Looking to identify a tree you saw while walking in the Arb or on campus? Use this list of common trees and their distinguishing characteristics to help identify what you saw. * indicates this species is primarily or exclusively found on the formal campus grounds only. For more information on trees and other plants visit Minnesota Wildflowers, an online field guide to the flora of Minnesota. Many of the photos that we use on our website are from this fantastic resource.
- American Basswood (Tilia americana)
- American Elm (Ulmus americana)
- Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
- Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
- Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana)
- Boxelder (Acer negundo)
- Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
- Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
- Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
- Hawthorn (Crataegus species)
- Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
- Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana)
- Kentucky Coffee Tree (Gymnocladus dioicus)
- Northern Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
- Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
- Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)*
- Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)*
- Pin Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)
- Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
- Redbud (Cercis canadensis)*
- Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
- Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata)*
- Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)
- Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
- Tamarack (Larix laricina)
- Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
- White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
- White Pine (Pinus strobus)
- Willow (Salix spp.)