Natural Tree Forms Article

Artificial trees have come a long way in looking and reminding you of their real counterparts in nature. Production has become much more intricate and the leaf structure and design are so well done these days that it is difficult to tell live trees from silk artificial trees. Visit a fun resource page on tree shapes.

Natural Tree Forms

Oval

Sugar Maple, Cucumber Tree, Saucer Magnolia, Hawthorn, Catalpa, Beech, Black Ash, Soapberry, Horse Chestnut, Basswood, Sycamore, Persimmon

Irregular

Fringe Tree, Staghorn Sumac, Locust, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Ginkgo, Ailanthus, Osage Orange, Goldenrain Tree, Devil’s-Walking-Stick, Shagbark Hickory, Black Gum

Columnar

Lombardy Popular, Gray Birch, Paper Birch, Bald Cypress, Pyramidal Hornbeam

Weeping

Cherry, Willow, Beech

Multiple-stemmed

Birch, Redbud, Silk Tree, Yellowwood, Serviceberry, Saucer Magnolia, Crape Myrtle, Franklin Tree, Fringe Tree, Smoke Tree

Fan

Silk Tree, Tea Crab, Yellowwood

Broad and spreading

White Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak, White Ash, Black Walnut, Black, Willow

Pyramidal

Pin Oak, Tulip Tree, Sweet Gum

Horizontal-branching

Dogwood, Black Locust, Cockspur Hawthorn, Persimmon

Round

Hawthorns, Sergeant Crab, Fringe Tree, Russian Olive, Willow, Japanese Maple, Franklin Tree

ARTIFICIAL TREE SHAPES

Topiary

Sculpting trees and shrubs into figures, formal shapes or designs, such as ball, squires, spirals or animals.

Pollarding

The cutting back of branches to the trunk to induce new growth every spring

Espalier

Training trees to grow flat against a wall or fence in symmetrical patterns

Pleaching

Interweaving tree branches to form a mass in a single plane, such as a tunnel or alley