What tree is that?

Published June 30th, 2008

By John Johnston
Managing Editor

Do you know the difference between a Black Calabash and a Black Mangrove?

Could you spot a Satin Leaf or Fiddlewood tree in Boca Raton?

If not, then a new guidebook from the Arbor Day Foundation will make those tasks easier.

The Arbor Day Foundation is offering a new tree identification guidebook that is now easier to use, and will help an average person identify trees in a step-by-step process. The guide is called What Tree Is That? It features advanced, hand drawn botanical illustrations of how many distinctive characteristics of many species of trees in full color.

Recreational and professional arborists alike have called this pocket field guide a very user-friendly resource, according to John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.  “Its beautiful illustrations are in precise detail to depict natural colors, shapes, and textures, so users can make a positive species identification in just a few easy steps,” he said.

The new guide uses a step-by-step approach, explaining what to look for, i.e,

• The shape of the leaves,
• The differences in the leaf stems and twig structures,
• The fruits and flowers.
• The details of buds and bark.

“Helping people enjoy and appreciate trees is central to the educational mission of the Arbor Day Foundation, and our improved pocket field guide will help people know their trees,” said Rosenow,. “We wanted to give people a resource to help identify trees so they will be able to better appreciate them.”