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Plants Of Merit 2009
Over 50 outstanding and
dependable plants suitable for the St. Louis region.
Emeritus Plants Of Merit - Trees
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| paperbark maple - - - Trees |
| Acer griseum |
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| The paperbark maple is a wonderful small tree for tight spaces. It matures at about 20 to 30 feet and produces an exceptionally attractive, cinnamon to reddish-brown exfoliating bark that provides good winter interest. It has no serious pest problems and develops a reddish fall color matched by few others. Grow in full sun to part shade and medium wet soils. |
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| three-flowered maple - - - Trees |
| Acer triflorum |
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| Native to China and Korea, this small understory maple tree grows to only 30 feet tall and is ideal for smaller areas in the landscape. Its compact, densely-rounded shape, ash-brown exfoliating bark, medium green trifoliate leaves and orange-red fall color make it an excellent specimen selection for lawns or parkways. |
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| shantung maple - - - Trees |
| Acer truncatum |
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| Native to China, this small rounded maple grows to only 25 feet tall and is an excellent compact dense shade tree for smaller areas of the landscape. Features 5-lobed green leaves which emerge with a reddish tinge in spring, mature to deep green in summer and turn attractive shades of orange, purple and red in autumn. |
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| red buckeye - - - Trees |
| Aesculus pavia |
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| Hummingbirds love the red, narrow-tubular flowers that
bloom in spring in exceptionally showy, erect, terminal
panicles to 4–10 inches long. Palmate, shiny green leaves
are attractive in spring and early summer, but usually
begin to decline by August. Leathery, beige fruit capsules
enclose 1–3 seeds (buckeyes) that ripen in fall. This small,
Missouri native understory tree or multi-stemmed shrub
typically grows 12–20 feet tall, and makes an effective
landscape specimen, screen or hedge. Best grown with
some afternoon shade. |
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| serviceberry - - - Trees |
| Amelanchier arborea |
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| This is the most tree-like of the native serviceberries,
typically growing 15–25 feet tall in landscapes. Five-petaled
white flowers in spring, edible blueberry-like fruits in
June, dark green leaves in summer and excellent orange
to red fall color give this small deciduous tree multi-season
beauty and interest. Good for shrub borders, open woodland
areas and naturalized areas. Fruits attractive to songbirds. |
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| apple serviceberry - - - Trees |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' |
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| A large multi-stemmed shrub or small tree to 15-25 feet tall. Showy white flowers in spring, edible purplish-black berries in June, clean blue-green leaves in summer and brilliant orange-red fall color make this an attractive addition to any landscape. Fruit is tasty, fresh from the plant, but the birds often get there first. Deserves a prominent position in the landscape to showcase its multi-season ornamental interest. |
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| river birch - - - Trees |
| Betula nigra 'Cully' HERITAGE |
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| This is a river birch selection that out-preforms all others in this group. HERUTAGE birch is noted for its fast growth, adaptability to poor soils, attractive exfoliating bark, winter hardiness, heat tolerance and resistance to borers. An airy leaf canopy allows light to penetrate below. Grow in medium to wet soils; full sun to part shade. |
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| common hornbeam - - - Trees |
| Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' |
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| Although young trees have a narrow fastigiate form, this cultivar acquires an oval-vase shape with age, typically maturing to 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Ovate, toothed, bright medium green leaves are clean and attractive throughout the growing season with little susceptibility to foliar diseases. Foliage turns yellow in fall. Trunks have smooth gray bark and distinctive muscle-like fluting. Small nutlets in 3-lobed bracts appear in summer in drooping 5-inch long clusters. This is a superbly shaped landscape tree that also may be hard pruned as a hedge. |
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| American hornbeam - - - Trees |
| Carpinus caroliniana |
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| Native to Missouri, this is an attractive, small to medium
understory tree that typically matures to 20–35 feet tall.
Performs well in moist, shady locations. Interesting
ornamental features include smooth gray trunk with
muscle-like fluting, elliptic-oval dark green leaves and
distinctive, pendulous seed clusters of winged nutlets,
which appear in late spring after the flowering catkins. |
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| katsura tree - - - Trees |
| Cercidiphyllum japonicum |
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| This medium-sized shade tree typically grows to 40 feet tall with a dense, pyramidal to spreading habit. It is most noted for its attractive heart-shaped leaves that resemble those of a small redbud. Leaves emerge reddish purple in spring, mature to medium green with a slight bluish tinge in summer and turn quality shades of gold, orange and red in autumn. Although not aromatic, the fallen autumn leaves emit aromas suggestive of cinnamon, burnt sugar and/or ripe apples. |
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| eastern redbud - - - Trees |
| Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' |
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| The new foliage on this medium to small tree emerges red-purple fading to purplish-green as the season progresses. The flowers are a more intense rose-purple than common redbud and blooms a little later. A good plant for shaded understory situations. Plant in an area protected from winter extremes. |
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| fringe tree - - - Trees |
| Chionanthus virginicus |
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| Native to southern Missouri, fringetree is named for its outstanding airy clusters of slightly fragrant spring flowers with fringe-like, drooping, creamy white petals. Flower petals flutter gracefully in just a hint of breeze. Typically grows as a large shrub or small tree to 12-20 feet tall. Birds delight in the grape-like fruit which matures in late summer. Wide spear-shaped leaves turn an attractive yellow in autumn. Excellent specimen plant. |
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| Chinese dogwood - - - Trees |
| Cornus kousa var. chinensis |
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| This kousa dogwood variety grows 15–30 feet tall and
features a profuse bloom of showy white flowers in mid
to late spring after the leaves emerge. Each flower features
a button-like cluster of inconspicuous yellow-green true
flowers surrounded by four large, showy, pointed,
petal-like white bracts. Dark green leaves in summer,
raspberry red fruits in late summer, scarlet fall foliage
color and mottled bark provide multi-season interest.
Has better disease resistance and a later bloom period
than our Missouri native dogwood. |
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| southern magnolia - - - Trees |
| Magnolia grandiflora 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' |
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| Unlike the species, this southern magnolia cultivar is
reliably winter hardy in the region. It grows to 30 feet
tall and is noted for its dense, compact, narrow pyramidal
form. Large, fragrant, cup-shaped white flowers bloom
in late spring, with sparse continued flowering throughout
summer. Birds love the attractive red fruits that develop
in cone shaped clusters late in the season. Thick, leathery,
evergreen, glossy dark green leaves with rusty brown
undersides are attractive year round. This is an
excellent specimen tree that is best sited in a
sheltered location. |
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| swamp magnolia - - - Trees |
| Magnolia virginiana var. australis |
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| This sweet bay variety grows taller, has more fragrant flowers and is more likely to be evergreen than the species. It typically grows as a 15-20 foot tall tree or as a multi-stemmed shrub. Cup-shaped, sweetly-fragrant (lemony), creamy-white flowers appear in mid-spring and sometimes sporadically in summer. Cone-like fruits with bright red seeds attract birds in autumn. Shiny green leaves are silvery beneath and remain evergreen in mild winters. This is an excellent medium-sized flowering tree that appreciates a protected location. |
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| apple - - - Trees |
| Malus 'Mary Potter' |
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| A compact, low-branched, broad-spreading crabapple that typically matures to 10-15 feet tall by 20 feet wide. Attractive shape, profuse spring flowering, handsome dark green summer foliage and abundant production of bright red crabapples in autumn make this an outstanding addition to the landscape. Fruits persist into winter and are a good food source for birds. |
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| black gum - - - Trees |
| Nyssa sylvatica |
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| Although native to lowlands in southeastern Missouri, this stately tree does exceedingly well as a residential landscape shade tree. It matures to 30-50 feet tall with a straight deeply-textured trunk and rounded crown. Handsome dark green summer foliage gives way to spectacular orange-scarlet-purple fall color. Female trees produce dark blue oval fruits that are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. Performs well in moist lowspots. |
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| Persian ironwood - - - Trees |
| Parrotia persica |
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| More unusual for Midwest landscapes, Parrotia is a small, deciduous tree growing slowly to about 20 feet. Spring leaves are reddish turning to green and providing good yellow, orange to red fall color. The bark is outstanding in winter with alternating green, white and tan patches beneath the outer bark. Grow in medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun or part shade. Tolerant to drought, heat, cold and wind. |
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| Colorado spruce - - - Trees |
| Picea pungens 'Fat Albert' |
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| Named after a popular comedian’s fictional character of
the same name, this compact evergreen spruce cultivar
is most noted for its exceptional form (a perfect cone) and
uniform silver blue needle color. It will typically grow to
10–15 feet tall over 10 years in a dense, upright pyramid
with closely spaced ascending branches from the ground up.
Excellent as a landscape specimen or in groups. |
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| lacebark pine - - - Trees |
| Pinus bungeana |
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| The exfoliating bark on mature trees peels, somewhat like a sycamore, to reveal an underlying patchwork of white, olive, light purple and silver which becomes milky white at maturity. But patience is required because it takes 10 years before the bark begins to peel. Attractive dark green needles in bundles of three, small 2-inch yellowish brown cones and the signature bark give this airy 30-50 foot tall pine year-round ornamental interest. Best performance is in well-drained soils in full sun. May be grown in elevated beds. |
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© Missouri Botanical
Garden, 2001-2009
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