Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Chionanthus virginicus
Description
White fringe tree is a shrub or small tree that is native to southwest and southeast Missouri. Its fragrant, showy clusters of white, drooping, fringe-like flowers make it a popular for landscaping.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Dirca palustris
Description
Eastern leatherwood is a native shrub of bottomlands, stream banks, and bases of bluffs. It has unusual little dangling yellow flowers, and its twigs are surprisingly flexible.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Rhamnus caroliniana (syn. Frangula caroliniana)
Description
Carolina buckthorn occurs in the southeastern half of Missouri. It’s a shrub with several main stems, or a small tree potentially reaching 40 feet high, with a trunk diameter of up to 8 inches. Despite the name, there are no thorns.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Callicarpa americana
Description
American beautyberry is a many-branched shrub that bears attractive rounded clusters of purple berrylike fruits in the axils of the leaves in late summer and fall. A critically imperiled species in Missouri, it is also a popular native shrub for landscaping.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Ligustrum spp.
Description
Four species of privets occur in Missouri, all are nonnative, and all are considered invasive or potentially invasive. When they invade natural habitats, they can form dense thickets that crowd out native vegetation.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Forestiera acuminata
Description
Swamp privet is a straggly shrub or small tree growing in wet to swampy ground. It is quite noticeable in early spring, with the clusters of yellow flowers and bracts appearing along the gray branches before the leaves come out. In this way, it is similar in aspect to spicebush.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Arundinaria gigantea
Description
Giant cane is Missouri’s native species of bamboo. It is scattered mostly in our southernmost counties and the Bootheel. In its low, moist habitats, it sometimes forms canebrakes — dense, nearly pure thickets.
See Also
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.