Shown below is the ‘official’ tree species list for the Invitational Tree Identification event. Most of the species have a hyperlink to Virginia Tech’s Dendrology web site. We appreciate VT’s willingness to let us link to their excellent tree identification site. When you access VT’s Dendrology web site, you will need to use the “Back” arrow on your Browser to return to the Invitational web site.
Click on the tree’s common name below to access the hyperlink to VT’s Dendrology web site.
Also, be sure to check out these other resources.
Common Name (Scientific Name)
Gymnosperms (Conifers or Softwoods)
- balsam fir (Abies balsamea Mill.)
- white fir (Abies concolor Lindl.)
- noble fir (Abies procera Rehd)
- incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens Torr.)
- Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.)
- eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.)
- tamarack or eastern larch (Larix laricina K. Koch.)
- white spruce (Picea glauca Voss)
- blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.)
- red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.)
- Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Carr.)
- lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.)
- shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.)
- pinyon pine (Pinus edulis Engelm.)
- sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Dougl.)
- longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.)
- ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl.)
- red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.)
- pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.)
- eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.)
- loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.)
- Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.)
- Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco)
- giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
- redwood (Sequoia sempervirens Lindl. l.)
- baldcypress or bald cypress (Taxodium distichum Rich.)
- Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia)
- northern white-cedar or arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis L.)
- western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn)
- eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis Carr.)
- western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla Sarg.)
Angiosperms (Broadleaf trees or Hardwoods)
Dicotyledons
- boxelder (Acer negundo L.)
- Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.)
- red maple (Acer rubrum L.)
- silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.)
- sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.)
- yellow buckeye (Aesculus flava Willd.)
- tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle)
- red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.)
- yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton)
- sweet birch or black birch (Betula lenta L.)
- paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.)
- river birch (Betula nigra L.)
- pignut hickory (Carya glabra Sweet)
- pecan (Carya illinoinensis K. Koch.)
- shagbark hickory (Carya ovata K. Koch.)
- mockernut hickory (Carya alba (L.) Nutt.)
- hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.)
- flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.)
- common persimmon or persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.)
- American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.)
- white ash (Fraxinus americana L.)
- honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.)
- American holly (Ilex opaca Ait.)
- butternut or white walnut (Juglans cinerea L.)
- black walnut (Juglans nigra L.)
- sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.)
- yellow-poplar or tuliptree or tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.)
- cucumbertree or cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata L.)
- southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.)
- red mulberry (Morus rubra L.)
- black tupelo or blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.)
- royal paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud.)
- sycamore or American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.)
- eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.)
- quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)
- black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.)
- white oak (Quercus alba L.)
- scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea Muenchh.)
- southern red oak (Quercus falcata Michx.)
- water oak (Quercus nigra L.)
- bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.)
- northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.)
- black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.)
- live oak (Quercus virginiana Mill.)
- sassafras (Sassafras albidum Nees)
- black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.)
- black willow (Salix nigra Marsh.)
- American basswood (Tilia americana L.)
- American elm (Ulmus americana L.)
Monocotyledons
- cabbage palmetto or cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto Walt.)