19 Native Flowering Trees In Mississippi (With Photos)

Have you ever taken a stroll through Mississippi’s enchanting woodlands and been in awe of the beauty of the native flowering trees there? 

The state is blessed with a wide variety of plants, each of which displays its distinctive blooms and brightens the surroundings. 

In this article, we will take you on a fascinating tour of 19 native flowering trees in Mississippi. Mississippi’s botanical wonders, which range from delicate dogwoods to imposing magnolias, are sure to leave you in awe.

So let us start with the Eastern Redbud, which is the most attractive of all the native flowering trees in Mississippi.

1. Eastern Redbud

• Scientific Name: Cercis canadensis L.
• Common Name(s): Eastern Redbud, Judas tree
• Mature Height: 16.0′
• Native Range: New Jersey to Florida, west to eastern Texas
• Fruits/Flowers: Purplish pink flowers in clusters of 4 to 8
• Uses: Highly ornamental, wildlife food, medicinal purposes.
• Purple Color: Flowers

The Eastern Redbud trees are one of the most prevalent purple trees in Mississippi.  It is often known as Judastree and has simple, alternating leaves. The kidney-shaped leaves are bright green on top and lighter on the bottom, with a heart-shaped to flattened base. With a moderate growth rate, the tree can reach a height of 16.0′. It is native from New Jersey to Florida, and west to eastern Texas.

The Eastern Redbud produces lateral clusters of legumes and purple-pink flowers in clusters of 4 to 8. Birds, notably bobwhite quail, eat the seeds, and the tree provides food for white-tailed deer and other mammals. 

It is popular as an ornamental tree due to its colorful flowers and heart-shaped leaves. Because it is drought-resistant and can grow in soils of moderate to low fertility, the Eastern Redbud is widely utilized in landscaping.

The Eastern Redbud has cultural significance for Native American tribes such as the Alabama, Cherokee, Delaware, Kiowa, and Oklahoma tribes, in addition to its usage in wildlife habitats and gardening. Blossoming branches were introduced into homes to “drive winter out.” The tree’s bark can be used to make a tea that is traditionally used to cure whooping cough.

2. Flowering Dogwood

• Scientific Name: Cornus florida L.
• Common Name(s):Flowering Dogwood
• Mature Height: 40.0′
• Native Range: Throughout Mississippi.
• Fruits/Flowers: Yellowish-white flowers.
• Uses: Valuable for wildlife, excellent ornamental capabilities.

One of the most commonly found white flowering trees in Mississippi is the flowering dogwood, a deciduous tree with simple, opposite leaves. The leaves are oval-shaped, pointed at the tip, and bright green on top with a paler whitish-green tint on the bottom. 

The tree’s twigs are slender and range in color from red to yellow-green to purple in the first winter before becoming gray-brown to brown. The tree bears clusters of bright red drupes encircled by sizable, white bracts that resemble flowers. The drupes are about 0.5″ long and ovoid in shape, and the flower is monoecious and perfect, with 0.25″ yellowish-white petals.

The Flowering Dogwood has a modest growth rate and a short lifespan of less than 50 years, reaching a maturity height of 40.0′. It is shade tolerant and has a limited tolerance for drought and fire. 

The tree is often found as an understory species alongside other hardwoods in moist, rich, and deep soils near stream banks and slopes. It is indigenous to the eastern United States, from Mississippi River Delta counties through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Flowering Dogwood is highly recognized for the wildlife benefits it provides. Various animals feed on its seeds, fruits, flowers, twigs, bark, and leaves. The fruits of the tree are particularly appealing to animals, including birds such as ruffed grouse, bob-white quail, and wild turkey, due to their high calcium and fat content. 

Chipmunks, foxes, skunks, rabbits, deer, beavers, black bears, and squirrels eat the fruits as well. Deer and rabbits frequently browse the tree’s foliage and twigs. Controlled burning in the spring can improve browsing quality by increasing protein and phosphoric acid levels.

The Flowering Dogwood has lumber value and is utilized in landscaping, in addition to its wildlife significance. It is frequently utilized in urban forestry projects and planted in abandoned strip mines. 

The tree is a prized ornamental species that is often employed in street and landscape plantings. It can be used as a shrub border or backdrop species, or as single specimens in lawns to provide shade around patios. It is best suited for crops that do not receive full-day sun.

3. Bigleaf Magnolia

• Common Name: Big Leaf Magnolia
• Scientific Name: Magnolia macrophylla Michx.
• Mature Height: 50.0 feet
• Native Range: Central North Carolina to eastern Louisiana, pockets in Georgia, South Carolina, and northwestern Florida, and parts of Mississippi
• Flowers/Cones/Fruit: Cone-like fruit called aggregate of follicles, rose-colored; large white flowers with a rose-colored blotch at the base
• Uses: Not used for wildlife or timber; may be used as a specimen tree in landscaping

One of the shortest white flowering trees in Mississippi, the big-leaf magnolia, is a tree with big, green leaves that can grow up to 30 inches long. The leaves are bright green on top and silvery gray on the underside.

The tree features huge buds and small yellow-green twigs. It has cone-shaped fruits about 3 inches long and with compressed seeds. Large white flowers with a rose-colored splotch appear on the tree. 

The Big Leaf Magnolia can be found in various states, including North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana, where it grows in rich, mesic woodlands. It is most common in Mississippi, particularly in coastal and river-bound regions. The tree has no use for wildlife or wood. It can, however, be used as a specimen tree in landscaping, but it takes 12-15 years to bloom. 

The blooms and fruit are lovely, but the huge leaves, which degrade slowly, can cause trash.

4. Black Cherry

• Scientific Name: Prunus serotina Ehrh.
• Common Name(s): Black Cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, mountain black cherry
• Mature Height: 80.0′
• Native Range: Widespread in North America including Mississippi.
• Fruits/Flowers: White flowers & black cherry.
• Uses: Wildlife food, ornamental, toy making, etc.

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) is a deciduous tree with simple leaves that is also known as wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry. The leaves are 2.0″ – 6.0″ long and 1.0″ – 1.5″ broad, with a dark green upper surface and a whiter below surface. When mature, the twigs are slender and reddish brown in hue. The tree bears tasty drupe fruits that range in color from dark purple to black and have a spherical form. The flowers are white and appear in racemes with numerous blossoms. 

Black Cherry grows to a mature height of 80.0 feet and is native to a wide range of habitats, most typically in mixed stands with oaks, ashes, hickories, and yellow poplar. It favors deep, rich, moist soils but will thrive on sandy soils as well. The tree grows quickly and has a modest lifespan of more than 50 years. It is shade-intolerant and has a limited fire tolerance. Black Cherry is found in several states in eastern North America, including Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala.

Many bird species, game birds, and animals such as red foxes, black bears, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and rabbits feed on the fruits of the Black Cherry tree. Black Cherry wood is highly regarded for its use in cabinets, furniture production, paneling, interior trim, veneers, handles, crafts, toys, and scientific instruments. It is robust, firm, and close-grained, with a deep reddish-brown color. 

Black Cherry is an excellent choice for semi-natural woodland gardens. However, because it produces an abundance of luscious fruits in the summer, leaves fall off in the autumn, and a lot of seedlings appear the following spring, it might be too messy for more formal settings.

5. Witch Hazel

• Scientific Name: Hamamelis virginiana L.
• Common Name(s): Witchhazel
• Mature Height: 20.0 ft.
• Native Range: Throughout North America
• Fruits/Flowers: Yellow flowers with 4 petals.
• Uses: seeds and buds used by grouse; twigs browsed by deer and rabbit

Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.) is a deciduous tree with broad, obovate dark green leaves that are 4.0″ to 6.0″ long and 2.0″ to 3.0″ wide. 

The leaves have an acuminate apex and a coarsely shallowly lobed border. They have hair on the midrib and main veins and are glabrous on the upper surface. The twigs are slender and orangish brown to reddish brown in hue, with a scurfy surface that gradually smoothes out. The tree produces woody capsules that split along two sutures. The capsule is around 0.5″ long, while the seed is about 0.25″ long. 

The flowers are monoecious, perfect, and commonly seen in three-flower clusters. They feature four golden straplike petals.

Witchhazel grows as a single or multiple-stemmed tree, reaching a mature height of 20.0′. It grows slowly and can live for more than 100 years. The tree is shade tolerant in the middle and has minimal tolerance for drought, fire, and anaerobic conditions. It can be reproduced from seeds (after cold stratification), bare roots, or in a container. 

Witch hazel is commonly found along stream banks, lakes, ponds, and swamp borders, especially in moist highland forest soils. In landscaping, it is widely used for shrub borders in partial shade in moist locations. The witch hazel tree’s distinctive and fragrant blossoms bloom from October to December after the leaves have fallen. 

In terms of wildlife value and use, grouse consume the seeds and buds of the witch hazel tree, while deer and rabbits nibble the twigs. It does not, however, have any commercial value in the timber sector. Witch hazel is resistant to disease and insects, making it an excellent choice for naturalized areas or gardens. 

The witch hazel tree brings beauty and ecological value to a variety of environments with its striking foliage, unusual blooms, and wildlife benefits.

6. Chickasaw Plum

• Scientific Name: Prunus augustifolia Marshall
• Common Name(s):Chickasaw Plum
• Mature Height: 12.0’ – 25.0’
• Native Range: Oklahoma and Texas; north to New Jersey; south to Florida; west to Louisiana; in Mississippi, scattered throughout.
• Fruits/Flowers: White flowers.
• Uses: Fruit eaten by deer, bear, raccoon, squirrel, and birds

The Chickasaw Plums are another variety of short, white flowering trees in Mississippi. It is a deciduous tree that grows to a height of 12.0′ – 25.0′. It is most typically found on sandy soils and in disturbed areas such as roadsides, fence rows, and old fields. The leaves on this tree are brilliant green and lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate in form, with coarsely serrate margins. The leaves are 3.0″ long and 1.0″ wide, with a shiny surface on top and a dull surface on the bottom. 

The Chickasaw Plum produces edible drupes, which have a big stone and measure around 0.5″ to 0.75″ in diameter. Drupes are either yellow or red in hue. The tree also has lovely white flowers that are monoecious and flawless. These blooms have five petals and a diameter of 0.33″ to 0.5″ and are found in 4- to 5-flowered umbels. Wildlife such as deer, bears, raccoons, squirrels, and birds consume the tree’s fruits.

Chickasaw Plum cultivation is simple, as it can be grown from seed or transplant. It is frequently utilized as a street tree with a single leader or as a specimen tree with many trunks. It’s also popular on middle strips and commercial property entrance roads. 

This tree has excellent resprout/coppice potential and is ideal for use in shrub borders or around patios and decks. It does not, however, produce a neat crown and may appear unkempt over the winter.

7. White Ash

• Common Name: White Ash or Biltmore Ash
• Scientific Name: Fraxinus americana L.
• Mature Height: Up to 90.0 feet
• Native/Non-Native: Native
• Uses: Wildlife food, fuelwood, lumber, and other products such as handles, oars, and baseball bats.
• Purple Color: Purple Anthers in Flowers.

White Ash, also known as Biltmore Ash or Cane Ash, is a deciduous tree with big, odd-pinnately complex leaves. 

The leaves are green on top and paler green on the underside. They have toothed edges and appear in groups of 5-9 long and wide leaflets. The tree has medium-sized, green to gray-brown twigs with big light lenticels and narrow concave leaf scars. Its buds are big and spherical, with dark brown to brownish-black scales.

The tree produces little green blooms that are dioecious, which means that male and female flowers exist separately. Male blooms are green with purplish anthers, whereas female flowers have two dark purple stigmatic lobes that spread. 

The White Ash fruit, known as samara, is rectangular to spatulate in shape and pale brown. These clustered fruits are roughly 1-2 inches long and 0.25 inches broad.

White Ash is a tall tree that can grow to be 90.0 feet tall. It can live for more than 50 years and has a moderate growth rate. The tree prefers rich, wet, well-drained soils in uplands and bottomlands near streams. It is native to North America, stretching from Nova Scotia to northern Florida, and from eastern Texas to eastern Minnesota.

The tree can be used for a variety of purposes. Wood ducks, bobwhites, purple finches, pine grosbeaks, and fox squirrels eat its seeds. White ash wood is highly prized and used for fuelwood, timber, and nursery stock. Its strength, toughness, and stress resistance make it ideal for handles, oars, baseball bats, cabinets, train wagons, and ties.

White Ash is utilized in landscaping in addition to its practical applications. Its tree form is aesthetically attractive and can be planted in yards or along streets. While its fall color is not very striking, the tree can handle a wide range of soil conditions. It is, nevertheless, vulnerable to air pollution, particularly ozone and sulfur dioxide. 

Interestingly, the juice from White Ash leaves has been used topically to treat mosquito bite swelling and itching, and the leaves were once thought to provide rattlesnake protection if carried in one’s boots or pockets.

8. Cucumber Magnolia

• Common Name: Cucumber Magnolia
• Scientific Name: Magnolia acuminata L.
• Mature Height: 100.0 feet
• Native Range: Western New York to southeastern Oklahoma, south to Louisiana, and east to central Georgia
• Flowers/Cones/Fruit: The tree produces bell-shaped, greenish-yellow flowers and oblong, red fruits that resemble cucumbers.
• Uses: For ornamental purposes and wildlife foods, wood is durable and often used for pallets, crates, furniture, and various other products.

Cucumber Magnolia, also known as yellow-flower magnolia or mountain magnolia, is a deciduous tree that can reach heights of 100 feet. This tree’s leaves are simple, alternating, and elongated, with a yellow-green tint on top and a paler color underneath. The twigs are reddish-brown and robust, with tiny lenticels and horseshoe-shaped leaf scars. The tree produces silky-haired oblong-ovoid buds.

Cucumber Magnolia blooms with 2 to 3-inch diameter bell-shaped greenish-yellow flowers. These flowers have six petals and are flawless, which means they contain both male and female parts. The tree also bears oblong, crimson fruits that resemble cucumbers and with seeds dangling from the ovary wall. 

This tree grows on low slopes and stream banks in moist, deep, and rich soils. It is native to several states, including western New York, Louisiana, and Florida. Birds and rats eat the seeds, while grackles and blackbirds eat the immature fruits, twigs, leaves, and buds. Deer also eat this tree’s twigs, leaves, and buds. Cucumber Magnolia wood is robust and straight-grained, comparable to yellow poplar, and is used for a variety of purposes including furniture, plywood, and interior trim.

The Cucumber Magnolia is regarded for its decorative qualities in addition to its functions. It features beautiful flowers, lovely leaves, and unique bark, making it an appealing landscape choice. It is the hardiest of the native tree-size magnolias and sprouts quickly; it is frequently used as grafting root material and as an ornamental plant. It is, however, vulnerable to ground fires and frost.

9. Sycamore

• Scientific Name: Platanus occidentalis L.
• Common Name(s): Sycamore, buttonball tree, button tree
• Mature Height: 100.0’
• Native Range: North America
• Fruits/Flowers: Flowers with yellow-green and red hues.
• Uses: Used for pulp, rough lumber, butcher’s blocks, furniture, veneer, interior trim, boxes, crates, flooring, particleboard, and fiberboard.

Sycamore is a deciduous tree with simple, alternating leaves that is also known as the buttonball tree, or button tree. The leaves are 4.0″-7.0″ in diameter and have wavy margins with short- to long-tapering teeth, as well as 3-5 lobed sinuses. 

The leaves are light green on top and paler on the bottom, with glabrous surfaces on top and pubescent veins on the bottom. The tree has zigzag branching and slender orange-brown twigs with prominent conspicuous bundle scars. It has several achene fruits in the shape of a globose ball. The blooms are tiny and arranged in thick, stalked heads.

This tree has a quick growth rate and can reach a height of 100.0′ when mature. It has a lengthy life span, with some trees living for more than 100 years. It can withstand some shade and is drought-tolerant. 

It is also somewhat resistant to fire and anaerobic conditions. Platanus occidentalis prefers damp, fertile soil near the borders of streams and lakes, as well as lush bottoms. It prefers medium to coarse texture soil with a pH range of 4.9-6.5. It is found from Maine to Texas and from New York to Nebraska, with further sightings in Florida and Mississippi.

Despite having a low wildlife index value, the American sycamore provides decent cover for nongame birds and small mammals. 

The tree is commonly utilized in the production of timber, primarily for pulp, although it can also be used for rough lumber and other woodworking purposes. Because of its quick growth and tolerance of short-term inundation, it is frequently planted as a street tree in landscaping. It is relatively disease-free, however, it is subject to wind and ice damage. 

Native Americans used the tree for medical uses, such as cold and cough cures, dermatological disorders, and stomach ailments.

10. Sassafras

• Scientific Name: Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees
• Common Name(s): Sassafras
• Mature Height: 75.0′
• Native Range: Throughout North America
• Fruits/Flowers: Yellow-green flowers.
• Uses: Wildlife food, leaves used for purposes requiring light, such as boat construction, also used for poles, posts, and crossties.

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a deciduous tree with simple, alternating leaves that, when crushed, give a pleasant perfume. 

The leaves are 4.0″ – 6.0″ long and 2.0″ – 4.0″ wide and come in three shapes on a single tree: whole and elliptical, mitten-shaped on both sides or three-lobed. 

Young leaves are yellow-green above and pale green below, maturing to be glabrous above and hairy below. In the first year, the twigs are slender and greenish, developing reddish-brown in later years. Sassafras produces little dark blue drupes and racemes of yellow-green blooms.

The eastern and southern United States, from Maine to Iowa, south to Florida, and west to Texas, are native to this tree. It is most typically found in dry, sandy soils, frequently in conjunction with other species, and can be spotted along fence rows and in abandoned fields. 

Sassafras is drought and shade tolerant, and it is resistant to fire and anaerobic environments. This tree can be propagated from seed, bare root, container, or sprigs.

Sassafras is appreciated for its fruits, which are readily consumed by wildlife and birds such as quail, wild turkey, and numerous woodpecker species. Animals such as black bears, beavers, rabbits, and squirrels find food and refuge in the tree. 

Furthermore, its fragrant spring blossoms, horizontal branching pattern, and eye-catching fall color make it an appealing choice for landscaping, particularly as a display tree or in bulk plantings.

11. White Basswood

• Scientific Name: Tilia americana L. var. heterophylla (Vent.) Loud
• Common Name(s): White Basswood, Basswood, Beetree
• Mature Height: 90.0′
• Native Range: United States
• Flowers: Nutlet: Yellow flowers.
• Uses: Valued for hand carving, cooperage, boxes, veneer, excelsior, and pulp, fibrous inner bark used for rope, mats, fish nets, and woven baskets.

White Basswood, also known as Basswood or Beetree, is a deciduous tree with simple alternating leaves 5.5″ long and 3.0″ broad. Finely glandular and dentately serrated margins, a long-tapered apex, and an obliquely heart-shaped or flattened base characterize the leaves. 

They have a glabrous upper surface and dense, white to pale-brown fuzzy hairs on the lower surface, and are dark green on top and lighter below. Slender, reddish brown, or yellowish brown twigs with zigzag branching. The terminal bud is missing, and the lateral buds are only 0.25″ long. Yellow flowers and ellipsoidal nutlets with rusty brown color and woolly hairs are produced by the tree.

White Basswood has a moderate growth rate and normally reaches a mature height of 90.0′. It is shade and drought-tolerant, with a low fire tolerance. 

The tree can reproduce from seed or bare roots. It is typically found on wet, well-drained slopes in mixed hardwood woods, particularly on the Cumberland Plateau’s mixed mesophytic forests. 

This tree’s soil pH range is 5.7 to 7.2, and it is most usually found in southwestern Pennsylvania, with a range that extends into neighboring states.

This tree is important for wildlife and the environment. It attracts pollinators for nectar and is a favorite browse for white-tailed deer. Cavity-nesting species such as wood ducks and pileated woodpeckers benefit from the easily degraded timber. 

White Basswood timber is soft and light, making it appropriate for a variety of applications such as hand carving, cooperage, boxes, veneer, excelsior, and pulp. Bast, the fibrous inner bark, can be used to construct rope, matting, fish nets, and woven baskets.

12. Strawberry Bush

• Scientific Name: Euonymus americanus L.
• Common Name(s): Strawberry Bush, Arrow Wood
• Mature Height: 6.0’ maximum at 20 yrs
• Native Range: Eastern United States.
• Uses: Excellent ornamental plant with dark red autumn leaves; seeds eaten by wild turkeys and some songbirds.

Strawberry Bush or Arrow Wood, is a deciduous plant native to the eastern United States. 

It is also found in the provinces of Ontario, Canada, and Mississippi. It has a moderate growth rate and a lifespan of more than 50 years, reaching a maximum height of 6.0′ after 20 years. The plant grows well in deciduous forests, sandy thickets, swamps, woodlands, shady edges, ravines, and stream banks.

Strawberry Bush leaves are simple, opposite, and deciduous. They are roughly lanceolate in shape, with a bright green upper surface and a darker tint below. The leaves are glabrous on both sides and have a sharply serrated edge. Small flowers in cymes with greenish-white or yellow-green petals are produced by the shrub.

The Strawberry Bush produces capsules with a pulpy-warty surface that resembles a soft, pink sweetgum ball. The capsules are pink to reddish, with red seeds inside. Wild turkeys and various songbirds consume the shrub sparingly. White-tailed deer and eastern cottontail rabbits ingest its leavetheirbut it is not considered a substantial element of their diet.

The Euonymus americanus, in addition to being a good aesthetic plant, acts as an essential indicator of deer presence in places where it has disappeared due to deer overpopulation. The plant’s dark red autumn leaves are visually appealing, and the bright green square twigs give interest during the winter months. It thrives in natural situations under the shade of larger shrubs and trees.

13. Red Buckeye

• Scientific Name: Aesculus pavia L.
• Common Name(s): Red Buckeye
• Mature Height: 30.0′
• Native Range: Throughout Eastern US.
• Fruits/Flowers: Bright red or reddish yellow flowers
• Uses: Important for returning hummingbirds and butterflies, provides cover for songbirds, and nominal food value for small mammals.

Red Buckeye, is a deciduous tree with palmately complex, lanceolate to obovate dark green leaves. 

The tree can reach a height of 30.0′ and has a life span of more than 100 years. It tolerates shade but is sensitive to drought, fire, and anaerobic conditions. The Red Buckeye thrives in medium-textured soils with pH levels ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 and is usually found in damp areas of hardwood woods and near streambanks.

The physical characteristics of the Red Buckeye include a single stem and a maximum height of 30.0′ at 20 years of age. 

The tree blooms in April with gorgeous red tubular flowers that provide nectar for returning hummingbirds and the season’s first butterflies. Its dense foliage also provides a good cover for songbirds, adding to its importance in animal habitats. The tree, however, has no major wood value.

The Red Buckeye tree is an easy-to-grow landscape tree that blooms when it is only 3 feet tall. It is recommended for eager gardeners, and varieties such as “Atrosanguinea” with rich crimson flowers, “Alba” with white petals, and “Humilis” with smaller flowers are available. 

14. Southern Catalpa

• Scientific Name: Catalpa bignonioides Walt.
• Common Name(s): Southern Catalpa, Indian bean, Caterpillar Tree
• Mature Height: 66.0 feet
• Native Range: Southern United States
• Fruits/Flowers: Purple spotted flowers with white/yellow bands
• Uses: Rapid-growing tree with moderate lifespan; Tolerant to intermediate shade and medium drought; No tolerance to fire or anaerobic conditions.

Southern Catalpa, often known as Indian bean or Caterpillar Tree is a deciduous tree with simple, opposite, or whorled leaves that can grow to be 5.0″ – 6.0″ long and 4.0″ – 5.0″ wide. The leaves are broadly oval, with a heart-shaped base and a pointed to nearly rounded apex, and are light green above and whiter below. 

Southern Catalpa twigs are robust and greenish purple in hue, eventually turning gray-brown. On the twigs of the tree, there are visible pale lenticels and oval leaf scars. The terminal bud is absent, but the lateral buds are 0.06″ long, globose in shape, and red-brown in color, with six pointed, overlapping scales covering the buds. 

The fruit of the Southern Catalpa is a woody capsule, 6.0″ – 20.0″ long and 0.25″ broad. The capsules are linear to elongate in form, with pointed wings. The capsule fluctuates in hue from dark brown to gray-brown, while the seeds are gray. 

Southern Catalpa blossoms are monoecious and perfect. They grow on slender stalks in terminal many-flowered panicles that are 8.0″ – 10.0″ in length. Flower tubules measure 2.0″ long and 2.0″ in diameter, and have wavy petal edges. The throat of the flower is purple with two bands of yellow, which is a more vibrant hue than the Catalpa speciosa variant. 

The bark of the Southern Catalpa varies in color from reddish brown to gray and is divided into long, thin, uneven scales. It is a single-crowned tree with a mature height of 66.0 feet. 

The Southern Catalpa is a short-lived tree that grows quickly. It can handle some shade and moderate dryness, but not fire or anaerobic conditions. Southern Catalpa is a deciduous tree native to the southern United States. It offers aesthetic value to landscapes with its beautiful purple blossoms and distinctive seed capsules. 

15. Burning Bush

• Scientific Name: Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq.
• Common Name(s): Burning bush eastern wahoo, spindle tree
• Mature Height: 12.0’ – 25.0’
• Native Range: Widespread in the eastern U.S.
• Fruits/Flowers: Dark purple flowers
• Uses: Leaves and twigs are favorite browse for white-tailed deer; seeds are eaten by birds.
• Purple Color: Flowers

Burning bush, eastern wahoo, or spindle tree is a deciduous tree that can grow to be as tall as 25.0 feet. This tree’s leaves are simple, opposite, and delicately or doubly serrate, with a bright green color above and a softer color below. Twigs are thin and purplish green, with noticeable pale lenticels, half-round/half-oval leaf scars, and 0.25″ long terminal buds. 

This tree’s fruit is a deeply lobed capsule containing seeds encircled by a thin fleshy, crimson aril. The flowers are dark purple and occur in axillary cymes with 7 to 15 flowers.

This tree is endemic to damp, fertile soils in forests and thickets. It grows slowly, reaching a maximum height of 25.0′ after around 20 years. The tree has a life expectancy of less than 50 years. 

It tolerates shade and is moderately resistant to drought, fire, and anaerobic environments. This tree can be propagated from seed (cold stratification necessary), bare root, container, or cuttings.

Burning bush is prevalent in the eastern United States in terms of habitat distribution. According to Nature Serve county distribution records, it is classified as “imperiled” in Mississippi.

This tree is beneficial to animals because white-tailed deer frequently eat on its leaves and twigs, and birds dine on its seeds. This tree has minimal wood value and is rarely utilized in landscaping due to its sensitivity to scale and disorderly growth habit. When grown in open locations, it is flexible and easy to transplant, with appealing fruit and good fall color.

16. Pawpaw

• Scientific Name: Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal 
• Common Name(s): Pawpaw false banana, custard apple 
• Mature Height: 35.0’ 
• Native Range: Throughout North America
• Fruits/Flowers: Purple, monoecious, perfect, and solitary flowers. 
• Uses: Edible fruits.
• Purple Color: Flowers

The Pawpaw false banana, commonly known as Asimina triloba, is a deciduous tree with simple, alternating leaves. 

The leaves are fragrant and smell like bell peppers. They are ovate-oblong in shape, 10.0″ – 12.0″ long and 4.0″ – 6.0″ wide, and light green above with a paler tint below. The twigs are slender and light brown, and the buds are bare, with oblong leaves and globose flower morphologies. 

The berries are spherical or pointy, with thin skin and a golden custard-like pulp. The berries are 3.0″ – 5.0″ long and oblong to cylindrical, beginning green with dark gray markings in summer and maturing to dark brown to black. The flowers are purple, 2.0″ in diameter, and have six petals, the inner ones half the length of the outer ones. 

The Pawpaw false banana is a single or multiple-stemmed tree that can reach a mature height of 35.0′. It grows slowly, reaching a maximum height of 30.0′ after 20 years. The tree has a life expectancy of less than 50 years. 

It is shade-tolerant and prefers medium to coarse soil texture, with a pH range of 5.2 to 7.2. The tree grows best in deep, rich, moist soils found along streams and in the bottomlands. In some regions, particularly the lower Mississippi River Valley, it creates dense thickets. 

Several wildlife species, including opossums, raccoons, foxes, and squirrels, eat the fruit of the Pawpaw false banana. The larvae of the zebra swallowtail butterfly feed on the leaves of the tree. The tree, however, has no major wood value. 

17. Buckwheat Tree

• Scientific Name: Cliftonia monophylla Britt.
• Common Name(s): Buckwheat Tree, black titi
• Mature Height: 30.0’ – 40.0’
• Native Range: Throughout Mississippi.
• Fruits/Flowers: Fragrant white flowers
• Uses: Landscaping

The Buckwheat Tree (Cliftonia monophylla Britt) is a tiny tree or shrub that grows to a mature height of 30.0′ – 40.0′. It is predominantly found on the Gulf Coastal Plain, from Georgia to northern Florida, and from extreme southeast Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico. 

It is notably widespread in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and Mississippi’s southernmost counties. The leaves of the tree are simple, alternating, and persistent, and are dark green above and pale underneath. The leaves have lustrous, leathery surfaces and are oblong to lance-shaped. 

The monoecious and aromatic flowers of the Buckwheat Tree bloom. The flowers are exquisite, with tall terminal racemes. They have 5-8 petals that range in color from white to light pink. The tree also bears nut-like drupes in colorful clusters. The drupes are winged, elliptical, and 0.25″ long. 

In terms of physical characteristics, the Buckwheat Tree is a small tree or shrub with no known growth rate or longevity. It is sensitive to shade and drought. The tree is frequently found creating dense thickets along the edges of swamps, pocosins, and fertile river bottoms. It favors medium to coarse soils with a pH range of 4.5-5.5. 

While the tree has no reported wildlife or wood value in the forest sector, it is prized in landscaping for its gorgeous leaf and fragrant blossoms. It is regarded as a rare and valuable landscaping plant, particularly in native habitats. 

The Buckwheat Tree is heat-tolerant, disease-resistant, and insect-resistant. Although its wood is dense, close-grained, somewhat durable, and brittle, it has no commercial value in the forest sector. However, it is prized as fuel. Overall, the Buckwheat Tree is a distinct and appealing addition to native settings, adding beauty and scent to the environment.

18. Water Locust

• Scientific Name: Gleditsia aquatica Marsh.
• Common Name(s):Water Locust
• Mature Height: 50.0’ – 60.0’
• Native Range: Throughout Mississippi.
• Uses: Wildlife food, stabilization of wet banks and marshes, fence posts, etc.

The Water Locust (Gleditsia aquatica Marsh) is a deciduous tree that grows in flood-prone river basins. It matures at a height of 50.0′ – 60.0′ and grows quickly. The leaves are compound pinnately or bipinnately, with 14-20 leaflets. 

They have a glossy appearance because they are dull yellow-green on the top and dark green on the bottom. Water Locust twigs are slender to moderate in size and gray to red-brown in hue. They also have prominent thorns and zigzag branching. The tree has flat legume fruits containing 1-3 seeds. The blooms are exquisite, monoecious, and grouped in slender racemes. Water Locust bark is gray-brown and smooth, with small platelike scales on elder trees.

Water Locust is native to a wide region that extends from South Carolina to central Florida, west to eastern Texas, north to southern Illinois, and extreme southwestern Indiana. It is usually found in lush regions of river valleys that are prone to floods for much of the year. 

The tree grows on fine to coarse-textured soils with pH levels ranging from 6.5 to 7.0. It is somewhat tolerant of anaerobic environments, shade-intolerant, and drought-resistant. The Water Locust can be grown by seed, container, or cutting. It is also capable of resprouting and coppicing.

This tree provides nutritional value as well as wildlife habitat. Its seeds, pods, and foliage are regarded as “Good” food for large and small animals, upland game birds, and waterfowl, and “Fair” for ducks. It is also used as cover for these types of species. 

Because of its heavy, hard, robust, and lasting wood, the Water Locust is also planted to stabilize wet banks and marshes. The timber is mostly used to make fence posts. Water Locust trees can be found in nurseries, garden centers, and other plant dealers and distributors.

19. Common Serviceberry

• Scientific Name: Amelanchier aborea (Michx. f.) Fern.
• Common Name(s): Common Serviceberry (Downy), Sarvis-berry, shadblow, shadbush, juneberry, sugarplum, Indian cherry.
• Mature Height: 50.0′.
• Native Range: Throughout United States.
• Fruits/Flowers: bell-shaped white flowers.
• Uses: Ornamental, wildlife food.

Downy Serviceberry, also known as Common Serviceberry, is a deciduous tree with simple, alternating leaves. The leaves are oval to oblong in form, yellow-green on top and paler on the bottom. 

The tree can reach a height of 50.0′ and grows at a moderate rate. It loves dry limestone soils, slopes, and ridges, but it can also be found on sandy loams found along streams and riverbanks. This tree tolerates shade and is moderately resistant to drought and fire. It has a life expectancy of more than 50 years.

The Common Serviceberry produces little, tasteless berries with numerous small seeds. The fruit is around 0.50″ in diameter and reddish-purple in hue. The tree also has white, bell-shaped flowers in racemes on short stalks. With five obovate petals, these flowers are monoecious and perfect.

The Common Serviceberry is valuable for both wildlife and wood. Over 40 bird species and numerous small and big mammals, including squirrels, foxes, deer, elk, and black bears, rely on fruit and foliage for food and cover. The tree is also used for pulpwood and tool handles. 

The Common Serviceberry is a good attractive tree in landscaping. It blooms in early spring and has brilliant fall hues ranging from orange, red, gold, and green blends. It’s an appealing choice because of the edible fruit, and there are various cultivars available with different growth habits, blossom size and color, and leaf color.

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Native Flowering Trees In Mississippi – Sources

The Regional Gardening team makes sure that the information in our articles is accurate by only using sources that are known to be trustworthy. Some of these sources are peer-reviewed journals from government agencies, well-known universities, and scientific research organizations.

1. Native Trees For Mississippi Landscapes, Mississippi State University Extension.
2. Mississippi Trees, Publications Of Mississippi Forestry Commission.
3. Department Of Plant & Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University Extension.
4. Tree Care, Mississippi Urban Forest Council.