This document provides descriptions of the winter twigs and buds of various tree species organized by whether their buds are opposite or alternate on the twigs. It describes characteristics like twig color, texture, and scent as well as bud size, shape, color, and scale patterns. Over 30 tree species are identified and their distinguishing twig and bud features are summarized to allow for winter identification.

1. Winter twigs Juan Jóse Mena

2. Opposite buds ........................................................................................................ 4
Aesculus hippocastanum .................................................................................... 4
Acer platanoides ................................................................................................. 4
Acer pseudoplatanus .......................................................................................... 5
Acer campestre................................................................................................... 5
Acer negundo ..................................................................................................... 6
Fraxinus excelsior ............................................................................................... 6
Fraxinus angustifolia ........................................................................................... 7
Alternate buds ........................................................................................................ 8
With spines...................................................................................................... 8
Robinia pseudoacacia ................................................................................. 8
Crataegus monogina ................................................................................... 8
Without spines .................................................................................................... 9
1 scale ............................................................................................................. 9
Platanus occidentalis ................................................................................... 9
Salix alba ..................................................................................................... 9
Salix purpurea ........................................................................................... 10
2(3) scales..................................................................................................... 10
Alnus glutinosa .......................................................................................... 10
Tilia cordata ............................................................................................... 11
Tilia plathyphyllos ...................................................................................... 11
Castanea sativa ......................................................................................... 12
Liriodendron tulipifera ................................................................................ 12
Many scales .................................................................................................. 13
Junglans regia ........................................................................................... 13
Juglans nigra ............................................................................................. 13
Corylus avellana ........................................................................................ 14
Corylus nigra ............................................................................................. 14
Quercus robur ............................................................................................ 15
Quercus petraea ........................................................................................ 15
Quercus cerris ........................................................................................... 16
Quercus pubescens ................................................................................... 16
Cerasus avium. .......................................................................................... 17

3. Ulmus minor .............................................................................................. 17
Ulmus leavis .............................................................................................. 18
Populus alba .............................................................................................. 18
Fagus sylvatica .......................................................................................... 19
Carpinus betulus ........................................................................................ 19
Betula pendula ........................................................................................... 20
Betula pubescens ...................................................................................... 20
Sorbus aucuparia ...................................................................................... 21
Populus nigra ............................................................................................. 21
Populus tremula ......................................................................................... 22
If you Press ctrl+click on the name of the plant and you
will be directed to the plant information.

4. Winter tree identification
Opposite buds
Aesculus hippocastanum
Stout, with a large shield-shaped leaf scar; terminal buds are; shiny, sticky and
reddish brown, lateral buds are much smaller.
Acer platanoides
Twigs are stout, brown with green buds with overlapping bud scales. The leaf
scars are crescent-shaped with 3 distinct bundle scars, the pairs of leaf scars join
around the stem to form a sharp angle.

5. Acer pseudoplatanus
Stout, brown with a large, turban-shaped, green to purple (fall and winter) terminal
bud, large bud scales.
Acer campestre
Slender, light brown, opposite buds are small and grayish brown, twigs will often
develop corky fissures.

6. Acer negundo
Green to purplish green, moderately stout, leaf scars narrow, meeting in raised
points, often covered with a glaucous bloom; buds white and hairy, lateral buds
appressed
.
Fraxinus excelsior
Stout, gray brown, leaf scar narrow u-shaped, buds pubescent, very dark
(essentially black).

7. Fraxinus angustifolia
Stout, light gray-brown; buds large, dark brown leathery scales; leaf scars
crescent-shaped.

8. Alternate buds
With spines
Robinia pseudoacacia
Zigzag, somewhat stout and angular, red-brown in color, numerous lighter
lenticels. Paired spines at each leaf scar (often absent on older or slow growing
twigs); buds are submerged beneath the leaf scar.
Crataegus monogina
Slender, gray; buds dark, shiny red and round; bearing obvious, stiff, 1 inch long
thorns; leaf scars contain 3 bundle scars.

9. Without spines
1 scale
Platanus occidentalis
Obviously zigzag, quite stout and orange-brown in color; leaf scar surrounds the
bud and the stipule scar surrounds the twig; terminal bud is absent; lateral buds
are reddish, resinous, with a single, cap-like scale.
Salix ssp. (Nail-like scales, eliptic cross section)
Salix alba
Very slender, smooth or slightly downy, yellowish brown (golden), flexible; buds
are small, appressed and covered by a single, cap-like scale. Terminal buds
lacking.

10. Salix purpurea
Very slender, reddish purple and green, shiny; buds red with a single cap-like
scale, small, appressed. Sometimes with opposite buds.
2(3) scales.
Alnus glutinosa
Green and sticky when young, later turning greenish brown; buds are stalked,
purplish brown in color and somewhat three sided.

11. Tilia cordata
Slender, zigzag, green-brown or red-tinged (particularly in the winter); terminal bud
is false, buds are plump with one side bulging conspicuously, edible and when
eaten they are mucilaginous.
Tilia plathyphyllos
Slende, zigzag, red-brown and pubescent twigs; Glabrous, ovoid and redish
buds.

12. Castanea sativa
Twigs are thick and coarse looking, dark-brown and downy at first and then
becoming smooth. With silver hairs and silver spots (lenticels).
Liriodendron tulipifera
Red-brown in color, often with a shiny appearance or a waxy bloom. Stipules are
large and encircle the twig; buds are elongated and valvate, resembling a "duck
bill". Twigs have a sweet, spicy odor when broken.

13. Many scales
Junglans regia
Stout, light brown, with a buff-colored chambered pith, terminal buds are large,
broadly pointed, often paired and pubescent, lateral buds are much smaller, pre-
formed male catkins often in axils of leaves, leaf scar 3-lobed.
Juglans nigra
Stout, light brown, with a buff-colored chambered pith; buds are tan, and large with
a few pubescent scales; leaf scars are 3-lobed, resembling a "monkey face"

14. Corylus avellana
Slender, zigzag, light brown, with numerous stiff, glandular hairs; buds blunt,
rounded, with few scales, green changing to tan with brown scales wrapping the
base of the bud
Corylus nigra
Slender to moderate, zigzag, gray-brown, nearly glabrous to covered with tan
glandular pubescence; buds large, brown and yellow-green, oval to nearly round
with few bud scales; twigs become fissured or corky.

15. Quercus robur
Moderate, yellow-brown, smooth; brown buds are angled, short and round with
each scale edged in light brown.
Quercus petraea
Buds tend to be clustered near the end of the winter twig; they have rusty brown
over-lapping scale leaves

16. Quercus cerris
Grey, hairy twigs. Buds with twisting whiskers.
Quercus pubescens
Young twigs greyish covered with short hairs, becoming brown, shiny; buds ovoid,
pointed, pubescent, grey brown at tip, 3 mm long.

17. Cerasus avium.
Medium textured, gray-brown, with a mild bitter almond taste; buds large (up to 1/4
inch), reddish brown; spur shoots present with multiple terminal buds.
Ulmus minor
The shoots are finely hairy, Tiny buds grey purple in colour.

18. Ulmus leavis
The buds are sharply pointed with two-toned brown scales edged with a paler hue.
Populus alba
Medium-textured, gray to reddish brown and may have some gray pubescence;
buds are ovate and pointed, reddish brown with some gray fine hairs, laterals are
somewhat hooked. Has a bitter aspirin taste.

19. Fagus sylvatica
Slender, zigzag, light brown in color; buds are long (1 inch), light brown, and
slender, covered with overlapping scales that are tinged with tomentum, widely
divergent from stems.
Carpinus betulus
Slender, smooth, red brown, vertical lighter lenticels; 1/4 inch long buds are green
turning to a light brown, slightly angled, pointed and curling slightly around twig;
flower buds larger and on older parts of twigs.

20. Betula pendula
Twigs are slender, reddish brown in color and noticeably drooping, loighter colored
lenticels are present, but do not result in a rough feeling twig (as in gray birch),
buds slender, pointed, green and brown.
Betula pubescens
The buds form early and are full grown by midsummer, all are lateral, no terminal
bud is formed; the branch is prolonged by the upper lateral bud

21. Sorbus aucuparia
Moderate to stout, pubescent early, becoming shiny gray-brown later in season,
spur shoot present, leaf scars narrow, buds 3/8 to 1/2 inch long, reddish brown
with long gray pubescences.
Populus nigra
Moderate to stout, light brown to yellow-brown, swollen at leaf scars; large, sticky,
reddish brown conical buds. Pentagonal cross section.

22. Populus tremula
Twig is shiny brown with pointed brown buds. Glabrous twigs and buds.