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this shrub has simple, alternately arranged leaves with a gentle rolling margin and asymmetrical leaf base, showy yellow flowers that bloom in late fall to winter, has capsule fruit that holds 2 seeds (will pop when ripe and eject seeds), and yellow fall color
hamamelis virginiana/common witchhazel
this tree has large, simple leaves with a broad, flat or truncated apex, terminal buds resemble a duck bill, big showy yellow flowers in spring, fruit is a cone like aggregate of samaras, grayish brown bark with flattened ridges, yellow fall color
liriodendron tulipifera/tuliptree; yellow poplar
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves with a serrated margin, usually green color, some have reddish-purple color, showy flowers in spring, can be white, pink, red, etc., fruit appears in clusters and can be anywhere from pea size to ping pong ball size, and is usually red but can be yellow or orange, has grayish brown, scaly/flaky bark
malus/flowering crabapple
this tree has simple alternately arranged leaves with a coarsely toothed margin, stout reddish brown stems with conical buds, bark is cream colored and smooth with diamond shaped lenticels, yellow fall color
populus grandidentata/bigtooth aspen
this tree has simple, alternately arranged, lobed leaves that are rounded and deeply cut, fruit is a medium size acorn with a cap of scaled that covers about 1/3 of the nut, bark is gray, flaky and turns slightly outwards, red/burgundy to brown fall color
quercus alba/white oak
this tree has long, pinnately compound leaves with 11-19 leaflets, leaves are soft and sticky, fruit is a nut in an oval/oblong shaped and soft/pubescent casing, has ridged and furrowed bark that's a lighter grayish-white color, yellow fall color
juglans cinerea/butternut;white walnut
this shrub has simple, oppositely arranged leaves, and broadly ovate leaves with a smooth margin, is very invasive, have pinkish-white flowers in spring (typically in pairs), fruit is a white, orange, red, or purple berry
lonicera/honeysuckle
this tree has simple alternately arranged leaves that have a serrated margin, some may be lobed, can produce deeply cut lobes, leaves resemble a spade shape, underside of leaves are slightly fuzzy, dark purple blackberry like fruit, bark is bright tan at base and grayish brown further up with flattened ridges, yellow fall color
morus rubra/red mulberry
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves, with a serrated margin, has a flattened petiole, leaves are noisy and shake back and forth during windy weather, fast grower but declines in health quickly, smooth, greenish-white to creamy white bark and becomes warty and furrowed with age, golden yellow fall color
populus tremuloides/quaking aspen
this tree is the most widely planted of its species, has simple, alternately arranged, lobed leaves that are rounded and shallow, lots of leaf surface, leaves are dark green and glossy with a lighter colored underside, has medium growth rate, fruit is a larger sized acorn with a rough/rugged cap of scaled that covers about 1/3 of the nut, bark is grayish brown, and peeling/flaky, yellow fall color
quercus bicolor/swamp white oak
this tree has long, pinnately compound leaves with 11-23 leaflets (the top leaflet is often missing), fruit is a nut in a smooth, round shaped casing, the root system produces a chemical that keeps vegetation clear around the tree, dark brown-grayish black bark, golden yellow fall color
juglans nigra/black walnut
this tree has simple, alternately arranged, ovate shaped leaves with a pointed apex, medium green color and an asymmetrical leaf base, petioles have white/milky sap, tree sap has a yellow color and can be used for dye, twigs have thorns, fruit is the size of a baseball/softball (ppl use it to repel spiders), dark orange-brown platy bark, yellow-green fall color
maclura pomifera/osage orange; hedgeapple
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves with a doubly serrated margin and soft texture, very tough bark/wood, grayish brown color and exfoliates in thin strips, has a shaggy appearance, fruit is a nutlet enclosed in a cluster sac (looks like hops fruit), yellow fall color
ostrya virginiana/ironwood (or american hophornbeam)
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves, showy white flowers and red colored fruit that matures to black (fruit is a drupe), smooth cinnamon brown colored bark in youth and peels with age, yellow fall color
prunus maackii/amur chokecherry
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves with bristle tipped lobes and a plain underside, major sinuses are C shaped, has medium growth rate, more rounded and open crown shape, fruit is a smaller sized acorn with a smooth cap of scales that covers about half of the nut, scarlet red fall color
quercus coccinea/scarlet oak
this shrub has simple, oppositely arranged, ovate shaped leaves, mostly used as a hedge border, shear easily, has dark purple/blue bunches of fruit, showy white flowers in spring, young stems are green and pubescent becoming gray and smooth with age
ligustrum vulgare/european privet
magnolia stellata/star magnolia
this tree has large, simple leaves with 3-5 triangular shaped lobes that are coarsely toothed, and have very pointed tips that curl, the bark exfoliates and shows a bright white or olive gray color as it regrows, fruit is a hanging ball full of multiple seeds, ripens from green to tan color, brown fall color (this is one of the largest tree species in iowa)
platinus occidentalis/sycamore
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves that are much longer than they are wide, leaf margin is finely serrated, flowers are white and in long stalks, fruit is a small red drupe that ripens to black, has grayish black bark that becomes scaly as tree matures, yellow to red fall color
prunus serotina/black cherry
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves with 5-7 bristled tipped, deep cut lobes, smaller sized, shiny leaf with plain underside, smaller tree of it's species, has a rounded crown, bark is brownish0black and platy, red fall color
quercus ellipsoidalis/northern pin oak; hill's oak
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves that have a star shape with 5-7 lobes and a finely serrated margin, round fruit that looks like a medieval mace/starfruit, prefers acidic soil, bark is grayihs-brown and develops corky ridges/wings further up the tree, yellow-purple-red fall color
liquidambar styraciflua/american sweetgum
this tree has simple, broad ovate/oblong leaves with a narrow and short apex and smooth, wavy margin, early spring flowers with a white-purple color, even bigger pubescent buds, smooth, gray bark, yellow-bronze fall color, (similar characteristics as the other magnolia, just bigger)
magnolia x soulangeana/saucer magnolia
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves with a deltoid (shoulder muscle)/ triangle shape, has a flattened petiole, leaves are serrated and look like tiny waves, older bark is dark gray in color and deeply furrowed, it releases it's seed with a cottony mass, yellow fall color
populus deltoides/eastern cottonwood
this tree has simple, alternately arranged leaves that are glossy and dark green, more round shaped and fold up slightly, has wooly pubescent buds, marble sized, olive colored fruit (fruit is a drupe), has upright growth pattern, showy white flowers in spring, and reddish-purple fall color
pyrus calleryana/callery (ornamental) pear