 Thimbleberry - Rubus parviflorus o Look for: zigzagged stems with dark brown/black remnants at nodes o Bud: alternate, medium, brown, embedded in remnant of petiole; sometimes with stipules still

adherent o Twig: zigzagged stems with dark brown/black petiole remnants at nodes.

 Willow – Salix spp. o Look for: fuzzy buds, remove bud scale if necessary o Bud: fuzzy buds, twig lacks terminal bud (aborted bud only); close inspection may reveal a small (1 mm in length) stump past last bud; bud enveloped in one beak-shaped bud scale which covers a silky-haired bud

o Twig: Catkins may be present. Winter ID Intent of this document is to aid in identification of Puget Sound native forest species*. Winter ID at first seems very challenging, and it can be, but there are many clues when a sample is examined closely. Some factors to consider  A young shoot may look quite different than a branch from a mature tree.  A twig may look quite different in late fall than in late winter  A twig and its buds may differ in color depending on exposure to sunlight

For this document A small bud is no longer than 6 mm (¼ inch) no wider than 3 mm (1/8 inch) A medium bud has either or both length between 6 and 12.5 mm (¼ and ½ inch) width between 3 and 6 mm (1/8 and ¼ inch). A large bud is longer than 12.5 mm (½ inch) wider than 6 mm (¼ inch).

Definitions: appressed: pressed against the twig glabrous: hairless; smooth inflorescence: a group of flowers borne on a single axis (stem). petiole: leaf stalk scandent: climbing or with long, thin, bent boughs stipule: leaf-like lateral appendages found at the base of the petiole of many species.

* Compiled by Loren and Lex for the 2011/2012 Carkeek Park Master Foresters Class

Buds opposite

 Bigleaf Maple - Acer macrophyllum o Look for: thick stem, terminal buds o Bud: opposite, medium/large terminal bud,

red/green, lateral buds appressed o Twig: shiny, glabrous, terminus of twig has three buds the central bud larger than the other two, leaf scars go around the twig, bud scale scars make multiple rings, many small, pale lenticels.

 Black Twinberry - Lonicera involucrata o Look for: opposite buds; remnants of fruits o Bud: opposite, tan/brown, flat, triangular,

pointed and curving up the twig o Twig: shiny/lustrous, light brown, a thin ridge runs down the twig from below each bud to the side of the previous bud. Since buds at successive nodes are perpendicular to each other, the twig is somewhat square; may defoliate at base, stems twisting below, vertical above.

 Common Snowberry - Symphoricarpos albus o Look for: much-branched growth, white berries, o Bud: opposite, small, pointed o Twig: very fine, spindly at end, much-branched.

 Douglas Maple – Acer glabrum o Look for: vivid red buds and twigs o Bud: red, slender and pointed more so that Bigleaf Maple, three buds very red at end of stem with the middle bud larger than the lateral buds,

o Twig: red, leaf scars go around the stem.

 Salmonberry - Rubus spectabilis o Look for: prickly much-stemmed bush, end of twig thin o Bud: alternate, light green, medium size, blunt

o Twig: light brown, armed stems, zigzagged, prickles may be missing on new growth, terminus of stem often very thin and appearing dead; stem may be defoliating like Ninebark. Remnants of petioles may be present, but are smaller and lighter in color than Thimbleberry.

 Scotch Broom - Cytisus scoparius o Look for: thin green twigs, leaves may be present o Bud: alternate, green, small, round o Twig: green, thin, ribbed, nearly parallel branches.

 Serviceberry - Amelanchier alnifolia o Look for: long, thin, pointed buds o Bud: alternate, medium, very thin, pointed, multi-colored red/green/brown

o Twig: slender, much-branched, unpleasant odor, spurs on old twigs.

 Poison Oak – Toxicodendron diversilobum pictures of poisonous take to Too o Look for: shrub, sometimes climber with adventitious roots grabbing the stem

o Bud: rounded, terminal on spurs; spur glabrous or pubescent o Twig: spur glabrous or pubescent

 Red Alder - Alnus rubra o Look for: reddish-purple club-shaped buds on short stalk o Bud: alternate, reddish-purple, club-shaped,

with short stalk o Twig: lenticels, short curved branches along the stem.

 Red-flowering currant - Ribes sanguineum o Look for: fuzzy last-year twigs o Bud: alternate, fuzzy, appressed, medium size, green when young, but turning red o Twig: reddish-brown, dot-shaped lenticels at base of twig often form vertical lines along twig.

 Red Huckleberry - Vacinium parvifolium o Look for: growing on decaying wood, thin much-branched green twigs o Bud: alternate, very small, pink o Twig: green, thin, much-branched, zigzagged.

 Highbush Cranberry - Viburnum edule o Look for: opposite branching pattern, bright red berries o Bud: opposite reddish/greenish brown, long, pointed, appressed o Twig: pithy, light brown, lengthwise furrows make the stem appear 6 sided.

 Horse Chestnut – Hippocastanum sp. o Look for: large, wide, pointed, dark red/brown, resinous/sticky terminal bud o Bud: opposite, terminal bud is large, wide, pointed, shiny, dark red/brown, resinous/sticky, lateral buds smaller but the same color and shape o Twig: leaf scars with 3 bundle scars may be prominent.

 Mock Orange - Philadelphus lewisii o Look for: fine, much-branched bush, buds not visible at nodes o Bud: opposite, small and indistinct because imbedded under leaf scars at the swollen nodes o Twig: thin, swollen at nodes, not as much-branched as Snowberry.

 Oregon Ash - Fraxinus latifolia o Look for: tapered terminal bud smaller than base of twig o Bud: opposite, one distinct scale, powdery-brown; terminal bud is very pointed, the base of the bud is narrower than the diameter of the end of the stem – thus the end of the stem looks somewhat like the flat top of a candle with a flame (the bud) on it; lateral buds appressed. o Twig: lenticels, thumbnail-shaped leaf scars, blunt terminus.

 Pacific Dogwood – Cornus x o Look for: new inflorescences at end of twigs o Bud: opposite, medium, slender o Twig: youngest twigs green and curved.

 Red Elderberry - Sambucus racemosa o Look for: multi-stemmed bush with thick stems o Bud: opposite, medium/large, bi-colored, red/green, early o Twig: thick, pale brown pith, rough/raised brown

lenticels.

 Red-osier Dogwood - Cornus stolonifera o Look for: red twig, thin terminal bud; scandent bush o Bud: opposite, small/medium but very thin, pointed, red or dark brown/black o Twig: red, thin, dot-shaped lenticels.

 Vine Maple - Acer circinatum o Look for: twin buds at the terminus, distinct “forked” branching pattern o Bud: opposite, twin buds of similar size at terminus of most twigs; small compared to other maples o Twig: bi-colored green and red, glabrous, fairly small in diameter, lenticels obscure.

 Nootka Rose - Rosa nutkana o Look for: large paired prickles, hip diameter about 1.5 cm (.5 in) o Bud: alternate, medium, red, pointed o Twig: has a few prickles along stem and at each

node has two larger prickles which are opposite each other at an angle of about 120 to 160 degrees.

 Ocean Spray - Holodiscus discolor o Look for: long scandent boughs, brown lacy inflorescence

o Bud: alternate, small, bi-colored, tip fuzzy o Twig: many fine stems, fine line along the stem below the buds, may have inflorescence still on end of twig.

 Pacific Crab Apple - Malus fusca o Look for: spurs that have terminal bud, unlike black hawthorn spurs o Bud: alternate, small, red/brown, terminal bud pointed, few lateral buds o Twig: short spur branches terminating with a bud. o  Pacific Ninebark - Physocarpus capitatus o Look for: defoliating bark, especially at base o Bud: alternate, appressed, cylindrical, dark reddish-brown o Twig: triangular near end of twig, bark of stem appears as reddish brown bark which splits to show light tan streaks, peeling off in long thin strips.

 Garry Oak - Quercus garryana o Look for: cluster of terminal buds o Bud: alternate, reddish brown/grey, stubby (short, pointed), terminal buds in a cluster; compact bud scales o Twig: grey, contorted and widening to support terminal buds.

 Hardhack - Spiraea douglasii o Look for: swampy environment o Bud: alternate or sub-alternate, white or

gray, round, fuzzy lighter tips o Twig: reddish brown; spindly, ascending.

 Indian Plum (Osoberry) - Oemleria cerasiformis o Look for: very lenticellate stems, buds opening early o Bud: alternate, green, red, open early, terminal larger (because being flower buds) than laterals which lie along stem o Twig: lenticels, chambered pith.

 Mountain Ash (Rowan) – Sorbus aucuparia o Look for: gray fuzzy terminal bud o Bud: alternate, terminal buds pointed, long gray-hairy (more and larger than Hazel), side buds appressed, gray, pointed similar to Cotton wood in shape and laying along to the stem o Twig: gray (Native Rowan is a mountain species).

Buds alternate

 Baldhip Rose – Rosa gymnocarpa o Look for: prickles, pea-sized hips o Bud: alternate, green or red, medium and pointed o Twig: new shoots green, older shoots turn red, have many fine prickles.

 Beaked Hazel - Corylus cornuta o Look for: catkins, round terminal bud o Bud: alternate, medium, visible bud scales,

rounded and fuzzy o Twig: fuzzy, zigzagged.

 Birch – Betula sp. o Look for: catkins, feel rough bumps on stem o Bud: alternate, slightly pointed, dark brown,

several bud scales o Twig: white bumpy lenticels – the bumps feel like coarse sand paper when rubbing the stem.

 Bitter Cherry - Prunus emarginata o Look for: horizontal lenticels on older stems o Bud: alternate, dark reddish green, small and slightly pointed o Twig: reddish-brown bark, fuzzy, horizontal lenticels or dots on young twig.

 Black Cottonwood - Populus balsamifera o Look for: large sticky, smelly terminal bud o Bud: alternate, terminal bud brown, sticky, smelly and pointed, lateral buds long, narrow (look somewhat like a cat’s claw) and appressed o Twig: slightly zigzagged, ridge between buds on last years growth, twig angled (not round).

 Black Gooseberry - Ribes lacustre o Look for: numerous fine and some long three-pronged prickles o Bud: alternate, medium, red, thin, pointed, positioned by three-pronged prickles at nodes

o Twig: thin, many fine and some long three-pronged prickles.

 Black Hawthorn - Crataegus douglasii o Look for: thorns and small red, shiny buds o Bud: alternate, small, shiny, red and rounded o Twig: sometimes with sharp, smooth, often curved thorns; straight spurs which usually do

not have a terminal bud.

 Blackcap - Rubus leucodermis o Look for: light bluish-green stem, erect then curved and often rooting at the tip o Bud: alternate, green and fat at base tapering to a slightly round point o Twig: armed, light bluish-green, discoloring purplish near the base, erect then curved and rooting at the tip.

 Carkeek willow – Salix purpurea o Look for: sub-opposite buds o Bud: black, pointed, one bud scale, fuzzy o Twig: no terminal bud, (magnifying lens may be needed to see the small terminal stump near base of last lateral bud).

 Cascara – Rhamnus purshiana o Look for: primordial leaves distinct, opening outward o Bud: alternate, tan buds, terminal bud has no scales, primordial leaves opening outward o Twig: young stem green, finer twigs often curved upwards.

 Devil’s Club – Oplopanax horridus o Look for: terminus of stem stout and bristly with thorns on twigs o Bud: alternate, poorly visible because surrounded by prickles o Twig: large light brown, heavily armed stems.

 European Hawthorn - Crateagus monogyna o Look for: short thorns and small red, round, shiny buds o Bud: alternate, small, shiny, red and rounded o Twig: sharp short thorns; spurs have a terminal bud, much-branched.

 European Sweet Cherry – Prunus avium o Look for: long horizontal lenticels on bark o Bud: both end of twig and spurs with several sharp reddish/brownish buds with distinct bud scales o Twigs: lenticels, spurs with buds, silvery fleece (sometimes).