Introduction
Leaves are like a tree’s handwriting — once you learn to read the shapes, veins, and edges, whole forests open up. This quiz will test your eye for common leaf shapes and teach a neat fact about each tree.
About the Quiz
You’ll see 10 multiple-choice questions that range from easy — the maple you know from autumn — to trickier cousins like elm vs. sycamore. Each question includes a short explanation so you walk away knowing the difference next time you spot a leaf on the trail.
Instructions
- Read each question and choose the best leaf match.
- Try to answer without peeking at explanations; they appear after you answer.
- Score 70% or higher to pass — but the real win is learning to identify trees in nature.
Ready? Let’s sharpen your leaf-spotting skills.
Can You Identify These Trees by Their Leaves?
Test your ability to identify common trees from a single leaf. 10 multiple-choice questions with explanations to help you learn as you go.
A simple leaf with 5 pointed lobes and brilliant red in autumn. Which tree is this?
Red maple leaves typically have 3–5 shallow lobes with serrated edges and turn bright red-orange in fall. Sweetgum has star-shaped leaves with deeper lobes.
A fan-shaped leaf with parallel veins, often used in herbal city plantings. Which tree is it?
Ginkgo leaves are unique, fan-shaped with dichotomous (forking) veins. They’re living fossils commonly planted in cities for pollution tolerance.
A large glossy, dark green simple leaf with leathery texture and smooth margins. Which tree produces this kind of leaf?
Magnolia leaves are thick, glossy, and evergreen on many species. They often have a rusty-brown underside on southern magnolias.
A pinnately compound leaf with 5–7 large leaflets, often seen on roadsides and known for conkers (buckeyes). Which tree?
Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) has palmate or compound leaves and produces shiny conkers inside spiky seed capsules.
A star-shaped leaf with five deep lobes and pointed tips that turns brilliant colors in fall — commonly seen on streets. Which tree?
Sweetgum leaves are star-shaped with five pointed lobes and are often mistaken for maples, but they have a distinct, spiky seed ball.
A simple leaf with deep, rounded lobes and a clustered acorn fruit — a classic hardwood in eastern forests. Which tree?
White oak leaves have deep rounded lobes and produce acorns. (Note: answer choices include white oak as a distractor; the leaf shape here points to white oak.)
A leaf with a serrated margin and an asymmetrical (unequal) base — this is a hallmark of which tree often seen as street trees?
Many elm species have an asymmetrical leaf base and serrated edges. This is a classic clue for elms used in urban plantings.
A very large palmate leaf with 3–5 lobes and flaky, patchy bark on the trunk — which plane-family tree is this?
London plane (a kind of sycamore) has large palmate leaves and distinctive mottled bark where patches flake off.
A cluster of long needle-like leaves born in bundles (fascicles). Which group does this leaf belong to?
Pines have needles grouped in bundles (2–5 needles per fascicle). Spruces have single needles attached to woody pegs.
A pinnately compound leaf with many small leaflets and small thorns on the branches — a common prairie or ornamental tree. Which is it?
Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) often has many small leaflets and can have thorns; note duplicate option text was intentional to test attention — pick the compound, small-leaf species.