Just beautiful photographs

Winter bud-key for Dutch hardwoods.

Buds in winter.

This page shows tree-buds in winter by simply showing photographs. It should not be seen as a key in itself, but as a part of the whole winter-key. The winter key part one is the elimination winter key. The third part is the bark key..

Buds of trees are good characteristics to use for determination. There seems to be little variation between individuals in a species. At the end of the winter however buds do change form and size as they are almost becoming leafs or flowers. Many buds harbor both leafs and flowers by the way. In some species there are different flower-buds and leaf buds (Elms for instance).

Having said that we order the photo's in the following way:
1. Buds come in bunches | 2. Bud is red | 3. Bud is very green | 4. Bud is a bit green with red | 5. Bud is very black | 5. Bud is very large, brown and sticky | 6. Bud is a round ball | 7. Bud is oblong and brown/green/red | 8. I see no buds | 9. There are buds but no class fits 10. Buds of easily recognizable trees.

Because there are not too many photo's my aim is you look at them all. The classification is more to bring some structure to the page, not a water-tight logical key.

1. Buds come in bunches

2. Bud is red

3. Bud is very green

4. Bud is a bit green with red

5. Buds is very black


Common ash Fraxinus excelsior (Gewone es)
foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud

5. Bud is very big, brown and sticky


Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum (Witte paardenkastanje) or Red horse chestnut Aesculus x carnea (Rode paardenkastanje)
foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud

6. Bud is a round ball


Elm genus or Ulmus (Ulmaceae)
foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud foto bomen: bud

7. Bud is oblong and brown/green/red