Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 1 - 8 of 8 results
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 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 trumpet creeper leaves, flowers, fruits.
Trumpet Creeper (Trumpet Vine)
Campsis radicans
Each summer, the bright orange and red “trumpets” of this woody vine decorate Missouri’s cliff faces, telephone poles, and anything else strong enough to support it. Hummingbirds zoom to trumpet creeper’s flowers for their nectar.
Illustration of lowbush blueberry leaves, flowers, fruits
Lowbush Blueberry
Vaccinium pallidum (syn. V. vacillans)
Lowbush blueberry is a stiffly branching shrub to 3 feet high. The berries are tasty raw or cooked in pies, muffins, and preserves. It is mostly found south of the Missouri River. It often grows in extensive colonies.
Illustration of eastern leatherwood leaves, flowers, fruits
Eastern Leatherwood
Dirca palustris
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.
Carolina buckthorn, illustration of branch with leaves and fruit
Carolina Buckthorn
Rhamnus caroliniana (syn. Frangula caroliniana)
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.
Illustration of Ashe’s juniper needles, twig, fruits, with inset showing overall shape of plant
Ashe's Juniper (Ashe Juniper)
Juniperus ashei
In Missouri, Ashe’s juniper is uncommon and only found in a few southwestern counties; our populations represent the northeastern tip of its range. Here, it is much less widespread than its close relative eastern red cedar.
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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.