BE A NATURE DETECTIVE

IDENTIFYING TREE LEAVES

BY BRIAN ECOTT

ENGLISH or PEDUNCULATE OAK

Quercus robur

Common in hainault.  10cm.

EVERGREEN or HOLM OAK

Quercus ilex.

Leaf grey on underside. Younger

leaves may be "holly like". 10cm.

TURKEY OAK

Quercus cerris

Frequent in the forest. 12cm.

RED OAK 

Quercus rubra

Near the heathland

BEECH 

Fagus sylvatica

Planted in Hainault in 1900's 10cm.

COPPER BEECH

Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea'

Near the car park.  10cm.

CHERRY PLUM

Prunus cerasifera 

A species of wild plum in the hedges.

8cm.

BLACKTHORN or SLOE

Prunus spinosa.

Forms thickets and scrub in Hainault. Flowers appear before the leaf. 4.5cm.

BIRD CHERRY

Prunus padus.

There are two tiny yellow glands at the base of the leaf blade 12cm.

BIRD CHERRY

Prunus padus.

Close up of two tiny yellow glands at the base of the leaf blade

WILD CHERRY or GEAN

Prunus avium.

There are two tiny red glands at the base of the leaf blade. 14cm.

HAZEL

Corylus avellana

Few trees, some saplings planted.

12cm.

WHITEBEAM

Sorbus aria.

Underside of leaf covered in white hair. Planted and naturalized.

ROWAN x WHITEBEAM HYBRID.

Sorbus x thuringiaca.

Underside of leaf downy. Some free leaflets at base of leaf. Planted.  21cm.

SWEDISH WHITEBEAM

Sorbus intermedia 

10cm.

WILD SERVICE TREE

Sorbus torminalis

Uncommon. An indicator tree of ancient woodland.  14cm.

BROAD-LEAVED WHITEBEAM

Sorbus latifolia agg.

HORNBEAM

Carpinus betulus

A southern English species.

Many fine pollards in Hainault. 8cm.

ASPEN 

Populus tremula

A common coloniser in the forest.

11cm.

WHITE POPLAR

Populus alba

A simple palmate leaf. Underside remains downy.

GREY POPLAR

Populus x canescens

Underside of leaf downy at first.

Hybrid of white poplar and aspen. 11cm.

BERLIN POPLAR

Populus x berolinensis.

Several planted in Hainault.

WESTERN BALSAM POPLAR

Populus trichocarpa

Leaf edges sticky with 'balsam scented' secretion in the spring.

BLACK POPLAR

Populus nigra betulifolia

Several old trees near the lake.

Leaf stalk flattened. 19cm.

ALMOND LEAVED WILLOW

Salix triandra

Found in the plantation

COMMON SALLOW

Salix cinerea.

In the wetter parts of the forest.

GOAT or PUSSY WILLOW

Salix caprea.

Leaf and stems hairy in the spring.  8cm.

CRACK or BRITTLE WILLOW

Salix fragilis 

14cm.

COMMON ALDER

Alnus glutinosa

Found on the farmland. 11cm.

GREY ALDER

Alnus incana

Planted both ends of the lake  12cm.

SINGLE-LEAVED ASH

Fraxinus angustifolia 'Veltheimii'

In the plantation.

HOLLY

Ilex aquifolium

Common in the forest. Not all leaves have prickles. 10cm.

SWEET or SPANISH CHESTNUT

Castanea sativa.

In Hainault Lodge and rest of forest.  30cm.

SPINDLE

Euonymus europaeus

A small shrub found in the woodland and Common area

DOGWOOD

Cornus sanguinea

Shrub found in the woodland and woodland edges

YEW

Taxus baccata

Young trees and saplings. Possibly from seeds dropped in the forest.

HAWTHORN or MAY

Crataegus monogyna

A common hedgerow or scrub bush.

Freely hybridizes with Midland. 8cm.

MIDLAND HAWTHORN

Crataegus laevigata

Leaves more rounded than May. Woodland sp. Flowers have 2-3 styles.

BROAD-LEAVED COCKSPUR THORN

Crataegus prunifolia

In the plantation. Note the long thorns about 3cm.

CRAB APPLE 

Malus sylvestris.

A native of Oak woods

COMMON LIME

Tilia x europaea.

Heart shaped with unequal sides. Tufts of whitish hairs in vein axils on underside of leaf. 15cm.

SMALL LEAVED LIME

Tilia cordata

Heart shaped, underside matt. Tufts of brown hairs between vein angles. 9cm.

SILVER BIRCH 

Betula pendula

A short lived, rapid colonizer. 8cm.

PURGING BUCKTHORN

Rhamnus cathartica

In scrub near the Common

FIELD MAPLE

Acer campestre

Common throughout the forest. 12cm.

SYCAMORE 

Acer pseudoplatanus

Common throughout the forest.

30-40cm

NORWAY MAPLE 

Acer platanoides

Planted in the forest and naturalised.

29cm.

SILVER MAPLE

Acer saccharinum

Many in the plantation and a few lining the Foxburrows Farm road.

LONDON PLANE

Platanus x hispanica

By visitors centre and in plantation.

ASH

Fraxinus excelsior.

3-6 pairs of leaflets.

Occurs mainly on the wetter boulder clay.

ELDER 

Sambucus nigra.

A tree, bush or scrub. Native in the forest. 5-7 leaflets.  18cm.

ROWAN or MOUNTAIN ASH

Sorbus aucuparia.

5-7 pairs of leaflets. Planted and naturalised.  20cm.

ROBINIA or FALSE ACACIA

Robinia pseudoacacia

In Hainault Lodge Nature Reserve, and Heathland.

HYBRID WING-NUT 

Pterocarya x rehderiana

Cut down in the heathland area but now growing from stump. Length of leaf 40cm.

TREE OF HEAVEN 

Ailanthus altissimo

Length of leaf 40cm. In the secondary woodland.

(Reported up to 90cm with up to 41 leaflets)

BOX ELDER or ASH-LEAF MAPLE

Acer negundo

3 or 5 leaflets. On Hog Hill and in Hainault Lodge. 14cm.