![]() ![]() You might notice seed balls hanging from branches or on the ground beneath. Hints: bark has a “camo” appearance and can be smooth, as well as flaky. Leaf division: 3-5 shallow lobes (lobes can extend beyond 4 inches wide when mature) Notes: star-shaped leaves with pointed lobes but don’t get it confused with Shantung maple ( Acer truncatum) or Japanese maple ( Acer palmatum). Look for the spiky fruits that hang from the tree or can be found on the ground beneath. Paperbark maple ( Acer griseum) and box elder ( Acer negundo) are two examples of maples with trifoliate compound leaves which means that their leaf blade is divided into three smaller leaflets. There are also exceptions to the rules above. Notes: Acer is a genus with over 100 different species of maples so there will be many different variations. Hints: look for the winged seeds called samaras Leaf division: 3, 5 or 7 lobes (each lobe is less than 4 inches in size) Here is a quick guide to identifying some common trees with palmate leaves: An individual tooth on a leaf is a small, notched projection that comes in all different sizes and patterns, depending on the tree. What you want to focus on is texture – is it a smooth edge or does it look like someone cut it with pinking shears? If it looks like it has a zig-zag pattern, we would say that the leaf edge is toothed. Now let’s think about the edge of the leaf. ![]() Lobes are how the leaf edge is divided up in some leaves. Each of your fingers would then be the lobes on the leaf. Kind of like how fingers spread out from your hand. These terms are important to know and recognize as we’re thinking about palmate leaves – the major veins are spreading out to the lobes of the leaf from a single point at the base of the leaf. The vein in the center of the leaf that kind of cuts the leaf in half is the midrib. Remember the words xylem and phloem? Xylem moves water and phloem moves the food made during photosynthesis. These lines are called veins which are thin vessels that hold some of the tree’s plumbing inside. Looking closer at the leaf blade, you’ll notice some lines. This is where all of the photosynthesis magic happens, making food for the tree. All of this green leaf surface is called the leaf blade. The stalk is called the petiole which supports the leaf and attaches it to a branch. Let’s start by learning the different parts of a leaf:Īt first glance, we have a whole lot of green and a tiny stalk. This handful of hand-shaped leaved trees look a lot alike so I’ll give you some tips on how to tell them apart.īefore we jump into the trees themselves, I’m going to introduce some terms that will help you understand their leaves a bit better. Leaves come in all different shapes and sizes so let’s narrow it down and focus on a few trees with palmate leaves. Let’s look at leaves! Now that the leaves are back on all of our trees, it’s kind of hard not to look at them – they are so fresh and green, just begging for a closer look. ![]()
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