In his publication, Deciduous Trees & Shrubs of Central Minnesota, Stephen G. Saupe, Ph.D., biology professor, has offered silhouettes of some of the common species in Minnesota as well as throughout North America. These diagrams were designed to help his students study leaf form.
Here are some leaf silhouettes inspired by Dr. Saupe's collection. One caution: these images are not to scale, so refer to the leaf size description.
Green Ash Leaf
Ash (Fraxinus spp.)
- Leaf opposite ranked
- Leaf pinnately compound
- Leaf 8 to 12 inches long
Horse Chestnut/Buckeye Leaf
Horse Chestnut/Buckeye (Aesculus spp.)
- Leaf opposite ranked
- Leaf palmately compound
- Leaf 4 to 7 inches long
Maple Leaf
Sugar Maple (Acer spp.)
- Leaf opposite ranked
- Leaf simple, lobed
- Leaf 3 to 6 inches long
Basswood Leaf
Basswood or Linden (Tilia spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple
- Leaf 4 to 10 inches long
Ironwood Leaf
Ironwood (Carpinus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, toothed, pointed
- Leaf 1 to 5 inches long
Hackberry Leaf
Hackberry (Celtis spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, toothed, 3-veined at base
- Leaf 2 to 5 inches long
Cottonwood Leaf
Cottonwood (Populus)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, pinnately veined, flat based
- Leaf 3 to 5 inches long
Catalpa Leaf
Catalpa (Catalpa spp.)
- Leaf whorled ranked
- Leaf simple
- Leaf 7 to 12 inches long
Honey Locust Leaf
Honey Locust (Gleditsia spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf compound to doubly compound
- Leaf 4 to 8 inches long
Red Oak Leaf
Red Oak (Quercus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, bristle-tipped lobes
- Leaf 5 to 9 inches long
Prickly Ash Leaf
Prickly Ash (Xanthoxylum spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf once compound
- Leaf 3 to 10 inches long
Quaking Aspen Leaf
Quaking Aspen (Populus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, heart-shaped to nearly round
- Leaf 1 to 3 inches long
White Oak Leaf
White Oak (Quercus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, finger-like lobes
- Leaf 2 to 9 inches long
American Elm Leaf
American Elm (Ulmus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, doubly serrated, base inequilateral
- Leaf 3 to 6 inches long
Dogwood Leaf
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
- Leaf opposite ranked
- Leaf simple, entire or slightly wavy margin, arc-veined
- Leaf 2 to 4 inches long
Redbud Leaf
Redbud (Cercis spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, heart-shaped
- Leaf 2 to 5 inches long
Sawtooth Oak Leaf
Sawtooth Oak (Quercus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, toothed
- Leaf 3 to 7 inches long
Sycamore Leaf
American Sycamore (Platanus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, palmately lobed
- Leaf 4 to 8 inches long
Yellow Poplar Leaf
Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, two-lobed tip, two side lobes
- Leaf 3 to 8 inches long
Willow Oak Leaf
Willow Oak (Quercus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, willow-like, narrow
- Leaf 2 to 5.5 inches long
Water Oak Leaf
Water Oak (Quercus spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, extremely variable in shape
- Leaf 2 to 5 inches long
Southern Magnolia Leaf
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, evergreen, plastic-like, fuzzy underneath
- Leaf 5 to 10 inches long
Chinese Tallow Tree Leaf
Chinese Tallow Tree (Sapium spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple
- Leaf 1 to 2 inches long plus petiole length
Persimmon Leaf
Basswood or Linden (Diospyros spp.)
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, margin serrate, venation pinnate
- Leaf 2 to 8 inches long
Sweetgum Leaf
Sweetgum
- Leaf palmately lobed and alternate ranked
- Leaf simple
- Leaf 4 to 6 inches long
Sassafras Leaves
Sasssafras
- Leaf alternate ranked
- Leaf simple, unlobed, one lobe and two-lobed (tri-shaped)
- Leaf 3 to 6 inches long
Redcedar Leaf
Redcedar
- Leaf scale-like and evergreen
- Leaf often paired on stem
- Leaf to one-quarter inches long