Science, Tech, Math › Animals & Nature White Oak, Red Oak, American Holly - Tree Leaf Key A Quick and Easy Way to Identify 50 Common North American Trees Share Flipboard Email Print Animals & Nature Forestry Tree Identification Basics Arboriculture Tree Structure & Physiology The Science Of Growing Trees Conifer Species Individual Hardwood Species Pests, Diseases, and Wildfires Tree Planting and Reforestation Amphibians Birds Habitat Profiles Mammals Reptiles Insects Marine Life Dinosaurs Evolution View More By Steve Nix Forestry Expert B.S., Forest Resource Management, University of Georgia Steve Nix is a natural resources consultant and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters. our editorial process Steve Nix Updated January 29, 2020 So, your tree has leaves where the ribs or veins within the lobes arise from several places along the central vein or midrib (and the term for this arrangement is called pinnate). Use this leaf image diagram for tree leaf structure details. If this is correct, you most probably have a broadleaf or deciduous tree that is either a white oak, red oak, or American holly. Let's continue... If you need to start over return to the Tree Key Start Page. 01 of 03 White Oaks (The Major Oaks) White Oak. White Oak Does your tree have leaves that are rounded in the bottom of the sinus and at the top of the lobe and have no spines? If so you have a white oak. OR 02 of 03 Red Oaks (The Major Oaks) Red Oak. Red oak Does your tree have leaves that are angular to rounded at the base of the sinus and angular at the top of the lobe and have small spines? If so you have a red oak. OR 03 of 03 American Holly American Holly. American Holly Does your tree have evergreen leaves that are angular at the tip of the lobe and shallow, rounded at the base of the lobe and have large, sharp spines? Does your tree have red berries? If so you have an American holly. Identification Overview Of the 90 native North American oak species, the red and white oak groups are the most common oaks. Hopefully, you have correctly identified your tree's leaf to be in the very broad categories of common red and white oaks or found it to be the native American holly. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Nix, Steve. "White Oak, Red Oak, American Holly - Tree Leaf Key." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/identify-white-oak-red-oak-american-holly-1343483. Nix, Steve. (2020, August 26). White Oak, Red Oak, American Holly - Tree Leaf Key. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/identify-white-oak-red-oak-american-holly-1343483 Nix, Steve. "White Oak, Red Oak, American Holly - Tree Leaf Key." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/identify-white-oak-red-oak-american-holly-1343483 (accessed May 18, 2021). copy citation