Deciduous Trees Types

The term 'deciduous' is derived from a Latin word decidere, meaning to fall off. Although the term is also used in zoology to refer to shedding of horns or antlers by various animal species, it is more often used in context of plants to refer to shedding of leaves by plants during a particular season every year. From this term we further derive terms such as deciduous trees, i.e. the trees which shed their leaves every year or deciduous forests i.e. the forests with great number of trees that shed leaves each year.

What are Deciduous Trees?

Deciduous trees, also referred to as hardwoods, are the trees basically characterized by shedding of leaves, during a particular season every year. Various varieties of deciduous trees shed their leaves, either during the dry or cold season and grow new leaves in spring. This cycle continues throughout their lives. Different deciduous tree types display different alterations in the color of the leaves before they shed. These color changes range from bright yellow to crimson and several shades of orange. Deciduous trees are found all over the world, but mostly they are found in abundance in the deciduous forest biomes spread over America, Asia and Europe. The most spectacular among the various deciduous trees facts is their enormous size. Several varieties of deciduous trees, like Bloodgood London Planetree and Cherokee Sweetgum Tree, can grow to a height of around 100 ft or 30 meters, while some deciduous tree species, like European Horse Chestnut and Black Oak, can spread over an area of around 60 ft.

Deciduous Trees Types

There are several varieties of deciduous trees, the popular ones being oak trees, poplar trees, maple trees and birches. According to some researchers, deciduous trees can also be classified on the basis of leaf structure. According to the structure and positioning of leaves the deciduous trees are divided into four types given below.

• 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 trees come in varying sizes ranging from 10 ft to 100 ft, and have an equally vast spread, which can at times measure more than 50 ft. Some deciduous tree species grow in certain soil type, while some have high degree of adaptability and can thrive in any soil type. The table given below will throw some light on the numerous deciduous tree types found on the planet.

Types of Deciduous Trees

Common Name	Scientific Name	Height	Spread	Soil
Amur Maple	Acer ginnala	15-20'	15-28'	Adaptable
Ann Magnolia	Magnolia hybrid	8-10'	10'	Adaptable
Aristocrat Flowering Pear	Pyrus calleryana	40-60'	20-30'	Wide range tolerates compacted
Autumn Blaze Red Maple	Acer rubrum	40-60'	25-40'	Wide Range
Autumn Flame Red Maple	Acer rubrum	40-60'	25-40'	Wide Range
Autumn Olive	Elaeagnus umbellate	15-30'	20-30'	Sandy, clay, loam
Autumn Purple Ash	Fraxinus americana	30-70'	25-30'	Wide range
Bald Cypress	Taxodium distichum	30-40'	10-12'	Sandy, loam, clay
Bitternut Hickory	Carya cordiformis	50-70'	50-70'	Widely adaptable
Black Cherry	Prunus serotina	50-80'	20-50'	Sun, adaptable
Black Gum	Nyssa sylvatica	50-60'	30'	Sandy, loam, clay
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia	840-50'	25-30'	Wide Range
Black Oak	Quercus velutina	60-80'	40-60'	Poor soil sandy or clay
Black Walnut	Juglans nigra	60-75'	50-60'	Clay Loam
Black Willow	Salix nigra	40-50'	30-40'	Any
Bloodgood London Planetree	Platanus acerifolia	70-100'	65-80'	Wide Range
Box elder	Acer negundo	30-50'	20-40'	Dry or wet soil
Bradford Flowering Pear	Pyrus calleryana	40-60'	20-30'	Wide Range
Bur Oak	Quercus macrocarpa	60'	50'	Sandy Clay Loam
Butterfly Bush	Buddleia white	10-12'	4'	Sandy Clay Loam
Canada Red Cherry	Prunus virginiana	20-30'	18-25'	Moist well drained
Chanticleer Flowering Pear	Pyrus calleryana	40-60'	20-30'	Wide range
Cherokee Chief Red	Cornus florida	15-30'	15-20'	Moist well drained
Cherokee Princess White	Cornus florida	15-30'	15-20'	Well drained
Cherokee Sweetgum Tree	Liquidamber rotundifolia	60'-100'	50-70'	Adaptable
Cherry Bark Oak	Quercus falcata	60-80'	50'	Tolerant to soil and alkaline
Chestnut Oak	Quercus prinus	60-70'	50'	Well drained
Chickasaw Plum	Prunus angustifolia	15-25'	15-25'	Adaptable
Chinese Chestnut	Castanea mollissima	40-60'	50'	Clay loam
Chinese Elm	Ulmus parvifolia	40-50'	30-40'	Sandy clay loam
Chinese Pistache	Pistacia chinensis	30-35'	25-35'	Sandy, clay or loam
Chinkapin Oak	Quercus muehlenbergii	40-50'	40-60'	Adaptable
Cimarron Ash	Fraxinus pennsylvanica	50-60'	25-30'	wide range
Cleveland Select Flowering Pear	Pyrus calleryana	40-60'	20-30'	Wide range
Columnar English Oak	Quercus Robur	50-60'	10-15'	Well drained soil
Contorted Willow	Salix matsudana	20-40'	15-30'	Moist
Dawn Redwood	Metasequoia glptostroboides	50-90'	15-25'	Adaptable
Dura-Heat River Birch	Betula nigra	40-70'	40-60'	Well drained
Eastern Red Oak	Quercus borealis	50-75'	40-50'	Tolerant of salt and alkaline
Eastern Redbud	Cercis canadensis	20-30'	25-35'	Wide range
European Horse Chestnut	Aesculus hippocastanum	50-75'	50-60'	Well drained
Forest Pansy	Cercis canadensis	15-20'	15-20'	Wide range
Gobbler Sawtooth Oak	Quercus acutissima	40-50'	40'	Sandy clay loam
Golden Raintree	Koelreuteria paniculata	20-25'	20'	Sandy clay loam
Green Ash	Fraxinus pennsylvanica	50-60'	25-40'	Sandy clay loam
Hackberry	Celtis occidentalis	50-60'	30-40'	Sandy clay loam
Hardy Pecan	Carya illinoiensis	70-100'	40-45'	Clay loam
Heritage River Birch	Betula nigra	40-70'	40-60'	Well drained
Hybrid Willow	Salix Willow hybrid	50-70'	20'	Clay loam
Ironwood Tree	Carpinus caroliniana	20-30'	20-30'	Moist
Kentucky Coffee Tree	Gymnocladus dioicus	60-75'	40-50'	Tolerates wide range
Kousa Dogwood	Cornus kousa	20-30'	20-30'	Sandy clay loam
Lacebark Elm	Ulmus parvifolia	40-50'	40-50'	Adaptable
Lombardy Poplar	Juglans nigra	60-75'	50-60'	Clay loam
Maidenhair	Ginko biloba	40-70'	20-40'	Wide range except wet
Mimosa Tree	Albizzia julibrissum	20-35'	25-30'	Adaptable
Mockernut Hickery	Carya tomentosa	50-60'	30-40'	Loose soil
Native Plum	Prunus americana	12-20'	12-20'	Wide range
Northern Catalpa	Catalpa speciosa	40-70'	20-40'	Wide range
Northern Red Oak	Juglans nigra	60-75'	50-60'	Clay loam
Nuttail Oak	Quercus nutalli	40-60'	40'	Range
October Glory Red Maple	Acer rubrum	40-60'	25-40'	Wide range
Ohio Buckeye	Aesculus glabra	20-40'	20-40'	Well drained
Okame Flowering Cherry	Prunus x serrulata	15-30'	20-30'	Moist heavy clay
Oklahoma Redbud	Cercis reniformis	20-30'	15-20'	Wide range
Osage Orange	Maclura pomifera	20-40'	20-40'	Adaptable
Overcup Oak	Quercus lyrata	35-45'	35-40'	Wide range of soils
Patmore Ash	Fraxinus pennsylvanica	50-60'	25-30'	Wide range
Paw Paw	Asimina triloba	30'	20'	Adaptable
Persimmon	Diospyrus virginiana	30-50'	20-35'	Moist well drained
Pignut Hickory	Carya glabra	50-60'	25-35'	Heavy or silt loams
Pin Oak	Quercus palustris	60-70'	30'	Clay loam
Pink Flowering Dogwood	Cornus florida	15-30'	15-20'	MOist well drained
Pond Cypress	Taxodium ascendens	70-80'	15-20'	Clay loam
Poplar Hybrid	Populus Hybrid	50-75'	20-40'	Clay loam
Post Oak	Quercus stellata	40-50'	50'	Range
Prairiefire Crabapple	Malus x	20'	20'	Sandy clay loam
Red Bud	Cercis Canadensis	15-20'	12-15'	Sandy clay loam
Red Maple	Acer rubrum	40-60'	30'	Sandy loam
Red Sunset Red Maple	Acer rubrum	40-60'	25-40'	Wide range
Redspire Flowering Pear	Pyrus calleryana	40-60'	20-30'	Wide range
River Birch	Betula nigra	40-50'	30-40'	Sandy, clay, loam
Russian Olive	Elaeagnus angustifolia	25-30'	20-30'	Sandy, clay, loam
Sargent Crabapple	Malus sargenti	15-20'	15	Sandy, clay, loam
Sassafras Tree	Sassafras varifolium	40-80'	30'	Rich soil
Sawtooth Oak	Quercus acutissima	40-60'	35-60'	Sandy, clay, loam
Scarlet Oak	Quercus coccinea	70-75'	40-45'	Sandy, clay, loam
Shademaster Honey Locust	Gelditsia triacanthos inermis	50-75'	25-40'	Wide range
Shagbark Hickory	Carya ovata	70-90'	30-40'	Adaptable
Shellbark Hickory	Carya laciniosa	80-100'	60-75'	Heavy or silt loam
Shumard Oak	Quercus shumardii	40-60'	40-60'	Wide range
Siberian Elm	Ulmus pumila	40-60'	30-50'	Sandy clay loam
Silver Maple	Acer saccharinum	100'	60'	Clay or loam
Silverbells	Halesia carolina tetraptera	20-40'	15-35'	Moist
Siouxland Cottonless Cottonwood	Populus deltoides	70-80'	30-40'	Moderate
Snow Goose Flowering Cherry	Prunus x Snow Goose	15-30'	20-30'	Moist and clay
Sourgum	Nyssa sylvatica	40-60'	20-30'	Wet and clay
Sourwood	Oxydendron arboreum	20-30'	10-15'	Dry well drained
Southern Crabapple	Malus angustifolia	15-20'	15'	Moist well drained
Southern Red Oak	Quercus falcata	70-90'	50'	Wide range
Sugar Maple	Acer Saccharum	40-70'	30-50'	Well drained
Sugarberry	Celtis laevigata	60-80'	60-80'	Wide range
Sunburst Golden Honey Locust	Gelditsia triacanthos inermis	35-45'	30-40'	Well drained
Swamp Chestnut	Quercus michauxi	60-80'	50-70'	Wide range
Swamp Oak	Quercus bicolor	50-60'	50-60'	Wide range
Sweet Gum	Liquidambar styraciflua	60-75'	40'	Clay loam
Sycamore	Platanus occidentalis	70-80'	60'	Sandy clay loam
Texana Nuttail Oak	Quercus texana	50-80'	60'	Heavy soil
Texas Whitebud	Cercis canadensis	15-20'	15-20'	Wide range
Thornless Honeylocust	Gleditisia triacanthos	50-70'	50'	Sandy clay loam
Tulip Poplar Tree	Tirodendroan tilipifera	60-75'	30-40'	Sandy clay loam
Tulip Tree	Lirdendron tulipifera	40-100'	20-40'	Adaptable
Tupelo	Nyssa aquatica	35-50'	25-40'	Variable
Washington Hawthorne	Crataegus phaenopyrum	12-15'	6-10'	Sandy clay loam
Water Oak	Quercus nigra	50-75'	30-40'	Wide range
Weeping Higan Cherry	Prunus subhirtella	30-40'	25'	Adaptable
Weeping Willow	Salix babylonica	30-40'	30'	Sandy loam soil
White Ash	Fraxinus Americana	50-80'	40-60'	Sandy clay loam
White Flowering Dogwood	Cornus florida	25-30'	30-35'	Clay loam
White Oak	Quercus alba	60-80'	70'	Clay loam
White Walnut	Juglans cinerea	40-60'	30-50'	Wide range
Whitebud	Cercis canadensis	15-20'	20-30'	Wide range
Willow Oak	Quercus phellos	40-60'	30-40'	Sandy clay loam
Yellow Buckeye	Aesculus octandra	50-70'	30-50'	Well drained soil
Yoshino Cherry	Prunus x yedoensis	30-40'	30-50'	Moist
Zumi Crabtree	Malus x Zumi calocarpa	25-30'	15-20'	Adaptable

These were the various deciduous tree types found all over the world. Owing to the tendency of these trees to provide shade and add grace to the landscape, some varieties of deciduous trees are also seen in magnificent gardens. In fact, flowering deciduous tree species tend to add some elegance to your garden and hence are preferred over the gigantic deciduous tree species. So if you plan to plant one in your garden, you can make a choice from your local plant nursery. If you don't think it's viable for you, you don't need to worry, you can always feast your eyes on these marvelous trees by visiting different places on special outings.