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 graybrown. 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, urnshaped 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