Foliage

NH Foliage Tree Guide

Published May 23, 2012 at 12:01 am (Updated May 6, 2011)

There are something like 70 natives tree species found in the wild in New Hampshire. The exact number is hard to state because some species are more commonly found in a shrub form, others are rare, and some can be distinguished from each other by only the most determined tree experts.

The following criteria were used to determine inclusion on this list:

Native to at least part of New Hampshire. (Some may be uncommon).
Capable of growing to at least 20 feet.
Must, at least on occasion, grow as single-stem specimens. Some of the species listed are more commonly found in the shrub form.

Species are split into softwood and hardwood groupings. Within those broad groups, species are broken into genus. The genus are listed in alphabetical order by the generic common name. The species appear within the generic grouping by the common name most often used. Other common names are given for many of the species as well.

Softwoods

Arborvitae
northern white cedar, arborvitae

Fir
balsam fir

Hemlock
eastern hemlock

Juniper
eastern redcedar

Larch
tamarack, eastern larch

Pine
eastern white pine, red pine, pitch pine, jack pine

Spruce
black spruce, red spruce, white spruce

White Cedar
Atlantic white-cedar

Hardwoods

Ash
white ash, black ash, green ash

Basswood
American basswood

Beech
American beech

Birch
yellow birch, sweet birch, black birch, river birch, paper birch, white birch, heartleaf birch, gray birch

Cherry
black cherry, pin cherry, fire cherry, chokecherry

Chestnut
American chestnut

Dogwood
flowering dogwood, alternate leaf dogwood

Elm
American elm, slippery elm

Gum
blackgum, black tupelo

Hackberry
hackberry

Hawthorn
dotted hawthorn, downy hawthorn, scarlet hawthorn, golden-fruited hawthorn, Brainerd's hawthorn, broad-leaved hawthorn, frosted hawthorn, fan-leaved hawthorn

Hickory
bitternut hickory, red hickory, shagbark hickory, pignut hickory

Hophornbeam
eastern hophornbeam

Hornbeam
American hornbeam, blue beech, ironwood

Maple
boxelder, black maple, striped maple, moosewood maple, red maple, white maple, swamp maple, soft maple, silver maple, sugar maple, rock maple, hard maple, mountain maple

Mountain Ash
American mountain ash, showy mountain ash

Oak
northern red oak, scarlet oak, pin oak, black oak, white oak, swamp white oak, chestnut oak, bur oak

Poplar
eastern cottonwood, balsam poplar, bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, trembling aspen, popple

Sassafras
sassafras

Serviceberry
downy serviceberry, smooth serviceberry

Sumac
staghorn sumac

Sycamore
American sycamore, planetree, buttonwood

Viburnum
nannyberry, wild raisin

Walnut
black walnut, butternut, white walnut

Willow
black willow

Witch-hazel
witch hazel