Iowa urban tree identification guide

Bur Oak - Quercus macrocarpa

• Long-lived tree that may survive 100-300 years
• Stout twigs with alternate branches
• Deeply lobed leaves, alternately arranged on stems, fine hairs give whitish appearance to leaf undersides
• Roundish to oblong acorn with fringed cap
• Golden yellow-brown fall color
• Easily confused with swamp white oak

River Birch - Betula nigra

• Shiny, pinkish-brown or silvery-gray bark separates into papery scales that become shaggy
• Reddish-brown, slender and hairy twigs
• Diamond-shaped whitish leaves, usually hairy beneath and shiny dark green above
• Cylindrical shaped fruit, brownish color with many hairy scales and two-winged nutlets
• Golden with a hint of red fall color

Hackberry - Celtis occidentalis

• Light brown to gray, warty bark
• Branches tend to drop in mature trees giving a cylindrical shape
• Slender, light brown twigs, mostly hairy and slightly zigzag
• Shiny green sharp-pointed leaves with hairy veins below and rough texture sometimes
• Leaves often have small, rounded galls caused by tiny jumping insects
• Orange-red to dark-purple fruit 
• Pale yellow fall color

Shagbark Hickory - Carya ovata

• Slow growing, attaining heights up to 100 feet
• Distinctive rough, light gray bark that peels off in long strips
• Stout, brown twigs ending in large brown hairy buds that often open with a brilliant pink to red flower-like appearance in the spring
• Finely saw-toothed and hairy compound leaves, yellow-green above and paler beneath
• Sweet edible nuts
• Golden yellow fall color

Kentucky Coffee Tree - Gymnocladus dioicus

• Short-trunked tree with stout branches 
• Large, twice compound dull green leaves
• Stout, brown twigs
• 4-7 inch red-brown pods with shiny dark-brown bean-like seeds
• Yellow fall color
   

Silver Maple - Acer saccharinum

• Extremely fast growing tree
• Deeply lobed leaves, pale-green above and silvery-white below
• Winged nutlets form a wide-spread pair with a long stalk
• Yellow-green to pale yellow fall color

Sycamore - Platanus occidentalis

• Fast-growing tree capable of exceeding 150 feet, one of the tallest North American trees
• Greenish slender twigs, zigzag shaped
• Broad, short-pointed leaves with wavy edges
• Smooth, white, gray and olive mottled bark peels off in large thin flakes
• Hairy brown ball of seeds
• Tan to brown fall color

Northern Red Oak - Quercus borealis

• Straight tree trunk with large spreading branches
• Slender, reddish-brown twigs
• Smooth, dull green leaves, lighter underside with tufts of hairs
• Single or pairs of acorns with shallow, reddish-brown cup
• Golden yellow-brown fall color

Honey Locust - Gleditsia triacanthos

• Hardy, fast-growing tree
• Shiny brown, stout zigzag twigs
• Shiny, dark-green leaves above with dull yellow-green beneath
• Large dark brown pods with heavy seed crops every other year
• Yellow fall color

Black Walnut - Juglans nigra

• Large tree with an open, rounded crown of dark green, aromatic leaves
• Stout twigs with distinctive buff colored chambered pith 
• Long-pointed leaves covered with soft hairs beneath
• Nearly spherical nuts with yellowish-green husk and short hairs when ripe
• Yellow fall color

American Linden Basswood - Tilia americana

• Commonly grows to over 100 feet above ground with a long trunk
• Reddish or green slender twigs, slightly zigzag and hairless
• Large heart-shaped leaves, smooth on both sides with long, slender leaf stalks
• Gray nut-like fruit, elliptical or rounded covered with fine hairs, mature in late summer and autumn
• Golden yellow fall color

Eastern White Pine - Pinus strobus

• Grows fast and can live beyond 300 years of age, most live 100-150 years
• Stately tree with strong, gracefully arching limbs
• Slender, orange-brown twigs, smooth or slightly hairy, becoming gray
• Soft and flexible blue-green needles in bundles of five
• Golden yellow brown fall color