How to Identify Ohio Flowering Tree Species

There are many types of flowering trees in Ohio.

Springtime in Ohio is a wonderful sight, with trees blossoming in colors of white, pink, yellow and red. There are dozens of varieties of flowering trees you might find in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. Learn how to identify many flowering trees by their distinguishing features such as color and type of flowers, and the time at which they typically blossom.

Instructions

How to Identify Ohio Flowering Tree Species

1. Identify flowering trees by looking at the color of their flowers. Many trees have flowers that are white or mostly white, but this allows observers to easily identify remaining flowering tree species. Trees with deep pink, almost purple, flowers early in the spring are likely redbuds, common throughout the southern two-thirds of Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Identify Buckeye trees by their yellowish-green flowers which come on in early spring.

2. Look for unusual flower shapes. Some trees common in Ohio exhibit unusually shaped flowers which instantly identify them. For instance, the aptly named tuliptree has flowers with six yellow-green petals, with more of an orange color on the inside petal surfaces. The tuliptree has the largest flowers of all the single flower native trees in Ohio, another potentially distinguishing feature unique to this type of tree. The flowering dogwood tree is another easily identifiable tree, with four bracts (which appear to be petals), each with a notch in the center of the outer end. The small flowers of the black cherry tree grow in groups or clusters along a stem, looking like white pendulums swinging in the spring breeze.

3. Differentiate between various types of flowering tree species by noting the time at which flowering occurs. For example, American elm are easily identified, as they are one of the first trees in Ohio to begin flowering, with buds appearing as early as January in some years. In contrast, the pendulum-shaped white flowers of the black locust don't make their appearance until mid-spring, remaining until late spring when many other trees have lost their flowers.

4. Use additional identification markers to classify the remaining flowering trees commonly found in Ohio. Horsechestnut trees, popular in more urban areas of Ohio, have large, cream-colored flowers which bloom in groups, standing up at an angle from the tree. It also has large, palm-shaped leaves which grow several to a stem, giving the horsechestnut leaf a distinct appearance. The crabapple tree, a native tree found throughout all of Ohio, is most well-known for its strong fragrance when it blooms in the spring. Crabapples are also generally multi-trunked trees, another clue to their species.

References

• Ohio Department of Natural Resources Department of Forestry: Ohio Trees Index

Resources

• Ohio State University: Deciduous Trees for Ohio