Willow Salix species

The four main types of willows in the Juneau area, Felt-leaf, Barclay, Scouler and Sitka, are difficult to tell apart but share the following characteristics: Size and Form: Deciduous, can be shrubby or tree-like up to 50 feet tall. Leaves: Usually tapering to base, short-pointed. Flowers: April to May. Male and female flowers in catkins on separate plants. Fruit: Capsule containing seeds. Bark: Smooth and gray. May become furrowed and scaly or with ridges. Habitat: Along streams and shores, gravelly or open areas, roadsides. Common. Notes: “Willow roses” (galls caused by insects) are commonly seen on the Barclay willow.

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Quick I.D: Leaves usually longer than wide. Look for “Willow Rose.”

Where: Basin Road. Centennial Hall parking lot.

A GUIDE TO JUNEAU’S

NATIVE TREES

by

The Juneau Urban

Forestry Partnership

November 2009

his publication was developed by the Juneau Urban Forestry Partnership (JUFP) as a simple guide for those interested in learning

about our native trees. Two general locations are given for each tree, one in a natural setting, the second in a Downtown location.

The JUFP is a non-profit group that was formed to promote the development of an urban forestry program for our city. As part of this effort, we promote greater appreciation of the trees in our community through education. For further information contact us at: juneautrees@yahoo.com or go to: juneautrees.wordpress.com.

References include: Hall, Judy Kathryn. Native Plants of Southeast Alaska. 1995 JUFP. Downtown Juneau Tree Guide, 2006. Viereck, Leslie A. and Elbert L. Little, Jr. Alaska Trees and Shrubs. 2007. Images were taken by JUFP members Jeff Barnard and Sondra Stanway. Copyright 2009.

T

Sitka Mountain Ash Sorbus sitchensis Other names: Pacific mountain ash

Size and Form: Deciduous shrub or small tree to 20 feet. Round-topped head. Leaves: Compound, 5-9 inches long, with 9-11 leaflets per leaf, rounded or blunt at ends. Edges coarsely and sharply toothed above middle. Dull blue-green on upper surface, lower pale and hairless. Yellow-red fall color. Flowers: Small clusters, white and fragrant, flowers in the spring. Fruit: Clusters of red, small apple-like fruits, becoming orange and purple when mature in August or September. May remain on tree after the leaves drop. Bark: Smooth, light gray. Habitat: Uncommon to rare in forests from sea level to tree-line. Notes: Its relative, the European Mountain Ash, is a very common, medium-sized tree and has become naturalized in the Juneau area. Its compound leaves are similar in appearance to the Sitka mountain ash. Fruit commonly eaten by birds in winter.

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Quick I.D. Leaves with 9–11 leaflets. White flowers, fruit small, red or orange.

Where: Basin Road. In front of State Museum.

Douglas Maple Acer glabrum Other names: Rocky Mountain maple

Size and Form: Deciduous, small tree to 30 feet, but often a multi-stemmed shrub. Leaves: Opposite, 2-5 inches long and about as wide, slightly heart-shaped at base, three or 5-lobed with lobes long-pointed. Upper surface dark green, grayish-green beneath. Flowers: Yellow-green with five petals. Male and female usually on different trees. Fruit: Fruit wings about ¾ inch long, nearly parallel, red. Bark: Gray, thin, smooth. Twigs: Opposite, reddish and hairless. Habitat: Along shores, sometimes fringing tidal meadows or bogs. Occasionally found in rich, moist soils on forested slopes. Scattered locations. Notes: Only member of the maple family native to Alaska.

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Quick I.D. Leaves opposite and coarsely double-toothed. Fruit wings nearly parallel.

Where: Basin Road, Gold Creek flume. Near steps above Fireweed Place.

Alaska Yellow Cedar Cupressus nootkatensis Other names: Nootka cypress, yellow cypress

Size and Form: Medium-sized evergreen tree to 70 feet. Has drooping branches and flattened sprays. Needles: Pointed, flat and scale-like with a dark bluish-green color and a length of 0.25 inches. Create a frond-like appearance and have an opposite arrangement. Foliage emits an unpleasant resinous odor when crushed. Flowers: Male flowers yellow and produced in great mass while female flowers small and inconspicuous. Bark: Reddish-brown shedding in long strips. Cones: Small, usually less than 0.5 inches long, rounded with 4-6 sets of scales and a waxy covering. Cones mature in the second year. Habitat: Grows from sea level to tree line, best developed at around 500–1000 feet. Scattered locations. Notes: One of the slowest growing conifers. Wood resistant to decay.

3

Quick I.D: Needles scale-like. Shaggy bark.

Where: Dan Moller Trail. North side of Governor’s House.

Subalpine Fir Abies lasiocarpa Other names: Alpine fir, white fir

Size and Form: Medium to large evergreen tree. Has a dense, narrow, spire-like crown with rows of short, flat, horizontal branches. Needles: Flat, stiff, crowded, blue-green, 0.75-1 inch long. Tip rounded or notched. Lines of white dots, more on lower surface. Bark: Gray, thin and smooth with resin blisters on young trees. Cones: Upright on highest branches, 2 ½-4 inches long at maturity, dark purple with fine hairs. Seeds have long wings. Habitat: Grows mainly in the subalpine zones of the mountains, most common near tree-line. Notes: An uncommon, high altitude tree.

4

Quick I.D: Cones upright on branch. Needles crowded, curving upward.

Where: On slopes above Perseverance Trail. No known sites for this species Downtown.

Oregon crab apple Malus fusca Other names: Pacific crab apple, M. diversifolia

Size and Form: Small deciduous tree from 15-25 feet tall, usually with several trunks or a shrub forming thickets. Leaves: Oval shaped, broadest toward tip, or lance-shaped, short-pointed, sharply toothed, shiny green, pale beneath. About 3 inches long. Flowers: In clusters on slender stalks with 5 pointed hairy sepals and 5 rounded petals, white or pink. Flowers in June. Fruit: Like small apple, (size of cherry) yellow or red, with sour taste. Matures August-October. Bark: Shiny gray-brown, thin, becomes scaly with age. Habitat: Near streams, beach meadows and muskeg fringes. Scattered locations. Notes: Fruit is preferred food for deer. Can be used in jellies and preserves.

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Quick I.D. Leaves oval, sometimes 3-lobed. Small red or yellow fruit in the fall.

Where: Richard Marriot Trail in Lemon Creek. In front of State Museum.

Black Cottonwood Populus trichocarpa Other names: Balsam cottonwood, northern black cottonwood

Size and Form: Large deciduous tree. Grows to 120 feet with an open crown of erect branches. Leaves: Alternate, 3-6 inches long, 2-4 inches wide, broad at the base, narrowing to pointed tip, finely toothed, shiny dark green, whitish underneath often with rusty specks. Seeds: Female catkins greenish and bear 3-valved downy capsules which release white cottony seeds in June. Bark: Gray and smooth when young, becoming dark and deeply furrowed when older. Habitat: Usually low elevations on river bottoms and sandbars. Grows with willows and alders. Notes: The largest broadleaf tree in Alaska. Male and female flowers on different trees. Buds and young leaves give off a strong balsam fragrance.

12

Quick I.D. Tallest deciduous tree in area. Long, straight trunk, upward-flowing branches. Fall leaves yellow.

Where: Basin Road. Centennial Hall parking lot.

Mountain Hemlock Tsuga mertensiana Other names: Alpine hemlock

Size and Form: Medium to large evergreen tree. Commonly stunted at higher elevations or near muskegs. Has down-sweeping branches that sweep upward at the tips. Leader droops slightly. Top has flattened appearance in older trees Needles: Short, flat and soft, of equal length. Needles arranged radially on branch. Bark: Dark reddish-brown, rough and scaly, deeply furrowed in older trees. Cones: Oblong, 2-3 inches in length, purplish when young. Habitat: Commonly found at higher elevations and near muskegs. Favors damp, moist, organic soils. Notes: Generally slower growing than western hemlock.

5

Quick I.D. Needles soft, crowded on all sides of twigs.

Where: Ebner Falls on upper portion of Perseverence Trail. Centennial Hall.

Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla Other names: West Coast hemlock, pacific hemlock

Size and Form: Large evergreen tree. Has a narrow crown, down-sweeping branches, and a noticeably drooping leading shoot. Needles: Short, flat and soft, of unequal length. Two whitish bands on lower surface. Bark: Reddish-brown, smooth when young. Scaly and deeply furrowed in older trees. Cones: Oval, less than one inch long and golden brown. Habitat: Main tree in local forest (more than 70%). Shade tolerant. Notes: Grow to 150 feet and sometimes taller. Host plant for dwarf mistletoe which creates swollen, oddly branched structures known as “witches’ brooms.”

6

Quick I.D. Typically has drooping leader. Needles soft to touch, tips rounded. Small cones.

Where: Basin Road. Centennial Hall.

Paper Birch Betula papyrifera subsp.commutata Other names: Western paper birch

Size and Form: Small to medium-sized deciduous tree, 40-70 ft, trunks often clustered. Older trees become oval to rounded, with increasing irregularity in shape. Leaves: Simple, alternate, 2-4 inches long, rounded or sometimes wedge shaped at base, long or short-pointed at tip, coarsely and finely toothed. Bright yellow in fall. Flowers: Male flowers in catkins 1 inch long, usually in threes but sometimes in pairs. Fruits: Seed catkins, 1-1.5 inches long. Bark: Young trunks smooth, reddish-brown becoming papery and pinkish-brown or chalky-white after about four seasons. On very mature trunks, white is mixed with rough, black patches. Bark peels in strips to expose orange inner bark. Habitat: Found along the mainland coastal river drainages and lakes in the northern part of SE Alaska. Uncommon. Notes: Birch freely hybridize, making identification difficult.

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Quick I.D. Young have reddish-orange bark, mature black/white bark. Leaves widest below middle, double-toothed, base smooth-edged.

Where: Overlook near Snowslide Gulch on Perseverance Trail. No known sites for this subspecies Downtown.

Sitka Alder Alnus viridis sinuata Other names: Mountain alder

Size and Form: Large shrub or small multi-stemmed, deciduous tree. Leaves: Alternate, oval, 2-5 inches long, speckled yellow-green and shiny upper surface, lower surface lighter, shiny, and hairless or nearly so. Short-pointed, rounded at base, sticky when young. Leaf edges irregularly saw-toothed and not rolled over. Flowers: May to June, seeds mature in late August. Male flowers in narrow catkins. Fruits: Cone-like structures 0.5-0.75 inches long. “Cone” stalks longer than those of red alder. Bark: Gray, thin and smooth. Habitat: In cool, moist sites that are frequently disturbed, from sea level to above tree line in avalanche chutes, landslide areas, stream banks and forest edges. Notes: As with red alder, improves soil conditions by adding organic matter and nitrogen. Curved stems allow it to spring back after burial by snow and mud so it persists on unstable slopes.

10

Quick I.D. Leaves rounded at base, fine, sharp teeth of two sizes.

Where: Basin Road. Centennial Hall parking lot.

Shore Pine Pinus contorta contorta Other names: Scrub pine, tamarack pine.

Size and Form: Medium-sized, sometimes tall evergreen tree, with a twisted, spreading, broad rounded crown. Needles: In bundles of two, stiff, 1-2 1/4 inches long. Bark: Gray to dark brown, scaly and rough. Cones: Tend to point backward on twigs, heavy, egg-shaped, usually curved, ¾-2 inches long, each scale with sharp spine that wears off. Habitat: Open muskegs. Notes: Common pine throughout S.E. Alaska. Same species as the Lodgepole pine. Only pine in Alaska.

7

Quick I.D. Two short needles per bundle.

Where:common in muskegs near Eaglecrest area. In front of State Museum.

Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis Other names: Coast spruce.

Size and Form: Large evergreen tree. Broadly conical with thin, horizontally spreading branches. Needles: Tip has a spine making the foliage prickly. Glossy green above, silvery-white below due to two whitish bands. Flowers: Usually red or pinkish-green, about 1-1.5 inches long. Bark: Gray, smooth, and thin, becoming purplish-brown with scaly plates when older. Cones: Cylindrical-oblong with wavy edged scales, 2-4 inches long, hanging down from branches. Habitat: From sea level to tree-line. Forms more than 20% of local forest. Notes: State tree of Alaska. Oldest are 500 to 750 years old. During WWII aircraft were made from Sitka spruce.

8

Quick I.D. Leader upright, needles pointed and prickly. Scaly bark.

Where: Basin Road. In front of State Museum.

Red Alder Alnus rubrum Other names: Western alder, Oregon alder

Size and Form: Medium-sized deciduous tree, to 65 feet with a narrow, pyramidal top and pendulous branches. Leaves: Alternate, broad, oval, 2-6 inches long, dull dark green above, grayish and rusty hairy on veins below, often have wavy rolled-over edges with coarse, rounded teeth. Short-pointed at both ends. Leaves mostly green when they drop in the fall. Flowers: Male flowers in narrow catkins. Fruit: Cone-like, 0.5-1 inch long on short stalks Seeds mature in August and drop in fall and early winter. Bark: Thin, smooth and gray, often covered with whitish lichens. Habitat: Common throughout area at low elevations. Stream banks, beach fringes, disturbed sites. Notes: Important ecologically for fixing their own nitrogen from the atmosphere, also for their fast growth on poor sites. National Cancer Institute found this species to contain two anti-cancer agents.

9

Quick I.D. Leaf coarsely toothed, margins rolled under. Small cones.

Where to see: Basin Road. In front of State Museum.