Browse Our Arboretum Trees

This shrub is quite rare, endemic to Maine, Massachusetts, and other isolated pockets along the East Coast from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. Its edible berries and pollen-tipped white flowers are notable characteristics of this plant, which inhabits sandy areas mainly along the coastline.

This Midwest native’s beautiful dense crown provides good shade, and along with its ability to tolerate air pollution and drought, has made it a landscaping favorite.

The Northern Spicebush is a shrub which is best known for its aromatic leaves and twigs, which give off a “spicy” smell not unlike in scent to its Lauraceae relatives, sassafras and cinnamon. This bush is widespread throughout the woodlands of the Eastern United States, often occupying shady areas underneath a hardwood canopy.

This European spruce is often planted in temperate regions of the United States as a wind blocker, as it can grow quickly and reach an average height of 60 feet in artificial habitats. The tree’s early branches are tilted upwards, but over time the branches adopt a more open and perpendicular stance.

The Nuttall Oak is a deciduous shade tree that is well-suited to urban settings due to its tolerance against wet soils, drought conditions, and most disease and pest problems. This is a fast-growing oak tree that is capable of growing in many different kinds of soils.

Though adaptable to most soils, this Missouri native tree is particularly prevalent in lowlands, floodplains, swamps and bayous in the Southeastern US and in the Mississippi River Valley.

One of the newer additions to the arboretum, this woody plant showcases ribbon-like flower clusters when in full bloom.

A type of maple originally native to the mixed forests of Central China, this species was introduced to the West through England in 1899 and transplanted to America soon after.

This Missouri native tree is predominantly found in the Mississippi River Valley, and in the American South where it is cultivated as an important commercial nut crop.

Also known as the Persian ironwood, the Persian Parrotia is known for its exfoliating bark which is particularly noticeable in the winter. When young, its leaves are reddish purple, and as it matures they will become dark green in the summer and yellow, orange, and red in the fall.

The pin oak is a popular tree that is planted because of its quick growth and the dense shade it provides. It has a distinct form that is pyramidal during early maturity but turns more oval later in life.

The Quaking Aspen gets its name due to its trembling leaves, which are caused by the tree’s flattened, flexible petioles. This tree is in the Salicaceae (Willow) family and is native to Missouri; it is also recognized as having the widest geographical distribution of any tree in North America.

The Red Horsechestnut is a hybrid between the European Aesculus hippocastanum (Horsechestnut) and the North American A. pavia (Red Buckeye). This small deciduous tree grows on average to medium moist well drained soil, in full to part sun.

The REDPOINTE is a cultivar of the Red Maple species, which is native to areas in Eastern North America. It’s a large deciduous tree known primarily for its bright red leaf color that can only be described as brilliant during the fall. The flowers, seeds, and twigs on the tree also have red color spread throughout.

A tree native to the Eastern and Midwestern United States, River Birch is also known as black birch. As a relatively heat resistant tree in the birch family, the river birch tree’s distribution extends further south than most other birch trees. 

The ‘Cully’ cultivar of the River Birch was discovered in a St. Louis, Missouri suburb and introduced by Earl Cully, a well known arborist from Illinois. The ‘Cully’ grows 40’ tall and 40’ wide.

While the Flowering Dogwood is the most well-known of our Missouri dogwoods, being the official state tree of Missouri, the Roughleaf Dogwood may often be the first dogwood you see in natural areas around St. Louis.

The Sawtooth Oak is a medium sized deciduous tree, growing 40-60 feet tall with a broad-spreading, rounded crown. It is native to China, Korea and Japan and grows yellow-green flowers and oval acorns with spiny, scaly cups.

Often used as a shade tree in lawns and along streets because it grows to a large size. It is native to southeastern Missouri.

Schuette’s Hybrid Oak is a hybrid of two of Missouri’s most charismatic oaks: Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) and Bur Oak (Q. macrocarpa).

This cultivar of the Scotch Elm, known as the Camperdown Elm, is a large deciduous tree with a rounded crown and bowing, drooping branches. While the wild-type Scotch Elm may reach 70′-100′ in height, the Camperdown Elm will not grow above 30′ tall.

The Seven-Son Flower is a large deciduous shrub with a fountain head that terminates in creamy white flower clusters. This plant is native to China, and provides a good source of nectar for butterflies.

The Shellbark Hickory is a member of Juglandaceae (Walnut family) that actually produces larger edible nuts than its sister species, the Pecan.

This atypical oak lacks the normal lobed leaf structure seen in other oak species. Its common name derives from the fact that early settlers in the Midwest often used wood from the tree to shingle their roofs.

Also known as the Swamp Red Oak, this large oak species is native to much of the Southeastern U.S. and the Ohio River Valley. The Shumard Oak is planted in urban areas for its tolerance in water availability and air pollution, as well as its preference for alkaline soils.

Smooth Sumac is one of the most widespread of all of the sumac species (genus: Rhus). Similar to certain members of the genus, Smooth Sumac berries have been used by some as a tart flavor akin to lemon that can be used to create tea or lemonade.

The Southern Catalpa is a smaller relative of the Northern Catalpa, keeping the large cordate leaves and long seed capsules, but with more vivid flowers and unpleasant-smelling leaves.

This iconic tree is native to much of Eastern North America, where it is a dominant component of hardwood forests from Canada to Missouri.

‘Bailsta’ is a cultivar of the Sugar Maple. It can grow to 50′ tall by 40′ wide, with a much wider, more rounded form than most Sugar Maples.

The ‘Monumentale’ cultivar incorporates a unique columnar shape to the Sugar Maple while still retaining its iconic leaves and fall colors.

This lovely mature tree has shaded the west side of Olin Library for generations of students but sadly came down in a storm in July 2023. The Sugarberry is known for its distinctive corky bark and edible berries.

This tree was grown from a seedling descended from the previous Missouri state champion Sugarberry that lived in Kirkwood Park.

This shade tree is a Missouri native to floodplains. It produces acorns that, unlike most, can be eaten straight from the tree without needing to be boiled.

Like its Latin name suggests, this native oak is recognizable for its dark green leaf and silvery-white underside. It is a deciduous tree with broad and rounded crown, which is good for shading.

Native to the Atlantic coast of the United States, the Sweetbay Magnolia MOONGLOW features creamy white flowers which bloom late spring and into summer, and are known for their sweet ‘lemony’ scent.

This tree’s star shaped leaves provide great fall color. Its fruits are the spiky “gum balls” which can hang on the tree all winter.

This low-maintenance deciduous shade tree is native to much of the Eastern US and in Southeast Missouri, usually in low, wet, woodland areas or along stream beds. It has a variety of human-use applications such as chewing gum, incense, perfume, and medicine.

Three Flowered Maple is a small understory tree and grows to 30′ tall. Features of this tree include exfoliating bark and fall color of orange to red foliage.

This native tree’s common name comes from its flower that is shaped like a tulip. In 1991, WashU was given this tree as a seedling. It was grown from seed taken from the original Tulip Trees planted by George Washington in 1785 at his Mount Vernon home.

While not produced commercially, the Turkish Filbert produces edible nuts that can be eaten after roasting, and provides a dependable urban-tolerant shade tree.

Native to Missouri’s Bootheel Region, the Mississippi River Valley, and much of the Deep South, the Water Hickory is a tree found in rich, wet soils.

The White Oak is one of the most ubiquitous trees in all of the eastern United States. The White Oak is the state tree of Illinois, Connecticut, and Maryland, and numerous trees along the East Coast have stood in towns or cities since before European occupation.

This large native tree has a simple, small leaf, and a finer texture than most oak trees. It is considered a medium to large oak, can grow over 100 feet tall, and is native to the Southeastern portion of the United States, including Missouri.

The Yoshino Cherry is a beautiful tree with slightly fragrant, pinkish white flowers that appear in early spring. There are numerous Yoshino Cherry Trees that line the stairs by the Olin Law School that form an allée.