STUDIES OF TREES 



CHAPTER I 

 HOW TO IDENTIFY TREES 



THERE are many ways in which the problem of identi- 

 fying trees may be approached. The majority attempt 

 to recognize trees by their leaf characters. Leaf charac- 

 ters, however, do not differentiate the trees during the other 

 half of the year when they are bare. In this chapter the 

 characterizations are based, as far as possible, on peculiarities 

 that are evident all year round. In almost every tree there 

 is some one trait that marks its individuality and separates 

 it, at a glance, from all other trees. It may be the general 

 form of the tree, its mode of branching, bark, bud or fruit. 

 It may be some variation in color, or, in case of the ever- 

 green trees, it may be the number and position of the 

 needles or leaflets. The species included in the following 

 pages have thus been arranged in groups based on these 

 permanent characters. The individual species are further 

 described by a distinguishing paragraph in which the 

 main character of the tree is emphasized in heavy type. 



The last paragraph under each species is also important 

 because it classifies all related species and distinguishes 

 those that are liable to be confused with the particular 

 tree under consideration. 



