Stan Tekiela - Trees of Texas Field Guide

Edited by Sandy Livoti and Dan Downing Cover, book design and leaf illustrations by Jonathan Norberg Tree illustrations by Julie Martinez Cover photo: Texas Mountain Laurel Oak by MaryAnne Campbell/Shutterstock.com All photos copyright by Stan Tekiela unless otherwise noted. Adam A. Agosta/LSU AG Center, LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources: (flower). The following Bugwood (weedimages.org) images below are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0 US) License, available here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en. Ted Bodner/Southern Weed Science Society: (Plains Cottonwood). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Trees of Texas Field Guide First Edition 2009 Second Edition 2022 Copyright 2009 and 2022 by Stan Tekiela Published by Adventure Publications An imprint of AdventureKEEN 310 Garfield Street South Cambridge, Minnesota 55008 (800) 678-7006 www.adventurepublications.net All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-64755-219-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-64755-220-6 (ebook) TABLE OF CONTENTS TEXAS AND TREES Texas is a great place for anyone interested in trees.

With the Trees of Texas Field Guide , youll be able to quickly identify 180 of the most common trees in Texasmost of which are native to the state. This guide also includes a number of common non-native trees that have been naturalized in Texas. This book makes no attempt to identify cultivated or nursery trees. Because this book is a unique all-photographic field guide just for Texas, you wont have to page through photographs of trees that dont grow in the state, or attempt to identify live trees by studying black-and-white line drawings. WHAT IS A TREE? For the purposes of this book, a tree is defined as a large woody perennial plant, usually with a single erect trunk, standing at least 15 feet (4.5 m) tall, with a well-defined crown. Trees of Texas Field Guide helps you observe some basic characteristics of trees so you can identify different species confidently.

HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED To identify a tree, youll want to start by looking at the thumb tabs in the upper right-hand corner of the text pages. These tabs define the sections of the book. They combine several identifying features of a tree (main category, needle or leaf type and attachment) into one icon. Its possible to identify trees using this field guide without learning about categories, leaf types and attachments. Simply flip through the pages to match your sample to the features depicted on the thumb tabs. Once you find the correct section, use the photos to find your tree.

Or, you may want to learn more about the features of trees in a methodical way, using the following steps to narrow your choices to just a few photos. First, determine the appropriate section and find the right icon by asking these questions: Is the tree coniferous or deciduous? If it is a conifer, are the needles single, clustered or scaly? If it is deciduous, is the leaf type simple, lobed or compound, and do leaves attach to twigs in an opposite or alternate pattern? Next, simply browse through the photos in that section to find your tree. Or, to further narrow your choices, use the icon in the lower right-hand corner of the text pages. These icons are grouped by the general shape of the needle or leaf, and they increase in size as the average size of the needle or leaf increases. Finally, by examining the full-page photos of needles or leaves, studying the inset photos of bark, flowers, fruit or other special features and considering information on text pages, you should be able to confidently identify the tree. In addition, a special section includes photos and general information for 6 species of cacti and shrubs that you may mistakenly identify as a tree.

IDENTIFICATION STEP-BY-STEP Conifer or Deciduous Trees in this field guide are first grouped into two main categories that consist of 20 conifers and 154 deciduous trees. Trees with evergreen needles that remain on branches year-round and have seeds in cones are conifers. Some examples of these are pines and junipers. The only exception in this main category is the Bald Cypress, a conifer that behaves like a deciduous tree, shedding its needles in the fall. Trees with broad flat leaves that fall off their branches each autumn are deciduous. Some examples of these are oaks and maples.

Many deciduous trees in Texas, however, remain evergreen during winter until temperatures dip below freezing. You will see by looking at the thumb tabs that trees with needles (conifers) are shown in the first sections of the book, followed by trees with leaves (deciduous). Needle or Leaf Type CONIFER GROUP: Single, Clustered or Scaly Needles If the tree is a conifer, the next step is to distinguish among single, clustered and scaly needles. Begin by checking the number of needles that arise from one point. If you see only one needle arising from one point, look in the single needle section. Conifers with single needles are shown first.

If there are at least two needles arising from one point, turn to the clustered needles section. This second section is organized by the number of needles in a cluster. If you are trying to identify needles that overlap each other and have a scale-like appearance, unlike the other needles, you will find this type in the scaly needles section. DECIDUOUS GROUP: Simple, Lobed or Compound If the tree is deciduous, the next step is to determine the leaf type. Many of the simple leaves have a basic shape such as oval, round or triangular. Other simple leaves are lobed, identified by noticeable indentations along their edges.

Simple leaves without lobes are grouped first, followed by the lobed leaf groups. If a leaf is composed of smaller leaflets growing along a single stalk, youll find this type in the compound leaf sections. When a leaf has small leaflets growing along the edge of a thinner secondary stalk, which is in turn attached to a thicker main stalk, check the twice compound section. If the leaf has leaflets emerging from a common central point at the end of a leafstalk, look in the palmate compound section. Leaf Attachment