Identifying a broadleaf tree

Broadleaf trees, also known as hardwoods, are classified by botanists as angiosperms. The term “angiosperm” comes from the Greek words angion (vessel) and sperma (seed), reflecting the fact that broadleaf seeds are contained in a fruit. By way of example, the seeds of an apple tree are contained in its apples. Broadleaf trees shed their leaves in the fall. They account for most forest tree species in Canada.

The following identification key for broadleaf trees makes field identification easier by artificially grouping trees by leaf shape and arrangement along the twig.