Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 1 - 10 of 13 results
Illustration of American bittersweet leaves, flowers, fruits
American Bittersweet
Celastrus scandens
American bittersweet is a native woody vine that climbs into trees or sprawls on bushes or fences. Its clusters of orange fruits split into sections to reveal seeds covered with a bright red, fleshy coating.
Illustration of yellow honeysuckle leaves, flowers, fruits.
Yellow Honeysuckle
Lonicera flava
One of our beautiful, native Missouri honeysuckles, yellow honeysuckle grows mainly in the Ozarks. Unlike the invasive Japanese honeysuckle, this plant is not aggressive and makes a wonderful trellis vine for the ecology-minded gardener.
Illustration of limber honeysuckle leaves, flowers, fruits.
Limber Honeysuckle
Lonicera dioica
Limber honeysuckle is a native Missourian. It's uncommon and widely scattered in the state, but it does well as a trellis vine. Identify it by its crowded clusters of tubular, yellow or greenish-yellow flowers, tinged with red, purple, or pink, that are noticeably enlarged on one side at the base.
Illustration of grape honeysuckle leaves, flowers, fruits.
Grape Honeysuckle
Lonicera reticulata (formerly L. prolifera)
One of Missouri's beautiful native honeysuckles, grape honeysuckle is found mainly in the northern two-thirds of the state. In the native plant garden, it is easy to grow, but it is not aggressive like the introduced invasive Japanese honeysuckle.
Illustration of bristly greenbrier leaves, flowers, fruit
Bristly Greenbrier
Smilax hispida (syn. S. tamnoides var. hispida)
Bristly greenbrier is a stout woody vine with bristlelike black spines, climbing high by tendrils to a length of 40 feet. It is the most common greenbrier in Missouri and is found statewide.
Illustration of catbrier leaves, flowers, fruits
Catbrier
Smilax bona-nox
Catbrier is a green-stalked perennial vine with stout spines. It climbs up to 25 feet using tendrils that arise in pairs from the bases of the triangular, heart, or fiddle-shaped leaves.
Illustration of summer grape leaves, flowers, fruit
Summer Grape
Vitis aestivalis
Summer grape is a vigorous, woody, wild grapevine climbing to a height of 35 feet. It grows mostly in the southern two-thirds of Missouri, often in drier situations than many other grape species.
Illustration of frost grape leaves, flowers, fruit
Frost Grape
Vitis vulpina
Frost grape is a vigorous vine climbing to 60 feet in length using tendrils. It is scattered statewide, growing in bottomlands, along streams, in low, wet woods, at bases of bluffs, and in thickets.
Illustration of riverbank grape leaves, flowers, fruit
Riverbank Grape
Vitis riparia
Riverbank grape is a woody wild grape vine climbing to 75 feet by means of tendrils. It occurs nearly statewide but is absent from most of the Ozark plateau.
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.
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.