Tree leaf identification Rockies and Intermountain western region

Tree leaf identification in the rockies and Intermountain areas, leads to diversification and a chance to discover alot about how trees grow.

Unique among pines, the needles of a Bristlecone Pine are frosted with tiny white pitch droplets.

The oldest living trees in the United States, bristlecone pines range to 2,500 years old. Its durable wood allows it to stand intact for hundreds of years until its root system decays. Bristlecone pines grow to only 30 feet in height. The native habitat of this pine is on the eastern ridges of the Rocky Mountains extending south from Wyoming to New Mexico.


Western Juniper tree, another long lived tree, up to 1,500 years old

Western juniper occurs in Oregon, Idaho, California, Washington, and Nevada at altitudes of 800-3,000 m. The shoots are 1-1.5 mm in diameter. The leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs or whorls of three; the adult leaves are scale-like and 1-2 mm long (to 5 mm on lead shoots) and 1-1.5 mm broad.


Big Tooth Maple, Big tooth maple is a beautiful upright to spreading tree to 50 feet

Found most commonly in mountain washes and on steep creek sides. The Big tooth Maple has, simple and palmately veined leaves, 2 to 3 1/2 inches long and wide, 3 to 5 lobed, a few widely spaced rounded teeth, green above, lighter below with some fuzz.

The Black Cottonwood tree is very fast growing, reaching about 40 metres

Black cottonwood trees have triangular or heart-shaped leaves. The trunk becomes grey and has deep grooves when it gets older. They rarely get older than 200 years. Mopst commonly found in we areas, usually at low elevations.


For a full guide to tree identification in this area, I recommend this guide.

Trees Of The Rocky Mountains & Intermountain West (Trees of the Us)