Deciduous Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: 26 Examples

When you think of trees turning brilliant colors of red and orange in the fall or ushering in spring with their first green buds, you're thinking of deciduous trees, which are trees that lose their leaves at the end of each growing season. These include trees like oaks, maples, and walnuts.

To remember what "deciduous" means, try relating it to the word "decadent." Both come from the Latin root meaning "fall." The leaves that deciduous trees, shrubs, and vines sported in summer fall in autumn. The autumn season is alternately called "fall" precisely because it is during this season that the leaves fall from the deciduous trees. Read on to find out characteristics and examples of deciduous trees.

Why Do Deciduous Trees Lose Their Leaves?

Deciduous trees shed their leaves in fall to get ready for the cold winter to follow. As a bonus (for humans), the process yields the wonderful fall colors that we so admire.

But how, exactly, do the deciduous trees, shrubs, and vines shed their leaves? These plants take an active part in the shedding process, rather than just waiting for a good wind to come along. Their leaves contain cells that cut these dead leaves off from the main part of the tree in autumn. The cut is then closed. As a result, the winter's cold is sealed out, while precious water is sealed in.

Deciduous Trees vs. Evergreen Trees 

The biggest difference between deciduous trees and evergreen trees is, of course, their leaf growth patterns. Deciduous trees have a specific growth period during which their leaves bud, grow, and then reach maturity. Once they've reached maturity, their leaves fall (and we begin to rake!).

Evergreen trees are continuously growing leaves, with new ones replacing old ones as they fall. Deciduous trees also have broader leaves compared to evergreen's smaller leaves. Not surprisingly, evergreens require more energy to grow since they are always in growth mode.

Coniferous trees are another category, which are often evergreens that grow needle-like leaves that are called conifers or cones, but deciduous trees can also fall into this group if they grow cones.

Why Deciduous Tree Leaves Change Colors

Prior to deciduous trees actually dropping their leaves, the leaves first turn a brilliant array of warm, autumnal colors. This process happens as the trees stop their chlorophyll production when the days get shorter in the fall. As this happens, the trees produce carotenoid pigments, tannins, and anthocyanin pigments, all of which contribute to the vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges that emerge during leaf peeping season in the fall, as well as the darker purples and browns.

Deciduous Trees That Have the Best Fall Colors

The best-known deciduous trees are the fall-foliage trees. The latter attract so-called "leaf peepers" in droves every autumn season when the color of their leaves changes. After this brilliant display, they shed their foliage before winter and do not regain it until their buds unfurl in spring.

The coloration of deciduous trees with great fall color ranges from yellow or orange to red or purplish, and some can even produce multi-colored fall foliage. Examples of great specimens for the landscape include:

• Red maple (Acer rubrum)
• Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
• Maidenhair tree  (Ginkgo biloba)
• American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
• Red oaks (Quercus rubra)
• English oak (Quercus robur)
• Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
  
• Ash (Fraxinus)
• Willow (Salix)
• Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
• Tri-color beech (Fagus sylvatica)
• Walnut (Juglans)
• Sunburst honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis 'Suncole').
• Golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis)
• Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

But not all deciduous trees offer vibrant fall color, including the following examples:

• Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)
• Silk tree (Albizia julibrissin)
• Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
• Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra Italica)
• Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)

Which Fall-Worthy Deciduous Shrubs to Choose

We can divide deciduous shrubs, too, into two categories: shrubs with nice fall foliage, and those whose leaves do not offer much value in autumn. For small properties, growing bushes with dazzling fall-foliage displays is a sensible alternative to growing trees such as sugar maple, which require more space. There are even shrubs that put on their best display of foliage in spring, such as Gold Mound spirea.

The following are examples of deciduous shrubs worth growing for their fall foliage, alone:

• Diablo ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Monlo')
• Burning bush (Euonymus alata)
• Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)
• Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica)
• Stewartstonian azalea (Rhododendron x Gable 'Stewartstonian')

By contrast, these deciduous shrubs are grown primarily for their flowers, not for the fall colors of their leaves:

• Hydrangea shrubs (Hydrangea spp.), other than oakleaf hydrangea  (H. quercifolia), which has splendid fall color
• Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
• Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
• Hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)
• Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)
• Common lilacs (Syringa vulgaris)

Beware of Invasive Vines

As with trees and shrubs, vine plants can be classified as deciduous or evergreen. Realistically, however, there are few evergreen choices for the North, especially beyond zone 6. And, as you might expect, the ones robust enough to keep their leaves all winter (or most of the winter, at least) in very cold regions can be invasive; these include:

• English ivy (Hedera helix)
• Wintercreeper (Eonymus fortunei var. radicans)
• Winter jasmine  (Jasmina nudiflorum)

Some deciduous vines are also invasive, including the notorious Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). One of the best deciduous vines to grow is Arctic kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta 'Arctic Beauty'), which bears tricolored leaves in spring (pink, white, and green). 

Rake Fallen Leaves to Preserve Lawn

Those colorful leaves look awesome while their trees are still wearing them, but they can cause homeowners headaches once they fall onto the grass. And yes, there is a practical reason why you should rake leaves off the lawn (it is not just a matter of aesthetics). Don't wait too long before raking: leaves can be harmful to non-native turf grasses. Some methods of leaf blowing are more effective than others, so there are still ways to reduce the landscape maintenance involved if you're smart about it.

Depending on the plant-selection choices you have made in the past, you may have to clean up other plant debris while you're at it, ranging from pine needles to pods. If all of that sounds like way too much of a hassle, avoid growing messy trees and seek clean substitutes.