Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines
Media
![Illustration of common buckthorn leaves and fruits.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2015/01/common_buckthorn_rhamnus_cathartica.jpg?itok=FFNqxmGc)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Rhamnus cathartica
Description
You might see common buckthorn for sale at a nursery, but don’t buy it! At least six states have banned this invasive exotic, and the difficult-to-control plant is causing problems here in Missouri, too. Learn how to identify it — and avoid it!
Media
![Illustration of poison ivy leaves, flowers, fruits.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Poison_Ivy_Toxicodendron_radicans.jpg?itok=biYw50m4)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Toxicodendron radicans
Description
Poison ivy is a toxic plant that contains an oil in all its parts that, if you come into contact with it, can cause an intense skin reaction. Learn to recognize it, and sidestep it on your outings.
Media
![Photo of a heavenly bamboo, nandina, plant growing in the woods.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Heavenly_Bamboo_Nandina_6-29-16.jpg?itok=QkfBAA4d)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Nandina domestica
Description
Heavenly bamboo is hardly “heavenly” when it comes to its negative effects on our native plants and animals. A tremendously popular landscaping plant, it readily escapes and is difficult to eradicate.
Media
![Illustration of red-berried elderberry leaves, flowers, fruits](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Red-berried_elderberry_Sambucus_pubens.jpg?itok=qynBmOE-)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Sambucus pubens
Description
Red-berried elderberry reaches 24 feet in height and does not form colonies. Its white flowers, and later, red berries, are in pyramidal clusters. In Missouri, it’s known only from Marion County.
Media
![Illustration of Carolina moonseed leaves, flowers, fruits](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Carolina_Moonseed_Cocculus_carolinus.jpg?itok=JDOLMjTf)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Cocculus carolinus
Description
Carolina moonseed is a slender, twining vine. It is scattered in southern and eastern Missouri. It bears clusters of bright red, somewhat flattened fruits. The disk-shaped seeds are spiraled like a snail shell.
Media
![Illustration of common moonseed leaves, flowers, fruits](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Common_Moonseed_Menispermum_canadense.jpg?itok=BOtWnTRV)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Menispermum canadense
Description
Common moonseed is a rather slender, twining vine that climbs or sprawls. It occurs nearly statewide. It bears clusters of bluish-black fruits. The seeds are flattened, with a raised edge shaped like a crescent moon.
Media
![Illustration of cupseed leaves, flowers, fruits](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Cupseed_Calycocarpum_lyonii.jpg?itok=Wl-hIXsF)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Calycocarpum lyonii
Description
Cupseed is a relatively stout, robust twining vine that dies back to the ground in severe winters. It is scattered south of the Missouri River. It bears clusters of black fruits. The seeds are shaped like little cups.
Media
![Illustration of eastern leatherwood leaves, flowers, fruits](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Eastern_Leatherwood_Dirca_palustris.jpg?itok=KEkB4k9G)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Dirca palustris
Description
Eastern leatherwood is a native shrub of bottomlands, stream banks, and bases of bluffs. It has unusual little dangling yellow flowers, and its twigs are surprisingly flexible.
See Also
About Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines in Missouri
There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. “Wood” is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature — whether they are “woody” or not. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground.