Help with identifying tree species

[begreen]

Thought it would be helpful to have a thread for methods of identifying an unknown tree. I'll start with leaves. Often one goes to a tree id website and gets tangled in the jargon because they use similar terms to describe the veins, the edges, etc.. Here is a nice chart that details the terms used to describe a leaf.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Leaf_morphology_no_title.png

Please add your favorite website for tree id by leaf, bark, wood, etc..

 

[kennyp2339]

I always just say maple, I'm usually correct 25% of the time..lol

 

[JSeery]

I always just say maple, I'm usually correct 25% of the time..lol

60% of the time, it works every time.

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[begreen]

Back on topic, so that maybe this can go up as a sticky - tree guide from arborday
https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/

 

[matt1@]

I just went to take a picture of a pine tree that i got for free to identify the species. I've never seen a pine like this, it has orange-ish red bark. The site above www.arborday.org got it right away, scotch (or scots) pine. Nice site begreen!

 

[7acres]

I've got a leaf in front of me from a tree I intended to post an ID thread for. Here's what begreen's first link told me:
Shape: Rhomboid
Margin: Spiny
Veins: Cross-Venulate

I've tried a few different paths through the workflow on that second link now and I'm not getting a match.

After a bunch more googling I found the match, Sycamore! The leaves match and so does the bark pattern peeling off the trunk as well as the spindly branches coming off the relatively narrow trunk. I don't know why I couldn't figure it out with these guides. The pocket style guides never worked for me the way my brain works.

 

[blades]

Some of the sub species/ hybrids can really muck up the works at times.