diff --git a/include/configs/am335x_evm.h b/include/configs/am335x_evm.h
index b286ffc8d4..7cc3ef24ac 100644
--- a/include/configs/am335x_evm.h
+++ b/include/configs/am335x_evm.h
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
 	"rdaddr=0x81000000\0" \
 	"bootdir=/boot\0" \
 	"bootfile=uImage\0" \
-	"fdtfile=\0" \
+	"fdtfile=undefined\0" \
 	"console=ttyO0,115200n8\0" \
 	"optargs=\0" \
 	"mtdids=" MTDIDS_DEFAULT "\0" \
@@ -145,8 +145,9 @@
 		"if test $board_name = A33515BB; then " \
 			"setenv fdtfile am335x-evm.dtb; fi; " \
 		"if test $board_name = A335X_SK; then " \
-			"setenv fdtfile am335x-evmsk.dtb; fi\0" \
-
+			"setenv fdtfile am335x-evmsk.dtb; fi " \
+		"if test $fdtfile = undefined; then " \
+			"echo WARNING: Could not determine device tree to use; fi; \0"
 #endif
 
 #define CONFIG_BOOTCOMMAND \
diff --git a/include/configs/omap4_common.h b/include/configs/omap4_common.h
index 3e5d36b21e..f47d52e2d0 100644
--- a/include/configs/omap4_common.h
+++ b/include/configs/omap4_common.h
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
 	"console=ttyO2,115200n8\0" \
 	"fdt_high=0xffffffff\0" \
 	"fdtaddr=0x80f80000\0" \
+	"fdtfile=undefined\0" \
 	"bootpart=0:2\0" \
 	"bootdir=/boot\0" \
 	"bootfile=zImage\0" \
@@ -178,7 +179,9 @@
 		"if test $board_name = panda; then " \
 			"setenv fdtfile omap4-panda.dtb; fi;" \
 		"if test $board_name = panda-es; then " \
-			"setenv fdtfile omap4-panda-es.dtb; fi; \0" \
+			"setenv fdtfile omap4-panda-es.dtb; fi;" \
+		"if test $fdtfile = undefined; then " \
+			"echo WARNING: Could not determine device tree to use; fi; \0" \
 	"loadfdt=load mmc ${bootpart} ${fdtaddr} ${bootdir}/${fdtfile}\0" \
 
 #define CONFIG_BOOTCOMMAND \
diff --git a/include/configs/omap5_common.h b/include/configs/omap5_common.h
index ddf2ad4fc2..deecf4ddab 100644
--- a/include/configs/omap5_common.h
+++ b/include/configs/omap5_common.h
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@
 	"console=ttyO2,115200n8\0" \
 	"fdt_high=0xffffffff\0" \
 	"fdtaddr=0x80f80000\0" \
+	"fdtfile=undefined\0" \
 	"bootpart=0:2\0" \
 	"bootdir=/boot\0" \
 	"bootfile=zImage\0" \
@@ -166,7 +167,9 @@
 		"bootz ${loadaddr} - ${fdtaddr}\0" \
 	"findfdt="\
 		"if test $board_name = omap5_uevm; then " \
-			"setenv fdtfile omap5-uevm.dtb; fi;\0 " \
+			"setenv fdtfile omap5-uevm.dtb; fi; " \
+		"if test $fdtfile = undefined; then " \
+			"echo WARNING: Could not determine device tree to use; fi; \0" \
 	"loadfdt=load mmc ${bootpart} ${fdtaddr} ${bootdir}/${fdtfile};\0" \
 
 #define CONFIG_BOOTCOMMAND \