Content tagged with "Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines"

This is one of the easier oaks to identify. Note the acorns, which are almost completely covered by their knobby cups; the leaves, whose lobes are long and narrow, with wide sinuses between them; and (in Missouri) the location: these grow naturally only in wet forests along the Mississippi and Meramec rivers.

“Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch” is an old song you might be familiar with—but today, surprisingly few Missourians know a pawpaw tree when they see one. This is a good tree to know, especially when the large, sweet fruit are ripening!

This medium-sized tree with the “alligator” bark is best known in the fall, when its orange, plumlike fruits come on. Be careful, however, to make sure a persimmon is ripe before you pop it into your mouth, or you could have a puckery surprise!

Pin oak is one of the easiest trees to recognize by its shape alone: It has a tall, straight trunk, an overall pyramidal or conical shape and, most notably, the branches on the lower third of the tree angle downward. Pin oak grows faster than other oaks and is used extensively for street and yard planting.