Deciduous

Euonymus, Winterberry Deciduous

Euonymus bungeanus

Also known as spindletree, winterberry euonymus is best known for its fall colors of pink, orange, and red found in both its leaves and fruit capsules.

Ginkgo Deciduous

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo is a very unusual tree. Often referred to as a living fossil, ginkgo leaves appear as fossils dating to more than 200 million years old. Some of these fossils have even been found in Nebraska.

Hackberry may be the king of hard-working trees. It can provide a canopy of shade for decades at a time, and ask for almost nothing in return. Additionally, its deep root system makes common hackberry useful for preventing soil erosion on disturbed sites.

Hawthorn, Cockspur Deciduous

Crataegus crusgalli

The hawthorns are a diverse and confusing group of plants with at least 200 distinct species occurring throughout the Northern Hemisphere. There are dozens of species native to North America, including several that are grown as landscape trees.

Hawthorn, Downy Deciduous

Crataegus mollis

Native to the Midwest including eastern Nebraska and Kansas, where it can be found in the savanna understory and prairie edges.

Hickory, Bitternut Deciduous

Carya cordiformis

Bitternut hickory is native to much of the eastern US and reaches its western limit in eastern Nebraska. It is the most commonly encountered hickory in Nebraska’s native woods and is occasionally used in parks and other community plantings.

Hickory, Shagbark Deciduous

Carya ovata

Along with bitternut, shagbark hickory is one of two native hickories in Nebraska’s eastern woodlands where it is often found growing on relatively moist slopes in association with oaks and lindens.

Honeylocust Deciduous

Gleditsia triacanthos

Honeylocust is a very tough and adaptable tree that is native to woodlands, pastures and fence lines of the eastern Great Plains. Thornless and fruitless varieties have been developed by the horticultural industry and are used extensively in landscaping. The trees are very hardy and are often used in parking lot islands and along sidewalks.

Hornbeam, American (Musclewood) Deciduous

Carpinus caroliniana

American hornbeam, also known as musclewood or blue beech, is a small, slow-growing understory tree native to hardwood forests of the eastern US and Canada. The tree is perhaps best known for its smooth and sinewy steel-gray bark and the muscle-like look of its maturing trunk and larger branches (thus one of its common names).

A closeup of the hornbeam's muscular trunk.

Linden, American (Basswood) Deciduous

Tilia americana

American linden, also known as basswood, is native to the Missouri River basin of eastern Nebraska and extends along the Niobrara River reaching as far west as the Black Hills of western South Dakota.