Best Fruit Tree Identification Guides: 4 Field Guide Picks

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Choosing a fruit tree identification guide can be tricky when you’re deciding which clues and references will be most useful to you.

Guides that use features such as leaves, bark, fruit, and twigs offer different ways to identify trees, while maps and glossaries provide additional reference material.

This time, we’ll round up four field guides, from fruit and twig keys to broader guides covering North American trees.

Quick-reference table of recommended products

Product name	Coverage	Identification method	Reference aids	Page count
What Tree Is That?	250 common North American trees	Step-by-step; clues include leaves, twigs, fruits, flowers, buds, and bark	Full-color botanical illustrations	164
Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs	Fruit key covers deciduous trees and evergreens; distinguishes more than 120 fruits and 160 twigs	Fruit and twig identification keys	Over 350 photographs	128
Trees of North America: Revised and Updated	Over 730 species in 76 families	Tree shape, bark, leaf, flower, fruit, and twig characteristics	160 range maps; common and scientific names; measuring rules	280
National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America	More than 700 additional tree species and varieties alongside the named examples	Identification tips for each tree; special emphasis on leaves, bark, fruits, and flowers	More than 2,000 images; range maps; tree-identification section; glossary	528

What Tree Is That?

For readers who want a step-by-step way to identify common North American trees, What Tree Is That? is recommended. It covers 250 trees and uses identification clues including leaves, twigs, fruits, flowers, buds, and bark, with full-color botanical illustrations.

The 164-page guidebook has a water-resistant cover.

What Tree Is That?

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Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs

For readers who want to identify trees and shrubs by their fruits or twigs, Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs is recommended. Its fruit key covers deciduous trees and evergreens, and its paired descriptions guide identification through the characteristics of a specimen. The book distinguishes more than 120 fruits and 160 twigs, with over 350 photographs accompanying the keys.

Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs

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Trees of North America: Revised and Updated

For readers seeking a field guide to identify a wide range of North American trees, Trees of North America: Revised and Updated is recommended. It covers over 730 species in 76 families and uses characteristics such as tree shape, bark, leaves, flowers, fruit, and twigs for quick identification. The guide also includes 160 range maps and common and scientific names, providing geographic and naming references alongside the identification features.

Trees of North America: Revised and Updated

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National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America

For readers looking for a field guide with broad North American tree coverage, the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America is recommended. Alongside the examples named in its description, it covers more than 700 additional tree species and varieties, with identification tips for each tree and emphasis on leaves, bark, fruits, and flowers.

Range maps show tree distribution in North America, while a glossary covers tree parts and leaf, fruit, flower, and bark types. A waterproof cover is described as especially valuable for use in the field.

National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America

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Choose by identification approach

• People who want a step-by-step guide to common North American trees
  • What Tree Is That?
• People who want fruit and twig identification keys, including fruit coverage for deciduous trees and evergreens
  • Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs
• People who want broad North American tree coverage with range maps
  • Trees of North America: Revised and Updated
• People who want tree-by-tree identification tips and a guide for field use
  • National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America