Browse our growing information source of native UK trees here. Click on the more info button to read about many different and interesting aspects of native tree species to the UK and Ireland.
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Alder
Alnus glutinosa
Recognisable for its purple sheen in spring, alder trees are one of our smaller native tree species. They have a light, delicate appearance, with grey bark, flecked with white. The leaves are round an...
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Ash
Fraxinus excelsior
Ash is our tallest native deciduous trees when fully mature. Like sycamore, it drops winged seed pods called ‘ash keys’ in autumn, which contain the seeds. Ash keys hang in great bunches from autumn o...
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Aspen
Populus tremulus
The bark is grey, or sometimes greenish-grey, and is either smooth or in some cases is pitted with diamond-shaped indentations. Aspen has a distinctive branching pattern, which is most visible in wint...
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Beech
Fagus sylvatica
In late winter Beech is clearly identifiable with its alternate slender bronze buds ready to develop on zig - zagging twigs. The emergence of the stunning green foliage of beech in April is one of th...
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Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa
The first tree of the year to come into bloom. In February or March depending on the winter, creamy white flowers appear on hedgerows long before any other, and before the leaves. They offset the dark...
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Common Oak
Quercus robur
There are 2 native British oak tree species; Common, or Pedunculate oak (Q. robur) and Sessile Oak (Q.petraea). Sessile oak was the first to arrive in the British isles, and grows naturally in upland ...
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Elder
Sambucus nigra
Growing more like a shrub than a tree, elder produces a multi stemmed trunk, and is usually found growing as an understorey tree in mature woods. The heavily scented, white flowers appear in June and ...
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Field Maple
Acer campestre
A small British native, field maple is most often found in hedgerows and on the edge of woods. Its native distribution is on limestone chalk or other calcareous soils, but is widely planted as an amen...
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Grey Willow
Salix cinerea
Known as Grey Willow because of the grey hairs on shoots, it is often called Pussy Willow after the large fat silver buds (actually male flowers) which develop into the bright yellow catkins which fes...
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Hawthorn
Craetagus monogyna
The common hawthorn C. monogyna is one of 2 native hawthorns; the other being C. oxycantha. The difference is that monogyna has one seed inside its red fruit, oxycantha two.
The sweet smelling creamy...
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Hazel
Corylus avellana
One of the smallest native tree species, hazel grows more like a shrub than a tree, only growing to approximately 20 feet when mature.
The bark of hazel trees is dark brown and smooth in young trees ...
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Holly
Ilex aquifolium
Famously spiky leaves! Often the lower leaves are very spiny, while upper leaves are more ovate and have fewer spikes. This development is related to protecting leaves within reach of browsing animals...
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Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
Famous for its seeds known as ‘conkers’, Horse Chestnuts are not native to the UK. In the winter even young specimens display the fat brown sticky buds which develop into large ‘fingered’ leaves which...
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Rowan (Or Mountain Ash)
Sorbus aucuparia
Rowans are comparatively small trees and grow in a compact upright shape. Rowan is sometimes called the mountain ash because of the similarity of its leaves to ash trees, both having many opposing fin...
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Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Our only native Conifer tree, ancient woods of Scots Pine are now very rare, but the species is widely planted throughout the UK. It can develop either as a tall single trunked tree with a high crown ...
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Silver Birch
Betula pendula
Fast growing, attractive tree with narrow trunk white with black notches and diamonds making deep fissures on the bark. Birch is a pioneer species, which is one of the first to colonise a site. It is...
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Small Leaved Lime
Tilia Cordata
There are 3 native lime trees. Tilia Cordata is the small leaved lime. There is the Large leaved Lime, Tilia Platyphyllos, but the one we regularly see in the British landscape, Common Lime, Tilia vul...
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Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa
Sweet Chestnut is a very distinctive tree, hard to mistake! Its leaves are large like a spear blade with saw tooth edges. The outer twigs are angular and five sided with noticeable breathing pores. No...
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Sycamore
Acer pseudoplatanus
There is an ongoing dispute as to whether Sycamore is a native British tree, but is now by far our commonest species of maple. The seed is extremely fertile and not restricted in where it will germina...
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Wild Cherry
Prunus avium
Wild Cherry is one of the smaller native British trees and as it is tolerant of light shade, single trees are often found growing in broadleaved lowland woods
In the spring wood one of the first sign...
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Yew
Taxus baccata
Yew, like Beech, and Rowan, is one of the few British native trees that can grow in the shade of other trees. Yew, which is an evergreen tree, possesses needle like leaves (dark green above, light gre...
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