Group 2: Leaf scars alternate, pith chambered or diaphragmed

1. Stipular scars encircling twig...2.

2. Buds valvate, apex rounded...Liriodendron tulipifera

2’. Buds cap-like, apex pointed...Magnolia tripetala

1’. Stipular scars absent or, if present, not encircling twig...3.

3. Bud naked...Asimina triloba

3’. Bud scaly...4.

4. Twigs very stout; bundle scars numerous, in groups...Juglans nigra

4'. Twigs thin to moderately stout; bundle scars 1, 3, or 5...5.

5. Some twigs terminated by catkins; bundle scars 5...Corylus americana

5'. Twigs never terminated by catking; bundle scars 1 or 3...6.

6. Bundle scar 1...7.

7. Twigs not branching like an upside-down umbrella; axillary buds very dark, frequently blackish...Diospyros virginiana

7'. Twigs often branching like an upside-down umbrella; axillary buds not blackish...Symplocos tinctoria

6'. Bundle scars 3...8.

8. Buds frequently superposed, scales not glossy; plant a shrub...Itea virginica

8'. Buds not superposed, scales frequently glossy; plant a tree...9.

9. Each bundle scar a white ring with a dark center; bud scales very glossy...Liquidambar styraciflua

9'. Bundle scars not as above; bud scales somewhat glossy...Nyssa sylvatica