Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 11 - 15 of 15 results
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 black locust leaves and flowers.
Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
Black locust, a member of the bean family, is easy to appreciate in May and June, when its showy white clusters of flowers perfume the breeze with their sweet smell. Bees like the flowers, too.
Illustration of multiflora rose, leaves, flowers, fruits.
Multiflora Rose
Rosa multiflora
Starting more than a century ago, this nonnative rose was planted across America — for many good reasons — but multiflora rose has proven to be invasive, and now the goal is to stop its spread.
Illustration of common blackberry leaves, flowers, fruits.
Common Blackberry
Rubus allegheniensis
Common blackberry is only one of several species of blackberry in our state. It grows in rocky, open woods, along bluffs and fencerows, on glades, and in thickets, old fields, and open valleys nearly statewide.
Illustration of common prickly ash leaves, flowers, fruits
Common Prickly Ash
Zanthoxylum americanum
Common prickly ash is a thicket-forming shrub or small tree. Its compound leaves resemble of those of ash trees, but it’s in a different family. Pairs of stout, curved prickles occur at each node. Scattered statewide, but less common in the Ozarks.
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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.