Flowering Eudicots – Hardwood Trees
Eudicots are one of the major angiosperm groups, named for the characteristic of the seedlings having two seed leaves. The eudicots include 1) herbaceous annuals that die at the end of each growing season after setting seed, 2) herbaceous perennials, in which the shoot system dies after setting seed but the roots live to regenerate shoots and leaves in the next growing season, and 3) woody perennials, or hardwoods, covered in this guide. Woody growth exists above ground all year, the leaves are either deciduous or evergreen, and growth in both height and width is possible, resulting in some truly large specimens.
Shrubs generally have multiple trunks and grow low to the ground, whereas trees have one or two trunks and grow to some height. Although individual authors and even the U. S. Forest Service have provided various explanations, the reader should know that there is no precise scientific definition of what constitutes a shrub versus a tree. Thus, I have included several woody species that only occasionally reach what most would call tree stature, preferring to err on the side of inclusion.
Within this guide the hardwoods are grouped by basic leaf form:
Trees with opposite, compound leaves – These constitute just a few species in south Florida, making identification fairly easy.
Trees with alternate, compound leaves
Trees with opposite, simple leaves
Trees with alternate, simple leaves – This is the largest group; many of the trees, although of different plant families, have similar leaves with pointed drip tips; identification will typically require more than one feature.