Trees with lobed leaves
Oak leaves are the best known, but hawthorn and a whitebeam have lobes too. Look at how deep the cuts go, and how long the stalk is.
What to look for
- English oakDeep rounded lobes, two tiny lobes beside a short stalk
Sessile oakRegular shallow lobes, not toothed
Red oakBig, the lobes tipped with bristles
HawthornSmall, cut at least halfway in
Swedish whitebeamLobed near the base, grey wool beneath
English oakRounded lobes, ear-like flaps, a very short stalk
Sessile oakShallow regular lobes on a long stalk
Jarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0Red oakBig and matt, each tooth ending in a bristle
HawthornSmall, cut at least halfway to the centre line
Swedish whitebeamLobed oval leaf, a coat of grey hairs beneath
Midland hawthornShallow lobes, toothed nearly to the base
jamie-aa, CC BY 4.0Turkey oakRough jagged leaves, grey with fine hairs beneath
In the app
Not sure? Ask the app
- Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely names the tree
- No signal? The guided keyOne simple question at a time, about what you can see
- Every part, through the yearSo you can name it in winter as surely as in June
- A short round each dayUntil you know them on sight
Free to download.
Photographs: Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Jarro Nevsbaru (CC BY 4.0), jamie-aa (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.