The rich, golden yellow of the hickories fall foliage makes if possible to identify them from a distance without actually seeing their alternate , compound leaves, which may have five, seven or nine leaflets. Pignut hickory characteristically has five leaflets per leaf. The shagbark hickory , which also has five leaflets, is easily identified by the long, shaggy strips of bark that spread away from the trunks of mature trees. OAK Oaks and hickories occupy a special place in America s cultural, economic and environmental history, thanks to their strong, durable wood, and the acorns and hickory nuts they yield. They also provide an array of reds, browns and yellows in the fall forests, where the rounded, spreading form of the oaks and often cylindrical form of the hickories help in their identification.
White oak leaves.
T he simple, alternate leaves of the oaks have smooth edges and are usually lobed, as shown by the leaves of the white oak , which is the state tree of Maryland and Connecticut. White oak leaves may be yellow, bronze, red or brown and the lobes are rounded or smooth at their tips. The colorful leaves of the swamp chestnut oak , which is closely related to the white oak, have more numerous, shallow lobes, which are also rounded at the tips. The rock chestnut oak of dryer habitats has the same leaf form, but may be less colorful. And the three prominent lobes of the distinctive cross-shaped leaves of the post oak , another member of the white oak group, are also rounded.