How to identify trees?

Question

how to identify trees.

what is mad cap horse, that is some thing to remember, but i forgot what is stands for , has to do with alternating and opposite leaves

how to identify trees by bark and leaves and other features.

ash, oak, (white, red etc..), dogwood, maple, sycamore, norweigian

Answer 1

try to identify trees by their flowers if they are angiosperms, and pattern of cones if they are gymnosperms.u cn use additional features like fragrance, pattern of leaves, pattern of branching.for a deatied analysis, u cn email me. icn explain u bentham and hookers classification if ur more interested

Answer 2

MADog Horse or MADog Hippo is an easy way to remember the trees that have opposite branching patterns.  Maple, ash, dogwood, and horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum).  It should be used as your fist step in keying-out a deciduous tree.

Other species with opposite leaf arrangement include the Caprifoliaceae family (including honeysuckle and elderberry) and Viburnum spp. (arrowwood and hobblebush, among others), but they are shrubs, not trees.  If you want to include them in the saying, it should be MAD Cap Hippo Vibe (or Horse Vibe).

As far as identification, as a forester, I find bark the easiest characteristic to distinguish between species.  You can use bark to ID all year round, and once you know it, the differences are quite obvious.