8 Native Flowering Trees In Virginia (Pictures & Identification)
Virginia has a wide range of plants, including many beautiful flowering trees that are native to the state. These trees do more than just enhance the aesthetic value of the area; they also benefit the local ecosystem by providing a haven for wildlife.
In this article, we will explore eight of the most magnificent native flowering trees in Virginia, highlighting their characteristics, growth habits, and cultural significance.
From showy Flowering Dogwood or eastern redbuds to the sweet fragrance of the Sweetbay Magnolia, these trees are a must-have for your back or front yard.
1. Flowering Dogwood
- Botanical Name: Cornus florida L.
- Common Name: Flowering Dogwood
- Height Range: 20-30 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 6-8 inches
- Flowers: Small white (or pink) notched flowers
- Fruit: Shiny red oval berries
- Uses: Mostly ornamental
The first on our list of native flowering trees in Virginia is the majestic Flowering Dogwood, the official state tree of Virginia.
The flowering dogwood tree is a beautiful small tree with a broad and uplifted crown. It is 20 to 30 feet tall and has a trunk diameter of 6 to 8 inches. It grows in a variety of soils and is native to hardwood forests.
It has extremely small, tight clusters of flowers that appear in mid-spring and are surrounded by large, white (or rarely pink) notched petal-like bracts that are 2 inches in diameter. It bears shiny, bright-red, oval, berry-like fruits clustered together in autumn.
Flowering Dogwood wood is hard, heavy, strong, and close-grained and has been used for textile shuttles and spools, handles, and mallets. With its visually appealing appearance, it now primarily serves as an ornamental tree. Even though fruits are poisonous for people to eat, many birds and small mammals eat them.
Flowering Dogwood is Virginia’s state flower, as well as the state tree of both Virginia and Missouri.
2. Eastern Redbud
- Botanical Name: Cercis canadensis L.
- Common Name: Eastern Redbud, Judas Tree
- Height Range: 15-30 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 6-10 inches
- Flowers: Showy bright pink to purple small flowers
- Uses: ornamental, medicinal.
Another showy native flowering tree in Virginia, the Eastern Redbud is a short tree that can reach a maximum height of 15 to 30 feet with a trunk diameter of less than a foot.
The tree’s stunning clusters of pinkish-purple, pea-like blooms that grow along its twigs and branches in the spring are its most striking feature. After the beautiful blooms have faded, the flat, snow pea-like pods that carry the plant’s many seeds become available to wildlife.
Heavy and tough, Eastern Redbud wood has a limited market value. It has a fresh, mild smell and a nice look that make it a desirable ornamental plant. It has also been used for a long time as a treatment for dysentery.
Its broad and sprawling branches make it ideal for growing in the understory of a forest, and it thrives in the damp, well-drained soil of such environments.
3. Fraser Magnolia
- Botanical Name: Magnolia fraseri Walt.
- Common Name: Fraser Magnolia, Mountain Magnolia, Umbrella-tree
- Height Range: 30-50 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 1-1.5 feet
- Flowers: Creamy white with 10 inches across
- Uses: Lumber, pulpwood, ornamental.
The Fraser Magnolia, also known as the Mountain Magnolia or Umbrella tree, is one of the most beautiful native flowering trees in Virginia. It has the potential of reaching heights of 30 to 50 feet and diameters of 1 to 1.5 feet.
In the spring, it showcases its creamy white flowers with a delicate scent. The Fraser Magnolia is a well-liked choice for ornamental and landscaping purposes due to the abundance of these eye-catching flowers.
The Fraser magnolia is at its best in temperate regions, where its dense crown of broad, plain oblong leaves and earlobe-like projections can cast a cool, pleasant shade. In the fall, the tree has clusters of red fruit that look like pine cones.
The red seeds in these fruits are a good source of food for birds and small mammals. The lumber, pulpwood, and basic building materials made from this tree are all perfect because of their lightweight and fragility.
4. Sourwood
- Botanical Name: Oxydendrum arboreum (L.) DC.
- Common Name: Sourwood, Sorrel Tree, Lily-of-the-Valley Tree
- Height Range: 30-40 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 8-12 inches
- Flowers: Small white flowers hung on long stems
- Uses: Pulp, fuel, turnery, handles, ornamental
The Sourwood is a beautiful tree that grows in North America and has beautiful flowers in the middle of summer. Trees of this species can grow to be 30–40 feet tall and 8–12 inches in circumference, but their size isn’t their only distinguishing feature.
In the summer, the sourwood tree blooms with distinctive white flowers that resemble the lilies of the valley and make the tree a showpiece in any garden.
The twigs and leaves of this tree are frequently an olive green hue, while the leaves themselves are glossy and green with a tart flavor. The flowers of the Sourwood are prized for more than just their aesthetic value; the nectar they produce is used by bees to produce a highly sought-after variety of honey.
The wood has little to no commercial value but can be used for turnery, handles, pulp, and even firewood.
5. Sweet Bay
- Botanical Name: Magnolia virginiana L.
- Common Name: Sweetbay, Swamp Magnolia, White Bay
- Height Range: 20-60 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 1 foot
- Flowers: Fragrant creamy white flowers with 9-12 petals.
- Uses: Landscaping, Veneer, boxes, handles, etc.
The Sweetbay tree, also known as the Swamp Magnolia, White Bay, is one of the most beautiful commonly found native flowering trees in Virginia landscape. Its typical height is 20–30 feet, and its typical width is 1 foot, but it can become as tall as 60 feet.
The fragrant, white blossoms of the Sweetbay tree emerge in late spring. These blossoms, measuring in at 2–3 inches in diameter, are a lovely addition to the tree.
The fruit that develops after the blossoms is a cone-shaped cluster that is 2 inches in height and contains bright red seeds. Sweetbay wood is soft and easy to work with, so it has been used for making veneers, boxes, handles, woodenware, furniture core material, and even pulpwood occasionally.
The seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals, while the plant’s leaves and twigs are a favorite snack of deer. Sweetbay is an excellent option for landscaping and practical uses, even though it is not a significant commercial species.
6. Downy Serviceberry
- Botanical Name: Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fern.
- Common Name: Downy Serviceberry, Shadbush, Juneberry, Sarvis
- Height Range: 40 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 1 foot
- Flowers: Showy flowers with white petals, in drooping bunches.
- Fruit: Sweet red to purple edible berries in small hanging clusters.
- Uses: Furniture and turnery, ornamental
The Downy Serviceberry is a type of tree or large shrub that can grow up to 40 feet tall and 1 foot wide. It is one of the shortest native flowering trees in Virginia.
This species grows on moist slopes and in the shaded understory of hardwood forests. It has oval leaves that are about 1.5 to 3 inches long and have a toothed edge. The leaves grow in pairs along the branches.
One of the best things about the Downy Serviceberry is that it has beautiful white flowers with five petals each that hang in clusters. In the spring, these blooms come out before the leaves.
The tree also produces sweet, red to purple berries that range in size from ¼ to ⅜ inch in diameter and appear in clusters from early to midsummer. These berries can be eaten, and birds and small mammals love them.
The wood of this tree is heavy, dense, hard, and dark brown, which makes it perfect for making furniture and turning, even though it isn’t often cut down.
7. Black Cherry
- Botanical Name: Prunus serotina Ehrh.
- Common Name: Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Rum Cherry
- Height Range: 60-100 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 1-4 feet
- Flowers: Small white flowers in hanging, narrow clusters 4-6 inches long
- Fruit: Dark purple to almost black, round, ⅓ inch in diameter
- Uses: Furniture and interior finish, a food source for wildlife, medicine.
The Black Cherry, also known as the Wild Cherry or Rum Cherry, is a majestic deciduous tree that can grow to heights of 60 to 100 feet and diameters of 1 to 4 feet.
Small white flowers appear in 4-6 inch long clusters on the tree in late spring. The flowers turn into small cherry-like fruits which mature in the summer. These fruits are dark purple to almost black in color, round in shape with 14 inches in diameter.
Black Cherry wood has a reddish-brown to yellowish sapwood that is hard, strong, and fine-grained, and it can be used for furniture and interior finishing.
The fruit is a valuable food source for wildlife and can also be used to make jelly and wine. The bark can also be used to create a tonic for medicinal purposes.
8. Yellow Poplar
- Botanical Name: Liriodendron tulipifera L.
- Common Name: Yellow-Poplar, Tuliptree, or Tulip-Poplar
- Height Range: 90-110 feet, up to 200 feet
- Trunk Diameter: 2-3 feet, up to 10 feet
- Flowers: Yellowish-green, tulip-shaped
- Uses: Lumber, veneers, plywood, furniture, nectar source for honey production, shading, etc.
The Yellow-Poplar is a beautiful tree that grows all over the United States.
It is known for having a straight, long trunk with a pyramidal crown and a manageable size, usually between 90 and 110 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide, though some can grow up to 200 feet tall and 10 feet wide, making it one of the biggest native flowering trees in Virginia.
The Yellow-Poplar has tulip-shaped, yellowish-green flowers that are marked with orange bands near the base. It also has a cluster of woody, thin, wing-like seeds that look like a cone and fall apart in the fall.
Young trees have light gray bark with shallow furrows, but as they age, they get thick ridges with flat tops and white furrows. Yellow-Poplar wood is light, soft, and easy to work with. It has been used for many things, like lumber, trim, veneers, paper pulp, and fuel.
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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.
- The Virginia Department of Forestry
- The Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Virginia Native Plant Society
- The US Forest Service
- Virginia Natural Heritage Program
- Virginia Tech Dendrology
