Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 1 - 10 of 48 results
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.
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 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 white ash leaf, fruit.
White Ash
Fraxinus americana
White ash leaves turn shades of yellow and purple in fall, and that is one reason it has been a popular landscaping tree. Many birds and mammals feed on the paddle-shaped seeds.
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.
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Eastern, or Canadian hemlock is usually encountered only in landscaping in Missouri. But based on one instance in Oregon County, we know it can reproduce and spread here on its own. So if you find it on a hike, it was almost certainly planted there at some point. Look around for a cistern, old home foundation, and other persisting garden plants nearby.
Illustration of eastern red cedar stem, leaves, and fruits.
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
By far the most common native conifer in the state, eastern red cedar is useful for its aromatic, red wood and beloved for its greenery, its resinous blue “berries,” and the spicy odor it lends the outdoors.
Illustration of white oak leaf.
White Oak
Quercus alba
Found throughout Missouri and in all kinds of habitats, the white oak is one of our most attractive, long-lived, and stately shade trees. Learn to recognize it by its light gray bark, rounded-lobed leaves, and distinctive acorns.
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.