Aceraceae (the maple family)

• 2 genera worldwide• Acer is the only North American genus• Opposite leaves and branching• Fruits are winged samaras in pairs, joined at the base• Some species are commercially important• Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) is a common ornamental in DE

• The Hard Maples• U-shaped leaf sinuses• Very hard wood

• The Soft Maples• V-shaped leaf sinuses• Softer wood

box-elder Acer negundo (Aceraceae)

• Our only native maple with compound leaves• Native throughout Delaware• Lives alongside streams and in floodplains• Not much commercial or wildlife value• Shade tolerant

Norway maple Acer platanoides (Aceraceae)

• Bleeds a milky sap when leaves are pulled off• U-shaped sinuses, 5-7 lobes• Widely divergent samaras in the fall• INVASIVE EXOTIC

Acer platanoides

•V-shaped sinuses, 3-5 lobes, simple leaves, palmate veins•In fall, petioles, samaras, and leaves turn red•Twigs reddish•Bark light gray, gets platy when older with big vertical plates•Samaras narrowly divergent like a U, in spring•All habitats•Intermediate shade tolerance•Used for pulp, furniture.•Planted a lot in towns and yards.•Delaware’s most abundant tree

red maple Acer rubrum (Aceraceae)

Acer rubrum has variable bark.

Acer rubrum

bark

silver maple Acer saccharinum (Aceraceae)

•V-shaped sinuses, 5 lobes, long terminal lobe, pale below•Twigs smell bad when broken•Shaggy light gray or tan bark•Samaras in spring, biggest of all maples•Native in DE only in the Piedmont•Streams and swamps•Shade-intolerant•Minimal commercial value•OK food value for wildlife but good for nesting•Frequently planted as an ornamental

Acer saccharinum bark

sugar maple Acer saccharum (Aceraceae)

•Leaves look a lot like Norway maple•Does not bleed a white sap•Samaras are less divergent•Shaggy bark•A northern tree native to the DE Piedmont•Prefers moist sites•Very shade tolerant and late-successional•Very valuable commercially•Maple syrup

Acer saccharum

Ebenaceae (the ebony family)

• 5 genera worldwide• Mainly tropical• We have 1 genus in the U.S. -- Diospyros -- with one species

native to Delaware• True ebony wood comes from a tropical Diospyros species

Ebonywood

Persimmonwood

persimmon Diospyros virginiana (Ebenaceae)

• Leaves ovate, entire, nondescript• Buds dark brown & triangular• Bark blocky like alligator skin• Fruit a berry, bitter when green but then sweet• Native throughout Delaware• A small tree with some shade tolerance but usually found in hedgerows and edges• Berries are favored by wildlife• Golf club heads, pool cues, tool handles

Hamamelidaceae (the witch-hazel family)

• About 25 genera with 100 species around the world• Two species native to Delaware, including a tree and a shrub• Leaves alternate, simple• Fruit is a capsule

witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana (Hamamelidaceae)

sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua (Hamamelidaceae)

Platanaceae (the sycamore family)

• Monotypic family with a single genus, Platanus• One species native to Delaware• The hybrid known as London planetree is planted ornamentally• Leaves alternate, simple, deciduous. Petiole base completely

encircles the bud.• Fruit is a multiple of achenes• Twigs zig-zag. Stipular scars encircle the twig as in Magnoliaceae.

sycamore Platanus occidentalis (Platanaceae)

sycamore Platanus occidentalis (Platanaceae)

Cornaceae (the dogwood family)

•120 species worldwide•Leaves have entire margins•Opposite or alternate•Fruit = drupe or berry

flowering dogwood Cornus florida (Cornaceae)

•Opposite elliptical leaves with entire margins•Arcuate venation•Blocky alligator skin bark•White “flowers” in spring (4 bracts)•Common throughout Delaware•Forest understory•Very shade tolerant•Wildlife eat drupes•Not much commercial value•Dogwood anthracnose

silky dogwood Cornus amomum (Cornaceae)

•Like flowering dogwood, except:Smaller leaves that are fuzzy when youngDrupes are blueTwigs are reddishJust a shrubNative throughout DelawareGrows next to streams and ponds, where C. florida is never foundLeaning form