Winter Twig ID
Updated: Sep 13
How are your plant identification skills? Are you wanting a little extra challenge? Have you ever been curious about a plant during the winter but couldn’t tell what it was? Whether you’re a beginner looking to spice up your winter hikes with a new skill, or seasoned in plant identification and looking to brush up on the basics, this blog post is for you!
Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) buds
Getting to know the parts of a twig
Morphology
Terminal Bud: The bud that forms at the end of the twig, after a full year of growth.
Lateral Buds: The other buds along the length of the twig.
Pseudo-terminal Bud: A lateral bud at the end of a twig where the branch has broken or died. It can be distinguished from a terminal bud by the presence of a leaf scar (see below).
Bud Scales: Pseudo-leaves that protect the vascular tissue inside the bud.
Lenticels: Dot-like pores that allow for gas exchange. Depending on the plant, these may or may not be visible.
Leaf Scar: A structure below the bud where the previous year’s leaf was attached.
Bundle Scar: Markings inside the leaf scar from where the veins of the previous leaf were connected to the twig.
Ring Scar: The scar from the previous year’s terminal bud.
Node: The location on the stem where buds and leaves attach.
Internode: The space between two nodes.
Pith: The soft tissue in the center of the twig.
Branching Structure
Opposite: Pairs of buds or leaves occur at each node
Alternate: Each node has only one bud or leaf. Plants can also have sub-alternate branching when there is an uneven spacing between nodes (see Hardhack below).
Keep an Eye out for These Natives!
Below are some common PNW native plants that you’re likely to come across on a hike, in a park, or at a Green Seattle Partnership volunteer event. Here are some photos and quick tips to help you with your ID. Click on each photo to view more photos of that species.
Opposite Branching Species
We’ll start with opposite branching plants, since there are many fewer of these. If you can identify that the plant has an opposite branching pattern, you can vastly narrow down your choices.
Big-leaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
Multiple terminal buds with the largest in the middle
“V” shaped leaf scar
Mature trees are typically covered in moss
Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa
Very large buds, which are bright pink and green in the spring
Raised lenticels give bark a warty appearance
Spongy pith
Can grow to 20 feet tall at maturity
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus stolonifera
Bright red bark
Buds are thin, black and elongated – they have the appearance of devil’s horns.
Snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Brittle whispy branches
Tiny, opposite buds that are greyish/white in the winter
White berries persist through winter and eventually turn black before falling off
Twinberry
Lonicera involucrata
Light colored, shaggy bark
Paired fruits are sometimes present through mid-winter
Can be confused with ninebark, but ninebark has alternate branching
New branching is square
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum
“Pig-hoof” shaped terminal buds
Redish/green bark
Y-shaped branches
Alternate Branching Species
Beaked Hazelnut
Corylus cornuta
Twigs have small white hairs and appear fuzzy if you look closely
2-toned pinkish buds
Prominent zig-zag pattern along the twig, bending at the nodes
Black Cottonwood
Populus balsamifera
Young shoots have angled edges
Tawny bark color
Large, white, visible lenticels
Sticky buds
Spear-shaped lateral buds
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana
Persistent brown lobed leaves
Short internodes
Buds are soft, fuzzy, and brown
Buds have a shingled appearance
Swollen terminal bud
Hardhack
Spirea douglasii
Grows in thickets
Buds are very small with white hairs
Subalternate buds
Persistent flower heads
Indian Plum
Oemleria cerasiformis
Loose branching growth habit
Bud scales are shingled and green-purple. Sometimes described as “artichoke-like”
Light-colored, visible lenticels
First to lose leaves in winter, first to leaf out in spring
Oceanspray
Holodiscus discolor
Fountain shape growth habit
Persistent drooping flowers
Looser flower bundle than hardhack
Pacific Ninebark
Pysocarpus capitatus
Striped, shaggy bark
Twigs have edges that you can feel if you roll in your hand
Branches are “whip” shaped
Buds are appressed (pressed at side of twig)
Red Alder
Alnus rubra
Bark is smooth and often covered with white splotchy lichen
Buds are bright red
Persistent cones called strobiles (female)
Non-persistent catkins (male)
Can grow up to 120 feet at maturity
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
Rigid stalks
Slight zig-zag at nodes
Plump, hairy buds, often hidden by the shrivled base of the season’s leaf stalk
Galls sometimes present
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