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How to identify trees

All trees have clues and features that can help with identification. You just need to know what to look out for. This quick guide to tree identification will give you a few basic hints and tips.

Learn how to identify trees with our top tips on what to look out for.

Credit: Michael Heffernan / WTML

Basic tree identification tips

The UK has at least fifty species of native trees and shrubs, and many more species of introduced non-native trees.

There are lots of features that give you clues to what species it is.

  • Look at the leaves or needles. Is it a broadleaf (usually deciduous) or is it a conifer (usually with needles or scales)?
  • Different features will be visible through the seasons. In winter, for broadleaf trees, you'll have to use twigs, leaf buds and bark.
  • Take notice of the surrounding area such as hedgerows, fields, parks, woodland or close to water. Some species are more likely to grow near water, in scrubland, parkland or in woodland.
  • Piece the clues together, including the overall shape and size of the tree, bark, leaves or needles, flowers, fruits, leaf buds and twigs. The more features you can see, the more accurate your identification will be.

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Overall appearance, size and shape

Size and shape

Some trees have a distinctive look that can be used to identify them, especially from a distance.

Compare a silver birch, with its narrow shape and light and airy crown, to the broadly spreading crown of an oak.

Overall shape is also useful when identifying conifers. The layers of horizontally spreading branches of a mature cedar of Lebanon contrast with the sparsely branched Scot’s pine or densely bushy yew.

Look for signs of management which can affect the shape. Trees like hazel, hornbeam, beech and willow may have been coppiced or pollarded which can create a tree with many stems, rather than a tall, single trunk.

Top tip

The location of a tree  affects its appearance and shape. Trees in woodland often have narrower crowns compared to trees in parks with lots of space around them.

The distinctive branches of ash trees curve down towards the ground, then turn upwards at the tips.

Credit: Colin Underhill / Alamy Stock Photo

The branches of cedar of Lebanon grow in horizontal layers.

Credit: naturepl.com / WTML

Look out for the towering, straight trunk of Scots pine.

Credit: Geoff Hall / WTML

Some species, like hornbeam, may be cut at the base known as coppicing which produces a tree with several stems rather than a single trunk.

Credit: Robert Read / WTML

Bark

Take a closer look at the appearance, texture, markings and colour of the bark.

  • Does it have a pattern of ridges or depressions, peeling flakes or is it fissured, smooth or shiny?
  • Is it grey, white, red or green?
  • Bark develops over time as a tree ages.
sizes
Top tip

Look at the bark all the way up the tree as it can vary between the base and the crown.

The bark of ash is pale brown to grey, with fissures as the tree matures.

Credit: Derek Mcginn / WTML

Cherry bark is a deep reddish-brown colour with prominent horizontal lines.

Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML

The white bark of silver birch sheds in layers like tissue paper and becomes black and rugged at the base.

Credit: John Bridges / WTML

The silvery-brown bark of sessile oak becomes rugged and deeply fissured with age.

Credit: David Mason / WTML

The bark of apple trees is typically grey in colour with bumps, scales or ridges.

Credit: Lesley Newcombe / WTML

Leaves and needles

Leaf type, shape, appearance, texture and colour are all key characteristics when identifying trees. 

They are also often the most obvious feature, particularly in spring and summer. The needles and scales of conifers are also considered types of leaves.

Broadleaves

The leaves of broadleaved trees fall into two basic types - simple and compound.

Credit: Philippe Clement / naturepl.com

Simple leaves

Leaves are whole and are not divided right to the central leaf vein, such as apple or birch. The edges of some simple leaves can be indented or lobed, such as sycamore, field maple and hawthorn, so take care not to mistake these for compound leaves. Lime leaves are a simple and heart-shaped leaf with a pointed tip.

Credit: WTML / Ben Lee

Compound leaves - pinnate

Compound leaves fall into one of two categories - pinnate and palmate.

Pinnate are feather-shaped where leaflets are attached in pairs along the central vein such as rowan, ash and elder.

Credit: Christine Whitehead / Alamy Stock Photo

Compound leaves - palmate

These are palm-shaped, like the outstretched fingers of a hand. Horse chestnut has palmately compound leaves. Be careful not to mistake Acer species such as sycamore and field maple as having palmately compound leaves - they are actually simple with a lobed margin.

Top tip

Take notice of the colour, texture and edges of leaves (do they have serrations?).

In autumn, some species have leaves that turn spectacular autumn colours. Guelder rose and field maple often turn a vivid orange or red.

Trees that are closely related often share similar features. All elm species have unequal leaf bases - take a look at the bottom of the leaf where it meets the leaf stem (known as a petiole)..

Credit: WTML / Anna Badley

Aspen have very rounded (orbicular) leaves.

Credit: WTML / Daniel Romani

The leaves of downy birch are triangular (deltoid). Other birches, like silver birch, also have leaves that are this shape.

Credit: WTML / David Nash

Several willows, like this white willow, have long, thin (lanceolate) leaves.

Credit: WILDLIFE Gmbh / Alamy Stock Photo

Look out for leaf edges that are lobed like this hawthorn. Oaks, sycamore and maples also have lobed leaves.

Credit: WTML / Ben Lee

The leaf edges of beech are wavy. This is one way to tell the difference between beech and hornbeam (which have serrated leaf edges).

Credit: WTML / Ben Lee

Hornbeam leaves have serrated (toothed) edges.

Credit: Deborah Morris / WTML

Box leaves are egg-shaped (ovate).

Credit: Alex Caswell / WTML

Conifers

If the foliage on the tree is needles or scales then you are probably looking at a conifer. These include trees in the pine, fir, cypress, larch and spruce families.

Most conifer trees have needles or scales present all year that can be used for identification. One of the few exceptions is European larch which loses its needles in winter.

Conifers can be separated into two broad groups.

Credit: WTML / Margaret Barton

Needles

Pines, spruces, firs, cedars and larches have needles. They can be different shapes, sizes and be arranged differently on twigs. Flattened needles could mean a yew or whorls of three needles juniper.

Larch needles are arranged in clusters.

Credit: FLPA / Alamy Stock Photo

Scales

Species of the cypress family have scales. These are flattened and shield-shaped  that overlap on the twig.

Top tip

Leaves and needles are often the most useful clues for identifying trees. Look closely at the type, shape, edges and arrangement of them.

Flowers

Many trees only bloom at a particular time during the year but if you can see flowers, usually in the spring, it can be another helpful to help with tree identification.

Broadleaf trees have flowers that contain the reproductive organs, and most conifers have cones for reproduction. Here are some basic types.

  • Hermaphroditic trees, such as cherries, produce flowers with both male and female parts.
  • Monoecious trees, such as alder, bear separate male and female flowers on the same tree.
  • Dioecious trees, for instance holly and yew, have separate male and female trees.
Top tip

What time of year is the tree flowering? Blackthorn blooms in late winter, before the leaves have come out. But hawthorn flowers much later on in May, once its leaves are out.

Ash flowers are by no means showy, but they are an unmistakable deep purple colour. The flowers appear before the leaves have emerged.

Credit: Brian Hird / Alamy Stock Photo

Bird cherry flowers are clustered together in spikes (known as racemes) at the ends of the shoots.

Credit: Bob Gibbons / Alamy Stock Photo

Male and female flowers can look very different. The make flowers of hazel hang in long catkins, but the female flowers are tiny with their shocking pink stigmas peeping out of the top like tiny sea anemones.

Credit: Ross Hoddinott / naturepl.com

Cherry plum tends to flower very early - before the winter is out. Its flowers grow singly, rather than in clusters.

Credit: Christine Whitehead / Alamy Stock Photo

Another early flowering tree. Blackthorn blossom appears in late winter or early spring, long before its leaves unfold. Its frothy white blooms stand out against the wintry hedgerow.

Credit: John Richmond / Alamy Stock Photo

Male alder catkins are long and dark green whereas female catkins are small and egg-shaped. These female catkins will eventually develop into the woody 'cones' that holds the seeds.

Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML

Fruits and seeds

At the right time of year fruits and seeds are a great character to help with identification. They vary in shape, appearance and size from hard nuts to soft berries.

Look at the colour and feel the texture of the outer surface of the fruit. Is it smooth, hairy, prickly, rough or papery, soft, hard or dry?

Consider opening fruits up to reveal the seeds inside, which can also be a useful identifying feature. Take note of whether fruits or seeds appear singly, such as crab apples, or in groups like the umbrella-like clusters of elderberries.

Fruits of broadleaved trees

The fruit types of broadleaf trees vary greatly and include samaras, nuts, catkins, berries, stone fruits, apples or pears, capsules and cones.

Samaras are papery, winged fruits. Their 'wings' can be in pairs (field maple and sycamore) or single (hornbeam, ash).

Credit: Ben Lee / WTML

Nuts are usually dry and woody. Some are unmistakeable such as the shiny brown sweet chestnuts.

Credit: Wendy Johnson / Alamy Stock Photo

Catkins are long and dangly and becoming fluffy masses of seeds in summer (willows and birches).

Credit: Frank Hecker / Alamy Stock Photo

Berries are soft and juicy fruits often containing several seeds (elder and guelder rose).

Credit: Ben Lee / WTML

Stone fruits have a fleshy exterior and a single stone inside (plums, cherries and sloes).

Credit: Blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo

Apples or pears are larger fleshy fruits with many seeds inside (crab apple, Plymouth pear).

Credit: Frank Hecker / Alamy Stock Photo

Capsules are seeds contained within capsules of varying shapes and colours like the bright pink capsules of spindle which split open to reveal bright orange seeds.

Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML

Cones - alder has fruits that look like dry, woody cones that remain on the tree all year.

Credit: WTML / Nature Photographers Ltd

Fruits of coniferous trees

Conifers have a fruit that is known as a cone which contains the seeds.

Top tip

Out of season you can look around the base of the tree to find old fruits or seeds that may help. But bear in mind they may have come from a neighbouring tree.

Cones are formed of scales which overlap one another for example in pines or larches or are fused together such as those of the cypresses.

Credit: Martin Fowler / Alamy Stock Photo

Cones can vary in appearance and can also be highly modified. The red ‘berry’ of a yew and the blue round ‘berry’ of juniper are actually cones.

Credit: Fran Hitchinson / WTML

Look at the different shapes and sizes from elongated and cylindrical to oval and round.

Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML

Leaf buds and twigs

In winter you’ll find that there aren’t many features to help with identification of deciduous trees, but leaf buds and twigs can reveal some distinctive clues.

Leaf bud arrangement, shape and appearance

Buds are usually on twigs throughout winter. When they are at the end of the twig they are called terminal buds and are often the largest buds. Those growing along the twig are lateral buds and these can have one of three main arrangements.

Alternate buds are arranged in turn on opposite sides of the stem (rowan, hawthorn, hazel, elms and limes).

Credit: Blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo

Opposite buds are in pairs placed directly either side of the stem (ash, dogwood, spindle, sycamore and Norway maple).

Credit: Derek Mcginn / WTML

Spiral buds whorl alternately around the stem (oaks, aspen and blackthorn).

Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML

How the buds are held on the twig is a subtle clue. Willow buds are tightly pressed against the twig (adpressed, as in this image) whereas those of oak and beech stick out at an angle.

Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML

Some trees have characteristic buds, like horse chestnut with its fat, sticky buds.

Credit: Shaun Nixon / WTML

The buds of the ash tree are particularly distinctive in being purple-black.

Credit: Frank Teigler Hippocampus Bildarchiv

Twigs

Look at the texture of the twigs and whether they are smooth or hairy. Spines could indicate you’re looking at hawthorn or blackthorn and if it has corky ribs you may be looking at alder.

Top tip

Use the features of twigs and buds in combination to help you identify the tree. For more tips on identifying winter trees see our blog how to identify trees in winter.

Trees woods and wildlife

A-Z of British trees

Explore our simple A-Z identification guide to the trees of Britain, from natives to naturalised and widely planted non-native species. You'll find images, tree descriptions and information on where you're likely to find them.

See the list

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