Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 11 - 20 of 165 results
Illustration of sand grape leaves, flowers, fruit
Sand Grape
Vitis rupestris
Sand grape is a bushy, sprawling, or trailing woody vine found along rocky streambeds or gravel bars. It rarely climbs but may reach a length of 8 feet. It lacks tendrils.
Leaves of riverbank grape in a thick growth of the vines
Wild Grapes
Vitis species
Eight species of grapes in the genus Vitis are native or naturalized in Missouri. All bear edible fruits. Like their relatives elsewhere, they have important connections to humans and to nature.
Illustration of common elderberry leaves, flowers, fruits
Common Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Common elderberry is a colony-forming shrub with opposite compound leaves. Its large, flattened clusters of small white flowers produce purple or black berrylike fruits.
Illustration of red-berried elderberry leaves, flowers, fruits
Red-Berried Elderberry
Sambucus pubens
Red-berried elderberry reaches 24 feet in height and does not form colonies. Its white flowers, and later, red berries, are in pyramidal clusters. In Missouri, it’s known only from Marion County.
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 prairie rose leaves, flowers, fruits.
Prairie Rose (Climbing Rose)
Rosa setigera
Also called climbing rose, prairie rose is most common near woodlands, where it climbs and trails on neighboring shrubs and small trees.
Illustration of dewberry leaves, flowers, fruits.
Dewberry
Rubus flagellaris
Dewberry is a lot like common blackberry, except that instead of being a small shrub, its canes form trailing woody vines. Both plants are prickly, and both produce delicious deep purple berries!
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 ladies' eardrops leaves, flowers, fruit
Ladies' Eardrops
Brunnichia ovata (formerly B. cirrhosa)
Ladies’ eardrops is a perennial, tendril-climbing woody vine to 40 feet, with green to reddish-brown stems, and curious pink, pendant fruits. In Missouri, it is found in the Bootheel.
Illustration of American basswood leaves, flowers, fruits.
American Basswood (American Linden)
Tilia americana
American basswood is a common shade tree planted in lawns, parks, and along city streets. Recognize it by its leaf shape and texture, and by the unusual strap-shaped, reduced leaf attached to the clusters of small flowers.
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.