Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 1 - 10 of 49 results
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 shrubby St. John's-wort leves, flowers, fruits.
Shrubby St. John’s-Wort
Hypericum prolificum (formerly H. spathulatum)
Shrubby St. John’s-wort has shiny, somewhat leathery, opposite leaves, 2-edged twigs, and flowers with 5 bright yellow petals and many stamens. A shrub growing to 6 feet tall, it is scattered nearly statewide.
Shagbark Hickory
Hickories
Carya spp.
Hickories are an important part of Missouri’s oak-hickory woodlands and forests. They have tremendous economic value, too. Learn about the nine species of hickory found in Missouri.
A closeup of an acorn
Oaks
Quercus spp.
Oaks are the most important group of trees in Missouri, in both human and ecosystem value. They dominate most of the forests, woodlands, and savannas in the state. Learn more about our 22 species.
Illustration of buckbrush leaves, flowers, fruits
Buckbrush (Coralberry)
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Buckbrush, or coralberry, grows throughout Missouri. This familiar thicket-forming shrub bears dense clusters of pinkish-red berries that persist through most of the winter.
Illustration of prickly gooseberry leaves, flowers, fruits
Prickly Gooseberry
Ribes cynosbati
Prickly gooseberry occurs mostly in the eastern half of Missouri. Its spine-covered berries turn reddish purple when ripe. Despite the prickles, they are edible.
Illustration of Missouri gooseberry leaves, flowers, fruits
Missouri Gooseberry
Ribes missouriense
Missouri gooseberry is our state’s most widespread and common gooseberry. People brave its prickly stems to collect its tart, tasty fruits to make pies, jams, and jellies.
Illustration of eastern redbud leaves, flowers, fruits.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Eastern redbud is a native shrub or small tree that is distinctly ornamental in spring with small, clustered, rose-purple flowers covering the bare branches before the leaves.
Illustration of shortleaf pine needles, twig, cones.
Shortleaf Pine
Pinus echinata
Existing in thousands of acres of nearly pure stands, shortleaf pine was once the dominant tree in much of the Missouri Ozarks. Today, Missouri’s only native pine tree is recovering from the extensive logging that had exhausted its old-growth stands by the 1920s.
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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.