Trees

The American Arborvitae is most prevalent in eastern and central Canada, and found in Northern Illinois, Ohio, and New York as well as scattered populations further south. St. Louis is near the southern end of the tree's range, and it benefits from being in a slightly shadier location than they would prefer in their northern ranges.

This is one of the oldest and largest trees on campus. It has large green leaves and small, sweetly scented flowers. Recently, efforts have been taken to preserve and continue on the genetic lineage of this tree whose history follows that of WashU's Danforth Campus.

This tree has dark green leaves which turn bronze in the fall. Its flowers are yellowish-green, and the female flowers yield edible beechnuts which ripen in the fall.

The American Holly is a broad-leaved evergreen tree reaching 40 to 50 feet high, densely pyramidal in youth becoming more open and symmetrically conical with age.

Native to the midwest, the American Hornbeam typically grows as an understory tree, in wetter areas. Its leaf is dark green, ovate, with doubly serrated edges.

The Sycamore is regarded as one of the largest trees native to eastern North America, and was historically prized by Native Americans for the construction of dugout canoes. Ecologically, they are early colonizers to newly available habitat, and support animal shelters as they mature.

The Amur Cork Tree is native to China and Japan. The species is able to tolerate some drought conditions and urban pollutants. They are known for attractive, furrowed bark that resembles cork, as is apparent within its name.

The Ashe’s Magnolia is a regional native to the Southeastern US and adaptable to the St. Louis Region, typically growing to 10’ to 20’ tall and 10’ to 15’ wide.

This is a medium to large conifer than is native to Europe and Asia. They are dense and pyramidal when young and round with age. These trees feature spreading branches, stiff, dark green needles in bundles, and oval cones.

The Bald Cypress is the state tree of Louisiana. Despite its resemblance to a needled evergreen tree in the summer, it is actually deciduous. The 'Mickelson' is a cultivar of the Bald Cypress, and has a narrower shape and denser foliage than the native species.

The Black Gum, also known regionally as Black Tupelo, is a part of the Nyssaceae family, which used to be under the dogwood family.

This is a large native tree whose wood is used for woodworking in the furniture and cabinet industry.

This is a large deciduous tree common to woodlands in the eastern United States from Massachusetts to Texas. It is natively found in rich woods and fertile river valleys across the state of Missouri.

Bottlebrush Buckeye is not native to Missouri but is very adaptable to the St. Louis Region. It is a multiple stem understory small tree or large shrub which colonizes by suckering.

Cherrybark Oak is a medium to large-sized deciduous tree native to the Southern US including the southeast corner of Missouri. The Cherrybark Oak looks very similar to another Missouri native, Southern Red Oak. So much so, that this tree was mislabeled as a Southern Red Oak for many years in the Arboretum.

Native to the Midwest, the Chinkapin Oak can be easily recognized due to its small, toothed leaves. Unlike most oaks, the Chinkapin has unusually flaky and fissured bark.

This native tree performs well in urban conditions and is easily identified by its distinctive corky bark. But be careful because there are other relatives that are native to Missouri that have very similar bark.

Despite being widely planted as an easy-to-grow shade tree for streets and landscapes throughout the Midwest, the Common Horse Chestnut is originally native to the Balkan region of Europe. The tree features showy white flowers in spring which in summer transition into fruit, consisting of one or two seeds encased in a spiny husk.

The Honeylocust is a tough, medium-sized shade tree that usually grows around 60′ to 80′ tall. It has greenish-yellow to greenish-white flowers that appear in May or June.

This is a native plant, but if found in nature, its bark would likely be covered in long, sharp thorns. Arborists tend to plant this natural, thornless variant of the tree to allow people to see its beauty without obtaining injuries.

This tree is in the Magnoliaceae family and is native to Missouri. The cucumber tree is named by its cucumber-like fruit. The fruit is 2" to 3" long, slightly curved, and cylindrical, and to add to the cucumber appearance, the immature fruit is also green.

The Dawn Redwood is considered a living fossil because it was only known due to the fossil remains from individuals that lived with the dinosaurs. It was not until the 1940's that a small population was discovered in a remote valley of the Szechwan province of China.