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American Hornbeam

American Hornbeam Carpinus carolinianaHornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is an attractive small tree that is common, but not abundant in its natural range.  It has many common names, the most common include: blue beech because of its very smooth gray bark, and musclewood referring to its muscle-like branches which are irregularly fluted.

Habitat: Grows on moist, rocky, wooded slopes. Commonly found in NE Iowa

American hornbeam leaves
American Hornbeam Leaves - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Hardiness: Zones 3 through 9

Growth Rate: Slow

Mature Shape: Symmetrical canopy with a smooth outline; ovular dense crown

Height: 25-35 feet

Width: 15-25 feet

Site Requirements: Prefers deep, fertile, moist, acidic soil and grows best in partial shade, but will grow in full sun. Not drought-tolerant.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, double-toothed with equal leaf base

Flowering Dates: April - June

Seed Dispersal Dates: November - Spring

Seed Bearing Age: 15 Years; Peaks at age 25-50; Ceasing around 75 years

Seed Bearing Frequency: 3-5 years

Seed Stratification: Seeds need stratification for 2 months at 40°F

American hornbeam fruit
American Hornbeam Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Hornbeam has alternate simple leaves, with fine teeth and tapering to a sharp point. Winter twigs are very fine reddish brown in color with three bundle scars. It is a member of the birch family and will have the male catkin flower buds present in the winter months. The fruit is a small nut about 1/3” in diameter, lying at the base of 3-lobed leafy bract; the fruits are clustered on a hanging stalk. The bark is thin, slate gray to light gray in color and very tight, seldom forming any ridges or breaking into plates.

It is native to the eastern third of Iowa and can also be found growing up the Iowa and Des Moines rivers. It is a common, but not abundant tree, often growing in multiple stem clumps. Like ironwood, it is very shade tolerant and thrives in the understory of our upland oak-hickory woodlands. It prefers a moister site than Ironwood and will often be located on north and east slopes or on the upper stream terraces.

It is a small tree, seldom reaching a foot in diameter or more than 30 feet tall. The wood is very tough with exceptional strength characteristics and has been used for tool handles and other minor uses requiring tough wood. Because it is such a small tree, its commercial value for lumber is almost non existent. It does have high density and makes excellent firewood. 

It has great potential as an ornamental tree, because of its gray fluted stems and good reddish-orange fall color. It is somewhat difficult to transplant and does best in a moist, sheltered location of the landscape and will tolerate some shading.

 

American hornbeam flowers
American Hornbeam Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

American hornbeam bark
American Hornbeam Bark - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

 

   

Apple

flowering apple tree
Flowering Apple Tree - Photo by Bill Cook, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org

The common apple (Malus pumila), also known as the orchard apple or domestic apple is a deciduous, small to medium-sized tree which can grow from 30 to 70 feet, with a short, stout trunk. The leaves are 2 to 4 inches long, oval to ovate in shape, with fine sharp-toothed margins. On top, the leaves are bright green and smooth; the leaf bottom is paler with fine white down. Unlike the prairie crabapple (Pyrus ioensis) described below, the common apple is not native to Iowa.

Hardiness: Zones 3 through 10 - depending on species

Growth Rate: Moderate

Mature Shape: Ovular spreading or horizontal upright.

Height: Dwarf varieties are 5 to 8 feet tall.  Semi-dwarf get to be 12 to 16 feet tall.  Standard varieties can grow to be 20 and 30 feet tall.

Width: Depends upon variety

Site Requirements: Grows well in moist, well-drained soil

Flowering Dates: May

Seed Dispersal Dates: September 

Seed Bearing Age: 4 years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Yearly 

Cultivation: A seed from an apple will grow a tree if planted in proper conditions, but the fruit of that tree will often be smaller and poorer than the apple from which the seed was taken.  Therefore, apple trees are most often grown from buds.  A bud from a strong apple tree is made to grow on the roots of a seedling apple tree by a process called budding, which is a kind of grafting.

Red apple fruit
Apples - Photo by Jerry A Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

The common apple originated in Eurasia, and brought to North America by early colonists. It is now naturalized in North America. There are thousands of cultivars exhibiting a wide variety of characteristics (leaves, fruits, flowers, twigs).

The wood is heavy, hard, and tough and used for making crafts, good for fuel, and used to smoke meat. The fruit, commonly known as "apples," having many domestic uses ( culinary dishes and libations) is also used as a food source for many kinds of wildlife such as white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoons and foxes.

It is suggested that wild apple trees seen in mountain habitat may have taken root due to discarded cores by lumberjacks and hikers (pack it out).

Pests that Can Affect Apple Trees

Apple twig with buds
Apple Twig - Photo by Bill Cook, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org

Apple tree with fruit
Apple Tree - Photo by Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

White and pink apple flowers
Apple Flowers - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prairie Crab ApplePrairie Crab Apple Pyrus ioensis

Habitat: Found growing in prairie settings, dry brush uplands and open woods throughout the state

It is said that the prairie or Iowa crab apple (Pyrus ioensis) is the most beautiful and fragrant of all the wild crab apples.

Is it an Apple or a Crab Apple?

The rule of thumb is if the fruit is under 2", than it is a crab apple, and if the fruit is larger than 2", than it is an apple. However, many trees overlap and hybridize, confounding a biological distinction between apples and crab apples.

Small, red, berries on crab apple tree
Prairie Crab Apple Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Crab apple leaves
Prairie Crab Apple Leaves - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

crab apple tree blooming with white flowers
Crab Apple Tree in Bloom, Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

three varieties of crab apple flowers - two pink and one white
Prairie Crab Apple Flowers - Photos by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

 

Balsam Fir

Balsam Fir Abies balsameaThe balsam fir (Abies balsamea) is a medium-sized tree, 50 to 60 feet in height. It is native to northeast Iowa where it grows on moist slopes.

HabitatGrows on steep north facing slopes. Found in northeast Iowa.

balsam fir tree
Balsam Fir Tree

Hardiness: Zones 3 through 6

Growth Rate: Slow

Mature Shape: Densely pyramidal

Height: 40-70 feet

Width: 15-20 feet

Site Requirements: Plant trees in sun to light shade with moist, well-drained soils. Protect trees from drying winds. Balsam firs do not tolerate heat well.

Leaves: Blunt needles

Flowering Dates: May

Seed Dispersal Dates: October

Seed Bearing Age: 15 Years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Every 3-5 years

Seed Stratification: One month at 34°F to 40°F

Balsam fir leaves - needles
Balsam Fir Leaves - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

The leaves are blunt needles 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, dark green on the upper surface to silvery white on the lower surface and spreading at nearly right angles to the branch. The fruit is an oblong, cylindrical cone 2 to 4 inches long, purplish in color and growing upright on the upper branches.  When ripe, the cone breaks up into pieces, so one never finds a mature cone on the ground. The brown bark breaks into small plates covered with scales. The young bark is often covered with pitch blister, hence the name "balsam."

Diseases that Can Affect Balsam Fir

Insects that Can Affect Balsam Fir

 

Balsam fir cones
Balsam Fir Cones - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

balsam fir branch with winter buds
Balsam Fir Branch with Winter Buds - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

balsam fir bark
Balsam Fir Bark - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Balsam Poplar

Balsam Poplar Populus balsamiferaThe balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) is a native tree found only in northern Iowa.

Habitat: Grows in moist woodlands and woodland edges.

Hardiness: Zone 3

Mature Shape: Long straight trunk and narrow irregular crowns. They have a few large limbs, with branches that curve upward. 

Height: 80-100 feet

Width: 4-10 feet

Site Requirements: Abundant soil moisture needed; High in nutrients, especially calcium and magnesium 

Flowering Dates: April

Seed Dispersal Dates: May - July

Seed Bearing Age: 8-10 Years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Each year

Seed Stratification: Seeds disperse in the spring and immediately germinate. No stratification period is needed.

Bigtooth Aspen

Bigtooth Aspen Populus grandidentataBigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata), also known as largetooth aspen, poplar, or popple, is native to the northeastern two thirds of Iowa, from the Des Moines River drainage system and as far west as the Little Sioux River in Clay County. Bigtooth aspen is capable of growing on a wide range of sites, although it is less adaptable than quaking aspen. It prefers soils which are well drained, yet moist, although it will grow on a variety of soils from moist bottomlands to rock outcrops or even heavy clay soils. 

comparison of bigtooth aspen leaves showing variation in bluegreen versus lime green color and differences in tooth depth
Bigtooth Aspen Leaves - Photos by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Habitat: Can be found growing in upland woods on moist to dry sites.

Hardiness: Zones 1 though 6

Growth Rate: Fast

Mature Shape: Narrow to rounded

Height: Mature size varies with species, ranging from 50 feet to 100 feet.

Width: Varies with species.

Site Requirements: Native to North America, aspen trees grow naturally in moist sites and full sun.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, single toothed, triangle shaped.

Flowering Dates: March - May

Seed Dispersal Dates: May - June

Seed Bearing Age: 10-20 years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Every 4-5 Years

Seed Stratification: Seeds disperse in the spring and immediately germinate. No stratification period is needed.

Aspen leaves are simple, alternate, broadly ovate in outline, 2 to 5 inches in diameter with a flattened petiole 2 to 3 inches long. The leaf is broadest near the base, has a short pointed tip and has 5 to 15 large blunt teeth on each side of the leaf. Winter buds are 3/16 to 1/4 inch long, slightly divergent from the twig, each with its lowest bud scale centered over the leaf scar. 

The bud is light brown in color and covered with fine gray hairs. The bark on young trees is thin, and dull yellow-green in color; on older trees it becomes thick with flattened ridges and narrow furrows and dark brown in color. Twigs are moderate in diameter, brown, with half-round leaf scars with three bundle scars. Bigtooth aspen can be distinguished from quaking aspen by the smaller number and the larger size of the teeth on the leaves and from the lighter colored buds. 

Bigtooth aspen is a short lived (50 years), fast growing, medium sized tree. It seldom exceeds 60 feet in height and 20 inches in diameter. It is considered a pioneer species; it is often a primary invader of sites which have been cleared or burned. Its wind blown seeds are distributed great distances by the winds. Like most aspens, it reproduces rapidly from root suckers, forming dense stands when cut or harvested. Often what appears to be a large group of individual trees are root sprouts from a single seedling or tree. 

It has some good ornamental characteristics including light-colored bark and its adaptation to a wide variety of sites, but its root sprouting habit discourages widespread use for shade or ornamental planting. It can be managed in the landscape as a small grove of trees because of its root sprouting characteristic. The fall color of bigtooth aspen is a brilliant gold or yellow; its color development is usually later in the fall than most other trees. Bigtooth aspen does play a very significant role in the lives of many other organisms. Throughout its range, more than 500 species of animals and plants utilize the aspens. Aspens are important browse for a variety of game animals. The seed, buds and catkins are utilized by many birds including quail and grouse; the inner bark is a favorite food of beaver. 

bigtooth aspen bark
Bigtooth Aspen Bark - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Diseases that Can Affect Bigtooth Aspen

Insects that Can Affect Bigtooth Aspen

Bitternut Hickory

Bitternut Hickory Carya cordiformisThe bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) is a tall slender tree, 60 to 80 feet tall.  It is found on moist  sites on upper flood plains and at the bottom of slopes.  It is widely distributed over the eastern United States as far west as Kansas and Nebraska.  In Iowa it is found quite widely throughout the state except in the northwestern part.

Habitat: Found growing in uplands woods, wooded slopes and bluffs. Common except in northwest and north central Iowa.

Hardiness: Zones 3 through 7

Growth Rate: Moderate

Mature Shape: Slender

Height: 70 feet

Width: 35 feet

Site Requirements: Deep, moist soil that range from poorly drained to well-drained.

bitternut hickory leaves
Bitternut Hickory Leaves - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Leaves: Alternate compound with more than 11 leaflets.

Flowering Dates: April - May

Seed Dispersal Dates: September - December

Seed Bearing Age: 30 Years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Every 3-5 Years

Seed Stratification: Prechill seeds for 3 months at 34°F to 40°F

The tree has pinnately compound leaves from 6 to 9 inches long and composed of from seven to eleven leaflets. The individual leaflets are more slender than those of the other hickories except the pecan. The fruit is a medium-sized nut about 1 inch long with a thin, light green husk. The nut itself has a thin, brittle, creamy colored shell with a reddish-coated kernel, very bitter in taste. 

Although the bark is made up of very fine plate like scales, it is much smoother than the shagbark hickory. On young branches it is gray in color, slightly ridged and often tinged with yellow. On larger branches and trunk it is granite gray and coarser ridged.

bitternut hickory bark on trunk
Bitternut Hickory Bark - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

bitternut hickory green flowers
Bitternut Hickory Flowers - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

bitternut hickory green fruit
Bitternut Hickory Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

 

bitternut hickory twig
Bitternut Hickory Twig - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Black Ash

Black Ash Fraxinus nigraBlack ash (Fraxinus nigra) is much less common in the natural landscape than either white or green ash and is seldom used in landscape plantings. It is a medium sized tree (1 to 2 feet in diameter and 40 to 70 feet tall) with opposite, compound leaves with 7 to 13 leaflets. The leaflets are 3 to 5 inches long, with a toothed margin, without a stalk, dark green above and paler green below.

Habitat: Grows on moist wooded slopes and bottomlands.  Mainly found in central and northeast Iowa.

black ash leaves
Black Ash Leaves - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Hardiness: Zones 3 though 9

Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast

Mature Shape: Slightly pyramidal, upright with a rounded crown

Height: 50 to 80 feet

Width: 50 to 70 feet

Site Requirements: Native to Iowa, ash trees grow best in full sun and moist, well-drained soils. Ash trees are tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions.

Leaves: Toothed, opposite, compound with 7 to 13 leaflets

Flowering Dates: May - June

Seed Dispersal Dates: July - October

Seed Bearing Age: 10 years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Yearly, with good seed crops occurring at one to eight year intervals with most intervening years having poor seed crops. 

Seed Stratification: Prechill seeds for 3 months at 40°F

The branches are large in diameter, stubby, and ash gray in color with prominent rusty gray to black winter buds. The winged samara fruit has a very distinct notch at the end of the wing and is broader than the other ashes. When the tree is young the bark is gray and scaly, and then becomes furrowed with age.

Black ash is native to the north east one third of Iowa; it only ranges as far west as the Des Moines River valley. Its normal habitat is on flood plains, terraces, ravines, and on wet upland pockets. Black ash prefers moist to wet soils and will, on some wetter upland sites, form almost pure stands. Black ash is a minor associate of more common species such as silver maple, cottonwood, black walnut, hackberry, elms, sugar maple, red oak, and basswood.

It is a shade intolerant species, and normally becomes established in even-aged pockets or stands following some kind of disturbance, such as logging or flooding. Black ash is considered a slow growing species; however, on better drained sites, its growth rate is much faster.

The wood of black ash is somewhat lighter, softer and weaker than green and white ashes. The wood is darker in color, and usually has more grain or figure; it is used in both interior woodworking and cabinets. It splits easily and, because of its toughness, has been used for making baskets. 

The seeds of black ash are used by game birds, songbirds and small animals.

side by side comparisons of black ash twigs, one green with bud, one gray
Black Ash Twigs - Photos by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Diseases that Can Affect Black Ash

Insects that can Affect Black Ash

black ash fruit
Black Ash Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

black ash flowers
Black Ash Flowers - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Black Cherry

Black Cherry Prunus serotinaBlack cherry (Prunus serotina) is the largest member of the rose family native to Iowa. It commonly attains heights of 60 feet and diameters of up to 2 feet on good sites; on less desirable sites it is often much smaller in size.

Habitat: Found throughout most of the state. Grows on moist wooded slopes and upland woods.

Hardiness: Zones 3 through 10 

black cherry leaves
Black Cherry Leaves - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast

Mature Shape: Varies by species

Height: 20 to 30 feet high

Width: 15 to 25 feet wide

Site Requirements: Adaptable but prefers moist, well-drained soils. In the right conditions, it will grow like a weed. Withstands heavy pruning and prefers full sun to partial shade.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, single toothed, and oval or oblong shaped

Flowering Dates: May - June

Seed Dispersal Dates: August - September

Seed Bearing Age: 5 years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Every 1-5 years

Seed Stratification: Prechill for 4 months at 34°F to 40°F

red and black black cherry berries
Black Cherry Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Black cherry is characterized by having alternate simple leaves, 2-6 inches long, uniformly wide to lance-shaped, pointed at the tip, and with fine teeth which curve inward towards the tip of the leaf. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and shiny; the lower surface is paler in color. The leaf has 1-2 tiny glands on the petiole near the leaf blade. The buds are 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, with 6 dark red-brown scales; the terminal bud is usually slightly larger than lateral buds. Branches are slender, smooth, pale green turning bright red to dark reddish-brown in color with age. The bark on older trees is thin, light gray to nearly black in color and scaly with upturned edges. The clusters of dark red to black fruits taste bitter, but are used for jams and wines and utilized by many species of songbirds. The leaves and inner bark, when crushed, have a bitter almond aroma caused by hydrocyanic acid. The cyanic acid in wilted twigs and leaves may be dangerous to deer and cattle when consumed in large quantities in the fall, although deer can eat the fresh green leaves without ill effect.

white black cherry flowers
Black Cherry Flowers - Photos by Paul Wray, Iowa State University 

Black cherry is native in all Iowa counties except Lyon and Sioux. Cherry does best on upland moist, fertile, well drained soils, but grows on a wide variety of sites and soil conditions. As site quality deteriorates, so does the size and quality of the wood produced. Cherry grows in mixed stands; its common associates include the oaks, hickories, white ash, bigtooth and quaking aspen, ironwood and choke cherry.

Black cherry is seldom used as a landscape plant. Some of its characteristics, including producing less shade than maples and oaks, showy white flowers in the spring, dark-green glossy leaves, and moderately fast growth rate, indicate that cherry should be used more in urban conditions. As an open grown tree, cherry will develop with an oval, moderately spreading crown. 

Cherry is prized as a wood for furniture because of its beautiful reddish to red brown color and its attractive luster when finished. Cherry wood is moderately hard and heavy, shrinks little when dried, works moderately easy, and warps little during seasoning and use. Because of its fine characteristics, cherry wood is used for various scientific instruments, printers' blocks, holding and shaping tools in fine crystal production, pianos and organs, handles and caskets.

Diseases that Can Affect Black Cherry

Insects that Can Affect Black Cherry

two examples of black cherry twigs and buds - dark bark with light spots
Black Cherry Twigs - Photos by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

 

 

three examples of black cherry bark - small twigs have light spots on the dark bark and trunks have flaky bark
Black Cherry Bark - Photos by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Blackjack Oak

Blackjack Oak Quercus marilandicaThe blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) is also known as the Jack oak, black oak, and barren oak. A small deciduous tree that grows 20 to 30 feet (maximum 90 feet) with a trunk diameter of 1 foot or less. It is similar to the post oak which also grows with blackjack oak, but the leaf lobes are more pronounced and not bristle-tipped.

blackjack oak tree
Blackjack Oak Tree - Photo by David Stephens, Bugwood.org

Habitat: Found in upland woods of southeast Iowa

Hardiness: Varies with the species of oak tree, ranging from zones 3 through 9

Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate

Mature Shape: Broad, rounded

Height: Varies with species. Often maturing between 50 to 75 feet tall. Capable of growing upwards of 100 feet.

Width:40 to 70 feet. Varies with species

Site Requirements: Best growth in moist, well-drained soils. Adaptable to adverse soil conditions.

Flowering Dates: Spring

Seed Dispersal Dates: Fall

Seed Bearing Age: 20 years 

Seed Bearing Frequency: Acorns produced vary from year to year, with larger crops occurring during "mast year," every four to ten years.

Seed Stratification: Two to three months at 40° F or they can be set out in the fall for natural stratification and germination in the spring.

The leaves are 4 to 8 inches long, 3-lobed, bristle-tipped, taper to a rounded base, obovate in outline, thick petioles less than 1/2 inch long, top is dark yellow-green, beneath is paler with a tawny colored down.

Acorns are 3/4 inch long, with a shallow cup shaped like a goblet, and somewhat hairy. The nut is ovoid shape, yellow-brown, and striated. The twigs are thick, dark red-brown and hairy, and the trunk is almost all black with deep grooves and scaly plates.

The blackjack oak is known for growing in barren, dry, sandy, or clay soils. Its range extends from southeastern New York to southern Michigan and Nebraska, south to central Florida and eastern Texas. Blackjack oak can be found in the upland woods of northeast Iowa.

blackjack oak leaf
Blackjack Oak Leaf - Photo by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

Diseases that Affect Blackjack Oak

Insects that Affect Blackjack Oak

black jack oak fruit - acorns
Blackjack Oak Fruit - Photo by Franklin Bonner, USFS (ret.), Bugwood.org

blackjack oak bark
Blackjack Oak Bark - Photo by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

Black Maple

Black Maple Acer nigrumThe black maple (Acer nigrum) is found over most of Iowa, usually on low lands and moist slopes. It is very similar to the sugar maple and is often mistaken for it.

Habitat: Grows on moist woods and wooded slopes. Found in the eastern two-thirds of Iowa.

Hardiness: Maples vary in hardiness. Most fall into zones 4 though 8, but some are less tolerant of cold or heat than others. When selecting a maple tree, be sure to select a species suited for Iowa’s weather. 

black maple leaf
Black Maple Leaf - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Growth Rate: Maples vary in growth rate. Maples that are fast growing tend to have weak wood and may suffer from wind and ice damage. Slower growing maples have heavier, harder wood, making them less susceptible to branch and limb drop.

Mature Shape: Maples typically have a large, rounded crown. Tree canopies may be very dense or wide spreading.

Height: 80-100 feet

Width: 40-60 feet

Site Requirements: Maple trees perform best in moist, well-drained soils. Site requirements vary with the species of maple.

Leaves: opposite, simple

Flowering Dates: May

Seed Dispersal Dates: Late Summer - Early Fall

Seed Bearing Age: 30 years

Seed Bearing Frequency: Yearly, with heavier seed crops occurring every four years.

Seed Stratification: After an initial soaking in water for 24 hours, the seeds are stratified in a moist media. Germination starts six weeks after stratification.

Black maple twigs are stout, light to dark gray, smooth and opposite on the stems. The fruit is a pair of winged seeds, ripening in autumn. The bark is very similar to the sugar maple, except that it is usually darker.

black maple fruit which is a pair of winged seeds
Black Maple Fruit, Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University

Diseases that Affect Black Maple

Pests that Affect Black Maple

 

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