Tree ID by hairy buds
Some trees have buds or stems that have a covering of hairs or have hair located in parts of the bud and this is the best way of identifying these trees in winter.
Tree ID by hairy buds – ten photos of the buds of two pears, two whitebeams, rowan, star magnolia, field maple, apple, laburnum and hazel. Click on any photo to enlarge it. To go back to the BUDS key click HERE. Click on any name in RED to learn more about the tree
In Britain most tree growth occurs in spring and summer. During the growing season the tree produces buds ready for next years growth. These buds remain dormant during the winter and open in the following spring. Inside each bud are tiny preformed leaves, shoots or flowers. Terminal buds are formed at the end of the shoot. Lateral buds are formed at the junction of the leaf and shoot. Leaves and lateral buds are formed at particular points on the shoot called nodes. As the shoot grows in the summer, the terminal bud releases a hormone which prevents lateral buds forming. The concentration of this hormone is high at the tip but as the tip grows away it becomes low enough for lateral buds to form at a node. The tip then continues to grow until another node can grow and so on until growth ends for the year.