26 Most Common Trees in Oklahoma

The state of Oklahoma has many different ecoregions, including spruce-fir forests in the mountains, mesophytic forests in the eastern highlands, and grasslands. Trees are also extremely important to Oklahoma’s economy. Today let’s look at the most common varieties.

Trees provide the economy of Oklahoma with lumber, pulpwood, and other forest products.

There are many different families of trees in oklahoma’s forests, including the legume family which includes oklahoma’s state tree, the black locust (which also provides oklahoma with honey).

Below is a list of 26 most common trees in oklahoma. Oklahoma’s state tree is the Eastern Redbud.

1. Bald Cypress (taxodium distichum)

Bald Cypress
Chris M Morris Bald Cypress

The bald cypress is a deciduous conifer in oklahoma’s southern piney woods. The Bald Cypress is easily recognized by its feathery, flattened needles that are attached to the twig by a small petiole at a right angle.

2. Black Walnut (juglans nigra)

Black Walnut Tree
Jim Linwood Black Walnut Tree

The black walnut is a large tree in oklahoma that can reach heights of 80 to 100 feet and has a trunk circumference of 7-9 feet. The bark is dark, thick, and deeply furrowed into scaly plates. Black walnuts begin producing at about age 20 and will continue to grow larger every year for the next few hundred years.

3. Chinese Pistache (pistacia chinensis)

Pistacia chinensis Chinese pistache
Mark Mauno Pistacia chinensis (Chinese pistache)

This oklahoma native is a member of the Anacardiaceae family, along with poison ivy and sumacs. The Chinese Pistache grows about 30 to 40 feet tall and has long thorns on its stems.

4. Flowering Dogwood (cornus florida)

Cornus florida.
H. Zell Cornus florida.

This oklahoma native is named for its attractive, white flower clusters. The flowering dogwood has shiny green leaves and tooth-shaped leaf margins; it can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet.

5. Eastern redcedar (juniperus virginiana)

Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana
Nicholas A. Tonelli Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

The eastern redcedar is a tall evergreen shrub or small tree that reaches heights of 30 to 50 feet, with dark reddish-brown bark. It’s also called red cedar or eastern juniper.

6. American Elm (ulmus americana)

Ulmus americana.
Stavast22 Ulmus americana.

Another common tree in Oklahom is the American elm, which belongs to the Ulmaceae family. The American Elm has an open crown of drooping branches and can reach heights of 80 to 100 feet.

7. Hackberry (celtis occidentalis)

Celtis occidentalis
Adam Shaw Celtis occidentalis

The hackberry is native to oklahoma and grows well on dry upland sites. It has a short trunk and an oblong crown. Hackberry bark on young trees is smooth and gray; on older trees, it’s dark brown with diamond-shaped ridges that curl at the edges.

8. Kentucky coffeetree (gymnocladus dioicus) 

Kentucky Coffee Tree Gymnocladus dioicus.
Leonora (Ellie) Enking Kentucky Coffee Tree (Gymnocladus dioicus).

The Kentucky coffeetree is an oklahoma native that can reach heights of 40 to 60 feet. It has pinnately compound leaves with 15-19 leaflets, each leaflet up to 8 inches long. The bark is gray, rough, and scaly or furrowed at maturity.

9. Bur Oak  (quercus macrocarpa)

Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak
Plant Image Library Quercus macrocarpa (Bur Oak)

The bur oak is a large, stately oklahoma native tree that can reach heights of 40 to 60 feet. It has a rounded crown and thick, gnarled branches. The Bur oak is a prized oklahoma native tree for shade, as it produces leaves with golden-orange fall colors.

10. Loblolly Pine (pinus taeda)

Loblolly-Pine-Trees
Loblolly Pine Tree

The loblolly pine is a common Oklahoma tree and one of the most common pines in oklahoma’s forests. It has needle-like foliage, with 5-10 needles per fascicle (bundle). The bark is thick, reddish-brown, and scaly.

11. Eastern Redbud (cercis canadensis)

Eastern Redbud
Robert Lyle Bolton Eastern Redbud

The oklahoma state tree, the Eastern Redbud is a small oklahoma native deciduous tree that can reach heights of 12 to 20 feet. The bark is smooth and gray on young trees but becomes dark brown and rough as it matures.

12. Western Soapberry (sapindus drummondii) 

Western Soapberry Tree
Royce Milam Western Soapberry Tree

This oklahoma common, the western soapberry is a small deciduous tree. The fruit of this oklahoma native shrub is about the size and shape of an olive, hard and dry when ripe, with 4-6 seeds inside. When mature, it turns from green to tan or yellowish-brown.

13. American Hornbeam (carpinus caroliniana) 

American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana.
Daderot American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana).

The American Hornbeam is a small oklahoma tree that can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet. The leaves are alternate and simple, with smooth edges and parallel veins. Both twigs and foliage have a thick layer of velvety pubescence (hair) when young but become hairless as they age.

14. Japanese Zelkova (zelkova serrata)

Zelkova serrata
Frank Richards Zelkova serrata

The oklahoma common tree, the Japanese Zelkova is a small oklahoma deciduous tree (20 to 30 feet) known for its dark green leaves and vibrant autumn colors. It’s an excellent shade tree due to its dense canopy.

15. Fringetree (chionanthus virginicus) 

Chionanthus virginicus Fringetree
F. D. Richards Chionanthus virginicus (Fringetree)

The oklahoma common tree, the fringetree is a small oklahoma deciduous tree that can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet. It has alternating leaves with 4-7 oval-shaped leaflets per leaf. This tree produces clusters of white flowers in spring and blue or black fruits in fall.

16. Hedge Maple (acer campestre) 

Acer campestre
Andreas Rockstein Acer campestre

The hedge maple is a small oklahoma deciduous tree that can reach heights of 30 to 50 feet. Its leaves are simple and opposite, with serrate margins (teeth along each edge). It’s best known for its dense, compact habit when young.

17. Winterberry Euonymus (euonymus bungeanus)

Winterberry euonymus tree
FangHong Winterberry euonymus tree

The oklahoma common tree, the Winterberry is an oklahoma deciduous shrub or small tree that can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet. It has serrate leaves with alternate venation. The Winterberry tree produces bright red berries through winter and autumn.

18. Indian Cherry (rhamnus caroliniana)

Rhamnus caroliniana
Michael Gras, M.Ed. Rhamnus caroliniana

The Indian Cherry is a small oklahoma deciduous tree that can reach heights of 6 to 12 feet. This oklahoma tree has simple, lance-shaped leaves with serrate margins and smooth edges.

19. Prairifire Crabapple (malus ‘prairifire’)

Malus Prairifire Crab Apple
Frank Richards Malus ‘Prairifire’ Crab Apple

The oklahoma common tree, the Prairifire Crabapple is a small oklahoma deciduous tree known for its pink flowers and shiny red fruit. It has an oval shaped crown, with leaves slightly larger than those of other oklahoma crabapples.

20. Chinese Pistache (pistacia chinensis)

Pistacia chinensis Chinese pistache
Mark Mauno Pistacia chinensis (Chinese pistache)

The Chinese Pistache is a large oklahoma deciduous shrub or small oklahoma tree that can reach heights of 20 to 40 feet. It has simple leaves with serrate margins and smooth edges. The Chinese pistache produces clusters of small green flowers in late summer, which give way to dark red fruits.

21. Green Ash (fraxinus)

Green Ash
Katja Schulz Green Ash

The oklahoma common tree, the Green Ash is a medium-sized oklahoma native deciduous tree that can reach heights of 60 to 80 feet. The leaves are simple with serrate margins. The bark is grayish-brown and has interlacing ridges or fine lines.

22. Buckeye (aesculus)

Buckeye Tree
Jitze Couperus Buckeye Tree

The Buckeye is a medium-sized common oklahoma deciduous tree that can reach heights of 12 to 20 feet. It has palmately compound leaves with broadly ovate leaflets. The Buckeye produces bright red flowers in late spring, which give way to large woody nuts covered in bristles.

23. Chittimwood (sideroxylon lanuginosum)

Sideroxylon lanuginosum
Michael Gras, M.Ed Sideroxylon lanuginosum

The Chittimwood is a medium-sized oklahoma deciduous tree that can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet. It has simple leaves with smooth margins. The prevalent oklahoma tree produces clusters of small green flowers in late summer, which give way to shiny red seeds surrounded by large woody capsules.

24. Amur Corktree (phellodendron amurense)

Phellodendron amurense
MOTOHIRO SUNOUCHI Phellodendron amurense

The Amur Corktree is a medium-sized oklahoma deciduous shrub or small oklahoma tree known for its heart shape and flaking bark. This oklahoma common has simple leaves with serrate margins and alternate venation.

25. Crepe Myrtle (lagerstroemia indica)

Crepe Myrtle Lagerstroemia indica
Jim, the photographer Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

The Crape Myrtle is a small oklahoma deciduous tree or shrub known for its showy flowers in summer and autumn. The Crepe Myrtle tree has simple leaves with serrate margins.

26. River Birch (betula nigra)

Betula nigra
Plant Image Library Betula nigra

This oklahoma common tree, the River Birch is a medium-sized oklahoma native deciduous tree that can reach heights of 80 to 120 feet. It has simple leaves with serrate margins and alternate venation. The River Birch produces clusters of small greenish flowers in early spring.