NC Tree ID

[nclonghunter]

This tree is close to my deer stand and I am trying to figure out what it is. The leaves are changing colors and mostly gone but they appear to be a football shape. They also do not appear to be like a walnut or locust type leaves, where they are opposite of each other in a row.

Any ideas?

[blackhawk]

The grey smoother barked one is american beech,and I see some beech leaves from another tree on the edge of your pic? The brown furrowed bark one shows no leaves for it? Which tree are you a asking about?

[nclonghunter]

There are Beech all around there. Its the deep reddish bark tree I do not know about. There are no leaves low enough to get one. Tried to see one drop and get it. After posting it looks more like a young shag bark hickory, but the bark has a reddish tint like a Hemlock.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Looks like basswood kind of. Im certain its not a shagbark.

[Buck67]

Persimmon?

[RyanR]

Pretty tough to determine without a leaf. Does it have any fruit or nuts?  What part of NC are you from?  I spent a few years down there in Jacksonville and up in the Raleigh area.

[mcginnis6010]

Maybe pignut hickory? Kinda looks like the ones growing around here.

[Pat B]

Sassafras. What color are the leaves








Sassafras has thtree leaf shapes. One is oval, one is oval with a single lobe and the third has two lobes. In the fall the leaves turn yellow to orange and are pretty bright.








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[Dalton Knapper]

I too was thinking sassafras. Easy way to tell - stick a knife in the bark and smell. If one knows about trees, another help would be to  ell us if the tree had simple leaves, compound leaves or what, but you would have to look those terms up. Other clues include the way the branches come off the tree, up, straight out, etc. Another clue is if the branches are opposite each other, alternating or what. That's all part of Tree ID.

[mcginnis6010]

He said the leaves are football shaped so i don't think it eould be sassafras. But yea without a pic of the leaves it would be pretty hard to tell.

[RyanR]

Some of the sassafras leaves on my trees are football shaped. Sassafras is easy to tell by the strong smell when you bust off a branch. Smells good.

[mcginnis6010]

Yea i love sassafras i make sassafras tea every once in awhile. Delicious

[Dalton Knapper]

Not that this is sassafras, but sassafras exhibits what is called a "dimorphic" leaf pattern. Some leaves will be simple ovate, some will be mitts (like a mitt glove) and some will be triple lobed. That's sassafras. Regardless, the smell of leaf, bark or branch will give it away. New branches will be green. It can be a large tree or a bush.

[mcginnis6010]

Yea i got tons of it growing in the woods behind the house.

[nclonghunter]

I have dug and pulled plenty of sassafras and I do not believe it is one. Most I have dug were only head tall, so it being a 30 ft tall tree could be different. I could not see any lobed leaves on the tree. I took a cell phone picture that is not the best, but what I have to work with.

Thanks for the replies, I have been looking a tree images trying to confirm the ID. No luck yet, but maybe this picture will help.