List of Kentucky’s Native Trees*

Alnus serrulata
SMOOTH ALDER
A multi-stemmed and suckering small tree with shiny grey-brown bark. Can be aggressive in moist areas. The cone-shaped fruit persists throughout winter. Beautiful yellow-brown to purple male catkins in February-March. Excellent plant for poor soil areas.

Amelanchier laevis
ALLEGHENY SERVICEBERRY
One of the first under-story trees to bloom in the woods. White flowers appear before the purplish young leaves open. Fruits turn a bright red before ripening to purple, if the birds don't get to them first. Trees have pendulous branching pattern and a bright orange-red fall color.

Asimina triloba
PAW PAW
Small understory tree with large elliptic leaves. Edible fruits with banana-like flavor. Tends to form thickets and makes good wildlife cover. average to moist well-drained soil.

Chionanthus virginicus
FRINGETREE
Breathtaking when in bloom, these small trees often grow more broad than tall. Slow to leaf out in spring, but be patient and they will reward you with striking, fragrant white flower clusters. The fluffy flower clusters are 7" long. If you have both sexes, the females will produce dark blue berries that are valuable for wildlife. Will tolerate moist soils, but prefers acidic soil.

Cornus drummondi
DOGWOOD, ROUGH-LEAF
Rounded, multi-stemmed shrub. White, flat-topped clusters of flowers reach 1-1/2" to 2-1/2" in diameter. Fruit is white but persists only a brief time before birds devour it. Good plant for poor soil, survives handsomely in clay soil.

Corylus americanus
HAZELNUT
Multi-stemmed shrub with showy catkins in early spring. Provides food for caterpillars of the lovely luna moth; many mammals and birds relish the nuts.

Crataegus macracantha
HAWTHORN
A heavy fruiter producing large (1-3") bright red berries and purple/red leaves in fall.

Diospyros virginiana
PERSIMMON
Medium canopy tree with simple ovate leaves that turn orange to crimson red in autumn. Fleshy, edible fruits have high wildlife value. Average to moist soil.

Fraxinus americana
WHITE ASH
Tall, long-lived over-story tree with opposite, divided leaves and whirly-gig seed pods. Average, well-drained soils. Very strong wood.

Fraxinus quadrangulata
BLUE ASH
Large slender tree with gray bark divided into loose fitting scales. Yellow-green foliage turns golden yellow in fall. Prefers neutral to alkaline soil. Drought tolerant.

Gymnocladus dioicus
KENTUCKY COFFEETREE
Magnificent canopy tree with large compound leaves that turn lemon yellow in autumn. Legume with blunt, leathery bean-like pods in August. Kentucky State Historic Tree. Average soil. Drought tolerant.

Halesia carolina (tetraptera)
CAROLINA SILVERBELL
Hundreds of delicate white bells dangle from the stems in early spring, followed by interesting green winged seed pods that persist into winter.

Hamamelis virginiana
WITCH HAZEL
Large shrub or small tree with simple wavy-edged leaves and very small pleasant smelling spider like flower clusters in autumn. Moist to dry soil. Naturalizes nicely along streams and drainages.

Ilex decidua
DECIDUOUS HOLLY
Large shrub with flossy leaves and attractive orange to bright red berries with high wildlife value. Average to wet soil.

Liriodendron tulipifera
TULIP TREE
Large, fast-growing overstory tree. Large leaves with squared tip. Large yellow-green tulip-shaped flowers with orange markings. Average to moist soil. Stately shade tree. Kentucky State Tree.

Nyssa sylvatica
BLACK TUPELO
Medium canopy tree with attractive horizontal branching and simple, glossy leaves with pointed tips, turning crimson in autumn. Average loamy soil.

Ostrya virginiana
HOP-HORNBEAM
Handsome mid-sized tree with interesting catkins that form in late fall and are conspicuous all winter. Tolerates clay soil and dry conditions

Oxydendrum arboreum
SOURWOOD
Beautiful understory tree with straight trunk, slender spreading branches and narrow oblong crown. Leaves are 4-6", bright green and glossy, finely toothed. Graceful sprays of white flowers resemble lilies-of-the-valley. Outstanding red-purple autumn color. Prefers acid soil.

Prunus americana
PLUM, AMERICAN
Lovely flowering tree with fragrant blossoms in spring produces a large crop of berries for the birds. Fast growing and long-lived.

Quercus coccinea
SCARLET OAK
Plant a tree for future generations! Scarlet oak is one of the faster growing oaks (up to 2 ' a year when young) and is great for wildlife. Resistant to drought, heat and poor soil.

Quercus macrocarpa
BUR OAK
Stately long-lived slow growing canopy tree with large lobed leaves and large acorns in burly, fringed cup with high wildlife value. All soils, drought tolerant.

Quercus alba
WHITE OAK
One of the most beautiful and most stately oaks. Slow growing, but fabulous long lasting deep red fall color and very adaptable. Moist to wet soil.

Quercus imbricaria
SHINGLE OAK
Glossy unlobed leaves. Slower growing than some oaks but easy to transplant. Wood is used to make shakes (roof shingles). Average to moist soil.

Quercus michauxii
BASKET OAK
Large acorns nearly covered by a large shaggy cap. Wood splits into tough strips used to make baskets. Average to moist soil.

Quercus muehlenbergii
CHINKAPIN OAK
Similar to chestnut oak, but finer textured: longer, thinner leaves.

Quercus pheilos
WILLOW OAK
Easy to transplant. Delicate willow-like leaves, pyramidal shape developing into rounded crown as tree matures

Quercus prinus
CHESTNUT OAK
Excellent for dry rocky soil as well as average to moist soils. Leaves similar to chestnut. Sweet acorns.

Quercus rubra
RED OAK
One of the fastest growing oaks (2’ a year when young) and one of the best for fall color. Small tap root; so easier to transplant. Average to well drained soil.

Rhamnus caroliniana
CAROLINA BUCKTHORN
Small tree with glossy foliage and berries that change from blue to red. Very ornamental. Tolerates clay soil.

Rhododendron arborescens
SMOOTH AZALEA
Just one smooth azalea will perfume an entire yard with its sweet fragrance. A flush of flowers in late spring, then blooms sporadically all summer. Fast growing for an azalea. White petals with red inner flower parts. Moist acidic soil (4.5-6.0 pH).

Rhus typhina
STAGHORN SUMAC
Large shrub or small tree similar to preceding species, but fruit clusters are longer and narrower. Average soil, drought tolerant.

Ribes odoratum
CLOVE CURRANT
Unbelievale spicy fragrance! Loose open shrub with blue-green foliage, small trumpet shaped flowers and edible jet black fruit. Average to dry soil.

Sassafras albidum
SASSAFRAS
Small tree with picturesque branching and leaves that turn bright yellow, orange, red and purple in autumn. Small clusters of fragrant yellow flowers in spring before leaves. Average to dry soil, drought tolerant.

Taxodium distichum
BALD CYPRESS
A stately, fast-growing tree. Naturally grows in wet areas, but thrives in average garden soil and is even drought tolerant once established. Can grow 2-3' a year.

Tilia americana
LINDEN, AMERICAN
A multi-trunked tree with bright red twigs in winter. Mature bark is gray-brown with shallow furrows with long ridges. Sweetly scented, flat-topped yellow flower clusters (2-3") have 5 to 10 blooms per cluster. Leaves turn golden yellow in autumn. Well- to moderately-well drained soil.

Acer pensylvanicum
STRIPED MAPLE
Truly unusual – young trunk and branches are green with green and black stripes. Striking yellow fall foliage. Moist cool acidic soil.

Acer Rubrum
RED MAPLE
Fat growing and very adaptable. Great shade tree with wide rounded canopy, orange to scarlet fall color. Wet to dry soil.

Acer saccharinum
SILVER MAPLE
Very fast growing, but weak wooded- do not plant near buildings. Leaves have lovely silvery color on lower surface – pretty fluttering in breeze.

Aesculus flava
YELLOW BUCKEYE
The largest of the buckeyes, an excellent shade tree. Older trees are composed of interesting bark with grey and brown blocky plates and scales. Moist well-drained soil.

Aesculus glabra
OHIO BUCKEYE
One of the first trees to leaf out in spring, bright green unfurling leaves turn deep green as they mature. The 5 leaflet, palmate leaves and corky bark add a tropical feel to the landscape. Average to moist soil.

Betula alleghaniensis
YELLOW BIRCH
More shade tolerant than most of the other birches. Dark reddish brown bark peels off in thin papery shreds. Average to moist soil.

Betula lenta
SWEET BIRCH
Purplish to almost black bark. Best fall color of any of the birches; lustrous deep green leaves turn golden yellow in fall. Average to most soil.

Betula nigra
RIVER BIRCH
The most heat tolerant of the birches, with papery bark that peels off in parallel strips. Bright yellow fall foliage. Average to moist soil.

Carya ovata
SHAGBARK HICKORY
Bark partially peels in large sheets, giving the truck a shaggy appearance that is very ornamental. Delicious sweet nuts.

Catalpa bigninioides
CATALPA
Heart shaped leaves up to a foot long and eight inches across! Large showy blossoms and interesting cigar shaped seed pods. Moist to dry soil.

Celtis occidentalis
HACKBERRY
Very adaptable tree – great for adverse conditions. Date flavored fruit is relished by birds and small mammals.

Cercis Canadensis
REDBUD
Excellent choice for small landscapes. Covered with lovely purple-pink flowers before large heart shaped leaves emerge. Average to moist soil.

Cladrastis lutea
YELLOW–WOOD
Smooth ash grey bark, large compound leaves. Beautiful pea-like flowers in large dangling clusters. Average to wet loamy soil.

Gleditsia triacanthos
THORNLESS HONEY LOCUST
Tough and fast growing with delicate leaves that create a pleasing light shade. Very fragrant flowers. Brown seed pods contain sweet edible pulp. Moist to dry soil.

Juglans cinerea
BUTTERNUT, WHITE WALNUT
Open, wide-spreading crown. Sweet oily nuts. Can tolerate a more acidic soil than black walnut. Average to moist soil.

Magnolia virginiana
SWEETBAY MAGNOLIA
Multi-stemmed evergreen. Leaves have silvery lower surface. Very fragrant lemon scented flowers. Tolerates wetter soil than most magnolias. Average to wet soil.

Pinus strobus
WHITE PINE
Fast growing (up to 2’ a year). Beautiful blue-green foliage. Average to dry soil. Great for wind breaks.

Populus deltoides
COTTONWOOD
Very fast growing, forms colonies through root sprouting. Bright yellow fall foliage. Moist soil.

Prunus virginiana
CHOKE CHERRY
Suckering tree or small shrub. Fruit turns from red to dark purple. Good for jelly, pies and wine and loved by birds. Average to moist soil.

*This list would not be possible without the work of the folks at Shooting Star Nursery