How to Identify Cucumber Trees

Look for a straight-trunked tree featuring a pyramidal shape in its upper canopy. Cucumber trees grow to between 40 and 70 feet, with the largest of these magnolias able to develop to 100 feet tall. Trunk diameters, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden, sometimes reach 4 feet.

Examine the foliage on a cucumber tree. It is deciduous, with the foliage having an elliptical shape. Cucumber tree leaves are between 5 and 10 inches in length, with widths between 3 and 6 inches. The leaves have pointy tips, a fact indicated by its scientific name "acuminata." The leaves have a coating of soft hairs on their undersides, are yellowish-green and turn shades of yellow in autumn.

Inspect the ends of the twigs on a cucumber tree in April and May for the flowers. Look for flowers with six petals; these flowers are bell-shaped and greenish-yellow to white-yellow. As wide as 3 inches, the flowers are often difficult to spot, obscured by the large leaves.

Observe the fruit produced by the flowers. The red fruits mature by the end of summer, protected by 2- to 3-inch cone-like pods resembling a green cucumber. Once the fruits are ripe, the pod splits apart and the fruits open up. Two seeds, still attached to the fruits by what appears to be a thread, hang down from the fruits, often into the winter months.

Study the grayish-brown bark on a cucumber tree. The bark is thin, making it susceptible to injury if you strike the tree hard while mowing around it. The bark possesses ridges and furrows. If you rub on a branch, you will notice a spicy odor released by the tree.