1A) Evergreen go to 20A).
1B) Deciduous
2A) Perennials; overwintering viable plants.................go to 5A)
2B) Annuals; remaining plant no longer viable/dead
3A) Stems hollow, >1m height, remaining inflorescence compound umbel, stipules
present .Heracleum lanatum
3B) Stems not hollow
4A) Remaining inflorescence compound corymb;
<70cm height . ..Archillea millefolium
(very similar to the Spiraea betulifolia)
4B) Remaining inflorescence spike; flowers remaining have web-like
texture; <40cm plant height .. Rhinanthus crista-galli
5A) Shrubs, <4m height.........................go to 8A)
5B) Trees, usually >4m height
6A) Bark peeling into strips; buds alternate, 5-7mm, green with brown margins; young
stems near buds glandular ........ Betula Papyrifera
6B) Bark not peeling into strips
7A) Bark smooth; waxy in appearance; lenticels evident; buds alternate, 6-7mm,
reddish-brown and conical to pointed .Populus tremuloides
7B) Bark not smooth, Bark greenish-grey and rough when young, becoming deeply
furrowed with age; buds alternate, 15-20mm, reddish-brown and sharply pointed with
sticky, fragrant resin ... ..Populus balsamifera spp. trichocarpa
8A) Buds opposite...............................go to 14A)
8B) Buds alternate
9A) Stems not armed...............................go to 12A)
9B) Stems armed
10A) Stems with tough spines up or >2cm long, 1-3m height and unbranched;
leaf scars V shaped and apparent. .. ..Oplopanax horridus
10B) Stems with prickles, up to or <2cm long.
11A) Fruits persistent; young stems red, turning grey with age, up to 1.5m
height and highly branched Rosa acicularis
11B) Fruits not persistant; stems reddish-brown to cinnamon, up to 1.5m height; mainly
unbranched... .....Rubus idaeus
12A) Catkins evident..............................go to 13A)
12B) Catkins not evident; stems smooth, reddish to cinnamon, 25-60cm and
unbranched; fruit persistent with compound corymb fluorescence.
(very similar to the dead stems of Archillea millefolium)
13A) Buds with only 1 scale . ..Salix ssp.
13B) Buds with more than 1 scale; up to 4m height; stems red/brown to grey; buds, 12-
14mm, sharply pointed and purplish-brown ..Alnus crispa ssp. sinuata
14A) Fruits not persistent..............................go to 16A)
14B) Fruits persistent
15A) Stems 4-sided; young stems yellowish to golden becoming grey and shedding
with age .Lonicera involucrata
15B) Stems not 4-sided; stems grey and slightly shedding; berries white and waxy; up to
1m tall and often highly branched ..Symphoricarpos albus
16A) Buds not red...................................go to 18A)
16B) Buds red
17A) Young stems bright red; older stems grayish and rough; buds 9-11mm long blunt to
pointed with 2 scales up to 10m height ...........Acer glabrum
17B) Young stems not bright red; young stems green/gray; buds 5-7mm, rounded and
blunt (not always with apical bud); berries red, may persist through winter.
18A) Lenticels apparent; young and old stems bright red; buds thin and pointed
with darkened tips ..Cornus stolonifera
18B) Lenticels not apparent
19A) Buds golden/copper colored; buds lance-shaped, 4-7mm; stems rough
with rusty colored spots Shepherdia canadensis
19B) Buds not golden/copper colored; buds greenish-brown; buds 6-12mm and rounded
to oval; stems purple/grayish .....Sambucus racemosa
20A) Gymnosperms.........................................go to 23A)
20B) Angiosperms
21A) Leaves broad, not toothed; leaf underside covered in dense brownish-rusty hairs; 30-
70cm height; spicy fragrance; leaves alternate .Ledum groenlandicum
21B) Leaves broad, toothed
22A) Leaf arrangement odd-pinnate; 20-80cm height; stems yellowish and
stiff ..Mahonia aquifolium
22B) Leaf arrangement not odd-pinnate; leaf arrangement whorled; 25-40cm height;
flowering stem may still be present ..Chimaphila umbellata
23A) Never >1m in Height; female cones berry-like, bluish-black; needles with wide
white stomata strip on underside and prickly ..Juniperus communis
23B) Greater than 1m height
24A) Needles in clusters...............................................go to 29A)
24B) Needles singular
25A) Needles not flat........................................27A)
25B) Needles flat
26A) Needles grooved; needles 2-3cm long, sharp pointed but not prickly;
bark gray, resin blistered when young becoming furrowed with age.
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
26B) Needles not grooved; needles blunt; needles 2-4cm, lines of white dots prominent
on underside; bark grey, smooth when young, cracking (light brown
cracks) into scales with age Abies lasiocapra
27A) Cones<2.5cm long; needles 8-15mm, blunt pointed, white dotted lines prominent on
the undersurface ..Picea mariana
27B) Cones>2.5cm long
28A) Cone scales with smooth margins; needles 15-22mm long, pointed but not sharp;
bark smooth/light grey on young seedlings, dark
grey and scaly with age Picea glauca
28B) Cones scales with no smooth margins; cones scales with rough margin; needles 15-
25mm and pointed; bark broken up into brownish scales, somewhat
silvery. Picea glauca x engelmannii
29A) Needles in clusters of 2; needles 3-7cm, somewhat twisted and sharp
pointed; bark orange-brown to grey, fine scaled
.. .Pinus contorta var. latifolia
29B) Needles in clusters of more than 2; needles in clusters of 5; needles 7-10cm,
triangular and slender; bark smooth and grey on young seedlings
