Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

Description: Largest of the native cherries and the only

one of commercial value. Well suited for furniture wood

or veneer.

Habit: A medium sized tree up to 90 feet tall.

Mast: Fruits turn from orange to red to black.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, edges are finely serrated;

dark green and shiny above, paler below.

Stems: Brown, slender stems. Bark is scaly and gray-

brown.

Flowers: Small white clustered flowers in columns 4 to 6

inches long, fragrant.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, floodplains, forests

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Ruffed Grouse, Red Fox

Credits: UCONN Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs and

Vines, U.S.D.A Forest Service

Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis)

Description: The bark, roots and berries have been

harvested for their medicinal properties. Purple to dull

blue dye is obtained from the fruit.

Habit: Multi-stemmed woody shrub that grows 3-6 feet

tall and 6-12 feet wide.

Mast: Fruit starts green and turns red to black. When

picked, the fruit does not separate from its core.

Leaves: Alternate, palmately compound, 3 to 7 oval

leaflets with serrated edges, prickles at leaf attachment;

dark green above, much paler below.

Stems: Stout, dull reddish brown, strongly angled with

large hooked prickles.

Flowers: Showy white flowers with 5 petals, 1 inch

across.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, forest edges, meadows, fields

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Red Fox, Pheasant

Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree, Plants For A Future

Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides)

Description: Leaves are used for medicinal purposes.

Habit: Shrub 8-20 inches tall, forming large colonies.

Mast: Fruits are bright to dark blue with many seeds.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, soft and thin, edges not

toothed; green above, hairy and pale below.

Stems: Green-brown and covered with dense bristly

hairs.

Flowers: White and sometimes with pink, 5 petals, urn-

shaped and drooping.

Habitat: Bogs, cliffs, fens, forests, meadows, fields,

mountain summits, plateaus, ridges, ledges, woodlands

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Ruffed Grouse, Red Fox

Credits: Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)

Description: Wood is heavy, hard and close-grained, but

rarely develops a trunk large enough to be commercially

useful.

Habit: Small tree up to 25 feet tall and 6 inches in

diameter, often forming shrubby thickets.

Mast: Fruits turn green to red to purple.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, edges are finely serrated,

pointed tip; dark green above, paler below.

Stems: Twigs slender, but stouter than black cherry,

light brown to gray, strong unpleasant odor when

broken; buds covered with brownish scales. Bark is

smooth, gray-brown, that develops into shallow

fissures.

Flowers: Small white clustered flowers in columns 3 to 6

inches long.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, forest edges, meadows, fields,

shrublands, thickets, woodlands, sand dunes

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Elk, Red Fox

Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree, U.S.D.A Forest Service

Dogwood (Cornus spp.)

Description: The dense wood of the larger-stemmed

species is valued for certain specialized purposes. The

bark is rich in tannin and has been used as a substitute

for quinine.

Habit: Woody shrubs or deciduous trees, growing up to

15-30 feet tall.

Mast: Fruit can be blue, red-pink, bright red, purple, or

white.

Leaves: Opposite or alternate, untoothed edges, veins

curving distinctively as they approach the edge of the

leaf.

Stems: Can be dark gray, brown, red, orange-brown,

purple-red, green or black, slender hairy stems. Bark

can be scaly or fissured.

Flowers: Small, white, 4 to 6 petals, grown separately or

in dense clusters up to 20.

Habitat: Open woodlands, lower to middle slopes

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Elk, Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Pheasant

Credits: Lawyer Nursery Inc., U.S.D.A Forest Service

Dwarf red raspberry (Rubus pubescens)

Description: Leaves are used for medicinal purposes. A

purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.

Habit: Non-woody forb, 6-20 inches tall; main stems

creep along the ground with erect stems shooting up

with no prickles.

Mast: Small, dark-red berry, difficult to separate from

receptacle.

Leaves: Alternate, compound, divided into 3 leaflets,

long stalk, with toothed edges.

Stems: Covered in fine hairs.

Flowers: White-pink flower, 5 narrow petals, occurs

alone or in small clusters, petals stand up from base.

Habitat: Forests, wetland margins, bogs, cedar swamps

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Red Fox, Pheasant

Credits: Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium, Michigan

State University Native Plants

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

Description: The genus name comes from Greek

sambuce, an ancient musical instrument, and refers to

the soft pith, easily removed from the twigs and used to

make flutes and whistles.

Habit: Multi-stemmed woody shrub 5-12 feet tall, broad

and rounded crown with arching branches.

Mast: Small purple-black berries, 3-5 mm in diameter,

produced in drooping clusters.

Leaves: Opposite, pinnately compound, 5 to 11 leaflets

with one terminal leaflet, edges are sharply serrated.

Stems: Smooth and brown with obvious warts.

Flowers: Small white flowers in dense, flat-topped

clusters, up to 8 inches across.

Habitat: Riverbanks, forest edges, along highways and

fence rows, clearing edges

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Elk, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant

Credits: eNature, Illinois Wildflowers, UCONN Plant

Database of Trees, Shrubs and Vines

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)

Description: Often planted as an ornamental. Several

species have been used in traditional medicine. Very

popular in folklore and commonly used for firewood.

Habit: Generally very dense shrubs or small trees up to

25 feet tall.

Mast: Fruit occurs in small drooping clusters, turns from

yellow to a dark red, occasionally has spots.

Leaves: Highly variable, but generally alternate, simple,

edges are serrated, can be lobed or unlobed; dark green

above and paler below.

Stems: Slender, with true terminal buds that are usually

dark, shiny red and round. Most species have 1 inch

long thorns. Bark is smooth and gray-brown when

young, later turning dark and scaly.

Flowers: Small white flowers, with 5 petals produced in

clusters near the end of the twig.

Habitat: Forests

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey

Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree

Highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)

Description: Planted as an ornamental. Fruit can be

eaten raw or cooked. Fruit may also be used for its

medicinal properties.

Habit: Shrub 8-12 feet tall and equally wide with a

dense, rounded crown.

Mast: Fruit occurs in clusters, turn from green to bright

red, becoming translucent as it ripens.

Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3-lobed with serrated edges.

Stems: Waxy appearance, large shiny buds grow

opposite of each other on twig.

Flowers: Smaller creamy white flowers in center and

larger white flowers on perimeter.

Habitat: Stream banks, low moist ground, forests

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant,

Wild Turkey

Credits: UCONN Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs and

Vines; U.S.D.A Natural Resources Conservation Service

Plant Fact Sheet

Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)

Description: The fruit is very beneficial to bees and

butterflies.

Habit: Colony-forming shrub, 1-3 feet tall with many

branches.

Mast: Fruits are shiny and blue-black, fleshy, contains

10 seeds.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, smooth edges, with yellow

dots above and below.

Stems: Slender, hairy and red-brown.

Flowers: Pink and urn-shaped with 5 petals.

Habitat: Dry or moist woods, thickets, clearings, acidic

sandy soils

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse,

Bobwhite Quail, Wild Turkey

Credits: West Virginia University Agriculture & Natural

Resources Development, U.S.D.A Forest Service

Mapleleaf viburn. (Viburnum acerifolium)

Description: Cultivated for its attractive summer

flowers and foliage.

Habit: Shrub 3-6 feet tall, densely branched.

Mast: Egg-shaped clustered berry, turning red-purple to

black.

Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3-lobed, serrated edges, and

somewhat hairy.

Stems: Slender, hairy and grayish-brown.

Flowers: Yellowish-white, appears in flat-topped

clusters.

Habitat: Upland forests, forest edges, streamsides,

lakeshores, woodlands, ravine slopes, hillsides

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant,

Wild Turkey

Credits: UCONN Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs and

Vines; U.S.D.A Natural Resources Conservation Service

Plant Fact Sheet

Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana)

Description: All parts of this plant are considered highly

toxic and may be fatal if eaten. Pokeweed contains a

protein that has shown anti-tumor effects as well as

inhibiting the replication of the HIV virus in human cells.

Habit: Large, non-woody bush-like plant, grows up to 10

feet tall.

Mast: Fruit clusters become heavy and drooping,

resembling a grape bunch, shiny, and initially green,

becoming black-purple at maturity. The stems holding

the berries turn a bright red-purple. Fruit contains one

seed that is lens-shaped, black and shiny.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, leaves are typically smaller

toward the top of the plant; dark green and shiny

above, pinkish-green with pink veins below.

Stems: Trunk is smooth, fleshy and thick, typically

reddish to deep red-purple, branched in the upper

portion, diameter of 4 inches and are usually hollow.

Several may emerge from one taproot and can grow to

be 3 to 10 feet tall.

Flowers: Whitish-green flowers are produced in long,

narrow, unbranched clusters at the ends of stems and

upper branches. Each flower in the cluster is borne on

an individual flower stalk. The flower cluster often

occurs opposite a leaf.

Habitat: Low, rich, somewhat disturbed, gravelly soils;

Pastures, roadsides, fencerows, open woods, wood

borders

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Red Fox

Credits: Ohio State University: Ohio Perennial and

Biennial Weed Guide, Fairfax County Public Schools:

Study of Northern Virginia Ecology

Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)

Description: This species name is derived from the

Sarvis tree. The alternate name "shadbush" was coined

because the species' flowering often coincides with the

time of the upriver migration of the shad fish.

Habit: A shrub or small tree up to 40 feet tall with a

narrow crown.

Mast: Fruits are red-purple, round, and grow in short

hanging clusters.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, edges are finely serrated;

green above, paler and sometimes hairy below.

Stems: Slender, flexible, red-brown to gray, may be

covered with fine hairs when young; buds are long

pointed, yellow-green to red, often hooking around

twigs. Trunk is smooth when young, ashy-gray with

darker stripes; later becoming rough with furrows.

Flowers: 5 strap-like white petals, occurring in

elongated, drooping bunches.

Habitat: Swampy lowlands, dry woods, sandy bluffs,

ridges, forest edges, open woodlands, fields

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Elk, Ruffed Grouse, Beaver

Credits: Virginia Tech Vtree, U.S.D.A Forest Service

Wild grape (Vitis riparia)

Description: Berries are harvested for jellies, jams and

wine. Used extensively in grape breeding programs due

to its cold hardiness and fungal disease resistance.

Habit: Woody vine growing up to 50 feet long.

Mast: Fruits turn from green to dark purple and hang in

clusters.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, fairly wide with serrated

edges; yellow-green to blue-gray above, pale green with

white hairs below.

Stems: Occasionally branching, yellow-green to red and

hairless.

Flowers: Small, green-yellow with 5 petals, grown on

drooping stem up to 5 inches long.

Habitat: Lowland to upland forests, disturbed areas,

shorelines, dunes

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Wild Turkey,

Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, Pheasant

Credits: Illinois Wild Flowers, University of Michigan

Wild raisin (Viburnum cassinoides)

Description: Parts of plant are toxic if ingested. Grown

as an ornamental because of its excellent spring

flowers, fall color and fall-winter fruit.

Habit: Dense, multi-stemmed shrub, 5 to 6 feet tall and

equally wide; dense, rounded crown with arching

branches.

Mast: Fruits turns pink to black and grow in branching

clusters.

Leaves: Opposite, simple, leaves change from reddish to

a dull green.

Stems: Brown, rough, and flexible.

Flowers: Creamy white, occurs in flat-topped clusters 2

to 5 inches wide.

Habitat: Moist / wet open woods, thickets, swamps

mixed wood, boreal forests

Wildlife: White-Tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Pheasant,

Wild Turkey

Credits: Missouri Botanical Garden, Wisconsin

Department of Natural Resources, UCONN Plant

Database of Trees, Shrubs and Vines