has two kinds of buds. One of these types are thin elongated but small
and very black, tightly apposed to the twig. There will be subopposite and even
alternate pairs in most cases as well. The bark varies greatly with age: when
very young, it is red-brown with lenticels like young birch. Mature trunks can be
dark grey, smooth or somewhat peeling, and almost shiny in the sun.
Nannyberry is very uncommon (502 Queen Elizabeth Drive). Its buds give it away.
They are very long and tapering, unscaled, grey.
Common lilac lilac is usually a pretty small tree. It usually has a few old
woody fruit capsules still attached over the winter. That should be enough to
identify it. Common lilac has buds that are pleasing, chunky, tan-coloured.
The bark is a rather nondescript beige or grey. It usually grows in multi-stemmed
clumps.
Amur maple are smaller trees, often in clumps. The trunks often cross each other at ground
level. At this time of year, they look like they are still in winter. Numerous very small old keys
often hanging, not much sign of new life. The bark is dark grey, often with bleached-white blotches.
B. Not growing in clumps
This will likely be one of: maple, ash, or Japanese lilac
Japanese lilac is never very tall. It's trunk has a characteristic wine tint,
with prominent white lenticels. Old woody fruit husks often remain. All this makes it easy to
identify.
How does one tell maple and ash apart? The bark usually tells the answer.
Ash usually has a diamond-shaped pattern, easiest to see toward the bottom of the
trunk.
Maple has vertical ridges and grooves when older, stripes when younger.
Some ash trees have an easy telltale sign: the bottom couple of feet of the trunk
looks fat, as if it has sagged. Look as well at the branches. Ash branches are often
quite thick, unpretty, and with numerous knobby rings. Some have old withered
lack clumps which are probably flowers but look ugly. Some have old paddle-shaped
samaras still hanging. Branches are sometimes very U-shaped. In the Glebe, ash
have often been planted several next to each other.
To differentiate the species of ash, you have to check the leaf scar and the terminal
bud, and old samaras if available. See the books for this.
To differentiate the smaller maple, learn to differentiate the very tall maple first.
These are silver, red, sugar and sometimes Norway.
To differentiate the 4 types of tall maple, first look for the big red pompoms which
are the flower buds. These are very obvious and their presence eliminates sugar
maple and Norway maple from the list. The tree must be silver maple or red maple.
Silver maple have substantial pompoms linearly arranged along the branches like
a rattle-snake tail.
Red maple have smaller pompoms are arranged laterally on short dwarf twigs in a
ladder-like arrangement along the twig,
Now look for corroborating features: silver maple pompoms become yellowish as
they flower. It is the first maple to flower (April 4-5 in 2009). Red maple should follow
within a week or two. The bark of silver maple is often in strips that can run somewhat
diagnonally and detach at the top or bottom. The bark may be a lighter grey than
many red maple. Red maple bark may be dark yet looking up at the smaller high
branches, it is a light grey (which is how the trunk of very young red maple often looks).
Red maple bark seems to go through dramatic changes with age: from very pale and
smooth, with dark blotches, to somewhat fissured and very dark and smooth, to the
mature ridged.
If there are no pompoms, the tree is either sugar maple or Norway maple.
Norway maple (and its varieties) are numerous in the Glebe. They have nice nobby
easily-seen buds, and in many instances these are accompanied by old maple key
stems. These stems are clustered, about 2" long, and bent at angles. Perhaps 3-8
little stems come off the main one. There are many of them in most cases. The bark
of Norway maple tends to have quite regular linear grooves. On the younger trees,
these look like pinstripes. It is the most orderly bark of the maples, like Norwegians tend
to be. The bark is fairly dark at most stages of growth. If the tree is towering,
it is probably not a Norway maple.
Sugar maple buds are thin, long and pointy. They are difficult to see on a tall tree.
There may be a few old key stems too, but not many, and they seem smaller and
thinner. Sugar maple have a dormant, bare look to them at this time of year. If a
maple is seen with old overwintered leaves, it is more likely a sugar maple, in my
experience. The bark of a mature sugar maple tends to detach from the sides to
some extent and it's fissures are more chaotic than Norway maple.
That leaves two maple which usually do not grow very tall: Manitoba maple and Amur
maple.
Manitoba maple are common in the Glebe but very tall ones are the exception.
They are scraggly, tend to grow along fences, lean over, and generally seem to be making
a nuisance of themselves. They can have a somewhat yellowish cast. Their buds are
distinctive: light grey mice, somewhat reminiscent of pussy willow and unlike any
of the other maples. The bark looks like old elephant skin.
Amur maple is small and described in the section on trees growing in clumps.
3. Alternately-arranged medium and small trees
There are more species but fewer trees in the Glebe that are alternately-arranged.
Interestingly, several of the very tall alterate-arranged trees are barely present
as younger smaller trees (walnut/butternut, trembling aspen, eastern cottonwood).
The common medium and small trees are little-leaf linden, honey-locust, purple-leaf
sandcherry, and flowering crab
There are a lesser number of oaks, buckthorn, elm, willow, birch, ironwood, ginkgo,
hazel, serviceberry, hackberry.
Honey-locust can be recognized by its apparent complete lack of buds. In its
place, are nobby protuberances. The buds are said to be beneath the bark.
The branches are very dark and often spreading horizontally forming a canopy
above you. The trunk bark is characteristic: it looks like broad plates of
disjointed hammered metal.
Purple-leaf sandcherry is common. There are two main identifying features: the bark
has a vaguely purplish hue and is "scratched and bruised". That is, it is quite
uniform but there are vertical paler "scratches" and areas of darker "bruising".
The buds are slim, tapered, and diverge from the branch so they are quite obvious
when looking up from below. There are often single, long and fairly substantial,
looping remnants of fruit stems.
Linden has a number of features which are usually but not always present: the bark
looks like it has been slit with a knife. Narrow slits among broad ridges, and deep.
On some trees, wider slits but still deep. The tree's crown is often densely bushy
and dark. The buds are nice and chunky and obvious because the twigs zig zag
prominently there.
Flowering crabapple: common; the bark often harlequin-like but when young can be
bronze. The branches come off low, spreading zigzagging. Old cherry-like crab
apples may be there still.
Buckthorn can have alternate or opposite arrangements. It is described above and
is the only one here that normally occurs in clumps. It is more often a shrub.
Elm: Check some taller elms out, paying particular attention to the bark which looks
like intersecting straps, or basket-weaving. Let that be your first feature to look for
when considering a tree as possibly being an elm.
There are three types of elm seen with any frequency in the Glebe:
white elm (at least one), a number of Siberian elm, and the smaller slippery elm.
The best example of white elm is on the island at Queen Elizabeth Drive near the Bank
Street bridge. Good examples of Siberian elm are on Monk, along the parking lot
of the Beer Store.
Siberian elm have very distinctive buds. They look like rows of black ticks.
White elm buds are not distinctive but the terminal buds are tilted to an angle
in most cases. This may be the case for all elm.
Slippery elm flower buds are distinctive: flattend, globular things that look like
an engorged tick. When first seen, I thought it was a diseased tree.
Willow: more common by the water (Brown's inlet). The buds give them away. They
look just like ladies' fingernails appressed to the twig. Many of them, alternating,
making the long twigns look regularly bumpy from a distance.
Oaks: The bark may be quite curderoyed. I seem to notice
that this continues high into the tree, not giving way to a
smoother, striped bark,
Some oak look like Halloween trees (Bur oak).
Branches are irregularly thick, come out from the side of the trunk. Some oak
keep leaves all winter, especially red oak, pyramidal oak, and English oak.
A distinctive feature of oak is the terminal bud which is often multiple. The oaks
in the Glebe are red, white, bur, English, pyramidal.
Pyramidal oak - the tree is narrow and elongated.
English oak has the winter leaves which can be very numerous. Look for the
ear-lobed leaf bases and the extremely short leaf petiole.
Red oak has big, pointy lobes.
Bur oak can have a Halloween appearance; a white oak, ie rounded lobes.
Terminal buds sometimes quite hairy.
Ginkgo has characteristic bark and little pegs on branches.
White birch and European birch are both very white. White birch peeling.
European with dark chevrons in bark beneath branches.
Serviceberry has rather nondescript, can grow in clumps or groups; the buds are narrow,
tapering and twist around the twig a little (Lyon at Fifth at benches).
Hazel has characteristic strips of loose bark, and old long catkins hanging
Ironwood has similar bark, smaller catkins
Hackberry has characteristic corky bark. It looks ridged and
when you stick your fingernail into it, it gives almost like cork.
Buds are pressed to the twig and are small.
4. Trees with catkins
If you see catkins, it limits the possibilities:
White birch, European birch, ironwood, hazel
Poplar: trembling aspen, eastern cottonwood, balsam poplar (almost all these
are tall trees in the Glebe)
Willows