Deciduous trees come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, which make them the perfect choice when it comes to landscaping. In this particular article, we will take a look at the different types of deciduous trees, whilst emphasizing on their prominent characteristics and requirements.
Did You Know?
The term ‘deciduous’ is derived from Latin word decidere, meaning ‘to fall off’. While it is also used in zoology―wherein it refers to the act of shedding horns or antlers―at times, the term deciduous is usually associated with plants, wherein it refers to the act of shedding leaves during a particular season every year.
Also referred to as hardwoods, deciduous species are known to shed their leaves during a particular season every year. (Diametrically opposite are the evergreen species, which have a thick foliage throughout the year.) While some species of deciduous trees shed their leaves during the dry season, others do it during the cold season and grow new leaves in spring. This helps them to minimize the loss of moisture, stand their ground against wind, or minimize energy requirements to survive with whatever little nutrients are available.
Deciduous trees undergo color change just before they shed their leaves, turning from green to bright yellow, crimson, or one of the several shades of orange. The alteration in the leaf color, which adds to the beauty of the landscape, is just one of the many specialties of these trees. Deciduous trees are also known for their enormous size. While varieties like the Bloodgood London Planetree and Cherokee Sweetgum are known to attain a height of around 100 ft (30 m), species like the European Horse Chestnut and Black Oak are spread over an area of around 60 ft.
Different Types of Deciduous Trees
Deciduous trees are found in many parts of the world, however, their presence in abundance in the deciduous forest biome spanning Americas, Asia, and Europe is noteworthy. Some researchers classify deciduous trees on the basis of their leaf structure, i.e., the structure and positioning of leaves, into four major types.
- Deciduous trees with simple leaves located opposite to each other.
- Deciduous trees with simple leaves located alternately.
- Deciduous trees with compound leaves located opposite to each other.
- Deciduous trees with compound leaves located alternately.
Deciduous forests are home to several varieties of deciduous trees; most popular ones being oak, poplar, maple, dogwood, and birches. These trees come in varying sizes ranging from 10 ft to 100 ft and have a vast spread, well in excess of 50 ft at times. Some species grow in certain soil type, while some have high degree of adaptability and can thrive in any soil type.
| Common Name | Height | Spread | Soil |
| American linden (Tilia americana) |
60 – 120′ | 35 – 40′ | Deep, fertile, well-drained loam and clay soil |
| American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) |
60 – 75′ | 40 – 50′ | Moist, acidic loam or clay soil |
| American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) |
98 – 130′ | 90′ | Deep, moist, rich soil |
| American tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) |
80 – 100′ | 40′ | Deep, moist, rich soil |
| Amur maple (Acer ginnala) |
15 – 20′ | 15 – 28′ | Well-drained soil |
| Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) |
15 – 30′ | 20 – 30′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) |
30 – 40′ | 10 – 12′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) |
50 – 70′ | 50 – 70′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Black birch (Betula nigra) |
80 – 100′ | 40 – 60′ | Moist soil |
| Black cherry (Prunus serotina) |
50 – 80′ | 20 – 50′ | Well-drained soil |
| Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) |
40 – 50′ | 25 – 30′ | Wide range; preferably moist limestone soil |
| Black oak (Quercus velutina) |
60 – 80′ | 40 – 60′ | Moist, rich, deep, well-drained soil |
| Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) |
30 – 50′ | 20 – 30′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Black walnut (Juglans nigra) |
60 – 75′ | 50 – 60′ | Clay, loam soil |
| Black willow (Salix nigra) |
40 – 50′ | 30 – 40′ | Any type of soil |
| Bloodgood London planetree (Platanus acerifolia) |
70 – 100′ | 65 – 80′ | Deep, moist, fertile soil |
| Box elder (Acer negundo) |
30 – 50′ | 20 – 40′ | Dry or wet soil |
| Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) |
60′ | 50′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Butterfly bush (Buddleja) |
10 – 12′ | 4′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) |
50 – 65′ | 16 – 25′ | Highly tolerant |
| Canada red cherry (Prunus virginiana) |
20′ | 18′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Cherry bark oak (Quercus falcata) |
60 – 80′ | 50′ | Highly tolerant |
| Chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) |
60 – 70′ | 50′ | Well-drained soil |
| Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) |
15 – 25′ | 15 – 25′ | Dry, sandy or loose soil |
| Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) |
40 – 60′ | 50′ | Clay, loam soil |
| Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) |
40 – 50′ | 30 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) |
30 – 35′ | 25 – 35′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) |
40 – 50′ | 40 – 60′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Common laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides) |
15 – 20′ | 15 – 25′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Common silverbell (Halesia tetraptera) |
35′ | 25′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Contorted willow (Salix matsudana) |
20 – 40′ | 15 – 30′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) |
50 – 90′ | 15 – 25′ | Moist and moderately fertile |
| Eastern red oak (Quercus rubra) |
50 – 75′ | 40 – 50′ | Highly tolerant |
| Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) |
20 – 30′ | 25 – 35′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| English oak (Quercus robur) |
60 – 100′ | 50 – 60′ | Clay, loam soil |
| 50 – 75′ | 50 – 60′ | Well-drained soil | |
| Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) |
25′ | 25′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Golden raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata) |
20 – 25′ | 20′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) |
50 – 60′ | 25 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) |
50 – 60′ | 30 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Hardy pecan (Carya illinoinensis) |
70 – 100′ | 40 – 45′ | Clay, loam soil |
| Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) |
66 – 100′ | 30 – 70′ | Highly tolerant |
| Ironwood tree (Carpinus caroliniana) |
20 – 30′ | 20 – 30′ | Moist, organically rich soil |
| Japanese cherry (Prunus serrulata) |
25 – 40′ | 15 – 20′ | Well-drained soil |
| Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) |
60 – 75′ | 40 – 50′ | Deep, moist, rich soil |
| Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) |
20 – 30′ | 20 – 30′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Mockernut hickery (Carya tomentosa) |
50 – 60′ | 30 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Native plum (Prunus americana) |
12 – 20′ | 12 – 20′ | Deep, moist soil |
| North American beech (Fagus grandifolia) |
66 – 115′ | 40 – 60′ | Rich, moist soil |
| Northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) |
40 – 70′ | 20 – 40′ | Deep, moist, rich soil |
| Norway maple (Acer platanoides) |
40 – 100′ | 15 – 20′ | Highly tolerant |
| Nuttail oak (Quercus texana) |
40 – 60′ | 40′ | Heavy, poorly drained, alluvial clay soil |
| Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) |
20 – 40′ | 20 – 40′ | Well-drained soil |
| Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) |
20 – 40′ | 20 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Overcup oak (Quercus lyrata) |
35 – 45′ | 35 – 40′ | Poorly drained, alluvial, clayey soil |
| Paw paw (Asimina triloba) |
30 – 20′ | 30 – 20′ | Well-drained soil |
| Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) |
20 – 35′ | 20 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) |
30 – 50′ | 20 – 35′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Pignut hickory (Carya glabra) |
50 – 60′ | 25 – 35′ | Heavy or silt loam |
| Pin oak (Quercus palustris) |
60 – 70′ | 30′ | Sandy, clay, loam, acidic soil |
| Pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) |
70 – 80′ | 15 – 20′ | Wet, poorly drained and acidic soil |
| Poplar hybrid (Populus hybrids) |
50 – 75′ | 20 – 40′ | Clay loam to sandy loam |
| Post oak (Quercus stellata) |
70 – 80′ | 15 – 20′ | Fertile, well-drained soil |
| Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) |
40 – 50′ | 20 – 30′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Red maple (Acer rubrum) |
40 – 50′ | 50′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) |
25 – 30′ | 20 – 30′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Sargent crabapple (Malus sargentii) |
15 – 20′ | 15′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum) |
40 – 80′ | 30′ | Rich, well-drained sandy loam |
| Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima) |
40 – 60′ | 35 – 60′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) |
70 – 75′ | 40 – 45′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Scotch laburnum (Laburnum alpinum) |
15 – 30′ | 15 – 30′ | Well-drained, sandy, loamy soil |
| Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) |
70 – 90′ | 30 – 40′ | Well-drained, fertile soil |
| Shellbark hickory (Carya laciniosa) |
80 – 100′ | 60 – 75′ | Deep, fertile, moist soil |
| Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) |
40 – 60′ | 40 – 60′ | Highly tolerant |
| Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) |
40 – 60′ | 30 – 50′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) |
100′ | 60′ | Clay, loam soil |
| Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) |
70 – 80′ | 30 – 40′ | Moist, deep, fertile, well-drained soil |
| Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) |
20 – 30′ | 10 – 15′ | Well-drained acidic soil |
| Southern crabapple (Malus angustifolia) |
15 – 20′ | 15′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Southern red oak (Quercus falcata) |
70 – 90′ | 50′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) |
40 – 70′ | 30 – 50′ | Well-drained soil |
| Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) |
60 – 80′ | 60 – 80′ | Organically rich, well-drained soil |
| Swamp chestnut (Quercus michauxii) |
60 – 80′ | 50 – 70′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Swamp oak (Quercus bicolor) |
50 – 70′ | 50 – 70′ | Deep, moist, acidic soil |
| Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) |
60 – 70′ | 45 – 50′ | Moist soil |
| Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) |
60 – 75′ | 40′ | Clay, loam soil |
| Texana nuttail oak (Quercus texana) |
50 – 80′ | 60′ | Wet, heavy, bottomland soil |
| Washington hawthorne (Crataegus phaenopyrum) |
12 – 15′ | 6 – 10′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| Water oak (Quercus nigra) |
50 – 75′ | 30 – 40′ | Sandy, clay, loam, acidic soil |
| Water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) |
35 – 50′ | 25 – 40′ | Moist or wet soil |
| Weeping higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella) |
30 – 40′ | 25′ | Sandy, clay, loam, acidic soil |
| Weeping willow (Salix babylonica) |
30 – 40′ | 30′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| White ash (Fraxinus americana) |
50 – 80′ | 40 – 60′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| White oak (Quercus alba) |
60 – 80′ | 70′ | Clay, loam soil |
| White poplar (Populus alba) |
60 – 100′ | 12 – 20′ | Sandy, clay, loam soil |
| White walnut (Juglans cinerea) |
40 – 60′ | 30 – 50′ | Well-drained soil |
| Willow oak (Quercus phellos) |
40 – 60′ | 30 – 40′ | Moist, well-drained soil |
| Yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra) |
50 – 70′ | 30 – 50′ | Well-drained, deep, slightly acidic soil |
| Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) |
30 – 40′ | 30 – 50′ | Sandy, clay, loam, acidic, well-drained soil |
| Zumi crabtree (Malus x Zumi calocarpa) |
25 – 30′ | 15 – 20′ | Fertile, slightly acidic soil |
Owing to their tendency to provide shade and add to the grace of the landscape, some deciduous tree varieties are also seen in magnificent gardens. Flowering deciduous species especially add to the elegance of these gardens and hence, are preferred over the gigantic species. Having said that, one cannot deny the fact that the gigantic trees of the deciduous family do add to the beauty of the Earth.