Field Guide

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines

Showing 61 - 70 of 83 results
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 poison ivy leaves, flowers, fruits.
Poison Ivy
Toxicodendron radicans
Poison ivy is a toxic plant that contains an oil in all its parts that, if you come into contact with it, can cause an intense skin reaction. Learn to recognize it, and sidestep it on your outings.
Illustration of woodbine leaves, flowers, fruit
Woodbine
Parthenocissus vitacea (syn. P. inserta)
Woodbine is a climbing woody vine that usually sprawls over bushes and rocks. Its leaves have five coarsely toothed leaflets. Unlike the closely related Virginia creeper, its tendrils generally lack sucker disks. It is rarely found in Missouri.
Illustration of marine vine leaves, flowers, fruit
Marine Vine
Cissus trifoliata (syn. C. incisa)
Marine vine is a climbing or trailing woody vine to 30 feet high, climbing by tendrils. Uncommon in Missouri, it is found only in our far southwestern counties.
Illustration of New Jersey tea leaves, flowers, fruits.
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
A very small shrub of our native prairies and other open sites, New Jersey tea was used by patriotic American colonists as a substitute for black tea imported from England during the Revolutionary War.
horizontal image of southern black haw illustration
Southern Black Haw (Rusty Nannyberry)
Viburnum rufidulum
Southern black haw is an irregularly branched shrub with shiny, dark green, opposite leaves whose lower surface is paler with scattered rusty hairs, especially on the veins. It bears clusters of white flowers, which turn into bluish-black fruits.
Photo of slippery elm leaves and twigs.
Elms
Ulmus spp.
Missouri has seven species of elms that grow in natural settings. Elms have tough, shock-resistant wood. In the past, some species were favorite shade trees, which is why so many towns have Elm Streets. But elms have suffered for a century from a devastating fungal disease.
white ash leaves
Ashes
Fraxinus spp.
Missouri has six species of ashes that you might find in natural settings. They have been very popular as shade trees, and their wood is famously useful. Ash trees of all the species in North America are currently being killed by the invasive, nonnative emerald ash borer.
sugar maple
Maples
Acer spp.
Missouri has five species of maples that are either native or naturalized, plus several that are known only in cultivation. Maples are important members of native ecosystems. They also provide stunning fall color, welcome shade in summer, commercially important lumber, and sap for syrup.
Illustration of deerberry leaves, flowers, fruits
Deerberry
Vaccinium stamineum
Deerberry is an irregularly branched shrub, rarely more than 6 feet high. A blueberry relative, it bears edible blue fruits.
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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.