Types of trees in Kansas are wide-ranging, with this state being home to over 120 different types of native trees. Kansas has a diverse landscape and thus accommodates a variety of trees with one thing in common – they are beautiful and provide shade.
This can make it hard for a gardener to figure out the best ones for you. Here, we will discuss the best options you can add to your landscape while living in Kansas.
A List of Types of Trees in Kansas
1. White Oak
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Quercus alba is a standard tree growing in half of the United States. It is commonly found in the Mississippi River valley, growing tall and majestic. It has distinctive gray bark with deep ridges that makes it look scaly.
Most people love white oak as it’s shallow-rooted and barely causes damage during storms. This tree is a gentle giant that grows as tall as 100 feet and has lived for many years long.
However, in order to do this, you should give it the right requirements, which are moist but well-draining soil, and make sure that you wouldn’t water it more than the requirement because over-watering would harm the roots.
2. English Oak Trees
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Quercus Robur is a familiar oak tree with a lifespan of over 500 years. It is native to Europe and widely cultivated in the United States. It grows huge and wide, covering a wide area. This oak tree features many rugged branches and a wide-spread crown.
In spring, it blooms with yellow catkins, later bearing acorns. This tree can grow and tolerate some partial shades of sun, and as long as the soil is a well draining and moist one, it will grow well and mature.
3. Bur Oak
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Quercus Macrocarpa is a long-standing tree with a lifespan of about 200 to 300 years. It is native to the eastern parts of North America and grows among the largest deciduous trees in Kansas City.
Although, the bur oak grows slowly, taking a long time to mature, it would be able to grow so tall and spread so well throughout its journey. On the same topic, this tree grows along waterways or a break in the canopy in dense forests, which is the ultimate environment for it to grow.
4. Northern Red Oak
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Quercus Rubra is a member of the red oak group native to Kansas and other parts of North America. It is a long-growing tree with a lifespan of over 300 years in gardens and lawns. This tree provides ample shade in the spring and summer, keeping you cool, and you will see it grow to 60 and even 75 feet tall.
The leaves are a breathtaking bright red in the fall, and this is a significant characteristic that this tree is known to have. Also, it is prone to tolerate different types of soil but prefers well-draining and fertile soils.
5. American Elm
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Ulmus Americana is a beautiful tree that features smooth gray bark and leaves (Check out our identification guide about all Elm tree types). It grows fast, covering large areas around quickly. It is commonly grown for shade as it has a broad crown. One major problem with this tree is that it hosts Dutch elm disease, which kills trees by clogging up their vascular system with fungi.
You will need to eliminate this disease immediately after you notice it to save your trees. Together with this, remember to provide it with the right care, which is having soil that will not let water clog because this tree does not thrive when the roots are placed in wetness.
6. Sugar Maple Trees
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Acer Saccharum lasts a lifetime of about 130 years. It is one of the fastest-growing trees in Kansas. It tends to shimmer anytime there is a breeze making it look even more beautiful. The sugar maple tree also has other common names, including soft maple, water maple, swamp maple, or silver leaf maple.
These maple trees are famously known for changing color from orange to yellow, and even red and shades of purple. This would have to do with the change of seasons and the climate.
7. Flowering Dogwood
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Cornus Florida is famous for producing big pink and white flowers during spring. It commonly grows in the Eastern half of the United States, including Kansas.
The flowers of this tree are the highlight as they attract bees and butterflies, providing adequate food for them, and they would also be the agents of pollination in spring when the tree is blossoming.
This is the type of tree that most people like to cultivate in their garden because of the way that it blooms multiple flowers and adds aesthetics to the garden.
8. Eastern White Pine
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Pinus Strobus is a long-growing tree lasting as many as 250 years, and as the tree grows in its best-given conditions, it would also thrive and grow to its utmost potential, which would be 230 feet tall. It is known as soft pine or white pine, and it is native to North America and is a valuable tree for commercial purposes.
It thrives in direct sunlight areas and takes about three to five years to produce cones; moreover, the soil of this tree should be a moist one, that has well-draining properties, and make sure you water it when the soil feels dry.
9. Eastern Red Cedar
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Juniperus virginiana is a tree with the longest lifespan of about 1000 years. It is a slow-growing tree that remains a large bush for many years. It is the best tree to grow when reclaiming barren land, and when it grows, it has fragrant wood but is more fire intolerant.
When this tree is growing, it will produce cones that have some white wax in them. In addition to the latter, the tree would produce little berries as well, but you must make sure that no child nor pet would ingest them because they are intoxicating to the human body.
10. Bald Cypress
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Taxodium distichum is a massive tree with a lifespan of about 600 years, and it is a slow-growing cypress native to the southeastern parts of North America. It thrives in different soil conditions, and as it matures, it forms cypress knees on the main trunk.
It has needle-like green leaves that turn copper red or yellowish in the fall, which would add such a nice vibrancy to your landscape. In addition to this, the tree would grow as tall as 120 feet high and spread up to 25 feet wide, which is why it would provide some proper shade.
11. Eastern Redbud
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Cercis Canadensis is a beautiful tree with broad heart-shaped leaves that are deep red-purple. The foliage turns into shades of orange, bronze, and red-purple in autumn. This tree is commonly grown for its striking, gorgeous foliage.
It is native to North America, growing to about 30 feet tall. It has a smaller, rounded crown that often survives beneath taller trees. When you add it to your landscape, it will grow in a beautiful manner, especially in spring, when it starts to bloom small pink flowers appear on bare stems and get pollinated by bees and birds.
12. Kentucky Coffee
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Gymnocladus dioicus is one of the most beautiful trees to grow in Kansas. It is a legume family member and common in the eastern part of Kansas. This tree is mainly grown for ornamental purposes as it has beautiful dark reddish to green-brown foliage.
It produces both male and female flowers in early summer and using the leaves and the flowers, some medical and herbal trees can be made out of them, which would be beneficial for different aspects.
In addition to this, the tree has little pods that would grow some beans in them; however, you must make sure that your dogs won’t chew on them because they are known to be toxic.
13. Black Walnut
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Juglans Nigra is planted as an ornamental tree because of its unique appearance. It is native to Kansas and can grow across this whole state. This tree grows tall and produces large nuts that are creamy inside and contain proteins and vitamins.
The nuts are an excellent source of income for farmers and landscapers, as they are edible, and have great nutritional sufficiency. When you grow these trees, make sure that you would provide them with some moist and fertile soil that has well-draining properties, and the roots will establish well when you water them regularly as the soil feels dry.
14. Green Ash
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Fraxinus Pennsylvanica is commonly found in Kansas and the entire Midwest. It is commonly grown along driveways or sidewalks as it has deep roots that prevent soil erosion. As a result, it is quite beneficial for different reasons including adding some beauty to your garden.
This tree is native to Western Central and Eastern United States, and it is widely grown in habitats like mesic woodlands, swamps, riverbanks, floodplains, and open fields. In addition, this species is the most distributed of the ash species.
15. Silver Maple
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Acer Saccharinum is a fast-growing tree with a lifespan of over 130 years, and as it grows it would reach from 50 up to 80 feet high. This is the type of tree that tends to shimmer during the windy season, and it is also known as soft maple, swamp maple, or water maple.
It has a strong root system that keeps growing even in dry conditions, and it thrives better when the soil is deeply rooted, and it has acidic properties. The pale yellow leaves are beautiful in the day but drop earlier in the season.
16. American basswood
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Tilia Americana is an excellent shade tree native to Eastern North America and found in the mountains where timber trees. It belongs to the Malvaceae family and quickly grows in well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.
This tree would attract different pollinators, such as honey bees, or even birds and butterflies. In addition, the wood is used for different purposes because it has such a thick trunk that would spread from two to three feet in its diameter.
17. Hackberry
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Celtis occidentalis is a common tree also called sugarberry. It is commonly grown in half of the United States, with Kansas no exception. It is widely used as a shade tree or a boulevard tree. It establishes fast and grows in urban landscapes due to its soil adaptability.
Conclusion
Types of trees in Kansas are as many as the above list. You can add many trees to your landscape that do well in this state. Here are a few pointers to remember as you plant to grow these trees.
- Kansas has a wide variety of tree species and does not disappoint when you are trying to add some trees to your yard.
- You can choose from evergreen conifers and deciduous trees whose leaves change color or shed in the autumn.
- Most of these trees thrive in full sun and partial shade, with most being tolerant of drought.
- Our best choices include the oaks and the pines, which are best for construction and lumber and have excellent shade.
There you have it; you can start your land journey with any of these trees, and don’t forget to let us know how it’s going.
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