Tree identifier
What sort of tree is this? Name it from a photo and know what to do next
What sort of tree is this, and is it a problem? The tree identifier names the tree from a leaf, the bark or the whole tree, flags the risks for your house and garden, and says whether to keep, prune or remove it.
The result
What sort of tree is this? What the tree identifier tells you
One photo and where the tree stands: the tree brief is written for your property, not for a field guide.
Its common and scientific name (Acer palmatum for a Japanese maple), with how sure the match is and the look-alikes to rule out.
Its likely height and spread, and how far its roots reach, so you know what it will be like near the house in years to come.
Whether it is often invasive, what its roots can mean for drains and foundations, and wind-fall risk.
Watering, pruning and the common problems of that species, and when to prune.
One plain choice, with the reason and the timing.
- Keep and care
- Prune
- Replace
- Remove
Whether trees like it are often protected, what it can mean for a boundary or a neighbour, and when to ask an arborist or your local authority.
Method
How the tree identifier works
- 01
Take one clear photo
A leaf in sharp focus, the bark at chest height, or the whole tree with its base. In winter, a twig with its buds.
- 02
Say where the tree stands
The region, and how close it is to a house, a drive, a fence or a boundary.
- 03
Get the name and the tree brief
The tree identifier names the tree, shows how sure it is, and adds the risk flags and care for that species where you live.
- 04
Decide what to do
Keep and care, prune, replace or remove, with the timing, and whether an arborist should look first. More angles improve a hard case: take another angle, add bark or buds in a new run.
Reference
Clues that name a tree: leaves, bark, buds and fruit
Tree identification pieces the clues together: the more features a photo shows, the more accurately the tree can be named. The season affects which clues are available.
- Broadleaf or conifer
A broadleaf tree is usually deciduous; a conifer usually has needles or scales all year. European larch is one of the few conifers that drops its needles in winter.
- Simple or compound leaf
A simple leaf is whole, though it can be lobed, as on sycamore, field maple and hawthorn. A compound leaf splits into leaflets: in pairs along a stalk (ash, rowan), or like fingers (horse chestnut).
- Leaf arrangement
Buds and leaves sit opposite in pairs (ash, sycamore), alternate (hazel, limes) or in a spiral (oaks). An alternate leaf arrangement, bark color and fruit together narrow the list.
- Bark
Its colour, texture and pattern: cherry is reddish-brown with horizontal lines, silver birch peels white like tissue paper. Bark can change from the base to the crown.
- Fruit and seeds
Acorns, samaras (papery winged fruits, as on field maple and sycamore), nuts, berries or cones. Fruit found around the tree may come from a neighbour's tree.
- Winter
Without leaves, a broadleaf tree is named from its twigs, leaf buds and bark: ash buds are purple-black, horse chestnut buds fat and sticky.
- Shape and setting
A silver birch is narrow and airy, an oak broad and spreading; trees in a wood have narrower crowns than trees in a park.
Source: Woodland Trust (How to identify trees), as of
Reference
From oak tree identification to sycamore: trees that appear similar
Oaks come in more than one kind, and "sycamore" names a different tree in North America and in Britain. The leaf, the acorn and the bark tell them apart.
- White oak
- Leaves with rounded, finger-like lobes; a warty, bowl-shaped acorn cap; whitish or ashy grey bark, scaly to blocky.
- Northern red oak
- Leaves with bristle-tipped lobes; a flat, thick acorn cap like a beret; older bark with flat-topped ridges like ski tracks.
- English oak
- Round-lobed leaves on very short stalks, and acorns on long stalks. Sessile oak is the opposite: stalked leaves, acorns without stalks.
- American sycamore
- Broad leaves with three to five lobes and coarse teeth; mottled brown, green, tan and white "camouflage" bark that peels; round seed balls that hang on in winter.
- Sycamore in Britain
- A maple (Acer): five-lobed leaves, often with red stalks on young trees, and two-winged samaras set at a narrower angle than field or Norway maple.
Source: Virginia Tech Dendrology (white oak, northern red oak, American sycamore); Woodland Trust (English oak, sycamore), as of
Photos
How to photograph a tree for the tree identifier
Which clue to show depends on the season. The leaf arrangement often settles it: is the arrangement opposite or alternate? In winter the bud arrangement helps the same way.
Do
A leaf, flat and sharp
One leaf against the sky or your hand, with the twig it grows on: the leaf arrangement clue is in the twig.
The bark at chest height
Close enough to see the texture and colour; bark changes with age, so shoot the trunk, not a young branch.
Buds and twigs in winter
Without leaves, show the twig with its buds: their colour, shape and how they sit.
The whole tree and its base
Step back far enough to show the crown and where the trunk meets the ground.
Don't
Not fallen fruit alone
Acorns or seeds on the ground may have come from another tree.
Use daylight
Daylight shows the true colour of bark and leaves best.
Do not climb it
If a limb is cracked or hanging, photograph it from a safe distance.
Source: Woodland Trust (How to identify trees)
Reference
Warning signs on a tree near a house
A damaged or unhealthy tree can drop limbs or fall. Walk around the tree and look from the base to the crown: each of these is worth an arborist's look.
| Sign | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Brackets, conks or mushrooms | On the bark and around the base |
| Cracks | In the main trunk, and where limbs fork |
| Dead or dying limbs | In the crown, against the sky |
| A trunk that leans or tilts | The whole trunk, against an upright post or wall |
| Cracks in the soil | Near the base of the tree |
| A large canker, a lowered soil grade | On the trunk; around tree roots, where soil was dug away |
- Sign
- Brackets, conks or mushrooms
- On the bark and around the base
- Sign
- Cracks
- In the main trunk, and where limbs fork
- Sign
- Dead or dying limbs
- In the crown, against the sky
- Sign
- A trunk that leans or tilts
- The whole trunk, against an upright post or wall
- Sign
- Cracks in the soil
- Near the base of the tree
- Sign
- A large canker, a lowered soil grade
- On the trunk; around tree roots, where soil was dug away
Note when a sign appeared. Some hazards are hard to see, such as decay inside the trunk or unhealthy roots: a lightning strike can damage a tree with little damage showing outside.
Source: UC IPM (Recognizing Hazardous Trees), as of
Could it fall on a house, a road or people?
Do not wait for any app. If a tree with these signs could hit a house, a road or people, keep people clear and have it inspected by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, or registered with the American Society of Consulting Arborists.
Reference
A tree identifier app in your browser, with no download
For anyone trying to name a tree in the garden or on a walk: it works like an app, but with no app download or app install, and no app first to set up. It runs in the browser.
- One photo to start
A leaf, the bark, a twig with buds, or the whole tree. For another angle, run it again with a new photo.
- Where it grows
Your town or region is added context: the same leaf can mean a different tree in Ohio and in Surrey.
- Look-alikes
When two trees appear similar, the report names the look-alikes and the features that separate them.
- A next step
Keep and care, prune, replace or remove, with the reason, and when an arborist should look.
Scope
More than a free tree identifier: what a photo can and cannot tell
A photo can show
- Broadleaf trees and conifers, from a leaf, the bark, buds, fruit or the whole form
- The warning signs to check for on that tree, and when an arborist should look
- Risk flags for the species: roots, spread, wind-fall, invasive habits
- Whether to keep, prune, replace or remove it, and when an arborist should look
Only an expert with it in hand can tell
- Decay inside the trunk, or the state of the roots
- A safety inspection: only an arborist on site can make one
- Whether you may cut or prune it: that is a legal question for your local authority
The approach: a name is where the tree identifier starts. It goes on to what the tree means for your house and garden, and what to do next, step by step.
Next
When to call an arborist or the council
The tree brief says when. These are the usual next steps.
- 01
It could hit a house, a road or people
Have it inspected regularly by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or registered with the American Society of Consulting Arborists.
UC IPM on tree hazards - 02
Before you cut, prune or cut roots of a big tree
In England, a tree with a preservation order needs the planning authority's written consent first (roots included) unless an exception applies; in a conservation area, give notice first. Elsewhere, ask your local authority.
GOV.UK guidance - 03
Before building work
Building work can affect roots, so protect the tree during construction: damage from building work can make a tree decline, become hazardous or die.
- 04
What to bring
The species if you know it, what you saw and since when, and photos of the base, the trunk and the crown.
Limits
What a tree photo cannot replace
The tree identifier names the tree and points out what a photo can show. It never replaces an inspection by a certified arborist, and it is not legal advice: ask your local authority before you cut or prune a tree that may be protected.
FAQ
Tree identifier questions
Can I take a picture of a tree and find out what it is?
Yes. Take one clear photo of a leaf, the bark or the whole tree, and the tree identifier names it, with how sure the match is and the look-alikes.
Can I identify a tree from a picture online for free?
Trying the tree identifier here is free: no card, no account and no trial. It runs online, in your browser.
Is there a free tree identifier?
This one is free to try, with nothing to install and nothing to cancel.
How do I tell what tree I have by picture?
Photograph the clue that the season gives you: a leaf with its twig in summer, buds and bark in winter, fruit in the fall. The more features the photo shows, the better the answer (Woodland Trust).
Is tree identification from one photo always accurate?
No photo is always enough. The report shows how sure the match is, and says so when it is unsure; another photo of the bark or a twig with buds can settle it.
What details do I get after I identify a tree?
A tree brief: how it grows and how far its roots reach, its risk flags, care, and what to do next, keep, prune, replace or remove, with the reason.
What is the best photo for tree identification?
A sharp leaf with the twig it grows on. Some trees can be named from bark alone; season decides the rest: in winter use buds and twigs.
What is wrong with my tree?
Photograph what worries you: fungus at the base, cracks, dead limbs, a lean, or leaves that look wrong. The tree identifier names the tree and lists the warning signs to check for it; the table above shows where to look. If the tree could hit a house, a road or people, have an arborist inspect it.
How do I identify a sycamore tree?
In North America, American sycamore has broad, coarsely toothed leaves with three to five lobes and mottled bark that peels in patches (Virginia Tech Dendrology). In Britain, sycamore is a maple with five-lobed leaves and two-winged seeds (Woodland Trust).
How do I tell what kind of oak tree I have?
Look at the lobes: white oak has rounded, finger-like lobes, northern red oak bristle-tipped ones. The acorn cap helps too: warty and bowl-shaped on white oak, flat like a beret on northern red oak (Virginia Tech Dendrology).
Can it identify a tree in winter?
Yes, from what winter leaves: a broadleaf tree is named from its twigs, buds and bark, and most conifers keep their needles (Woodland Trust).
Is my tree worth saving?
The tree brief says keep and care, prune, replace or remove, with the reason. For a large tree near a house, have an arborist look before anyone cuts it.
When is moving a tree worth it instead of cutting it down?
It depends on the species, its size and its roots. The tree brief says how far the roots reach; an arborist can say whether a move is realistic.
Is this really how much trees cost to prune or remove, or am I being overcharged?
The tree brief says what kind of work the tree likely needs and when a professional should do it, so you can compare quotes on the same job. Ask for written quotes from more than one arborist.
Do I need permission to cut down a tree?
Sometimes. In England, a tree with a preservation order needs the local planning authority's written consent before work, roots included, unless an exception applies; in a conservation area you give notice first (GOV.UK). Elsewhere, ask your local authority before you start.
Is there a fully free tree identification and care app?
Trying this tree identifier asks for no card, no account and no trial, so nothing renews. The care part is in the same report.
Can Google identify a tree?
Photo search alternatives can suggest a name. The tree identifier starts there too, then adds what the tree means for your house and garden and what to do next.
A tree near the house you cannot name?
Take one photo of a leaf, the bark or the whole tree. The tree identifier names it and says what to do next.