Identify the Trees Around You
In these woods and along nearby forest edges one can find species of trees – butternut, beech, hickory, and the shrub choke cherry– that have populated central Massachusetts since the end of the most recent ice age.
Beneski Museum of Natural History 206 - Flora
Skip to Main ContentChokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
Chokecherries have oval, serrated leaves. The bark of the shrub is dark and smooth. The berries mature in late summer and are edible, but be sure to avoid the pit. It is also best to avoid eating a wild plant unless completely sure of its identity.
Hickory (Carya)
Hickory is a genus of about 18 different tree species. They can be identified by their oppositional leaves, which means the leaves point in opposite directions but originate from the same point on the stem. One leaf protrudes straight out from the end of the branch. There can be 5 to 17 leaves on one stalk. Hickory bark has deep vertical furrows, and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) has tough bark that peels off the trunk.
Butternut (Juglans cinerea)
Butternut is also known as the white walnut. Their nuts were collected and eaten by Native Americans and early colonists across the northeastern United States. Its nut is lemon-shaped and comes in bunches of two to six. They are green until they mature in mid autumn.
Beech (Fagus)
Beech describes a genus of trees with native species in North America, Europe, and Asia. Its leaves are ovular with straight, parallel veins running from the center of the leaf to the outer edge. The bark is smooth and grey.
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Fossils of the seeds and nuts of these trees on display in the Modern Connecticut River exhibit at the Beneski Museum of Natural History demonstrate the presence of these species for at least 5,000 years. Most of this region, along with 90% of Massachusetts, was cleared for pasture during the early and mid-1800’s, but these forest species have reestablished themselves with more recent change in land use.