Tree Names Starting With A

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This is the complete list of tree species starting with the letter A.

Let’s get right into it.

1. Ahuehuete

Scientific Name: Taxodium distichum

Family: Cupressaceae

Native: Southern Texas and far into Mexico

Type: Deciduous

Ahuehuete trees grow to about 40 meters tall and 3 meters wide in diameter. They are usually found in swampy areas and have distinct feather-resembling shoots.

Other characteristics include a broad-based trunk with projecting “knees”.

They bear small seed cones that are round and fleshy.

2. Algondocillo

Scientific Name: Gossypium thurberi

Family: Malvaceae

Native: Arid regions, Arizona to Northwest Mexico

Type: Deciduous

This shrubby tree is easily identifiable with its deep bowl-like leaves and cream or whitish flowers. It is also known as dessert cotton.

The plant is usually a shrub but sometimes grows into trees up to the height of 4.5 meters with up to a 10cm diameter.

3. Aliso

Scientific Name: Alnus oblongifolia

Family: Betulaceae

Native: Mountain streams, Arizona, New Mexico

Type: Deciduous

Aliso are fast-growing shrubby trees that attain a height between 10 to 30 meters with an 8 to 80cm diameter. They may have one or more trunks.

The tree bears small catkin flowers and conelike fruits with scales.

The leaves are narrow, double-tooth, and distinct.

4. Allthorn, Spiny

Scientific Name: Koeberlinia spinosa

Family: Koberliniaceae

Native: Rocky slopes of Southern California to western Texas

Type: Deciduous

Short-trunked shrubby trees, the spiny allthorns grow to a height of up to 8 meters with a 15cm diameter.

The tree bears small whitish four-leaved flowers and distinct circular blackberries.

It has small scaly green leaves that quickly turn deciduous.

4. Almond

Scientific Name: Prunus dulcis

Family: Rosaceae

Native: Western Asia

Type: Deciduous

A short and spreading tree, the almond plant grows to a height between 4 to 10 meters. It has a dark bark with broad, tapered leaves.

The flowers are small and white to pink.

The tree bears a flattened, ovoid fruit that is leathery on the outside and exposes the edible almond nut inside.

5. Anacahuite

Scientific Name: Cordia boissieri

Family: Boraginaceae

Native: Thickets and stream banks of southern Texas to north-east Mexico

Type: Evergreen

This plant grows both as a shrub and as a tree of heights up to 8 meters with a 20cm diameter.

It has hairy, harsh leaves and 5-petaled flowers in clusters of 6 to 8. They are trumpet-shaped and white with a yellow throat.

The fruit is small, shiny, and ovoid.

6. Anacua

Scientific Name: Ehretia anacua

Family: Boraginaceae

Native: Well drained soil in the slopes and valleys of central Texas

Type: Evergreen

The anacua shrub or tree grows to 10 meters tall with diameters up to 30cm. It has simple, sandpapery leaves which are oval-shaped with a pointy end.

It bears fragrant, bell-shaped flowers with 5 lobes. The fruit is yellowish-orange, round, and shiny.

7. Angelica Tree, Japanese

Scientific Name: Aralia elata

Family: Araliaceae

Native: East Asia

Type: Deciduous

This large shrub, sometimes small tree grows to 15 meters tall with one or more trunks of diameter 15cm.

It bears large, broad leaves and tiny, greenish-white flowers that are present in clusters at the ends of branches.

The fruit is a darkly colored drupe that resembles berries.

8. Apple, Cactus

Scientific Name: Opuntia engelmannii

Family: Cactacaea

Native: Arid grasslands of southern California to south-west Utah

Type: Deciduous

A broad, short shrub or tree of heights up to 2m, the cactus apple bears many blue-green pads that are circular and up to 1.2m long.

It bears petaloid in yellow, orange, or red colors and a juicy, fleshy fruit that may be red or purple.

9. Apricot

Scientific Name: Prunus armeniaca

Family: Rosaceae

Native: China

Type: Deciduous

The apricot tree is small and grows to a height of 5 to 10 meters tall.

It has simple rounded leaves that end in an abrupt point.

The flower is pink in the petals and white at its opening while the fruit is a hairy, orange-colored drupe.

10. Arborvitae, Giant

Scientific Name: Thuja plicata

Family: Cupressaceae

Native: Southeast Alaska to Northwest California

Type: Deciduous

This large tree grows up to 50m tall and has a trunk as large as 2m in diameter.

It has small, scaly leaves and bears reddish-brown seed cones.

The bark is reddish brown and greys as the tree ages.

11. Arbutus, Mock

Scientific Name: Comarostaphylis diversifolia

Family: Ericaceae

Native: Chaparral, near the coast

Type: Evergreen

The mock arbutus is a small tree or shrub that attains a height of up to 9 meters and a diameter of about 10cm with one or more trunks. It has simple thick, and leathery leaves.

The tree bears white feathery flowers in large numbers with a fruit that is a red drupe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSvvJYXQcYM

12. Aspen, Quaking

Scientific Name: Populus tremuloides

Family: Salicaceae

Native: Mountains of Western United States

Type: Deciduous

This tall tree grows from 16 to 30m with a single straight trunk and broad leaves. Young trees have cream-yellow barks which becomes grayish when they mature.

The tree bears catkins from March to July; the fruit is a narrow ovoid capsule.

13. Athel Tree

Scientific Name: Tamarix aphylla

Family: Tamaricacea

Native: North, East, and Central Africa

Type: Evergreen

The athel tree is a dense tree that attains heights of 25 meters.

It has small leaves that cup around branches and flowers in loose branching clusters.

The flowers are about 2 to 6cm long and appear between May to November.

14. Azalea, Western

Scientific Name: Rhododendron occidentale

Family: Ericaceae

Native: Moist slopes, canyons, and thickets of western Oregon to southern California

Type: Deciduous

This shrub or small tree grows from 1 to 10 meters tall. It has a thin, hairy, oval-shaped leaf that is yellowish-green.

The tree bears white and pink conspicuous flowers in clusters of 3 to 10 that occasionally have tinges of yellow or orange.

The fruit is a small oblong capsule.

15. Agarista

Scientific Name: Agarista populifolia

Family: Ericaceae

Native: Acid swamps around the southeastern United States

Type: Evergreen

Agaristas are small shrubby trees that grow around 4 to 7 meters tall and 7cm in diameter. They have thick leaves with a smooth, lustrous upper surface and pale lower surface.

They bear white, 5-petaled flowers with constricted necks and a rounded fruit that matures late in summer.

16. Alling, White

Scientific Name: Bontia daphnoides

Family: Myoporaceae

Native: West Indies

Type: Evergreen

The white alling is a shrub or a tree that attains heights of around 8 meters and diameters of around 15cms.

It bears pale, oblong leaves that taper at the end and tubular flowers that are yellow and purple colored. The fruit is a fleshy, long-stalked drupe.

17. Angel’s Tears

Scientific Name: Brugmansia suaveolens

Family: Solanaceae

Native: South America

Type: Evergreen or Deciduous

This plant is a woody small tree or large shrub that attains heights of 5 meters in tropical climates.

It has elliptical yellow-green leaves and large, trumpet-shaped flowers that are colored white with tinges of yellow or pink.

The fruit is a spindle-shaped capsule that matures in the autumn.

18. Alvaradoa, Mexican

Scientific Name: Alvaradoa amorphoides

Family: Picramniaceae

Native: Hammocks, Miami-Dade County

Type: Evergreen

This plant is a woody small tree or large shrub that attains heights of 5 meters in tropical climates.

It has elliptical yellow-green leaves and large, trumpet-shaped flowers that are colored white with tinges of yellow or pink.

The fruit is a spindle-shaped capsule that matures in the autumn.

19. Anisetree, Florida

Scientific Name: Illicium floridanum

Family: Illiciaceae

Native: Ravines and stream margins of northern Florida

Type: Evergreen

The Florida anisetree, usually a shrub, stands to about 8 meters tall with elliptical, bluntly pointed and leathery leaves.

It bears red flowers that are 2-6cm in diameter and a circular fruit that is dark brown at maturity in the late summer.

20. Aralia, Castor

Scientific Name: Kalopanax septemlobus

Family: Araliaceae

Native: China

Type: Deciduous

This large tree grows to about 30 meters tall and has a prickly trunk.

The tree bears white or yellowish-green flowers in clusters of 20-30cm breadth.

It also gives a spherical fruit that is deep-blue in color with a 5mm diameter.

21. Arrowwood

Scientific Name: Viburnum dentatum

Family: Adoxaceae

Native: Woodlands of Eastern North America

Type: Deciduous

Arrowwood is a shrub or small tree that grows up to 3m tall and not more than 4cm in diameter.

It usually has multiple trunks and a heart-shaped leaf with white flowers in distinct clusters.

Its fruit is a rounded, darkly colored drupe.

22. Australian Pine

Scientific Name: Casuarina equisetifolia

Family: Casuarinaceae

Native: Australia

Type: Evergreen

This tree has a distinct shaggy, conifer-like appearance. It reaches heights of around 20m and diameter of 1m with a single, erect trunk.

The leaves are in clusters and have a scalelike appearance around needlelike branches. It bears reddish inflorescences and a brown, woody, fruit.

23. Autograph Tree

Scientific Name: Clusia rosea

Family: Clusiaceae

Native: South Florida

Type: Evergreen

This tree or shrub grows not more than 18m tall with a single trunk of diameter of about 20cm.

It bears characteristic stiff and thick leaves that have a dull grayish-green color.

The flowers are a shiny white color, and the fruit is round and fleshy.

24. Axistree, Flower

Scientific Name: Glycosmis parviflora

Family: Rutaceae

Native: Asia

Type: Evergreen

This small tree, usually around 1-3m tall has broad and rounded, hairless leaflets with small flowers.

It bears rounded berries that are yellowish-white and subsequently turn pinkish. This tree is widely planted ornamentally.

25. American Plum

Scientific Name: Prunus americana

Family: Rosaceae

Native: North America

Type: Evergreen

The American Plum is a small tree that reaches 4-5m in height.

It has dark green oval leaves with white, small flowers, and rounded fruit.

The plant is grown ornamentally as well has for culinary purposes.

26. Acacia (Genus)

Family: Fabaceae

Native: Subtropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere

Type: Evergreen

Acacia consists of 960 species that are usually found in Australia.

They have a hard bark and sometimes bear fruit and flowers.

Their bark and wood are used in tanning leather. The flowers are conspicuous and are often used as ornamentals.

27. Albizia (Genus)

Family: Fabaceae

Native: Tropical or warm regions

Type: Deciduous

A genus consisting of 120 to 140 species, albizia find commercial use due to their rapid-growing nature.

Their wood is used in cabinetry and for fuel, the trees are also used in coffee plantations for shade.

Some species are grown ornamentally.

28. Alders (Genus)

Family: Betulaceae

Native: North America, West

Type: Deciduous

Alders are a small but well-known genus consisting of 25 trees. They often possess several trunks and find use in Native American medicine.

Alders also fix atmospheric nitrogen in their roots improving soil quality.

Their conelike female fruit is a distinguishing feature.

29. Apple (Genus)

Family: Rosaceae

Native: Temperate North America and Eurasia

Type: Deciduous

The apple genus has around 20 to 25 species of shrubs or trees, with simple leaves and a twiggy structure.

The flowers are conspicuous, colored white, pink, or carmine with 5 petals. The apple fruit is one of the commercially significant temperate fruits.

30. Ashes (Genus)

Family: Oleaceae

Native: North America, North of Mexico

Type: Deciduous or Evergreen

This genus includes 45 to 65 species and occurs across diverse habitats like forests, hillsides, and canyons.

They usually possess a large, single trunk, and bears a hard, durable wood that is commercially used for the manufacture of paddles, baseball bats, and veneer.

31. Ardisia (Genus)

Family: Picramniaceae

Native: Subtropical U.S., Mexico, West Indies, Central and South America, Asia, Indian Ocean islands, Pacific Islands, Australia

Type: Evergreen

Ardisia is a genus of 400 to 500 species that are distributed along a wide range of areas. They may be shrubs or trees with hairless leaves.

It bears white to pinkish flowers with usually 5 petals and the fruit is round and fleshy.

Bottom Line

Hopefully, this guide has helped you to know many more trees starting with the letter A.

Your suggestions for more species and genera are most welcome.