Looking for a tree? Most trees can be identified by their leaves. Look at the pictures below to find your leaf. Keep in mind, the pictures are not to scale; for instance, in the top row the picture of American Holly is the same size as the Flowering Dogwood, even though the dogwood leaf is usually larger than a holly leaf. Read the measurements under each picture to see the correct size of the leaf. Also look for other key ID facts, such as leaf shape, existence of teeth, petiole length, etc. Check the glossary links at the bottom of the page to find out meanings of key words.

To learn more about the tree the leaf belongs to, click the link under each picture.

American Elm Ulmus americana 3 - 6 inches long, 1 - 3 inches wide Double-toothed; thin; long point Base not equal	Slippery Elm Ulmus rubra No Link 4 - 7 inches long, 2 - 3 inches wide Double-toothed; thick; long point Rough surface; base not equal	Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida 2 1/2 - 5 inches long, 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 inches wide No teeth	American Holly Ilex opaca 2 - 4 inches long, 3/4 - 1 1/2 inches wide Prickly teeth, thick and leathery
American Beech Fagus grandifolia 2 1/2 - 5 inches long, 1 - 3 inches wide Teeth wide apart; sunken veins Long point; very short petiole	American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana 2 - 4 1/2 inches long, 1 - 2 1/2 inches wide Double-toothed; long point	Arrowwood No Link Viburnum dentatum 1 1/2 - 3 inches long Round or heart-shaped; teeth Paired	Blackhaw No Link Viburnum prunifolium 1 1/2 - 3 inches long, 3/4 - 2 inches wide Fine teeth; sunken veins Paired
	Royal Paulownia No Link Paulownia tomentosa 6 - 16 inchs long, 4 - 8 inches wide Broad leaf, pointy tip Usually no lobes, sometimes with three teeth or three lobes Long petiole (4 - 8 inches)	Eastern Redbud No Link Cercis canadensis 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 inches long, 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 inches wide Heart-shaped; short point No teeth; long petiole	Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipfera 3 - 6 inches long, 3 - 6 inches wide Four pointy lobes, sometimes with two extra mini-lobes near base Long petiole, no teeth
American Sycamore Platanus occidentalis 4 - 8 inches long, 4 - 8 inches wide Three to five pointy lobes, a few teeth	Red Maple Acer rubrum 2 1/2 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide Three lobes, sometimes with two extra mini-lobes near base Few wavy teeth, Long petiole (often red)	Silver Maple Acer saccharinum 4 - 6 inches long, 4 - 6 inches wide Five pointy lobes, middle lobe often branched Double-toothed, long petiole	Black Willow Salix nigra 3 - 5 inches long, 1/2 - 3/4 inches wide Narrow, pointed, very fine teeth Pointed tip of leaf often turns to one side
Willow Oak Quercus phellos 2 - 4 1/2 inches long, 1/2 - 3/4 inch long Narrow with tiny bristle tip, no teeth	Southern Red Oak Quercus falcata 4 - 8 inches long, 2 - 6 inches wide Long, skinny center lobe 1 - 3 shorter side lobes, often curved Few teeth with bristles	Black Oak Quercus velutina 4 - 9 inches long, 3 - 6 inches wide 7 - 9 lobes, long or short Few teeth with bristles Slightly thick; usually with brown hairs underneath	Pin Oak Quercus palustris No Link 3 - 5 inches long, 2 - 4 inches wide Five to seven lobes, few teeth with bristles Deep sinuses, almost to mid-vein
White Oak Quercus alba 4 - 9 inches long, 2 - 4 inches wide Five to nine lobes (usually rounded)	Post Oak No Link Quercus stellata 3 - 6 inches long, 2 - 4 inches wide 5 - 7 broad, rounded lobes Usually 2 middle lobes largest Slightly thick	Swamp White Oak No Link Quercus bicolor 4 - 7 inches long, 2 - 4 1/2 inches wide Broad at end of leaf, narrow at base 5 - 10 short lobes on each side Wavy edges

Mockernut Hickory Carya tomentosa 8 - 20 inches long, with 7 or 9 leaflets Leaflets paired , except one at end; 2 - 8 inches long, pointed, with fine teeth, no stalks Main stalk hairy	Pignut Hickory No Link Carya glabra 6 - 10 inches long, with 5 leaflets Leaflets 3 - 6 inches long, with fine teeth, no stalks Larger leaflets at end of leaf Main stalk has no hairs	White Ash No Link Fraxinus americana 8 - 12 inches long with 7 leaflets (sometimes 5 or 9) Leaflets paired, except one at end; 2 1/2 - 5 inches long, 1 1/4 - 2 1/2 inches wide; pointy with very fine teeth
Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia No Link 6 - 12 inches long with 7 -19 leaflets Leaflets paired, except one on end; 1 - 1 3/4 inche long, 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide Leaflets have tiny bristle tip, no teeth

Note: If you believe a leaf on this page has been inaccurately identified, please e-mail the web curator: Mark.Moran@fcps.edu

Leaf Terms:

Bristle - Hair-like spine at the tip of a point on some leaves.

Double-toothed - When a leaf with teeth on its edges has more smaller teeth on the sides of the larger teeth.

Leaflet - Smaller, "mini-leaf." Some leaves are made up of several leaflets. Together, the leaflets and the stem make up an entire leaf.

Lobe - A rounded or pointed section of a leaf. Many leaves have lobes. Sometimes the look like fingers on a hand. You can often tell what kind of tree it is by counting the lobes on a leaf and looking at their shape.

Midvein - The center vein on a leaf. It can be used as a reference point to help ID tree species.

Paired - Whe leaves or leaflets are in pairs on opposite sides of a stem.

Petiole - The stem of a leaf.

Sinus - The space between lobes on a leaf.

Teeth - On a leaf, teeth are the bumps or points along the leaf's edge.

For additional terms try the glossary link on the bottom of the page.

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