Observations by mchughrebecca2

Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Species: americana? (prediction)

Commonly known as Elm, five species were found in the area.

The species all seemed to be young, only standing about three or four meters tall. The trunk is slender, roughly textured, and a grey/light-brown colour.

The leaves alternate along the branches, and have asymmetric bases from the petiole. They are heavily pinnately vennated, with doubly serrated margins.

Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Salix
Species: pentandra

This shrub is estimated to be about two meters tall, and was discovered tangled within the Elaeagnus commutata.

The leaves alternate up a smooth, tan coloured stem. They range from about three to six inches long and are highly linear shaped with tapered ends. The margins were ciliate/denticulate and the leaves had pinnate venation.

Family: Elaeagnaceae
Genus: Elaeagnus
Species: commutata

Also known as Silverberry, this species closely resembles the related Elaeagnus angustifolia in the same area. The main difference being that this species is a shrub.

Only one was observed in the given area, standing about two meters tall, with a great width of about one to one and a half meters.

The colony of branches stood almost vertically, with alternating, ovate leaves of a silvery-green colour. The leaves had a fuzzy, scaly texture, and varied from two to five inches in length.

Further research details fruits and flowers on this species, though none were observed on this particular shrub.

Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Picea
Species: engelmannii ? (uncertain)

Known commonly as a spruce tree. 18 species were counted in the given area.

Varying in height from about ten to fifteen meters.

The bark is roughly textured and flaking, and is a medium to dark brown colour. Branches stick straight out all around the trunk, in a mostly horizontal way. The individual branches are covered in needles, spiralling all around up to the tips of each stem.

The tree bark is a greyish-brown colour, and a rough, scaly texture. The branches spread out straight and flat from the trunk. Small brown, rounded buds appear down the length of each branch.

The needles are sharp, strong, and leave a distinct pine smell on the fingers. They are a medium to light green color, while the branches are a much lighter brown than the tree trunk. The branches are scaly in appearance, and individual stems are opposite in arrangement.

The cones are very light brown in color, and long in shape, with layers arranged downward toward the tip of the cone. Most cones were observed on the ground.

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Cotoneaster
Species: acutifolius

This shrub was observed entangled within another species, almost entirely shaded from the sun. A total of 3 species were found in the area.

The leaves are a dark green, semi-glossy obtuse-ovate shape. They alternate along a medium to dark brown stem. They varied in size from one to three inches in length, and up to one and a half inches in width.

Only a few fruits were observed, all a dark purple colour. They are smooth, shiny, and less than an inch in length and width.

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Crataegus
Species: unknown

Commonly known as hawthorn, this single shrub was found in the given area, alongside another shrub of the Rosaceae family.

Found growing alongside an Elaeagnus angustifolia, this shrub was only about three feet in height. A bunched network of stems and branches gave rise to odd pinnate petioles of leaves. The leaves are opposite except for the single one at the tip. They are a light green colour, with dentate margins. They also have pinnate venation.

The branches are a red-brown to a dark red colour, with seemingly random yellowish thorns protruding from them.

Bundles of a bright red fruit were observed on some of the branches. They are circular, and less than one centimeter in diameter. The bottoms of the pomes have jagged looking protrusions.

Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Betula

Also known as European White Birch; distinct because of its drooping branches.

Two species found in the area, estimated to be 10-13m tall. The ground surrounding the tree is dry and sparsely populated by other plants, likely due to shade that the tree provides. The bark is smooth, whitish-grey coloured, with thin, black horizontal lines covering it.

The branches have alternating stems, and each stem has alternating petioles with one leaf on each. The leaves are deltoid/ovate shaped, with serrated margins, and have pinnate venation.

The flowers (catkins) are cylindrical, greenish-brown, and are present in mostly the higher branches of the tree, presumably to be carried by the wind for pollination.

Family: Elaeagnaceae
Genus: Elaeagnus
Species: angustifolia

Commonly known as Russian olive; due to the olive-like fruit it bears.

Forty-one species were found in the area, and this is likely a result of the species' ability to spread rapidly and grow quickly. Ranged from very small (1m) to about 5 meters tall. Some were found very close to other species of trees, and the rest were in a grove of over thirty species. The bark ranged in colour from a deep maroon with grey speckles on the smaller ones, to a medium-light brown on the more mature looking ones. The smaller ones (presumably less mature) were more smooth in texture, while the bigger ones had ridged, furrowed bark.

Each stem has alternating petioles with one leaf on each, both have a fuzzy texture. The leaves are elliptical/linear shaped, and vary in length from about 2 to 4 inches. Each leaf is a smooth, glossy green on the top, while the underneath is a silvery-light-green matte. They have pinnate venation, though sometimes the veins appear alternating.

The fruits stem from the base of the leaf on each petiole, with up to three fruits observed from a single base. They are light-green/grey in colour, and less than 2 cm in circumference.

Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Larix
Species: sibirica

Known commonly as the Siberian Larch.

Six species found in area, varying in height from three meters to an estimated nine meters tall. All were found standing separate from other vegetation, and within direct sunlight.

The tree bark is a greyish-brown colour, and a rough, scaly texture. The branches spread out straight and flat from the trunk. Small brown, rounded buds appear down the length of each branch.

Each stem has singular and clustered needles, sometimes up to ten from a shared base. They vary in length from about one to 3 inches long. They felt soft to the touch, in contrast to other needled trees. The leaves/needles are a light-green to yellowy-green colour.

The cones attach directly to the branches, and are small and more circular than long. Their structures resemble flower petals in their layered arrangement.