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#1
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Noob question: How to determine a tree's species?
Hello!
I'm trying to find out how could I determine the exact (as far as possible) species of a few trees I*found in my University's campus. (And, more generally, how to find out the species of any tree in general.) I'm pretty much a noob on the subject. I have the basic knowledge of high-school biology, and I have access to Wikipedia and I'm not afraid to use it. I*can learn whatever is needed, but I*have no idea where to start. I assume there must be something like a "dictionary" somewhere, where I*can search for traits and find the matching species. I looked around on the net but found only small boy-scout-type "know the trees in your area"*info. But my trees are in France, and besides, I*have no idea if those particular trees are "native" or not. I*have access to the trees, so I*can examine how they look. The leaves, bark and fruit should be easy to describe. However, this being France, they have probably been pruned extensively, so I'm not sure if the general shape of the trunk and branches is natural. In case there is no "universal dictionary", maybe someone can point me in a more restricted direction: One of the trees is some kind of chestnut according to the fruits; it's probably quite old, the trunk is more than a meter in diameter. It's weird in that the low part (up to knee-height)*is wider than the rest of the trunk by almost a half, and very gnarly; I suppose it's because of early pruning; the crown is more wide than tall. The other trees in the area don't look like that, even if the fruit seem identical at first look. The other tree is strange (to me) because it has spiny leaves like those of conifers, but it has small (0.5cm)*cylindrical red fruits with a single seed inside. Thanks for any pointers. |
#2
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Noob question: How to determine a tree's species?
In article ,
Bogdan wrote: I assume there must be something like a "dictionary" somewhere, where I*can search for traits and find the matching species. I looked around on the net but found only small boy-scout-type "know the trees in your area"*info. But my trees are in France, and besides, I*have no idea if those particular trees are "native" or not. What you're looking for is a taxonomic key, a sort of flow chart or decision tree that you follow to identify a plant, a process called 'keying it out'. Keys generally apply to plants of one geographical area or related group. So if these are native trees, you can find them in a key for trees of France or western Europe. Unfortunately, plants found in non-wild areas are often not native. One of the trees is some kind of chestnut according to the fruits; it's probably quite old, the trunk is more than a meter in diameter. It's weird in that the low part (up to knee-height)*is wider than the rest of the trunk by almost a half, and very gnarly; I suppose it's because of early pruning; the crown is more wide than tall. The other trees in the area don't look like that, even if the fruit seem identical at first look. You're probably seeing an old graft union -- the top of the tree was grafted onto a rootstock which grew faster than the top. This would have taken place long ago, when the tree was only about as thick as a pencil. The other trees may not have been grafted, or may have been grafted onto a more compatible rootstock. The tree is probably a chestnut (Castanea) or horse chestnut (Hippocastanea). The other tree is strange (to me) because it has spiny leaves like those of conifers, but it has small (0.5cm)*cylindrical red fruits with a single seed inside. Probably a yew (Taxus). The seeds are quite poisonous. IIRC, the fruits -- seeds removed -- are edible, but please don't take my word for it and try them! Thanks for any pointers. People generally learn the common names of common local trees when they are children, so your friends may be able to give you a start. You can also ask the grounds workers. There may be a local naturalists or hiking club with knowledgable members. Ditto gardening or landscaping people. You should be able to find info on trees of your geographical area in the library or on the web. A government horticultural or forestry site may help. Also, local nurseries may have sites with pictures of plants they sell. I hope this helps! Have fun learning the flora of a new area! |
#3
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Noob question: How to determine a tree's species?
Bogdan wrote:
Hello! I'm trying to find out how could I determine the exact (as far as possible) species of a few trees I found in my University's campus. (And, more generally, how to find out the species of any tree in general.) I'm pretty much a noob on the subject. I have the basic knowledge of high-school biology, and I have access to Wikipedia and I'm not afraid to use it. I can learn whatever is needed, but I have no idea where to start. I assume there must be something like a "dictionary" somewhere, where I can search for traits and find the matching species. I looked around on the net but found only small boy-scout-type "know the trees in your area" info. But my trees are in France, and besides, I have no idea if those particular trees are "native" or not. I have access to the trees, so I can examine how they look. The leaves, bark and fruit should be easy to describe. However, this being France, they have probably been pruned extensively, so I'm not sure if the general shape of the trunk and branches is natural. In case there is no "universal dictionary", maybe someone can point me in a more restricted direction: One of the trees is some kind of chestnut according to the fruits; it's probably quite old, the trunk is more than a meter in diameter. It's weird in that the low part (up to knee-height) is wider than the rest of the trunk by almost a half, and very gnarly; I suppose it's because of early pruning; the crown is more wide than tall. The other trees in the area don't look like that, even if the fruit seem identical at first look. The other tree is strange (to me) because it has spiny leaves like those of conifers, but it has small (0.5cm) cylindrical red fruits with a single seed inside. Thanks for any pointers. In addition to BAE's good advice, if the university has a botany or horticulture department, there's likely a professor (or more than one) who happen to know virtually all of the plants on the campus. If you can locate that person, and if he/she has the personality to enjoy such a challenge, they may take you out on a campus hike, identifying plants as you go. We do that all the time on our campus, when we can spare the time -- it's a great educational experience. If they don't have time for that, either such department ought at least to be able to tell you the appropriate key(s) to be looking for. Malcolm Manners Horticulture Florida Southern College |
#4
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Noob question: How to determine a tree's species?
On Oct 8, 8:21*pm, wrote:
In article , Bogdan wrote: I assume there must be something like a "dictionary" somewhere, where I*can search for traits and find the matching species. I looked around on the net but found only small boy-scout-type "know the trees in your area"*info. But my trees are in France, and besides, I*have no idea if those particular trees are "native" or not. What you're looking for is a taxonomic key, a sort of flow chart or decision tree that you follow to identify a plant, a process called 'keying it out'. *Keys generally apply to plants of one geographical area or related group. *So if these are native trees, you can find them in a key for trees of France or western Europe. Aren't there such taxonomic keys available for groups of related plants? I mean, given that one looks like a chestnut, do I*have to just search descriptions of all chestnut-related species to identify it, or is there a that directly points out what I*should be looking for? Actually, I*imagine there are such keys, but is there a place on the internet people-in-the-know might visit and find easily all sorts of keys, or should I*just look generally for chestnut fans and hope someone wrote one? Same for yews. Thank you both for the help! I'm standing in an University and I*didn't even think of searching for a professor... though I*doubt there is one. |
#5
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Noob question: How to determine a tree's species?
France has some of the best tree identification books available, with lots
of fine pictures. They are even translated into English and other languages. I suggest a bookshop or library. PvR |
#6
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Noob question: How to determine a tree's species?
Malcolm Manners wrote:
Bogdan wrote: Hello! I'm trying to find out how could I determine the exact (as far as possible) species of a few trees I found in my University's campus. (And, more generally, how to find out the species of any tree in general.) I'm pretty much a noob on the subject. I have the basic knowledge of high-school biology, and I have access to Wikipedia and I'm not afraid to use it. I can learn whatever is needed, but I have no idea where to start. I assume there must be something like a "dictionary" somewhere, where I can search for traits and find the matching species. I looked around on the net but found only small boy-scout-type "know the trees in your area" info. But my trees are in France, and besides, I have no idea if those particular trees are "native" or not. I have access to the trees, so I can examine how they look. The leaves, bark and fruit should be easy to describe. However, this being France, they have probably been pruned extensively, so I'm not sure if the general shape of the trunk and branches is natural. In case there is no "universal dictionary", maybe someone can point me in a more restricted direction: One of the trees is some kind of chestnut according to the fruits; it's probably quite old, the trunk is more than a meter in diameter. It's weird in that the low part (up to knee-height) is wider than the rest of the trunk by almost a half, and very gnarly; I suppose it's because of early pruning; the crown is more wide than tall. The other trees in the area don't look like that, even if the fruit seem identical at first look. The other tree is strange (to me) because it has spiny leaves like those of conifers, but it has small (0.5cm) cylindrical red fruits with a single seed inside. Thanks for any pointers. In addition to BAE's good advice, if the university has a botany or horticulture department, there's likely a professor (or more than one) who happen to know virtually all of the plants on the campus. If you can locate that person, and if he/she has the personality to enjoy such a challenge, they may take you out on a campus hike, identifying plants as you go. We do that all the time on our campus, when we can spare the time -- it's a great educational experience. If they don't have time for that, either such department ought at least to be able to tell you the appropriate key(s) to be looking for. Malcolm Manners Horticulture Florida Southern College As a start on your chestnut issue -- assuming you know just a bit about leaf structure, you can easily separate the true chestnuts (which have simple leaves) out from the horsechestnuts (which have palmately compound leaves). Once you know which you're looking at, then a local tree book should take you quickly to species, and there aren't many possibilities for either, so it should be a quick and easy task. If you look at leaves from sprouts below the graft, realize that the scion (top part of the tree) may have been grafted to a different species in the same genus, so be sure to look at leaves from a branch arising from above that graft union. |
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