Queensborough Community College
Department of Biological Sciences
BI 171 Plants and People laboratory
Dr. Urszula Golebiewska
ugolebiewska@qcc.cuny.edu
Tree identification, winter buds
Objective: to learn basic characters to identify trees in winter.
Introduction:
To many people, most trees look alike, especially in winter when they have dropped their leaves.
However, they are not all alike. Different species each have unique characters that can help us
identify them, even in the winter.
Procedure:
Your instructor will provide you with a group of twigs to analyze.
1. Compare each twig with the identification key to determine which species corresponds to
each number.
2. For each species, draw the leaf scar and bundle scar.
3. Label the pictures of the twigs, mark all the components, and describe the twigs.
Vocabulary (take notes and make sketches from materials found online) –
Buds
Leaf bud
Flower bud
Terminal bud
Axillary bud
Node
Alternate
Opposite
Lenticel
Leaf scar
Bundle scar