AMERICAN YEW Taxus canadensisNeedles flat and pointed. Fruit fleshy,cup-like, red; pulp edible; seedspoisonous. Low shrub, usually less than1 meter high (rarely tree-like and upto 2 meters high). Cool, moist woods.Rare.

COMMON JUNIPER Juniperus communisNeedles ~-sided, in whorls of 3. Fruitberry-like, bluish, used for flavoring.Common form usually less than 1 meterhigh and known as Ground Juniper (var.depressa). Tree form rare. Dry pastures,open rocky woods, roadside banks.Common .

JUNIPER

SHRUBSNEEDLE-LIKE LEAVES

YEW

35

SHRUBSOPPOSITE COMPOUND LEAVES

36

COMMON ELDER Sambucus canadensisLeaves with 5-11 leaflets. Fruit (flowers)in f1attish or broadly rounded clusters.Berry-like fruit purple-black, bitter-tasting, used in wine, jelly, etc. Newgrowth scarcely woody. Moist thickets, wetwoods, swamps, meadows, roadsides.Common.

RED-BERRIED ELDER Sambucus pubensLeaves with 5-7 leaflets. Fruit (flowers)in cone-shaped clusters. Berry-like fruitred (rarely whitish or yellow), unpalatable.Woods, hillsides. Rare.

WEEPING FORSYTHIA Forsythia suspensaLeaves with 2 leaflets, or 3-lobed, orunlobed (often all on the same plant).Fruit elongate capsules . A sprawling shrubwith bright yellow flowers appearingbefore the leaves. The only Forsythia withbranches completely hollow between thenodes. Not the most commonly plantedForsythia. Rare escape.

FORSYTHIA

(PRINTS FULL SIZE)

COMMON ELDER

ELDER

RED-BERRIED ELDER

SHRUBSOPPOSITE LOBED LEAVES

Note: Maples generally have much longer leafstalks than the following two maple-like Viburnums.

MAPLELEAF VIBURNUM Viburnum acerifo/iumLeaves 3-lobed (occasional leaf unlobed).Leafstalks hairy, glandless. Berry-likefruit purple-black or red, unpalatable .Dry or rocky woods. Common.

CRANBERRY VIBURNUM Viburnum opu/usincludinq V. trilobum

Leaves 3-lobed (some leaves unlobed).Leafstalks hairless and with glands.Berry-like fruit red, with tart flavor,used in preserves and jelly. Cool woods,moist thickets , shores, roadsides.Uncommon.

SIBERIAN MAPLE Acer ginna/aLeaves 3-lobed .(occasional leaf unlobe_d)with central lobe much lengthened. MapleW2 maturing in late summer or earlya . 'umn. Sometimes a small tree. Road­sides, woods, thickets. Uncommon escape.

MOUNTAIN MAPLE Acer spicatumLeaves 3-5 lobed. Sometimes a small tree.Introduced at a single site in Concord.See p. 19.

WEEPING FORSYTHIA Forsythia suspensaLeaves sometimes 3-lobed, but also maybe unlobed or compound (3 leaflets). Rare escape.

MAPLELEAF VIBURNUM

VIBURNUM

CRANBERRY VIBURNUM

COMMON SNOWBERRY Symphoricarpos a/bus

Leaves sometimes irregularly round-lobedbut usually are unlobed. Berry-likefruit white. Rare escape. See p. 42.

(pRINTS 2/3 SIZE)

SNOWBERRY FORSYTHIA SIBERIAN MAPLE

37

LEAVES OFTEN 3 OR MORE AT A NODE

SHRUBSOPPOSITE WHORLED LEAVES

SHE E P LAU REL Kalmia angustifoliaLeaves 2-6 cm. long. untoothed,evergreen. Fruit globular capsules.Small shrub up to about 1 meter high.Mostly acid soils in the open (scrubwoods, old fields. bogs, etc.). Common.

BUTTON BUS H Cephalanthus occidentalisLeaves 6-15 cm. long. untoothed.Fruit (flowers) in dense, sphericalheads. Large spreading shrub.Riverbanks, pond shores, swamps. Common.

SHEEP LAUREL

38

SHRUBBY ST.JOHN'S-WORTHypericum spathulatum

Leaves mostly 3-7 cm. long. untoothed;two larger leaves often with smallerleaves attached at same node. Fruitelongated capsules. Fields, road­sides. Rare escape .

PANICLE HYDRANGEA Hydrangea paniculataToothed leaves, occasionally inwhorls of 3. Rare escape . See p. 46.

MOUNTAIN LAUREL Kalmia latifoliaDark green, leathery-evergreen,untoothed leaves sometimes in whorls,but mostly alternate. See p. 74.

SHRUBBY ST. JOHN 'S-WORT

SHEEP LAUREL

BunoNBUSH

BunONBUSH

BunONBUSH

(PRINTS FULL SIZE)

SHRUBSOPPOSITE UNTOOTHED LEAVES

HONEYSUCKLES (IN PART): BERRY-LIKE FRUIT (FLOWERS)IN PAIRS (OR "BERRIES" 2-EYED) AT ENDS OF STALKS."BERRIES" USUALLY RED, BITTER. BUNDLE SCARS 3.

HONEYSUCKLE

HONEYSUCKLE

EUROPEAN FLY

HONEYSUCKLE

MORROW HONEYSUCKLE

(pRINTS FULL SIZE)

[EUROPEAN FLY HONEYSUCKLE Lonicera xylosteumFlowers g-~. An escape reported fromscattered New England localities, possiblyin our area]

TATARIAN HONEYSUCKLE Lonicera tataricaLeaves hairless beneath. Fruit (flower)stalks somewhat long (1.5-2 em. long) andhairless. Flowers pink or white, notturning yellow. Roadsides, thickets.Uncommon escape.

BELLE HONEYSUCKLE Lonicera XbellaLeaves sparsely hairy or hairless beneath.Fruit (flower) stalks somewhat short (.5­1.5 em. long) and sparsely hairy or hair­less. Flowers pink turning yellow. A hybridbetween preceding and following species.Roadsides, thickets. Uncommon escape.

[MOUNTAIN FLY HONEYSUCKLE Lonicera villosa·Berries· blue; pairs united into g-eyed·berries·. Swamps, bogs. Recorded inSherborn, possibly in our area]

MORROW HONEYSUCKLE Lonicera morrowiLeaves hairy beneath. Fruit (flower) stalkssomewhat short (.5-1.5 em. long) and hairy.Flowers white turning yellow. Roadsides,thickets, low woods. Abundantly naturalized.

2·EYED BERRY BELLE & TATARIAN HONEYSUCKLE

39

SHRUBSOPPOSITE UNTOOTHED LEAVESDOGWOODS (IN PART): MAIN LEAF VEINS REACHING

FORWARD. BERRY-LIKE FRUIT USUALLY WHITE OR BLUE,BITTER. BUNDLE SCARS 3.

FLOWERING DOGWOOD Comus florida"Berries" in a tight bunch, becoming red(occasionally yellow). Flowers with large,petal-like bracts. A large shrub or smalltree. Acidic woods. Uncommon.

GRAY DOGWOOD Comus racemosaFruit (flowers) in more or less cone-like clusters, not flattish or broadlyrounded. Leaves narrow (1-4 em. wide)."Berries" white, usually on red stalks.Thickets, openings. Common.

SILKY DOGWOOD ComusamomumBranchlet pith brown or grayish . Leavesgreen (or rusty with brownish hairs)beneath. "Berries" blue or bluish-white.Form with leaves wedge-based and palebeneath often treated as separate species(C. obliqua) . Damp (occasionally dry)thickets, shores, river meadows. Common.

RED-OSIER DOGWOOD Comus stoloniferaBranchlet pith white. New branchlets andtwigs deep red. Leaves with 5-7 pairs ofmain side veins and pale beneath. "Berries"whitish (occasionally with blue flush).Shores, damp thickets. Uncommon.

GRAY DOGWOOD

FLOWERING DOGWOOD

40

ROUNDLEAF DOGWOOD Comus stoloniferaBranchlet pith white . New branch letsgreenish, usually blotched with purple.Leaves with 6-9 pairs of main side veins,sometimes nearly round. "Berries" lightblue (rarely white) . Rich wood borders,thickets in sweet soil. Uncommon.

SILKY, RED-OSIER, & ROUNDLEAF DOGWOOD

GRAY

DOGWOOD

ROUNDLEAFDOGWooD

SHRUBSOPPOSITE UNTOOTHED LEAVES

FLOWERING DOGWOOD

SILKY DOGWOOD

(PRINTS FULL SIZE)

41

SHRUBSOPPOSITE UNTOOTHED LEAVES

FRINGE-TREE

SNOWBERRY

WITHE ROD Viburnum cassinoidesSometimes with untoothed leaves. Bundlescars ~. See p. 44.

MISCELLANEOUS

PALE LAUREL Kalmia,polifoliaSmall bog shrub. See p. 102.

COMMON SNOWBERRY Symphoricarpos albusLeaves 1-5 em. long, occasionallyirregularly lobed. Berry-like fruitwhite, inedible. Near former dwellingsroasides. Rare escape.

EUROPEAN PRIVET Ligustrum vulgareLeaves 3-6 em. long. Berry-like fruitblack, 6-8 mm. long, somewhat poison­ous. Often planted for hedges. Some­times escapes to thickets and roadsides.

COMMON LI LAC Syringa vulgarisLeaves more or less heart-shaped. Flowersin cone-shaped clusters. Fruit elongatecapsules. Near former dwellings, road­sides. Uncommon escape.

WHITE FRINGE-TREE Chionanthus virginicusLeaves §-20 em. long. Berry-like fruitpurple or dark blue, 1-1.8 em. long;edibility unknown. Large shrub or smalltree. Thickets, roadsides. Rare escape.

SHRUBSOPPOSITE UNTOOTHED LEAVES

ULAC

WlTHEROD

SNOWBERRY FRINGE·TflEE

(pRINTS FULL SIZE)

PRIVET

43

SHRUBSOPPOSITE TOOTHED LEAVESVIBURNUMS (IN

IIBERRIES II •

CLUSTERS.

PART): FRUIT CLUSTERS OF I-SEEDEDFLOWERS 5-PETALED, FORMING BROAD

NORTHERN ARROWWOOD Viburnum recognitumLeaf teeth large. Main side veins prominent,running directly to leaf edge. 'Berries'blue, dry and ·puckery·. Damp thickets,borders of woods (occasionally in woods).Common.

HOBBLE BUSH Viburnum alnifoliumLeaves large (10-20 em. long) and nearlyas wide as long, fine-toothed. Fruit ·(flower) clusters essentially stalkless.'Berries' red turning nearly to black,edible when thoroughly ripe. Woods. Rare.

NANNYBERRY Viburnum lentagoLeafstalks warty-edged. Leaves sharplyfine-toothed. Fruit (flower) clustersessentially stalkless. 'Berries' .darkblue, edible. Occasionally a small tree.Borders of woods, moist thickets, roadsides.Uncommon.

WITHE ROD Viburnum cassinoidesOften toothed and untoothed leaves onsame plant. Leaf teeth not sharp or large.Fruit (flower) clusters on stalks.'Berries' turning dark blue, covered withbloom, edible when fUlly ripe. Thickets,swamps, borders of woods. Common.

ARROWWOOD

HOBBLEBUSH

NANNYBERRY

44

VIBURNUM FLOWERS WITHEROD

••ANNYBERRY

SHRUBSOPPOSITE TOOTHED LEAVES

WI~EROD

HOBBLEBUSH

(pRINTS FUll. SIZE)

ARROWWOOD

45

SHRUBSOPPOSITE TOOTHED LEAVES

BUSH·HONEYSUCKLE

BUSH·HONEYSUCKLE

HYDRANGEA

CAPSULE

(pRINTS

FULL SIZE)

BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE

[MOCK-ORANGES Philade lphus spp.Leaves coarse-toothed, with main veinsreaching strongly towards tip. Fruita 4-valved capsule. A few species mightescape in our area though none are yetrecorded; often persistent near oldhouse sites.]

COMMON BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE Diervilla loniceraLeaves with long-tapered tips. Fruit(flowers) mostly in 3's. Fruit long-pointed capsules . Low shrub up to1 meter high. Dry, open woods, roadsides .Uncommon.

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIES: FRUIT CAPSULE-LIKE. OPPOSINGLEAF SCARS CONNECTED BY LINES.

PANICLE HYDRANGEAHydrangea paniculata

Leaves hairy on veins beneath.Flowers in showy, cone-shaped clustersappearing in late summer. Fruit smallcapsules . Sometimes a small tree. Wetwoods . Rare escape .

46

SHRUBSOPPOSITE TOOTHED LEAVES

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIES: FRUIT IF BERRY-LIKE, NOTI-SEEDED. OPPOSING LEAF SCARS NOT CONNECTED BYLINES.

COMMON BUCKTHORN Rhamnus catharticaLeaves essentially but not quite opposite;main veins reaching strongly forward. "Berries"black, 3-4 seeded, nauseous and purgative.Often a small tree. Naturalized in thicketsand roadsides. Common.

WINGED EUONYMUS Euonymus alatusTwigs and branchlets usually with corkywings. Leafstalks very short (1-3 mm.long). Fruit orange and red on longstalks, somewhat poisonous. Roadsides,woods. An occasional escape.

EUROPEAN EUONYMUS Euonymus europaeusLeafstalks 6-12 mm. long. Leaves hairless.Fruit fleshy, pink to red, 4-lobed, on along stalk, somewhat poisonous. Flowersusually in clusters of 3-5. Sometimes asmall tree. Roadsides, waste places. Anoccasional escape.

WEEPING FORSYTHIA Forsythia suspensaUsually also with some 3-lobed and3-compound leaves. Fruit elongatecapsules. Rare escape. See p. 36.

COMMON BUCKTHORN

WINGED EUONYMUS

PURPLE-OSIER WILLOW Salix purpureaUsually with alternate leaves at leaston sprout growth. Buds with singlescale. Occasional escape. See p. 64.

(pRINTS

FUll. SIZE)

EUROPEAN EUONYMUS

47