There are many fun and rewarding reasons to learn how to identify different types of trees that are typically found throughout Virginia.
Knowing more about trees will not only increase your ability to tell apart different species and appreciate their unique characteristics, but it will also help you determine the best methods of keeping trees healthy.
Common Trees Found In Virginia
1. American Elm
This variety of elm trees is classic and was once the most popular street-side tree in the U.S. The American elm can grow to be 40 ft tall or more.
2. American Hazelnut
With the American Hazelnut, a non-shrub tree that grows an average of 18 ft, it’s important for pollination and future growth to plant two of these near each other. They grow small, sweet hazelnuts as well!
3. American Red Maple
Red Maples are colorful all year round with leaves that turn a rich red and yellow hue in the fall and with stems that turn red in the winter. These trees are also fairly deer-resistant and are great choices for stylistic landscaping and shade.
4. American Sweetgum
These trees grow an average of 40 ft-70 ft with a 50 ft spread. American Sweetgums can endure heavy winds and urban conditions and are all-around hardy.
5. Autumn Cherry
The Autumn Cherry, which blooms both in the spring and in the fall, is great for yards and landscaping because of its smaller size. These trees do well with cold temperatures and are also great providers of shade.
6. Bartlett Pear
These classic pear trees, whose fruit ripens from mid-August until mid-September, grows to be around 12 ft tall and can have a 20 ft spread. Bartlett Pears can pollinate with other European pear trees, except the Kieffer pear, and also with Orient pear trees.
7. Belle of Georgia Peach
These classic southern peach trees are not only fast-growing but can produce strong crops at only age three or four. They are self-fertilizing trees that sport beautiful red flowers in the spring.
8. Black Gum
Like the American Sweetgum trees, the Black Gum tree is another great provider of shade. Both of these varieties are known for dropping “gumballs,” particularly in the fall, and anyone who grew up with one of these trees knows how comfortable those are to step on.
9. Canadian Hemlock
These evergreen trees are common across a large portion of the United States and are great at providing privacy to your home or property. They also have the perk of doing well in environments of both full sun or full shade.
10. Carpathian English Walnut
The Carpathian English Walnut can endure cold really well, with temperatures as cold as -20° F. They are also awesome shade trees that are used primarily for their walnuts, which are popular for baking and just simply eating.
11. Chinese Pistache
The Chinese Pistache tree may not look like much in the early years of its life, but it eventually does fill out and bloom into a beautiful, colorful tree. It is commonly found in city environments and is good in areas with arid or rough climates.
12. Cleveland Pear
The Cleveland Pear is notable for its white flowers that bloom every spring. They are great for decoration in landscaping and for providing shade.
13. Corkscrew Willow
The Corkscrew Willow differs from the classic Weeping Willow in the lower part of its trunk, which is twisted rather than vertically straight., hence the title “corkscrew.” These trees are beautiful, wistful, and a favorite of many.
14. Crimson King Maple
This tree shares many similarities with the traditional maple tree, except that its autumnal colors are different. Their crimson leaves every fall are gorgeous and really make this tree visually pop.
15. Dawn Redwood
The tallest known Dawn Redwood tree currently in Virginia grew two be 120 ft tall in only 30 year’s time. These trees have a lot of history and were once thought to be extinct but were rediscovered in rural China in the late 1940s. The Dawn Redwood is making a come-back in several countries but is more common in conservation forests and botanical gardens.
16. Drake Elm Tree
The Drake Elm Tree is a great alternative to the traditional Elm since it is smaller in overall stature. This tree grows a dropping canopy that can be a great source of shade!
17. Early Golden Apricot
This self-fertilizing tree produces large, golden apricots that ripen in early July through August. These trees are particularly beautiful in the early spring when they bloom either white or pink flowers.
18. Early Harvest Apple
The Early Harvest Apple creates golden apples that are good for cooking because of their tart taste. These trees play nice with others and can pollinate with other apple tree varieties such as the Lodi, Red Delicious, or Red Jonathan.
19. Eastern White Pine
These evergreen trees have a triangular shape in their youth and eventually grown to be anywhere from 50 ft to 80 ft tall. The Eastern White Pine is best suited for areas with moist, rich soil and a full sun area. They have blue-green, soft needles.
20. Elberta Peach
The Elberta Peach tree ripens from late July to early August, or perhaps slightly later if you live in a colder climate. They bloom purple flowers in the springtime and are the most popular variety of peach trees in the United States.
FAQ’s
What kind of trees does Virginia have?
If you have a gymnosperm with leaves that are scale-like, your choices of native Virginia species are limited: red spruce, bald cypress, Eastern hemlock, Eastern redcedar, Atlantic white-cedar. Baldcypress, even though it is a gymnosperm, which we typically consider to be evergreen species, is a deciduous species!
How do I identify a hardwood tree?
Hardwood Trees are with broad, flat leaves as opposed to coniferous or needled trees. Wood hardness varies among the hardwood species, and some are actually softer than some softwoods., Deciduous Perennial plants which are normally leafless for some time during the year.
What is the most common softwood tree in Virginia?
In Virginia, loblolly pine and yellow-poplar are the most common trees in terms of volume, while red maple and loblolly pine are the most common trees in terms of the number of trees.
What’s the fastest-growing tree in Virginia?
Dawn Redwood is the fastest-growing tree in Virginia. On good sites, its growth is rapid, with a tree in Virginia reaching 120 feet in 30 years or an average of 4 feet per year.
To Sum Up
I hope this article helped you out to identify different types of trees that are typically found throughout Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, and the surrounding areas.