12 Spectacular Fall-Color Trees
When the days grow shorter and the air gets cooler, our disappointment is tempered by the stunning color show of autumnal foliage. If you’re a fan of vivid fall colors, consider the trees on this list for the next addition to your yard. Each one ignites with brilliant color as the seasons change.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a medium-to-large tree native to warm temperate regions of North and Central America. It puts on a brilliant autumn display – the leathery star-shaped foliage turns orange, red, and burgundy, with multi-colored individual leaves. Decorative foliage and an elegant straight trunk earned Sweetgum a prominent place in parks and treelines around the world.
The River birch is a fast-growing tree that thrives in wet environments like floodplains, bottomland and along creeks and streams. It is a native of the Eastern United States. The River birch reaches heights from 50-90 ft tall and grows an average of 3 ft per year.
Acer saccharum, commonly known as Sugar maple is a deciduous flowering tree native to North America. Sugar maple’s xylem sap is used for making maple syrup – a popular food condiment and sweetening agent in North America. The most notable quality of this plant is its bright leaves, which turn deep red during fall.
European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a large deciduous tree often used for ornamental purposes. European beech tends to out-compete other tree species, due to its dense canopy and tolerance to shade. Its wood is highly valued and has a very diverse use, including making furniture, musical instruments, for construction, as firewood, charcoal, and plywood.
Gleditsia triacanthos is a deciduous tree that is native to the Central part of Noth America. The trunk of the Honey locust is covered in thorns that are soft and green when young, but age to be hard and brittle. These thorns are relatively large and can reach up to 8 inches in length.
Smoke tree is a deciduous tree native to Southern Europe and Central China. The flowers of the
Smoke tree are pinkish-purple and long-lasting. They grow in clusters along branches and give a smoky appearance to the tree when in bloom. In China, they are used as important fall decorations due to their foliage turn bright red in the fall.
Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as Black gum and tupelo, is a deciduous tree native to eastern regions of North America. It is a medium-sized tree, often cultivated as an ornamental in parks due to the beautiful scarlet color of its autumn leaves.
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is a tree native to North America also commonly referred to as the trembling aspen or the golden aspen. Quaking aspen is the state tree of Utah in the United States. In the wild, Quaking aspen attracts quail, beavers, rabbits, deer, sheep, and goats.
Red osier dogwood is a thicket-forming shrub with attractive dark red winter stems. This plant produces yellow flowers in early summer and fruit late in the fall. Over ninety-eight species of birds rely on this plant for food or shelter. Native Americans used Red osier dogwood branches to weave baskets.
There is no plant that symbolizes the traditional Japanese garden better than the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). This small deciduous tree or a shrub native to East Asia can grow up to around 10 m, but it is often kept smaller. Japanese maple is loved for its artistic-quality canopy with brilliant red autumn leaves. It is also commonly grown as a bonsai.
Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a tree species native to southern Canada and all of the United States except Florida. While the leaves are similar in appearance to poison ivy, Fragrant sumac is not poisonous.
Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) is a hickory tree native to the United States and Canada. Shagbark hickory grow edible nuts that have a sweet taste. Andrew Jackson, a famous historical United States president, was nicknamed old hickory after the tree which has tough wood.