Native Trees of Iowa

Home>Browse by State>Iowa

The Hawkeye State, 'Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain'

Iowa

Want to add your tree to our picture gallery? Click here for details!

-Color denotes a tree that is rare or endangered

more » HubPages

We are part of the Hubpages community.
Click here for more info.

Amazon.com Widgets

Native Trees of Iowa

Recreation in Iowa often means heading

to one of the many lakes for swimming, fishing, hiking

or learning about the rich Native American area

history. The landscape not only allows for the well

known farm lands responsible for feeding so many,

but has prairies, canyons, bluffs, and rolling hills,

which support an outdoor adventure for any skill level.

As you wind your way through the many miles of

maple, hickory, and oak lined trails, you may stumble

across one of the numerous caves in Iowa. For the

avid cave explorer, Maquoketa Caves State Park has

more caves than any other Iowa State Park. Landbridges, streamside forests of ash and

basswood, nature centers, Native American burial mounds, a 'walk under' prairie, interpretive

trails- even one dedicated to 40 species of lichen- await visitors of Iowa's State Parks.

The many lakes of Iowa, in particular the 'lakes area' of northwest Iowa, offer year round

activities including swimming, boating, fishing and hiking on the miles of paved or rugged trails.

Spirit Lake is actually the largest natural lake in Iowa. With fish like bluegills, bullheads,

crappies, catfish, muskellunges, northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass, and white bass,

fishermen and families come from miles around to enjoy the peaceful environment or have

lunch. Not only are there hickory and oak trees to picnic under here, it is estimated that 2 out

of every 100 trees in Iowa is a black walnut. In fact, Iowa has the highest concentration of

black walnut trees anywhere in North America. Because of this, black walnuts are the black

gold of Iowa as they are an integral part of the state's timber industry. Also high in numbers

are Ash trees. There are approximately 50 million ash trees within the state so it is no wonder

the threat poised by the Emerald Ash Borer is a concern for the overall forest and urban tree

health. Trees attacked by the EAB will die within 2 years and any nearby ash trees should be

expected to die within 6 years as the non-native pest spreads.

Iowa also has the distinction of being the only state bordered by two navigable rivers. This,

combined with the many lakes, allows for Iowa to have marshlands, flood plains, high bluffs,

rocky cliffs like those found in 'The Backbone', and 150 million year old exposed river beds.

There are many parks set aside by the state for exploring the geological and natural wonders,

and horehounds in search of the state stone, the geode, will delight at the chance to find some

at Geode State park- just don't take anything out of the park!

Autumn in Iowa ranks high on the beauty scale as the forests are mostly deciduous. The

• Iowa Native Trees A to Z

• Iowa Tree Facts

• Iowa Tree Families and Species

• Endangered/Threatened Species

• Tree Nurseries in Iowa

State Tree: Oak

The oak tree became the State Tree of Iowa in 1961 as a symbol of strength. There are 12 species of oak trees native to Iowa including pin, swamp white, black, red, chinkapin, blackjack, post and bur. Oak trees an important part of the ecosystem as a variety of wildlife feed on the acorns. Oaks are also an important timber species.
Oak trees typically grow 80 feet tall and may have a trunk diameter between 2 and 4 feet, though many trees grow wider or taller. Often planted in parks for their attractive shape, foliage, and shade, oak trees are one of the top amenity trees. They do best when given ample space to

grow and should be planted away from structures as their roots may disrupt foundations.

Common characteristics to all oak trees are lobed leaves and acorns. The number of leaf

lobes can vary and red oak species will have leaves with a small prickle on the lobe tip.

Acorns size, shape, and color is as diverse as the genus- some are round while others are

slender and some are black, brown, or any color in between. Acorns can be barely nestled

inside their cap or almost completely engulfed by it like the Bur Oak.

Learn

Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa, Bicentennial

Oak in Plano, Tx. Bob Woodruff Park.

See usage requirements.

Iowa Native Tree Facts

Forested acres: 3 million
Percent of total area forested: 8%
Largest Trees in Iowa: Eastern Cottonwood, Populus deltoides
Most Valuable Timber Tree: Black Walnut
Number of National Forests: 0
Number of State Parks/Forests/Recreational Areas: 68
Number of Tree city USA communities: 92
Number of invasive tree species: 26 (see state list for noxious/invasive plants)
Insects of Concern: Emerald Ash Borer, Gypsy Moth
Pathogens of Concern: Bur Oak Blight, Thousand Canker Disease
Number of tree families in our collection: 25
Number of endangered or threatened species in our collection: 3

Sources:

Arborday.org
US Forest Service
Iowa Association of Naturalists
United States Department Of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Services: PLANTS Database

Additional state resources:
Iowa State Parks
Iowa Department of Natural Resources: Forest Health
Iowa State University, Forestry Extention

Iowa Native Tree Families and Genera

click to enlarge.

Useful information while browsing species:

• How to read a botanical name

• How to use our species boxes:

-Color denotes a tree that is rare or endangered

Please note: This is not a complete list of all native tree families and species found in Iowa. We are constantly working towards a more comprehensive list and will add families and their species as completed.

Additional Resources:

North American Native Tree Families
North American A to Z List by Scientific Name
North American A to Z List by Common Name

Follow the links to view species native to Iowa. If the genus is not linked, species are listed on the family page.

Aceraceae, Maple
Annonaceae, Custard-apple
Betulaceae, Birch
    Betula, Birch
    Carpinus, Hornbeam
    Corylus, Hazelnut
    Ostrya, Hophornbeam
Bignoniaceae, Trumpet Creeper
Caprifoliaceae, Honeysuckle
Cornaceae, Dogwood
    Cornus, Dogwood
    Nyssa, Tupelo
Cupressaceae- Cypress
    Juniperus, Juniper
    Thuja, Arborvitae
Ebenaceae, Ebony
    Diospyros, Persimmon

Fabaceae, Pea
Fagaceae, Beech
    Quercus, Oak
Hamamelidaceae, Witch-hazel
Hippocastanaceae, Horse-chestnut
Juglandaceae, Walnut
    Carya, Hickory
    Juglans, Walnut
Lauraceae, Laurel
Magnoliaceae, Magnolia
Moraceae, Mulberry
Oleaceae, Olive
    Fraxinus, Ash
Pinaceae, Pine
    Abies, Fir
    Pinus, Pine

Platanaceae, Plane-tree
    Platanus, Sycamore
Rosaceae, Rose
    Crataegus, Hawthorn
    Prunus, Plum/Cherry
Rubiaceae, Madder
Rutaceae, Rue
Salicaceae, Willow
    Populus, Cottonwood
    Salix, Willow
Tiliaceae, Lindon
    Tilia, Basswood
Ulmaceae, Elm
    Celtis, Hackberry
    Ulmus, Elm

Iowa Endangered or Threatened Tree Species

Additional Resources:

North American Rare and Endangered Trees

External Links:
USDA PLANTS Database

Definition of status (per Iowa DNR website):

Special Concern- any species about which problems of status or distribution are suspected, but not documented. Not protected by the Iowa Threatened and Endangered Species law, but many animal species listed as Special Concern are protected under other state and federal laws addressing hunting, fishing, collecting, and harvesting.

Threatened:

Fraxinus quadrangulata- Blue Ash
Salix lucida- Shining Willow

Endangered:

Prunus nigra- Canada Plum

Looking for a nursery near you?
Check out our nursery listing by county below!

Sorry, we do not currently have any tree nursery listings for this state. We do update these lists, so please check back.

treesforme.com Webutation

Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa, acorns

Threatened Species- any species which is likely to become an endangered species in the future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Protected by law.

Endangered Species- any species of fish, plant life, or wildlife which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its range. Protected by law.

Special Concern:

Abies balsamea- Balsam Fir
Acer spicatum- Mountain Maple
Amelanchier alnifolia- Saskatoon Serviceberry
Amelanchier sanguinea- Roundleaf Serviceberry
Asimina triloba- Pawpaw
Crataegus chrysocarpa- Fireberry Hawthorn
Crataegus chrysocarpa var. Chrysocarpa- Red Hawthorn
Crataegus disperma- Spreading Hawthorn, Two-fruited Hawthorn
Crataegus pruinosa- Waxyfruit Hawthorn
Prunus hortulana- Hortulan Plum
Sassafras albidum- Sassafras
Viburnum prunifolium- Blackhaw

summer green changes to red, orange, yellow and gold and gives bikers of the 50 mile Lake-to-Lake State Park Bike Route a more enjoyable experience. Iowa is also one of the best places for equestrian trail riding. Almost every park has equestrian friendly trails, some specifically for equestrian use only, and allow for scenic views of sweeping prairies, bluffs along the Mississippi river, or the quiet forest while ducking under sugar maple and basswood branches. Eventually, anyone riding or hiking through Iowa's woodlands will marvel at the state's tallest trees, eastern cottonwoods. During winter, cross-country skiing is a favorite past time in Iowa and the few conifers native to the state keep a touch of green year round.

Tree lists:
•A-Z by scientific
name
•A-Z by common
name
•By Family

For state A-Z list click state name below.

™

Custom Search

A firmaret radicem amittere possit foliis in vento et triturabis bacchatur durante tempestas, sed supersit quia est flexibilis. Talis est vita.