1. Maiden Hair
Ginkgo biloba
Fossils related to the Ginkgo date to the Permian Age and the plant was once thought to be extinct, but the species was preserved by Chinese monks. The bark, cone, and leaf are used for medicinal purposes.
2. Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
The species is native to Oklahoma and is now found throughout most of the state. It is most abundant in old fields and grasslands that have been protected from natural wildfire.
3. Silver Maple
Acer saccharinum
Named for the silvery underside of the leaf, it occurs naturally in eastern Oklahoma. The trees are frequently planted next to houses as a shade tree. However, the wood is brittle and weak making the trees vulnerable to wind damage.
4. Green Ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
The Green Ash is an important commercial hardwood timber tree used in flooring, tool handles, and baseball bats because it is hard and strong. It has also been planted to reclaim spoil banks, the exposed soil of strip mines.
5. Mimosa
Albizia julibrissin
This tree is related to the true Mimosa, as both are members of the family Fabaceae. However, it lacks the spiny stems associated with the original tree. Due to its attractive flowers, this tree is favored as an ornamental.
6. Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
The native Sweetgum is used in commercial hardwood production of furniture in order to be stained to resemble black walnut. The bark can be processed to produce storax fluid, which is used in aromatics and medicines.
7. Cottonwood
Populus deltoids
Native to Oklahoma and common in floodplains, the species is sometimes divided into subspecies -- the Plains and the Eastern cottonwood that intergrade in Oklahoma. The soft wood is used for boxes and crates, paper pulp, and fuel.
8. Sycamore
Plantanus occidentalis
The Sycamore is used as a shade tree in Oklahoma as well as for furniture and butcher blocks. The specific epithet occidentalis means "western", a designation that Linnaeus often used to distinguish North American and related European species.
9. Chinkapin Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii
The Chinkapin is native to the eastern U.S. with the Wichita Mountains area being the far western boundary of its range. The trees are often found on or near limestone. It is named for minister and botanist G. H. E. Muehlenberg.
10. Golden Rain
Koelreuteria paniculata
The Golden Rain is a fast growing tree that is native to eastern Asia. Its common name comes from clusters of bright golden yellow flowers. When ripened the fruit is a papery three-compartment capsule that is a deep golden brown.
11. Red Elm
Ulmus rubra
Also known as the Slippery Elm, the gluey under-bark of the twig serves as a cough medicine when chewed. In the 1970's, Dr. LaWanda Tyson and her class prevented this tree from being cut down to make way for an elevator in Nance-Boyer Hall.
12. American Elm
Ulmus americana
The American Elm is a long-lived tree that can withstand winter temperatures as low as -42 °C. Although the trees were once widely planted as shade trees, Dutch Elm disease was introduced in the 1930's, and destroyed much of the population.
13. Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
When planted as an ornamental tree away from wetlands, the Bald Cypress lacks the characteristic knobby roots known as knees. Although this is a conifer like Pines, it is not an evergreen, but rather loses its needles each winter.
14. Texas Live Oak
Quercus virginiana
The Live Oak produces the hardest wood in North America, and was widely used in early American shipbuilding. The frame of USS Constitution, commissioned in 1797 and still in service today, is constructed from Live Oak wood.
15. Mistletoe
Phoradendron tomentosum
Mistletoe is a shrub-like evergreen that is parasitic on some trees, including this one. It is a common Christmas decoration. The genus Phoradendron is derived from Greek, meaning "thief" and "tree," referring to its parasitic nature.
16. Crabapple
Malus sp.
The genus contains at least 35 species. The scientific name Malus, "evil" in Latin, was given for its long and diverse place in theology and mythology from Eve and the Garden of Eden to Snow White and the wicked queen.
17. Western Soapberry
Sapindus drummondii
The Soapberry is named for its use of the fruits. When crushed in water the berries create suds that were used by Native Americans to wash clothes, and as a varnish. The hard wood splits easily and has been used in basket making.
18. Redbud
Cercis Canadensis
The Redbud is the official state tree of Oklahoma. Birds eat the seeds and deer browse the foliage. Another common name is the Judas tree, because a closely related old-world tree is reportedly the tree from which Judas hung himself.
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