Willow
A GUIDE TO JUNEAU’S
Salix species
NATIVE TREES
Quick I.D: Leaves
usually longer than
wide. Look for
“Willow Rose.”
Where: Basin Road.
Centennial Hall parking
lot.
The four main types of willows in the Juneau area, Felt-leaf, Barclay,
Scouler and Sitka, are difficult to tell apart but share the following
characteristics:
Size and Form: Deciduous, can be shrubby or tree-like up to 50 feet tall.
Leaves: Usually tapering to base, short-pointed.
Flowers: April to May. Male and female flowers in catkins on separate plants.
by
The Juneau Urban
Forestry Partnership
Fruit: Capsule containing seeds.
Bark: Smooth and gray. May become furrowed and scaly or with ridges.
Habitat: Along streams and shores, gravelly or open areas, roadsides.
Common.
Notes: “Willow roses” (galls caused by insects) are commonly seen on the
Barclay willow.
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November 2009
T
his publication was developed by the Juneau Urban Forestry
Partnership (JUFP) as a simple guide for those interested in learning
about our native trees. Two general locations are given for each tree, one
in a natural setting, the second in a Downtown location.
Sitka Mountain Ash
Sorbus sitchensis
Other names: Pacific mountain ash
The JUFP is a non-profit group that was formed to promote the
development of an urban forestry program for our city. As part of this
effort, we promote greater appreciation of the trees in our community
through education. For further information contact us at:
[email protected] or go to: juneautrees.wordpress.com.
Quick I.D.
Leaves with 9–11 leaflets.
White flowers, fruit small,
red or orange.
Where: Basin Road. In front
of State Museum.
References include:
Hall, Judy Kathryn. Native Plants of Southeast Alaska. 1995
JUFP. Downtown Juneau Tree Guide, 2006.
Viereck, Leslie A. and Elbert L. Little, Jr. Alaska Trees and Shrubs.
2007.
Images were taken by JUFP members Jeff Barnard and Sondra Stanway.
Copyright 2009.
Size and Form: Deciduous shrub or small tree to 20 feet. Round-topped head.
Leaves: Compound, 5-9 inches long, with 9-11 leaflets per leaf, rounded or
blunt at ends. Edges coarsely and sharply toothed above middle. Dull bluegreen on upper surface, lower pale and hairless. Yellow-red fall color.
Flowers: Small clusters, white and fragrant, flowers in the spring.
Fruit: Clusters of red, small apple-like fruits, becoming orange and purple
when mature in August or September. May remain on tree after the leaves drop.
Bark: Smooth, light gray.
Habitat: Uncommon to rare in forests from sea level to tree-line.
Notes: Its relative, the European Mountain Ash, is a very common, mediumsized tree and has become naturalized in the Juneau area. Its compound leaves
are similar in appearance to the Sitka mountain ash. Fruit commonly eaten by
birds in winter.
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Douglas Maple
Alaska Yellow Cedar
Acer glabrum
Other names: Rocky Mountain maple
Cupressus nootkatensis
Other names: Nootka cypress, yellow cypress
Quick I.D.
Leaves opposite and coarsely
double-toothed. Fruit wings
nearly parallel.
Quick I.D:
Needles scalelike. Shaggy
bark.
Where: Dan Moller
Trail. North side of
Governor’s House.
Where: Basin Road, Gold
Creek flume. Near steps
above Fireweed Place.
Size and Form: Deciduous, small tree to 30 feet, but often a multi-stemmed
shrub.
Size and Form: Medium-sized evergreen tree to 70 feet. Has drooping
branches and flattened sprays.
Leaves: Opposite, 2-5 inches long and about as wide, slightly heart-shaped at
base, three or 5-lobed with lobes long-pointed. Upper surface dark green,
grayish-green beneath.
Needles: Pointed, flat and scale-like with a dark bluish-green color and a length
of 0.25 inches. Create a frond-like appearance and have an opposite
arrangement. Foliage emits an unpleasant resinous odor when crushed.
Flowers: Yellow-green with five petals. Male and female usually on different
trees.
Flowers: Male flowers yellow and produced in great mass while female
flowers small and inconspicuous.
Fruit: Fruit wings about ¾ inch long, nearly parallel, red.
Bark: Reddish-brown shedding in long strips.
Bark: Gray, thin, smooth.
Cones: Small, usually less than 0.5 inches long, rounded with 4-6 sets of scales
and a waxy covering. Cones mature in the second year.
Twigs: Opposite, reddish and hairless.
Habitat: Along shores, sometimes fringing tidal meadows or bogs.
Occasionally found in rich, moist soils on forested slopes. Scattered locations.
Notes: Only member of the maple family native to Alaska.
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Habitat: Grows from sea level to tree line, best developed at around 500–1000
feet. Scattered locations.
Notes: One of the slowest growing conifers. Wood resistant to decay.
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Subalpine Fir
Oregon crab apple
Abies lasiocarpa
Other names: Alpine fir, white fir
Malus fusca
Other names: Pacific crab apple, M. diversifolia
Quick I.D:
Cones upright on
branch. Needles
crowded, curving
upward.
Where: On slopes above
Perseverance Trail. No
known sites for this
species Downtown.
Size and Form: Medium to large evergreen tree. Has a dense, narrow, spirelike crown with rows of short, flat, horizontal branches.
Needles: Flat, stiff, crowded, blue-green, 0.75-1 inch long. Tip rounded or
notched. Lines of white dots, more on lower surface.
Bark: Gray, thin and smooth with resin blisters on young trees.
Cones: Upright on highest branches, 2 ½-4 inches long at maturity, dark purple
with fine hairs. Seeds have long wings.
Habitat: Grows mainly in the subalpine zones of the mountains, most common
near tree-line.
Notes: An uncommon, high altitude tree.
Quick I.D.
Leaves oval, sometimes
3-lobed. Small red or yellow
fruit in the fall.
Where: Richard Marriot Trail in
Lemon Creek. In front of State
Museum.
Size and Form: Small deciduous tree from 15-25 feet tall, usually with several
trunks or a shrub forming thickets.
Leaves: Oval shaped, broadest toward tip, or lance-shaped, short-pointed,
sharply toothed, shiny green, pale beneath. About 3 inches long.
Flowers: In clusters on slender stalks with 5 pointed hairy sepals and 5
rounded petals, white or pink. Flowers in June.
Fruit: Like small apple, (size of cherry) yellow or red, with sour taste. Matures
August-October.
Bark: Shiny gray-brown, thin, becomes scaly with age.
Habitat: Near streams, beach meadows and muskeg fringes. Scattered
locations.
Notes: Fruit is preferred food for deer. Can be used in jellies and preserves.
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4
Black Cottonwood
Mountain Hemlock
Populus trichocarpa
Other names: Balsam cottonwood, northern black
cottonwood
Tsuga mertensiana
Other names: Alpine hemlock
Quick I.D.
Tallest deciduous tree in area.
Long, straight trunk, upwardflowing branches. Fall leaves
yellow.
Quick I.D.
Needles soft, crowded
on all sides of twigs.
Where: Basin Road. Centennial
Hall parking lot.
Where: Ebner Falls on upper
portion of Perseverence Trail.
Centennial Hall.
Size and Form: Large deciduous tree. Grows to 120 feet with an open crown
of erect branches.
Leaves: Alternate, 3-6 inches long, 2-4 inches wide, broad at the base,
narrowing to pointed tip, finely toothed, shiny dark green, whitish underneath
often with rusty specks.
Seeds: Female catkins greenish and bear 3-valved downy capsules which
release white cottony seeds in June.
Bark: Gray and smooth when young, becoming dark and deeply furrowed
when older.
Habitat: Usually low elevations on river bottoms and sandbars. Grows with
willows and alders.
Notes: The largest broadleaf tree in Alaska. Male and female flowers on
different trees. Buds and young leaves give off a strong balsam fragrance.
Size and Form: Medium to large evergreen tree. Commonly stunted at higher
elevations or near muskegs. Has down-sweeping branches that sweep upward
at the tips. Leader droops slightly. Top has flattened appearance in older trees
Needles: Short, flat and soft, of equal length. Needles arranged radially on
branch.
Bark: Dark reddish-brown, rough and scaly, deeply furrowed in older trees.
Cones: Oblong, 2-3 inches in length, purplish when young.
Habitat: Commonly found at higher elevations and near muskegs. Favors
damp, moist, organic soils.
Notes: Generally slower growing than western hemlock.
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5
Western Hemlock
Paper Birch
Tsuga heterophylla
Other names: West Coast hemlock, pacific hemlock
Betula papyrifera subsp.commutata
Other names: Western paper birch
Quick I.D.
Typically has drooping leader. Needles soft
to touch, tips rounded. Small cones.
Quick I.D.
Young have reddish-orange bark, mature
black/white bark. Leaves widest below
middle, double-toothed, base smoothedged.
Where: Overlook near Snowslide
Gulch on Perseverance Trail. No known
sites for this subspecies Downtown.
Where: Basin Road. Centennial
Hall.
Size and Form: Small to medium-sized deciduous tree, 40-70 ft, trunks often
clustered. Older trees become oval to rounded, with increasing irregularity in
shape.
Size and Form: Large evergreen tree. Has a narrow crown, down-sweeping
branches, and a noticeably drooping leading shoot.
Needles: Short, flat and soft, of unequal length. Two whitish bands on lower
surface.
Bark: Reddish-brown, smooth when young. Scaly and deeply furrowed in
older trees.
Cones: Oval, less than one inch long and golden brown.
Habitat: Main tree in local forest (more than 70%). Shade tolerant.
Notes: Grow to 150 feet and sometimes taller. Host plant for dwarf mistletoe
which creates swollen, oddly branched structures known as “witches’ brooms.”
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Leaves: Simple, alternate, 2-4 inches long, rounded or sometimes wedge
shaped at base, long or short-pointed at tip, coarsely and finely toothed. Bright
yellow in fall.
Flowers: Male flowers in catkins 1 inch long, usually in threes but sometimes
in pairs.
Fruits: Seed catkins, 1-1.5 inches long.
Bark: Young trunks smooth, reddish-brown becoming papery and pinkishbrown or chalky-white after about four seasons. On very mature trunks, white
is mixed with rough, black patches. Bark peels in strips to expose orange inner
bark.
Habitat: Found along the mainland coastal river drainages and lakes in the
northern part of SE Alaska. Uncommon.
Notes: Birch freely hybridize, making identification difficult.
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Sitka Alder
Shore Pine
Alnus viridis sinuata
Other names: Mountain alder
Pinus contorta contorta
Other names: Scrub pine, tamarack pine.
Quick I.D.
Leaves rounded at base, fine,
sharp teeth of two sizes.
Quick I.D.
Two short needles per
bundle.
Where: Basin Road. Centennial
Hall parking lot.
Where:common in muskegs
near Eaglecrest area. In front
of State Museum.
Size and Form: Large shrub or small multi-stemmed, deciduous tree.
Leaves: Alternate, oval, 2-5 inches long, speckled yellow-green and shiny
upper surface, lower surface lighter, shiny, and hairless or nearly so. Shortpointed, rounded at base, sticky when young. Leaf edges irregularly sawtoothed and not rolled over.
Flowers: May to June, seeds mature in late August. Male flowers in narrow
catkins.
Fruits: Cone-like structures 0.5-0.75 inches long. “Cone” stalks longer than
those of red alder.
Bark: Gray, thin and smooth.
Habitat: In cool, moist sites that are frequently disturbed, from sea level to
above tree line in avalanche chutes, landslide areas, stream banks and forest
edges.
Size and Form: Medium-sized, sometimes tall evergreen tree, with a twisted,
spreading, broad rounded crown.
Needles: In bundles of two, stiff, 1-2 1/4 inches long.
Bark: Gray to dark brown, scaly and rough.
Cones: Tend to point backward on twigs, heavy, egg-shaped, usually curved,
¾-2 inches long, each scale with sharp spine that wears off.
Habitat: Open muskegs.
Notes: Common pine throughout S.E. Alaska. Same species as the Lodgepole
pine. Only pine in Alaska.
Notes: As with red alder, improves soil conditions by adding organic matter
and nitrogen. Curved stems allow it to spring back after burial by snow and
mud so it persists on unstable slopes.
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7
Sitka Spruce
Red Alder
Picea sitchensis
Other names: Coast spruce.
Alnus rubrum
Other names: Western alder, Oregon alder
Quick I.D.
Leader upright, needles
pointed and prickly. Scaly
bark.
Quick I.D.
Leaf coarsely toothed,
margins rolled under. Small
cones.
Where: Basin Road. In front of
State Museum.
Where to see: Basin Road. In
front of State Museum.
Size and Form: Large evergreen tree. Broadly conical with thin, horizontally
spreading branches.
Size and Form: Medium-sized deciduous tree, to 65 feet with a narrow,
pyramidal top and pendulous branches.
Needles: Tip has a spine making the foliage prickly. Glossy green above,
silvery-white below due to two whitish bands.
Leaves: Alternate, broad, oval, 2-6 inches long, dull dark green above, grayish
and rusty hairy on veins below, often have wavy rolled-over edges with coarse,
rounded teeth. Short-pointed at both ends. Leaves mostly green when they drop
in the fall.
Flowers: Usually red or pinkish-green, about 1-1.5 inches long.
Bark: Gray, smooth, and thin, becoming purplish-brown with scaly plates
when older.
Cones: Cylindrical-oblong with wavy edged scales, 2-4 inches long, hanging
down from branches.
Habitat: From sea level to tree-line. Forms more than 20% of local forest.
Notes: State tree of Alaska. Oldest are 500 to 750 years old. During WWII
aircraft were made from Sitka spruce.
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Flowers: Male flowers in narrow catkins.
Fruit: Cone-like, 0.5-1 inch long on short stalks Seeds mature in August and
drop in fall and early winter.
Bark: Thin, smooth and gray, often covered with whitish lichens.
Habitat: Common throughout area at low elevations. Stream banks, beach
fringes, disturbed sites.
Notes: Important ecologically for fixing their own nitrogen from the
atmosphere, also for their fast growth on poor sites. National Cancer Institute
found this species to contain two anti-cancer agents.
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