How to Identify Wild Flowering Woody Shrubs in North Carolina

Take pictures of the shrubs. Zoom in on details such as the branches, flowers and leaves. Compare it to Duke University's pictures to help you narrow down the possibilities. The website has a list of naturalized and native North Carolina shrubs.

Analyze the flowers. Mountain Witchalder, for example, grows a white flower on the end of each branch. The flower has hundreds of small, straight pieces and resembles a cotton ball. Gray dogwood, also commonly grown in North Carolina, has white blooms comprised of four petals each. Compare the flowers you find to those in the botanical research guide. The North Carolina Botanical Gardens and Duke websites have pictures you can use for comparison.

Look for fruit. Deerberry (vaccinium stamineum), for instance, has fruits that are green when ripe. They do not turn blue or black. They do not taste good, so only deer eat them. Scarlet Firethorn is a naturalized shrub in North Carolina. It is large, with thorny branches and bright red clusters of pomes adorning the branches.

Examine the branches. Some are green and fleshy while others are brown and brittle. Smell them to see if there is an odor. This can help ID the shrub.

Bring the photo to a university or county extension office for help identifying it. You can also visit the Botanical Garden because their flora typically has signs with names. Find a shrub that looks like yours.