Every Native Deciduous Tree in Ontario

Trees provide us with many benefits such as carbon absorption, food production, shade, and natural beauty. Native trees that have been here for thousands of years outshine other varieties in their ability to provide food and shelter for our Canadian wildlife.

Deciduous trees are trees that lose their foliage in the winter. I’ve compiled a list of all the native species of deciduous trees in Ontario. I also grouped together some of the families (like Maples, Cherries, and Oaks) to make the list a little bit more bite sized.

Enjoy!

1. Acer – Maple

sugar maple tree in autumn syrup — Sugar Maple – *Acer Saccharum*

There are 6 different species of Maple that you can find in old Ontario forests (well 5 species and 1 hybrid) but I have a whole blog post about native Maple trees that you can read here: Ontario Native Maple Trees

2. Aesculus Glabra – Buckeye

ohio fetid buckeye tree — Ohio Buckeye – *Aesculus Glabra*

Like a few other nuts on this list, you can boil Buckeye nuts to leach out the toxins found in raw nuts before eating.

3. Amelanchier Laevis – Serviceberry

serviceberry amelanchier laevis — Serviceberry – *Amelanchier Laevis*

White spring flowers turn to red fruit which turn a deep purple when ripe and feed birds and mammals throughout the winter. You can also eat them raw or use them in preserves.

4. Asimina Triloba – Pawpaw

pawpaw fruit large native ontario deciduous tree — Pawpaw Fruit

The Pawpaw tree produces the largest fruit of any native tree in North America. The fruit tastes like a mix of mango, banana, and citrus.

5. Betula – Birch

birch tree by lake ontario native — Yellow Birch – *Butela Lutea*

Birches are easily recognizable by their pale, peeling, paper-like bark. Yellow Birch (B. Lutea) likes swamps and wetlands, White Birch (B. Papyrifera) grows on the edges of woodlands, roadsides, and shorelines, and Gray Birch (B. Populifolia) loves sandy or rocky soils. Cherry Birch (B. Lenta) has also been found growing natively in Ontario on a single site near St. Catherines. Birch sap can be used in syrup making much like maple syrup.

6. Castanea Dentata – Chestnut

American Roasted Chestnut Leaves Nuts
Spiky Husks — American Chestnut Husks Leaves and Nuts

Chestnuts were widespread throughout Ontario before a blight in the early 1900s that nearly wiped them out. It’s best to roast chestnuts to get rid of tannic acids before eating.

7. Carpinus Caroliniana – Hornbeam

carpinus caroliniana hornbeam trunk bark musclewood blue beech — American Hornbeam’s Sinew-Like Trunk

Also known as Blue Beech, Ironwood, or Musclewood for its hard sinew-like trunk. The small seeds are edible but mostly left on trees for the birds and squirrels to enjoy.

8. Carya – Hickory

Shagbark hickory tree carya glabra green leaf — Shagbark Hickory – *Carya Glabra*

False Shagbark Hickory (C. Glabra) and Shagbark Hickory (C. Ovata) have edible nuts but don’t eat too many nuts from the Bitternut Hickory (C. Codiformis) because they are bitter and toxic in large quantities.

9. Celtis Occidentalis – Hackberry

ripe hackberry tree celtis occidentalis — Ripe Hackberries on a Hackberry Tree

This hardy tree can survive in a wide range of less than ideal conditions like drought, heat, poor soil, strong winds, and air pollution. It is so hardy that it is sometimes considered a weed. Hackberries are very nutritious and ripen late in the fall making them a great winter food source for birds and mammals.

10. Cercis Canadensis – Eastern Redbud

eastern redbud branch with pink flowers — Eastern Redbud – *Cersis Canadensis*

Redbud has beautiful pink blooms in the spring that attract all kinds of hummingbirds and songbirds. The flowers grow not only on the branches but all over the trunk too! This tree is a little picky an will only grow well with good, moist soil and lots of sunlight.

11. Cornus – Dogwood

flowering dogwood tree west virginia pink flowers — Flowering Dogwood – *Cornus Florida*

Flowering Dogwood (C. Florida) is popular for its showy flowers ranging in color from white to red followed by dark berries that are toxic in large quantities. Its red bark also gives the Flowering Dogwood great winter appeal. Alternate-leaf Dogwood (C. Alternifolia) has staggered leaves but is otherwise very similar to its cousin.

12. Crataegus Douglasii – Black Hawthorn

black hawthorn berries fall orange yellow red leaves — Black Hawthorn – *Crataegus Douglasii*

Another delicious edible black berry for the list! Black Hawthorn gets its name from when they were used to create hedges or “thorny fences”.

13. Fagus Grandifolia – Beech

american beech fagus grandifolia green leaves smooth bark — American Beech – *Fagus Grandifolia*

Beech trees are great for shade or lumber and produce an edible nut. Beech nuts are nutritionally dense but are rarely spoken of because they are small and hard to harvest on an industrial scale.

14. Fraxinus – Ash

white ash old rough bark forest — White Ash – *Fraxinus Americana*

White Ash (F. Americana), Black Ash (F. Nigra), Red Ash (F. Pennsylvanica), and Blue Ash (F. Quadrangulata) can all be found in Ontario. Ash wood is commonly used in tool manufacturing thanks to its strength and flexibility. While any Ash can be used, the White Ash is considered to be the best because of its rapid growth rate. Ash trees are at risk because of large infestations of Emerald Ash Borer beetles.

15. Gymnocladus Dioicus – Kentucky Coffeetree

Glymnocladus Dioicus kentucky coffee tree native ontario — Kentucky Coffee Tree – *Glymnocladus Dioicus*

The seeds of this tree can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. There are only a few native reports of this tree in southwestern Ontario.

16. Junglans – Walnut

black walnut tree juglans nigra — Black Walnut – *Juglans Nigra*

Both White Walnut (J. Cinerea) and Black Walnut (J. Nigra) are prized for their beautiful wood, their tasty nuts, and their sap which can be drank fresh or made into syrup. The White Walnut is also known as Butternut. The Black Walnut is especially prized for its timber thanks to its fast growth rate. Be careful where you plant these because they produce a chemical called Juglone. Juglone seeps into the soil and can hurt other plants, but some plants like hazelnuts and many berries love it!

17. Larix Laricina – Tamarack

yellow needle tamarack deciduous conifer tree — Yellow-Needled Tamaracks in Fall

This is Canada’s only deciduous conifer. Most conifers are evergreen but the Tamarack loses its needles in the winter.

18. Liriodendron Tulipifera – Tulip Tree

Tulip tree yellow flower on end of branch — Tulip Tree – *Liriodendron Tulipifera*

Named for its yellow flowers that look like Tulips, the Tulip Tree needs deep, rich, moist soil to grow.

19. Magnolia Acuminata – Cucumber Tree

cucumber tree fruit magnolia acuminata green — Cucumber Tree Fruit

These are not the cucumbers you are looking for. The fruit of this tree look like green cucumbers then turn red and open up revealing red seeds on white hairs. This is the only Magnolia native to Canada.

20. Malus Coronaria – Sweet Crab Apple

Sweet Crab Apple is the only variety of apple that is native in Ontario. The trees usually have crooked trunks and irregular crowns which makes for an interesting style. The white to pink spring blooms are also beautiful to look at.

21. Morus Rubra – Red Mulberry

red mulberry morus rubra ontario trees — Red Mulberry – *Morus Rubra*

Red Mulberry trees produce a tasty red to dark purple berry which looks like an elongated blackberry. This tree is a species at risk in Ontario thanks to excessive cross-breeding with non-native White Mulberry.

22. Nyssa Sylvatica – Black Gum

nyssa sylvatica black gum tree berries skinny leaf — Black Gum Tree – *Nyssa Sylvatica*

This tree also known as Sour Gum produces small, sour, blue berries at the end of long stalks. It is rare to see one in Ontario but can be recognized by its upright structure and red leaves in the fall.

23. Ostrya Virginiana – Hophornbeam

While the name is sometimes confused with Hornbeam, and it even sports the same nickname “Ironwood” for its hard wood, Hophornbeam’s shaggy bark looks very different from the Hornbeam’s smooth ridges.

24. Platanus Occidentalis – Sycamore

massive sycamore tree platanus occidentalis — American Sycamore Tree – *Platanus Occidentalis*

Plant Sycamore trees far from buildings because they can grow to be over 100 feet tall and just as wide or even wider!

25. Populus – Poplar

quaking aspen colony stand forest — A Large Quaking Aspen Stand

Poplars are known for their fast growth rate and extreme hardiness. They have a massive native range spanning most of North America growing anywhere from near sea level to the top tree line on mountains. Balsam Poplar (P. Balsamifera) is known for its aromatic sap while Largetooth Aspen (P. Grandidentata) is not very fragrant. Quaking Aspen (P. Tremuloides) is the largest organism on Earth. It shoots up sprouts from its shallow but wide spreading roots. This allows the Quaking Aspen to create entire forests that look like many trees but are really just one large genetically identical colony. There are colonies in the US that are estimated to be nearly 100,000 years old!

26. Prunus – Cherries

sweet black cherry tree prunus serotina — Black Cherry – *Prunus Serotina*

The genus Prunus includes many other stonefruits and even almonds but Ontario is (natively) only home to 3 varieties of cherry. Pin Cherry (P. Pensylvanica), Black Cherry (P. Serotina), and Choke Cherry (P. Virginiana). While all 3 varieties can be delicious, Pin Cherries and Choke Cherries can be toxic if the seeds are eaten or if prepared incorrectly.

27. Ptelea Trifoliata – Hoptree

The Common Hoptree is plentiful in the USA but only found natively on the northern shore of Lake Erie in Ontario. They get their name from the use of their fruit as an alternative to hops in beer brewing.

28. Quercus – Oak

white oak quercus alba native deciduous trees — White Oak – *Quercus Alba*

White Oak (Q. Alba), Blue Oak (Q. Macrocarpa), Red Oak (Q. Rubra), and Black Oak (Q. Velutina). Oak trees are the producers of the famous acorn. Acorns are prized by squirrels but should be boiled to leach toxins if you choose to eat them. Most Oaks like dry conditions but if you have moist soil try planting the Blue Oak. Shumard Oak (Q. Shumardii) can also be found in Ontario but only along the north coast of Lake Erie. Swamp White Oak (Q. Bicolor) is also mostly found in the south but there is an isolated stand on the eastern edge of Ontario.

29. Rhus – Sumac

staghorn sumac rhus typhina red fuzzy berries fragrant — Staghorn Sumac – *Rhus Typhina*

While smaller Sumacs like Fragrant Sumac (R. Aromatica) are usually seen as shrubs, Staghorn Sumac (R. Typhina) can grow to be 15 feet so it is commonly seen as a tree. Sumac is one of my favorite native trees so I had to include it on the list. The upright bunches of fuzzy red berries can be used in food and drinks or left on the branches for the birds and for winter appeal.

30. Salix – Willow

Black willow salix nigra weeping — Black Willow – *Salix Nigra*

Willows do best in very wet soil. Black Willow (S. Nigra), Peach Leaf Willow (S. Amygdaloides) and Diamond Willow (S. Bebbiana) grow in clumps with other willows but Shining Willow (S. Lucida ssp. Lucida) tends to grow on it’s own with other plants. Diamond willow is sought after for its beautiful carving wood. None of our native varieties have the iconic “weeping willow” look that is associated with willow trees.

31. Sorbus – Dogberry

showy mountain ash orange red berry bunches — Showy Mountain Ash – *Sorbus Decora*

American Mountain Ash (S. Americana) has white flowers in spring followed by bunches of orange berries that last until the fall. Showy Mountain Ash (S. Decora) has larger berries and is extra hardy in colder climates making it an important winter food source for birds and mammals. Use Dogberries for preserves and wines (or just leave them for the birds) because they don’t taste great.

32. Sassafras Albidium – Sassafras

sassafras tree roots ingredient root beer — Sassafras – *Sassafras Albidium*

Sassafras roots were once one of the main flavouring agents in root beer. These trees can be found growing in colonies as far north as Toronto.

33. Tilia Americana – Basswood

Basswood tree good leaves for mulching — Basswood – *Tilia Americana*

Basswood is commonly grown for its light, easy to work wood. The leaves are nutrient dense and great for mulching garden beds making this a great companion plant. We can even eat the leaves but they taste best in spring.

34. Ulmus – Elm

white elm ulmus americana green summer tree — White Elm – *Ulmus Americana*

White Elm (U. Americana) is a common elm that grows all over eastern and central Canada. You can also find Rock Elm (U. Thomasii) and Slipery Elm (U. Rubra) in Ontario. Slippery Elm has a mucilage under its bark that becomes slippery when mixed with water and is used in herbal medicine.

I almost missed quite a few of these during my research which makes me think it’s likely I missed another native species. Please let me know in the comments below if I missed any so that we can all learn together!

If you live in Ontario and you need help planting native deciduous trees (or any native plants) for landscaping or agricultural purposes, contact us using the contact form below with all the relevant details of your project.

If you want to learn more about Ontario Native Evergreens, check out our blog post on the topic: 9 Evergreens Native To Ontario

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Jeremy

January 26, 2023 at 12:18 am

Great list. You missed the Honey Locust – Gleditsia triacanthos. And don’t forget our native plumbs in the Prunus section: Prunus americana and Prunus nigra. And a shout out to the cottonwoods in the Populus section: Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and the rare Swamp Cottonwood (Populus heterophylla).

I’ve heard there’s about a dozen species of Serviceberry in Ontario, but only a few that reach tree size. There’s also many species of Hawthorns.

Ans finally, you could maybe add Prickly Ash, though some might say it’s a shrub.

Every Native Deciduous Tree in Ontario