How to Identify Indiana Trees With Red Berries

The trees that you find in Indiana thrive in the state's hardiness zone of 2 to 7 and grow along the flat plains, hills, forests and other outdoor areas of this midwest state. Many of these trees, such as the hackberry and sugarberry, produce red berry fruits that are enjoyed by both humans and animals. If you come across a berry-producing tree that you do not recognize, you have the option to note the fruit's characteristics, along with the other traits on the plant, to identify the Indiana tree.

Write down the time of year that you see the red berries growing on the Indiana tree. The hackberry tree, as an example, produces greenish berries that change to a reddish-purple shade when they mature in the fall.

Mark down the environment, such as a forest, where you see the Indiana tree. Red berry producing trees like the sugarberry, for example, only grow in the southern part of Indiana that have lower-wet areas and clay soil.

Look at the flowers that often precede the red berries. For instance, the Allegheny serviceberry grows five-petaled white blossoms in the spring before the leaves appear.

Inspect the foliage to help pinpoint the species. Varieties like the red mulberry have ovate leaves with toothy sides and deeply indented margins. Further, the foliage of this tree is dark green during the year and yellow in the fall months.

Bring up the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) "Advanced Search" page to input your notes (see Resources). Click "Indiana" in the "State/Province" section, select "Tree" in the "Growth Habit" area and use the menus in the "Morphology/Physiology" section to input the red berry information. Click the "Display Results" button at the bottom of the page and then go through the results until you identify your Indiana tree with red berries.

You also have the option to contact your county's agricultural extension office to get help with identifying your tree.