Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 1 - 10 of 12 results
Illustration of shellbark hickory leaf and fruits.
Shellbark Hickory
Carya laciniosa
Shellbark hickory is the largest of the true hickories and has the best-tasting hickory nuts in Missouri. Compared to shagbark hickory, it has larger leaves and more leaflets, plus larger nuts and orange twigs.
Illustration of pignut hickory leaf and fruits.
Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra
A rugged tree of dry upland forests in the eastern Ozarks, the pignut hickory has pear-shaped fruits with thin husks. Settlers were unimpressed with the nuts’ flavor and fed them to their hogs!
Illustration of water hickory leaf and fruit.
Water Hickory
Carya aquatica
Water hickory grows on ground that is often under water during part of the year. The bitter nuts are consumed by ducks and other wildlife.
Illustration of flowering dogwood leaves, flowers, fruits.
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Flowering dogwood is a beautiful shrub to small tree with a straggling, spreading crown. Missouri’s official state tree, it presents lovely boughs of white inflorescences in springtime forests.
Illustration of possum haw leaves, flowers, fruits.
Possum Haw (Deciduous Holly)
Ilex decidua
Possum haw, or deciduous holly, is the more common of two native Missouri hollies that lose their leaves each fall. This shrub or small tree is eye-catching in the fall and winter with its bright red berries.
Illustration of hackberry leaves, stem, fruit.
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
Common hackberry is named for its sweet, purple, edible fruits, but most people identify hackberry with its weird-looking bark, which develops numerous corky, wartlike projections and ridges.
Illustration of persimmon leaves, branch, fruit.
Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana
Persimmon 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!
Illustration of Russian olive leaves, flowers, fruits, twigs, thorns.
Russian Olive
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Russian olive is a small tree with distinctive silvery leaves. It was introduced to America in the late 1800s and widely planted as an ornamental and windbreak. But in many states it has proven to be invasive. It is not recommended here in Missouri.
Illustration of Ozark witch-hazel leaves, flowers, fruits.
Ozark Witch-Hazel
Hamamelis vernalis
Ozark witch-hazel is a large native shrub that grows along dry, rocky streambeds in southern and east-central Missouri. The yellow, ribbonlike flowers bloom as early as January. In the fall, the seeds are ejected forcefully, to a distance of up to 30 feet!
sugar maple
Maples
Acer spp.
Missouri has five species of maples that are either native or naturalized, plus several that are known only in cultivation. Maples are important members of native ecosystems. They also provide stunning fall color, welcome shade in summer, commercially important lumber, and sap for syrup.
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About Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines in Missouri

There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. “Wood” is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature — whether they are “woody” or not. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground.