Identifying fruit trees can seem daunting at first, but with a bit of knowledge about what to look for, it becomes much easier. Fruit trees have some key characteristics that can help you distinguish them from other trees and identify what type of fruit tree you’re looking at. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of identifying fruit trees, including examining the leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and overall shape of the tree.
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Examine the Leaves
One of the easiest ways to identify a fruit tree is by looking closely at its leaves. The size, shape, texture, color, and arrangement of leaves can all be clues as to what type of tree it is. Here are some tips on leaf identification:
- Look at the overall shape of the leaves – are they round, oval, heart-shaped, or long and thin?
- Examine the edges – are they smooth, serrated, or lobed?
- Check for hairs – some fruit trees like peaches have fuzzy leaves.
- Consider the arrangement – are the leaves alternate, opposite, or clustered?
- Pay attention to size – citrus trees tend to have smaller leaves, while figs and mulberries have larger leaves.
- Note any distinguishing features like leaf stems, veins, or asymmetry in shape.
As an example, apple trees generally have oval or elliptical-shaped leaves with serrated margins. Peach tree leaves tend to be lance-shaped with a crenelated margin. Fig leaves are often deeply lobed and much larger than other fruit tree leaves.
Common Fruit Tree Leaf Shapes
| Fruit Tree | Leaf Shape |
|---|---|
| Apple | Oval or elliptical |
| Apricot | Oval |
| Cherry | Oval with pointed tip |
| Fig | Deeply lobed |
| Mulberry | Heart-shaped |
| Olive | Lance-shaped |
| Peach | Lance-shaped |
| Pear | Oval or elliptical |
| Plum | Oval or oblong |
Examine the Flowers
The flowers produced by a fruit tree can also provide valuable clues as to the tree’s identity. Pay attention to the size, color, and structure of the flowers. Here are some things to look for:
- Flowers may be single or clustered into groups.
- Petal size, shape, and color varies – apple trees have white or pink flowers with five delicate petals for example.
- The flowers may have many stamens (male parts) or just one central pistil (female part).
- Note the odor – citrus blossoms tend to be very fragrant.
Stone fruits like cherries, plums, apricots, and peaches all produce very similar looking flowers – five petals with many stamens. Pome fruits like apples and pears have distinguishing blossoms though – apple flowers are white or pink with five petals, while pear flowers look very similar to apples but tend to be in clusters.
When Flowers Bloom
| Fruit Tree | Bloom Time |
|---|---|
| Apple | Spring |
| Apricot | Early spring before leaves emerge |
| Cherry | Spring |
| Fig | Summer |
| Mulberry | Spring |
| Olive | Spring |
| Peach | Early spring before leaves emerge |
| Pear | Spring |
| Plum | Early spring before leaves emerge |
Inspect the Fruit
Once the tree starts producing fruit, identification becomes much simpler. The size, shape, color, taste, and other attributes of the fruit are unique to each species. Some details to take note of include:
- The fruit may contain a single seed, a pit, many seeds, or no seeds at all.
- The skin may be smooth, bumpy, waxy, fuzzy, or leathery.
- Flesh can range from juicy to dry and be sweet, tart, or savory.
- Pay attention to strings, stems, pores, crowns, husks, or other structures.
- Note how the fruit is arranged – singly, in bunches, or clusters.
For example, a peach can be identified by its fuzzy oval shape, large pit, yellow flesh, and sweet juicy taste when ripe. Olives are small, oval, and green becoming purplish-black when ripe with dry, oily flesh surrounding a large pit. The fruits of a fig contain many tiny seeds within the pear-shaped purple flesh and unique tear-drop shape.
Common Fruit Shapes
| Fruit Tree | Fruit Shape |
|---|---|
| Apple | Round |
| Apricot | Round or oval |
| Cherry | Round or heart-shaped |
| Fig | Pear-shaped |
| Mulberry | Elongated cylinder |
| Olive | Oval or rounded oval |
| Peach | Round and oval |
| Pear | Pyriform or bell shaped |
| Plum | Oval or round |
Examine the Bark
The appearance of a fruit tree’s bark can provide clues about its identity even during the winter when it has no leaves, flowers, or fruit. Here are some details to look for:
- Is the bark smooth, warty, bumpy, flaky, scaly, or furrowed?
- Pay attention to any lenticels (raised pores).
- Note patterns like strips, cracks, ridges, and fissures.
- Check the thickness – young trees have thinner bark that thickens with age.
- Look at the color – gray, brown, tan, red, black?
For example, cherry tree bark tends to have horizontal lines called lenticels. On mature apple trees, the bark is gray and scaly with some cracks and splits. Pear tree bark develops scaly ridges as it ages. Peach tree bark is distinctively reddish-brown with smooth sections in between the cracks and furrows.
Common Fruit Tree Barks
| Fruit Tree | Bark Appearance |
|---|---|
| Apple | Gray and scaly with cracks and ridges |
| Apricot | Brown or gray, smooth with horizontal lenticels |
| Cherry | Horizontal strips with horizontal lenticels |
| Fig | Smooth and gray, resembles camouflage later on |
| Mulberry | Light brown and rough with orange-brown strips |
| Olive | Gray-brown and becomes fissured with age |
| Peach | Reddish-brown with smooth strips and furrows |
| Pear | Scaly brownish-gray bark that ridges with age |
| Plum | Brownish-red, shiny, with small horizontal lenticels |
Look at the Shape and Growth Habit
Finally, stepping back and looking at the overall shape and growth habit of the tree can provide additional clues to its identity. Things to note:
- Height – is it a small, medium, or large tree?
- Width – does it have a narrow or spreading crown?
- Are branches upright, drooping, twisting, tiered, or sparse?
- Does it have a single trunk, multi-trunk, or low branching structure?
- Is growth rounded, oval, weeping, columnar, or irregular?
For example, peach trees tend to have a short trunk and branching starts low to the ground. Apple trees generally form a rounded or spreading shape. Olive trees have a gnarled branching pattern with open and irregular growth. Being familiar with the natural shapes of fruit trees takes observation and experience.
Common Fruit Tree Shapes
| Fruit Tree | Typical Shape and Growth Habit |
|---|---|
| Apple | Round or spreading shape with open growth to 15-20 ft tall. |
| Apricot | Spreading shape, sometimes vase-like, 12-20 ft tall. |
| Cherry | Rounded or oval crown, 15-25 ft tall. |
| Fig | Broad and spreading, 10-30 ft tall. |
| Mulberry | Open, often weeping branches, 30-50 ft tall. |
| Olive | Twisting irregular growth, short trunk, 15-30 ft tall. |
| Peach | Vase-shaped, branching low down, 12-20 ft tall. |
| Pear | Pyramidal becoming oval, 20-35 ft tall. |
| Plum | Spreading oval crown, 15-20 ft tall. |
Conclusion
Identifying fruit trees is easiest when you can examine the leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and form of the tree. But even one or two clues like leaf shape or bark characteristics can help you make an identification. Look for distinguishing features and patterns rather than relying on any single trait. Over time, you will develop a mental library of fruit tree identifiers to draw from when you come across an unknown specimen. With some observation skills and use of identifying features, you will be able to confidently name that fruit tree.