Identify by feature
Tree with winged seeds (helicopters): which one is it?
A tree whose winged seeds spin down to the ground is usually a maple (sycamore, Norway maple or field maple) or an ash; round, flat fruits belong to the elm, and clusters of small nuts on a three-lobed wing to the hornbeam.
17 species with this feature
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Norway maple Acer platanoides
Broadleaf tree
Winged fruits with wings at a wide, obtuse angle.
Native
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Field maple Acer campestre
Broadleaf tree
Winged fruits whose wings spread out horizontally, in a single line.
Native
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Ash Fraxinus excelsior
Broadleaf tree
Clusters of winged fruits (‘keys’) that hang on well into winter.
Native
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Silver birch Betula pendula
Broadleaf tree
Cylindrical catkins that break up into small winged nutlets.
Native
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Silver maple Acer saccharinum
Broadleaf tree
Large winged fruits that ripen as early as late spring.
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Red maple Acer rubrum
Broadleaf tree
Small, red winged seeds at a sharp angle, ripe as early as May–June.
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Wych elm Ulmus glabra
Broadleaf tree
Large (1.5–2.5 cm), round winged fruits with the seed in the middle; ripe in May–June.
Native
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European white elm Ulmus laevis
Broadleaf tree
Small (about 1 cm) winged fruits with a finely fringed edge, on long stalks; the seed sits in the middle.
Native
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Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera
Broadleaf tree
Upright, cone-shaped fruits made up of winged nutlets.
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Tree of heaven Ailanthus altissima
Broadleaf tree
Clusters of twisted winged fruits that turn red to brown.
Invasive non-native: do not plant
Tip: Maple seeds come in pairs: the angle between the wings tells you which maple it is. An ash has single, narrow ‘keys’ in bunches that hang on into winter.