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69 Types of Trees in Ohio (With Pictures)
Ashley Bates
Last updated:
Ohio is full of beautiful scenery, from lush, rolling forests to open plains. In this beautiful state, you might wonder about all the beautiful trees that you might find.
Here, we will go over a list of all the trees you might see in Ohio, whether you are a resident or a tourist.
Deciduous Trees
Deciduous means “falling off at maturity,” indicative of the leaves dropping every fall and repopulating in the spring. Here are those such trees in Ohio.
The 69 Types of Trees in Ohio
Beech Family
1. American Beech
Image Credit: Malachi Jacobs, Shutterstock
Height:
50-70 feet
Spread:
35-40 feet
The American Beech tree has smooth gray bark and grows whimsically with twisty branches. Something unique about the American Beech is that they rarely lose their brownish yellow leaves in the winter. Often, new leaves in spring have to push them off.
2. American Chestnut
Image Credit: Dr Garden, Shutterstock
Height:
60-90 feet
Spread:
60-120 feet
The American Chestnut is a sizable tree with exciting leaf patterns and fruit. These trees produce the edible chestnuts we love, developing tons of fruits yearly.
3. Black Oak
Image Credit: Richard Thornton, Shutterstock
Height:
60-100+ feet
Spread:
Irregular
Black Oak trees are highly useful for surrounding wildlife, as they produce acorns for nourishment. These trees get very thick and tall with simple leaves and black bark—and they can get massive as they grow.
4. Bur Oak
Image Credit: Andrew Sabai, Shutterstock
Height:
70-80 feet
Spread:
80 feet
The Bur Oak is one of the slowest growing of species. These trees grow nicely outward, providing optimal shade coverage. Like other oaks, they produce acorns for wildlife.
5. Chestnut Oak
Image Credit: Roca Mharas, Shutterstock
Height:
60-70 feet
Spread:
60-70 feet
The Chestnut Oak has a very distinct appearance apart from its oak cousins due to the deep, shiny green leaves and dark, chocolatey acorns. It’s often an excellent choice for yards due to its shade coverage, reaching 70 feet wide.
6. Chinkapin Oak
Image Credit: John P Anderson, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
50-60 feet
The Chinkapin Oak is a gorgeous flowering oak tree that produces green across until ripe—then they turn nearly black. You might also recognize the Chinkapin because it is smaller and stouter, sometimes giving a shrubby appearance.
7. Northern Red Oak
Image Credit: Maren Winter, Shutterstock
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
45 feet
The Northern Red Oak is a hardy oak variety with bristly leaves. It’s one of the fastest-growing oaks. These trees are brilliant in the fall, giving way to rusty red hues—gorgeous against other fall varieties.
8. Pin Oak
Image Credit: Simona Pavan, Shutterstock
Height:
60-70 feet
Spread:
25-45 feet
The Pin Oak is an upright tree that is often triangular-shaped early and oval-shaped later. Its unique branching pattern produces saucer-shaped acorn caps with round fruits.
9. Scarlet Oak
Image Credit: Ole Schoener, Shutterstock
Height:
60-80 feet
Spread:
40-50 feet
The Scarlet Oak is a fast-growing beauty that turns a brilliant scarlet color in the fall—hence the name. Many people love the aesthetics of a Scarlet Oak because it grows in a lovely rounded shape.
10. Shingle Oak
Image Credit: Peter Turner Photography, Shutterstock
Height:
50-90 feet
Spread:
60-90 feet
Shingle Oaks are less common than many other beech species. However, the bark used to be fantastic for making shingles, giving way to the name. .
11. Shumard Oak
Image Credit: Jose Luis Vega, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
40-60 feet
The Shumard Oak is one of the largest in the red oak category. These oaks are super hardy, working well in even unfavorable soils—and it’s even drought tolerant.
12. White Swamp Oak
Image Credit: Sean Attilio Learn, Shutterstock
Height:
50-60 feet
Spread:
50-60 feet
The White Swamp Oak is a very hardy tree that thrives in all sorts of poor conditions. It is especially attractive to birds, providing food and adequate shelter to house wildlife—including its long paired acorns.
13. White Oak
Image Credit: Dee Browning, Shutterstock
Height:
50-80 feet
Spread:
50-80 feet
The White Oak definitely has a presence, touting a thick, stout trunk and outstretching limbs and branches. These trees are ancient and are capable of living for centuries.
Bean Family
14. Black Locust
Image Credit: Rainbow008, Shutterstock
Height:
60-80 feet
Spread:
20-30 feet
The Black Locust tree is a fast-growing, fragrant springtime favorite. While it gets a bad reputation for rapid growth, it produces beautiful, dropping flowers and lovely foliage.
15. Honey Locust
Image Credit: Jarmila, Pixabay
Height:
70-130 feet
Spread:
30-70 feet
The Honey Locust is a very recognizable tree because it has long, spiky thorns that stick outward. However, some are thornless, making them more desirable for landscapes.
16. Kentucky Coffeetree
Image Credit: Nikolay Kurzenko, Shutterstock
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
40-50 feet
You’ll know the Kentucky Coffeetree right away in late May and early June. It develops greenish-white flowers along with leaf blooms that smell similar to roses. They are late bloomers, though, being one of the last to sprout.
Bignonia Family
17. Northern Catalpa
Image Credit: Gabriela Beres, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
20-40 feet
The Northern Catalpa is the only type of Catalpa tree that is native to Ohio—and the only in the Bignonia family. It’s instantly recognizable due to its large leaves and cigar-like pods.
Birch Family
18. Black Birch
Image Credit: aisvri, Unsplash
Height:
45-50 feet
Spread:
25-45 feet
Black Birch trees are typically aesthetically pleasing with straight, smooth stalky bark and symmetrical outreach. Unlike traditional birch you see, the bark is very dark brown. It grows male and female catkin flowers.
19. River Birch
Image Credit: Normall69, Pixabay
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
40-70 feet
The remarkable River Birch has a unique appearance. Its bark gives the illusion of shedding or peeling. It gives it a rustic and standalone look, making it easy to identify.
20. Yellow Birch
Image Credit: Mobinovyc, Pixabay
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
35-50 feet
The Yellow Birch is a tall, slender tree with attractive foliage true to its name. Its bark is both smooth and rough in patches contrasting nicely between light and dark.
Elm Family
21. Hackberry
Image Credit: Fabrizio Guarisco, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
40-60 feet
The Hackberry tree is often well known for its wide range of adaptability, able to survive in some less than favorable conditions. Hackberries that grow on this species are completely edible and nutritious.
22. American Elm
Image Credit: Norm Lane, Shutterstock
Height:
60-80 feet
Spread:
60-120 feet
The American Elm grows substantially large and has immaculate shade coverage. These massive trees, unfortunately, suffered a significant decline after Dutch elm disease was spread rapidly by bark beetles.
23. Slippery Elm
Image Credit: Andriy-Blokhin, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
25-35 feet
The Slippery Elm has interesting bark patterns and sawtooth-shaped leaves. It doesn’t have as far of a spread as some elm cousins, but it still provides adequate shade and bears fruit.
Ebony Family
24. American Persimmons
Image Credit: Marinodenisenko, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
25-30 feet
The American Persimmons is a fruit-bearing native tree to Ohio. Persimmons fruits are often the same relative size and shape of peaches but have a taste quality of cantaloupe.
Horsechestnut Family
25. Ohio Buckeye
Image Credit: Denise Ann, Shutterstock
Height:
50-60 feet
Spread:
35-45 feet
The Ohio Buckeye tree is a trademark symbol of the state. These trees produce flowers in the spring which grow to buckeyes over the summer months, developing inside prickly outer casings.
26. Yellow Buckeye
Image Credit: Yellow Buckeye, Shutterstock
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
30-35 feet
The Yellow Buckeye has a yellow-green to its leaves and tends to grow much larger than the Ohio Buckeye. It produces the same fruit, but the tree grows upward and spreads in an oval fashion.
Laurel Family
27. Sassafras
Image Credit: Kathy Clark, Shutterstock
Height:
30-60 feet
Spread:
20-40 feet
The Sassafras tree has many medicinal benefits and is lovely in composition. This tree is highly aromatic and is often used in teas and for scents. It’s also very beautiful in the fall months when it’s most vibrant.
Linden Family
28. American Basswood
Image Credit: Alina Vaska, Shutterstock
Height:
75-130 feet
Spread:
70-90 feet
The American Basswood is a tall tree with heart-shaped leaves. It’s often used for residential areas due to its beautiful springtime flowering, attracting bees and birds.
Magnolia Family
29. Cucumbertree
Image Credit: 3Dillustrations, Shutterstock
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
60-75 feet
The Cucumbertree is a fragrant flowering tree in the magnolia family. It gets its name from the pinkish fruit it produces that grows in the shape of a cucumber.
30. Yellow Poplar
Image Credit: victimewalker, Shutterstock
Height:
70-90 feet
Spread:
40-45 feet
The yellow polar, also known as the tulip tree, is a lovely large-leaved orange flowering tree. These fast growers can get tall and are generally straight up with tight upward branches.
Maple Family
31. Boxelder
Image Credit: Digitalphaser, Shutterstock
Height:
30-50 feet
Spread:
25-45 feet
The boxelder is a standard smaller maple known for its helicopter-like seedlings. When they let go, these small pods twirl to the ground, giving off the impression of a helicopter spinning.
32. Red Maple
Image Credit: Yokzel Zok, Unsplash
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The red maple is known for its deep to fiery leaves in the fall. They can produce tiny white flowers in the early months. It’s often used in yards since it’s aesthetically pleasing, but it can sometimes be toxic to horses.
33. Silver Maple
Image Credit: crystaltmc, Shutterstock
Height:
50-80 feet
Spread:
35-50 feet
The tree gets the name Silver Maple from the silvery tomes on the underside of the leaves. It tends to be an aggressive rooter, so it’s best to keep these trees away from pipelines and sidewalks.
34. Sugar Maple
Image Credit: Paula Cobleigh, Shutterstock
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
40-50 feet
Sugar maples are loved for many reasons—from their syrup production to the fantastic colors they turn in the autumn months. It tends to grow very symmetrically in a circular fashion providing excellent shade coverage.
Mulberry Family
35. Osage Orange
Image Credit: Ocskay Mark, Shutterstock
Height:
30-40 feet
Spread:
20-30 feet
Known for its intriguing hedge apple fruits, the Osage Orange tree resides in Ohio’s forests. It’s rumored to keep away spiders and other insects. It’s also fast-growing and able to withstand a variety of environmental conditions.
36. Red Mulberry
Image Credit: RachelStocker, Shutterstock
Height:
35-40 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The Red Mulberry is a very beautiful fruit bearing tree in Ohio that produces oblong, deep purple berries. It has very beneficial properties for soil, making it a delight to have in parks or personal properties.
Olive Family
37. Green Ash
Image Credit: Photodigitaal.nl, Shutterstock
Height:
50-60 feet
Spread:
25 feet
The Green Ash tree is a tall, thin tree with elongated leaves and reddish-purple fruits. This is a perfect tree for shade and will adapt to even unpleasant, harsh soil conditions. It also grows with a classic canopy to block sunlight.
38. White Ash
Image Credit: Nahhana, Shutterstock
Height:
50-80 feet
Spread:
40-50 feet
The White Ash tree is classically used to make baseball bats due to the wood texture. It also is a fall favorite, sporting gorgeous colors in the fall months. However, both the White and Green Ash trees are coming under attack emerald ash borer.
Plane Tree Family
39. American Sycamore
Image Credit: High Mountain, Shutterstock
Height:
75-100 feet
Spread:
75-100 feet
The American Sycamore is a water-loving tree, finding its home by creeks, streams, and other water sources. Touting white and gray smooth bark and twisty branches, this tree is easy to identify. They have a larger trunk diameter than any other native hardwood tree.
Rose Family
40. Black Cherry
Image Credit: Irina Iriser, Pexels
Height:
70-80 feet
Spread:
80-100 feet
Even though the Black Cherry is considered invasive in Europe, it’s very beneficial to butterflies and moths in Ohio. It is mainly used as an ornamental tree, producing beautiful fruit that feeds surrounding wildlife.
Tupelo Family
41. Blackgum
Image Credit: Peter Turner, Shutterstock
Height:
30-50 feet
Spread:
20-30 feet
The Blackgum tree is a smaller Ohio native that loves moist well-drained soils, though it can tolerate mild drought. It has deeply ridged bark and the green, glossy leaves turn bold colors of orange and yellow in the autumn months.
Walnut Family
42. Butternut
Image Credit: Photodigitaal.nl, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
35-50 feet
The Butternut tree is a relatively widespread tree, often used in landscapes. However, it emits juglones which can affect gardens, so keeping it as a standalone tree is recommended.
43. Black Walnut
Image Credit: Silviu Carol, Shuttertock
Height:
50-150 feet
Spread:
50-75 feet
Black walnut trees are useful for people and wildlife alike. However, the nut fruit it produces is notorious for staining fingers and clothes. Like other walnut varieties, the roots produce juglone, which can be toxic to surrounding plant life.
44. Bitternut Hickory
Image Credit: marineke thissen, Shutterstock
Height:
40-50 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The Bitternut Hickory is a large pecan hickory that produces fruits. It is the fastest-growing Hickory tree in Ohio. They are often commercially grown, bought, and sold due to the desirable quality of their wood.
45. Mockernut Hickory
Image Credit: ForestSeasons, Shutterstock
Height:
50-90 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The Mockernut Hickory loves moist climates and thrives well in humidity. These Hickory trees haVE male and female flowers produced on the same tree and develop nut casings in the fall.
46. Pignut Hickory
Image Credit: R Johnson, Shutterstock
Height:
50-60 feet
Spread:
25-30 feet
The Pignut HIckory grows very tall, but it’s a slow-growing tree. It produces a green bitternut that is specific to the species.
47. Shagbark Hickory
Image Credit: Martin Fowler, Shutterstock
Height:
60-80 feet
Spread:
20-30 feet
The Shagbark Hickory grows upward with narrow open branching. The distinguishing feature is the classic Shagbark that is usually gray in color and looks loose and frayed.
48. Shellbark Hickory
Image Credit: TheOldBarnDoor, Shutterstock
Height:
60-80 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The Shellbark Hickory is often confused with the Shagbark Hickory, but you can distinguish the two by their leaves. Shellbark has seven leaflets, whereas Shagbark has five.
The beautiful Balck Willow is the largest Willow of the New World. They are masters at preventing soil erosion and thrive next to water sources. They are ideal next to ponds and creeks but may hog water from other trees.
51. Eastern Cottonwood
Image Credit: Merrimon Crawford, Shutterstock
Height:
100+ feet
Spread:
100+ feet
The Eastern Cottonwood is stunningly fast growing, gaining roughly six feet annually. It produces fluffy cotton blooms that can contribute to allergies, but these trees make for great climbing.
Witchhazel Family
52. Sweetgum
Image Credit: Joan Carles Juarez, Shutterstock
Height:
60-75 feet
Spread:
40-50 feet
The Sweetgum has beautiful star-shaped leaves and grows pyramidal. They are stunning in the fall months, turning shades of burnt orange and purple. These trees need plenty of root space, so they do best in open spaces.
Coniferous Trees
Coniferous trees are seed-bearing cone plants that stay green year-round.
Pine Family
53. Colorado Blue Spruce
Image Credit: Leonid S. Shtandel, Shutterstock
Height:
50-75 feet
Spread:
10-20 feet
The Colorado Blue Spruce is a spiny pine with a frosted bluish-green hue. These conifers are one of the most popular Christmas tree choices due to its symmetry and color.
54. Norway Spruce
Image credit: RoxannaR, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
25-30 feet
The Norway Spruce is the fastest-growing of all spruce trees, making them perfect for newly built homes. They make excellent windbreakers due to their strong branches and needles.
55. Eastern Hemlock
Image Credit: Mammiya, Pixabay
Height:
70 feet
Spread:
30 feet
The Eastern Hemlock is a very common conifer in Ohio. It is incredibly shade tolerant, making them appealing for areas that don’t get a lot of sunlight.
56. Australian Pine
Image Credit: Namfon Wittayakom, Shutterstock
Height:
50-60 feet
Spread:
20-40 feet
The Australian Pine is an incredibly fast-growing, hardy pine tree that thrives in less than optimal conditions. It can even survive in clay-based soils and near seasides.
57. Eastern White Pine
Image Credit: Than Sapyaprapa, Shutterstock
Height:
50-80 feet
Spread:
20-40 feet
The Eastern White Pine is notably lovely with its sprawling, soft long needles and clustered open pine cones. These trees grow in a lovely oval shape and make fabulous Christmas trees.
58. Loblolly Pine
Image Credit: Linda Hughes Photography, Shutterstock
Height:
60-90 feet
Spread:
25-35 feet
The Loblolly Pine grows very tall and narrow, but as it ages, it loses its bottom branches. It’s often a great choice for a shade tree and the lime green needles are unique and gorgeous.
59. Pitch Pine
Image Credit: MIROFOSS, Shutterstock
Height:
20-90 feet
Spread:
30-50 feet
The Pitch Pine has quite a wide range of growth that depends on the environment it’s in. What’s unique about this tree is that the trunk is fire-resistant, building up defenses against forest fires.
60. Red Pine
Image Credit: ArtMediaFactory, Shutterstock
Height:
50-100 feet
Spread:
30 feet
The Red Pine is known for its straight upward trunk and narrow spread. They grow impressively, growing more than two feet every year. This type of tree works wonderfully in the lumber industry.
61. Scotch Pine
Image Credit: RYosha, Shutterstock
Height:
50-60 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The Scotch Pine is an incredibly hardy tree tolerating all sorts of harsh environments. They have interesting branching patterns, creating trusty whimsical branches.
62. Shortleaf Pine
Image Credit: Formatoriginal, Shutterstock
Height:
50-100 feet
Spread:
20-35 feet
The Shortleaf Pine is a drought-hardy conifer that can survive in minimal to moderate moisture conditions. It’s also a full sun tree that thrives with direct light.
63. Virginia Pine
Image Credit: Nikolay Kurzenko, Shutterstock
Height:
70 feet
Spread:
20-30 feet
The Virginia Pine is an ultra-adaptable pine tree that can grow just about anywhere. The lovely needles of this pine are covered in smaller prickly cones.
Cypress Family
64. Eastern Redcedar
Image Credit: Gerry Bishop, Shutterstock
Height:
40-50 feet
Spread:
8-20 feet
The Eastern Redcedar is the only tree in Ohio in the Cypress family. These trees develop yummy berries that birds love, but humans can’t eat. They develop deep roots and are fabulous windbreakers. However, Cedar-apple rust is possible, so they shouldn’t be planted near apple trees.
Invasive Tree Species
65. Callery Pear
Image Credit: Wirestock Creators, Shutterstock
Height:
25-35 feet
Spread:
15-25 feet
The Callery Pear tree is a native tree to Asia. Even though the beautiful spring flowers and developing fruits look beautiful, this tree is considered ever-growing invasive and planted for ornamental purposes. The fruit they develop is not edible to humans, but it can support local wildlife.
66. Sawtooth Oak
Image Credit: Picmin, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
40-60 feet
The Sawtooth Oak is a very fast-growing tree with quick acorn development. It is often revered as a terrific food source for local wildlife. However, it is originally from Asia, not introduced to Ohio until 1862.
67. Siberian Elm
Image Credit: mizy, Shutterstock
Height:
50-70 feet
Spread:
35-50 feet
Even though the Siberian Elm is relatively small in comparison to similar species, it grows rapidly. It’s a very aggressive species that can snuff out surrounding vegetation.
68. Tree of Heaven
Image Credit: Dark Side, Shutterstock
Height:
60-70 feet
Spread:
40-50 feet
The Tree of Heaven is a fast-spreading deciduous tree in Ohio. First used for its quick growth as ornamental trees, these trees have made their home in all parts of Ohio, quickly reproducing. It is drought and pollution tolerant, making it hard to stop.
69. White Mulberry
Image Credit: NChi, Shutterstock
Height:
40-60 feet
Spread:
40 feet
The White Mulberry produces white berries, true to its name. Although you can eat fully ripened white mulberries, unripe berries contain a component called latex, which is harmful to humans.
Conclusion
Now, you have gotten familiar with all the tree species Ohio has to offer. There are several others we humans plant for ornamental purposes, but these trees are naturally occurring. They come in all different colors, sizes, and purposes.
Featured Image Credit: Kenneth Sponsler, Shutterstock
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Writer
Ashley Bates
Ashley Bates is a freelance writer and pet enthusiast who is currently studying the art of animal therapy. A mother to four human children, her mission is to create awareness, education, and entertainment about pets to prevent homelessness. Her love for writing came from a young age as she loves to research and write about a wide range of topics. She hopes her writing to inspire as many readers as she can reach!