Species of Trees

1. Species of Trees Forestry and Woodland Ecosystems

2. Cypress • (Taxodium distichum) • Deciduous • Found in East and Central Texas • Grow on riverbanks, bottomlands, and in swamps • Commonly used as a landscape tree

3. Cypress • A large tree that can grow over 100 feet tall • Straight trunk that can grow up to 8 feet in diameter • Numerous ascending branches • Young trees are narrow with a tapering outline • Old trees are swollen with a broad, open, flat top

4. Cypress • Leaf: slender, light green, flat, less than 1 inch long, very narrow, arranged in a feather-like fashion • Bark: Silver to cinnamon red, papery scales on branches • Wood: light, soft, easily worked, light colored sapwood, dark colored heartwood

5. Boxelder (Maple) • (Acer negundo) • Deciduous • Found in the Eastern half of Texas • Grows on the banks of streams, in river flat forests, and the borders of swamps • Sometimes used for low grade furniture

6. Boxelder (Maple) • The only maple with compound leaves • Grows anywhere from 50 to 75 feet tall • Trunk can grow to 2 to 3 feet in diameter but is usually smaller • Generally a short-lived tree • Brittle branches that break easily

7. Boxelder (Maple) • Leaf: 6 to 12 inches long, compound, oppositely attached to twig, usually 5 leaflets • Bark: Twigs are green, gray, or brown, trunk is gray to tan with ridges • Wood: light, soft, creamy-white, and weak

8. Dogwood • (Cornus florida) • Deciduous • Found in East Texas forests and woodlands • Usually grows in well drained soil under larger trees • Commonly used as a landscape tree

9. Dogwood • Small to medium size tree that grows up to 35 feet tall • Often crooked trunk that can grow up to 12 inches in diameter • Has a horizontal branching habit that forms a flat, spread out crown

10. Dogwood • Leaf: simple, opposite, 3 to 5 inches long, 1 to 3 inches wide, oval/round shape with a long, pointed leaf edge, prominent veins • Bark: gray to black, smooth at first but breaks into small, square blocks • Wood: heavy, hard, and strong, close-grained, brown to red in color

11. Persimmon • (Diospyros texana) • Semi-evergreen • Found in Central and South Texas • Grows in rocky, dry sites • Requires well drained soils • Gained popularity as a landscape tree from Austin to Houston

12. Persimmon • Small tree that only grows up to 40 feet tall • Often low-forking or multi-trunked • Has an open, oval crown • Often used for making salt shakers because it absorbs moisture so well

13. Persimmon • Leaf: simple, alternate, almost no petiole, 1 to 2 inches long, thick and leathery, sometimes rolls under during drought • Bark: smooth, gray, and tight, olive or light brown that peel away and show lighter bark underneath • Wood: heavy and very dark, pale sapwood

14. Crapemyrtle • (Lagerstroemia indica) • Deciduous • Native to China and Korea but can be found all over Texas • Grows in almost any conditions including drought or alkaline soils • Commonly used as a landscape tree

15. Crapemyrtle • Most common small landscape tree that can grow to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide • Usually multi-trunked with smooth, muscular limbs • Mature trunks can be anywhere from 4 to 12 inches in diameter

16. Crapemyrtle • Leaf: simple, alternate, 1 to 3 inches long, oval to oblong shaped, thin, blunt-tipped, some turn red or orange in the fall • Bark: smooth, muscular, irregular patches ranging from tan to chocolate colored, peel into long strips during the growing season and reveal new bark • Wood: hard, dense, light-colored

17. Elm • (Ulmus americana) • Deciduous • Found across Eastern and Central Texas • Grow naturally in well-drained soils along streams and rivers • Commonly planted as shade trees

18. Elm • Large tree that grows up to 90 feet tall • Trunk grows up to a diameter of 3 feet • Reinforced base and upright branches that form a spreading, vase-shaped crown

19. Elm • Leaf: simple, alternate, 4 to 6 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, oval in shape, tip comes to a point • Bark: dark gray, divided into irregular flat-topped, thick ridges • Wood: heavy, hard, strong, tough, difficult to split, often used for saddle trees and furniture parts

20. Sweetgum • (Liquidambar styraciflua) • Deciduous • Found in East Texas • Grow in rich river bottom soils, swamps subject to frequent flooding, and dry uplands • Used for flooring, railroad ties, and veneers for baskets

21. Sweetgum • Large forest tree that grows taller than 100 feet • Straight trunk that is 3 or more feet in diameter • Young Sweetgums are narrow • Older Sweetgums are upright and have a broad crown

22. Sweetgum • Leaf: simple, alternate, star-shaped, 4 to 7 inches long and wide, with 5 to 7 pointed lobes • Bark: twigs are reddish-brown, bark is gray, rough with corky ridges • Wood: Moderately hard, close-grained, not durable to exposure

23. Hickory • (Carya texana) • Deciduous • Found in East Texas (Hill Country area) • Grow in well-drained hillsides and sandy uplands

24. Hickory • Medium to large size tree, usually between 60 to 75 feet tall • Dark trunk usually 2 feet in diameter • Short, twisted branches that give the tree a narrow, oval crown with dark green foliage

25. Hickory • Leaf: once-compound, alternate, 8 to 12 inches long, usually 5 to 7 leaflets, leaflets are 3 to 5 inches long and 2 inches wide • Bark: dark gray to black, tight, irregular, blocky ridges • Wood: used mainly for fuel wood, great for cooking fires

26. Pecan • (Carya illinoinesis) • Deciduous • Found in East and Central Texas • Grows well in rich, fertile bottomlands • Used mainly as a landscape tree and in orchards for nut production

27. Pecan • Large tree that reaches heights over 120 feet • Trunks grow as large as 4 feet in diameter • Broad, spreading crown when grown in the open • In wooded settings it grows tall and slender with a tight, flat-topped crown

28. Pecan • Leaf: once-compound, alternate, 12 to 20 inches long, 11 to 17 leaflets, leaflets are 4 to 8 inches long and 2 inches wide • Bark: gray-brown and smooth at first, later turning into thin scales that flake • Wood: heavy, hard, brittle, not strong, used for flooring and cooking wood

29. Holly • (Ilex opaca) • Evergreen • Found in East Texas • Grows in rich, moist soils of bottomland forests • Commonly used as Christmas decorations such as wreaths

30. Holly • Small tree that only reaches about 50 feet tall • Trunk is around 3 feet in diameter • Numerous slender branches that form a dense pyramidal or oval crown of dark green color

31. Holly • Leaf: simple, alternate, 2 to 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide, oval, with several spiny teeth, leaves are dark green and glossy on top • Bark: light gray, tight, leathery • Wood: light, tough, not strong, white when first cut but turns brown when exposed to air

32. Yaupon • (Ilex vomitoria) • Evergreen • Found in East Texas • Grow in fertile, moist soils of bottomlands

33. Yaupon • Small, multi-trunked tree that only grows to about 25 feet tall • Trunks/stems are usually around 6 inches in diameter • Dense, rounded crown of dark green foliage

34. Yaupon • Leaf: simple, alternate, 1 to 2 inches long, .5 to 1 inch wide, oval, leathery, glossy, dark green colored • Bark: light gray, smooth or leathery, sometimes with thin scales and blotches • Wood: of little commercial value except for fuel and landscaping specimen

35. Magnolia • (Magnolia grandiflora) • Evergreen • Found in Southeast Texas • Grows in rich, moist, well-drained soils on steam banks or borders of river swamps • Usually used as an ornamental tree

36. Magnolia • Large forest/landscape tree that reaches heights over 90 feet tall • Trunks grow as large as 4 feet in diameter • Dense, oval crown, branches reach the ground in open settings

37. Magnolia • Leaf: simple, alternate, 6 to 8 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, elliptical or oval in shape, thick, leathery, dark green and glossy • Bark: gray-brown, smooth at first but develops scales on larger branches and trunk • Wood: moderately heavy, hard, cream-colored

38. Mesquite • (Prosopis pubescens) • Deciduous • Found in West Texas • Grow in openings and river valleys, especially the bottomlands of the Rio Grande

39. Mesquite • Small tree that only gets up to heights of 25 feet • Twisting trunk usually around 12 inches in diameter • Forms an open, irregular crown

40. Mesquite • Leaf: bi-pinnately compound, alternate, two pinnae attached to a petiole, each pinna is about 2 inches long with 5 to 8 pairs of oblong leaflets • Bark: twigs are armed with 1 to 2 sharp, white thorns, bark is gray to red-brown, turning darker and eventually peeling into strips • Wood: used for fuel, tool handles, and posts

41. Blackjack Oak • (Quercus marilandica) • Deciduous • Found in East and Central Texas • Grows in dry or poorly drained clays or sandy upland soils • Commonly used for firewood, posts, and is made into charcoal

42. Blackjack Oak • Medium to large tree that reaches heights up to 60 feet • Trunk is usually between 16 and 24 inches • Stiff, drooping branches that form an irregular, dense crown

43. Blackjack Oak • Leaf: simple, alternate, 4 to 10 inches long, 3 to 5 inches wide, dark green and glossy on top • Bark: black or dark gray, very rough, thick, square-like blocks on older trunks • Wood: heavy, hard, and strong

44. Emory Oak • (Quercus emoryi) • Evergreen • Found in West Texas • Grows in moist canyons and slopes • Used usually for fuel wood and posts

45. Emory Oak • Small to medium size tree that is usually less than 40 feet tall • Trunk is dark and grows up to 20 inches in diameter • Rounded crown with glossy foliage, its branches typically droop

46. Emory Oak • Leaf: simple, alternate 1 to 4 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, narrow, thick, and very glossy green • Bark: very dark gray, smooth when young, becomes rough and black as it matures, older bark is thick and rough • Wood: heavy, strong, somewhat brittle, close-grained, heartwood is dark brown and sapwood is light brown with red

47. Live Oak • (Quercus virginiana) • Evergreen • Found in South Texas • Grows in well-drained soils in the southern coastal plain • Commonly used as a landscape tree

48. Live Oak • Large tree that usually grows about 50 feet tall • Short, stout trunk that is 4 feet or more in diameter • Divides into several large twisting limbs that form a low, dense crown that can spread more than 100 feet, its limbs often touch the ground

49. Live Oak • Leaf: simple, alternate, thick, and leathery, oval, oblong, or elliptical in shape, 2 to 4 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, smooth, glossy, and dark green • Bark: dark brown, rough, several thick, large branches • Wood: very heavy, hard, strong, and tough, dark brown with thin white sapwood

50. Post Oak • (Quercus stellata) • Deciduous • Found in both East and Central Texas, one of the most widely spread oaks in Texas • Grows in upland soils, either deep sandy soils or gravelly clay with poor surface drainage