Swamp White Oaks are majestic trees, often standing alone near the edge of a wetland. These members of the White Oak group have leaves with distinctly different colors on their tops and bottoms, as reflected in the Latin name, Quercus bicolor.
Author: Mort Schmidt
September Tree of the Month
Willow Oak (Quercus phellos) isn’t native to Ohio, but it doesn’t miss by much – its range extends to neighboring Kentucky, and it can grow quite large in Ohio, given time. Like Ohio’s Shingle Oak (Q. imbricaria), Willow Oak leaves have no lobes and look nothing like the leaves we associate with Red Oak (Q. rubra) or White Oak (Q. rubra). But remember that leaf shape is secondary in tree classification. Fruits and flowers are primary, and Willow Oaks, Shingle Oaks, and all the other oaks have acorns. Notice, by the way, that one of the common names for Willow Oak is “Pin Oak”, a name more commonly used for Q. palustris. Such is the limitation of common names.
Tree of the Month: Bladdernut, Staphylea trifolia
The American Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia) is a unique, small tree, or more often a shrub. This Ohio native, and the Sierra Bladdernut (S. bolanderi) are the only members of the genus Staphylea native to the US. Their distinctive papery fruits and trifoliate compound leaves set them apart.
Tree of the Month for July: Butternut, White Walnut, Oil Nut, Juglans cinerea
The genus Juglans, which includes various species of Butternuts and Walnuts, was named by the Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, who developed the modern classification system for plants and animals. He evidently thought well of them, because “Juglans” is the nut of the gods, a combination of Jovis (the god Jupiter) and glans, an acorn or nut. The native Butternut (Juglans cinerea) was never common, and it’s easily overlooked due to the similarity to Black Walnut (J. nigra).
Tree of the Month: Linden, Basswood, Lime, Whitewood, Tilia spp
Linden (genus Tilia, aka Basswood in the U.S. or Lime in the U.K.), is an attractive and useful tree with no major drawbacks. The name “Basswood” is probably derived from the word “bast”, the inner bark which was once a major source of fiber. Prized for carving and for landscaping, it has a subtle, but unmistakable appearance in summer, with its yellow-green bracts against dark green leaves.
May Tree of the Month: American Larch, Tamarack, Eastern Larch, Larix laricina
Eastern Larch is the only deciduous conifer native to Ohio. And yet, I seldom see it in Central Ohio. Baldcypress and Dawn Redwood are far more common, in my experience, but they’re mostly seen in landscaping. As one would expect of a conifer, American Larch (Tamarack, Larix laricina) has needles, but they don’t occur in bundles of 2, 3, or 5, as in the case with pines. Nor do they occur in straight rows, as with Baldcypress. Tamarack needles are whorled, and grow in clusters of 10 to 20, and thus, resemble true cedars (Cedrus). But cedars have evergreen needles, while Tamarack sheds its needles in winter. (Remember that Ohio’s native “cedars”, Eastern Redcedar and Arborvitae (Northern White Cedar), aren’t really cedars, and their needles aren’t whorled. True cedars with their whorled, evergreen needles are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa). Additionally, Tamarack needles grow at the end of woody spur shoots, similar to the spur shoots of Gingko. Larch and true cedars are the only conifers with needles at the end of spur shoots.
April Tree of the Month: Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree, Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba is the strangest tree I know. It’s a conifer, sort of, but with deciduous leaves. Its leaves are neither pinnately- nor palmately-veined. It’s the only living member of its genus and family, and the genus (Ginkgo) dates back 270 million years, the species (biloba) 51 my. Fossilized Ginkgo leaves are found on every continent, including Antarctica. And male trees produce motile sperm! Ginkgo is both the Latin name and the common name of the tree, and because Ginkgo biloba is the only living species of Ginkgo, I’ll simply use its common name, “Ginkgo”. The common name, “Ginkgo” is occasionally spelled with the g before the k, but since the Latin name is “Ginkgo”, I put the k first. [There’s a discussion of Latin names at the end of this article].
Tree of the Month, March 2026
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), or Redgum, is one of our more attractive native trees, and is widely used in landscaping. Its leaves turn scarlet and orange in the fall, and its prickly fruits add lots of interest in the winter. Notice that “Redgum” is also a common name for a variety of Australian Eucalyptus, but you won’t find them growing in Ohio.
The star-shaped leaves of Sweetgum are distinct. The leaves and branches are alternately-arranged, i.e., they are not attached directly across from one another. They are also simple, and do not share a stem with other leaflets in groups of 3, 5, 7, etc., as is the case with compound leaves. The leaves are somewhat like those of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) as they have palmately-arranged (hand-like) veins, rather than pinnately-arranged (feather-like) veins. The 3- to 6-inch leaves have 5 (rarely 7) lobes and distinct teeth. The deciduous leaves are dark green in the summer, and often show lovely orange and red colors in the fall. Sweetgum leaves typically have a distinct star shape, but some have smaller, secondary lobes. This variation is said to be randomly distributed, with no clear geographic correlation. Sweetgums have distinctive leaf scars and buds. The leaf scars are crescent-shaped, with three small, round bundle scars. The buds have clearly visible, overlapping scales.
Tree of the Month, February 2026
Persimmon is Ohio’s hardest native hardwood. A true ebony, it even has black heartwood – if you wait long enough. And Persimmon provides a tasty, plum-like fruit. So tasty that the Latin name, Diospyros, means “fruit of the gods”.
Tree of the Month, January 2026
Osage Orange, Hedge Apple, Horse Apple, Bow Wood, Bodark (Maclura pomifera) “Horse-high, bull-strong, hog-tight”. That’s how Hedge Apple fences were described a century or so ago. With their strong wood, low growth, and sharp thorns, countless thousands of miles of Osage Orange fence rows were planted across the country by […]
Here is our Tree of the Month – November 2025!
Mountain Ash, Rowan Sorbus spp. By Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Mountain Ashes are a lovely little tree, especially when they bear their distinctive red-orange berries. The common name often used in Europe, “Rowan”, is derived from the Scandinavian word for “red”. But they aren’t ashes. Mountain Ashes (Sorbus spp.) are […]
Our Tree of the Month – October 2025!
Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Everyone recognizes Shagbark Hickory – or so they think! This interesting and useful tree has a common look-alike. Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata), has five pinnately-compound leaflets, i.e., five blades that share a stem and are attached to it at […]
It’s the Tree of the Month – September 2025!
Common Buckthorn, Purging Buckthorn, European Buckthorn, Waythorn Rhamnus cathartica by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Common Buckthorn is an invasive tree, and not a particularly attractive one, so it’s helpful to be able to recognize it if you’re encouraging native growth. A common explanation for the name “buckthorn” is […]
It’s Our Tree of the Month – August 2025
River Birch, Red Birch Betula nigra (aka Black Birch, a name more often used for Sweet Birch, Betula lenta) by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living River Birches (Betula nigra) are popular landscaping trees. But are they actually trees? The definitions of trees vary a bit, but most indicate that a […]
July’s Tree of the Month: Live Oak, Southern Live Oak
Quercus virginiana By Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living I recently returned from a trip to the Southeastern U.S. and was enthralled with the majestic Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana), famous for their sweeping posture, great age, and incredible hardness. There are other live oaks, so-called because they retain their leaves […]
Check out May’s Tree of the Month, the Eastern Redcedar!
Long before European settlers arrived in North America, the Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana, hereafter, “Redcedar”) stood as a familiar sight across the continent—its fragrant, reddish wood and blue-gray berries already valued by Indigenous peoples for medicine, tools, and ceremony. Though not a true cedar, this resilient tree earned its common […]
It’s the Tree of the Month for March 2025!
Mulberry, Morus According to Romeyn Beck Hough’s 1907 Handbook of the Trees of the Northern States and Canada East of the Rocky Mountains, “The White Mulberry, in that its leaves furnish the most valuable food known for the silkworm, has the distinction of being the tree about which more has been written than any other tree. […]
It’s the Tree of the Month for February 2025!
Hackberry, Common Hackberry, American Hackberry, Sugarberry Celtis occidentalis Hackberry (Celtis) stands out as a common and recognizable tree in Ohio, yet many people are unfamiliar with it. Its distinctive bark and peculiar witches’ brooms make it an especially interesting sight on winter walks. Like most trees in Ohio, Hackberry features […]
It’s the Tree of the Month for January 2025!
American Sycamore, American Planetree, Buttonwood Platanus occidentalis American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis, hereafter, simply Sycamore) is one of our most beautiful and recognizable trees. In girth, it’s North America’s largest deciduous tree, and according to some sources, has the largest simple leaf. Its mottled white, tan, and brown bark is especially striking in […]
Tree of the Month, October 2024
Northern Catalpa, Cigar Tree (Catalpa speciosa) by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa herein, simply “Catalpa”), is one of our most distinctive trees. Catalpa has one of the largest simple leaves of any American tree, and its long cigar-like seed pods make it easily recognizable throughout the […]
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