Shade-tolerant and intolerant species
Encyclopedia
A list of tree
species, grouped generally by biogeographic realm
and specifically by bioregions, and shade tolerance
. Shade-tolerant species are species that are able to thrive in the shade
, and in the presence of natural competition by other plants. Shade-intolerant species require full sunlight
and little or no competition. Intermediate shade-tolerant trees fall somewhere in between the two.
Intermediate shade tolerant
Shade intolerant
Intermediate shade tolerant
Shade intolerant
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
species, grouped generally by biogeographic realm
Ecozone
An ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of the Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms.Ecozones delineate large areas of the Earth's surface within which organisms have been evolving in relative isolation over long periods of time, separated from...
and specifically by bioregions, and shade tolerance
Shade tolerance
In ecology, shade tolerance is a plant's abilities to tolerate low light levels. The term is also used in horticulture and landscaping, although in this context its use is sometimes sloppy, especially with respect to labeling of plants for sale in nurseries....
. Shade-tolerant species are species that are able to thrive in the shade
Shade
Shade is the blocking of sunlight by any object, and also the shadow created by that object. Shade also consists of the colors grey, black, white, etc...
, and in the presence of natural competition by other plants. Shade-intolerant species require full sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
and little or no competition. Intermediate shade-tolerant trees fall somewhere in between the two.
Eastern North America
Shade tolerant- Abies balsamea, Balsam Fir
- Acer negundoAcer negundoAcer negundo is a species of maple native to North America. Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, and Maple Ash are its most common names in the United States...
, Boxelder - Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple
- Acer saccharinum, Silver Maple
- Aesculus spp.AesculusThe genus Aesculus comprises 13-19 species of woody trees and shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere, with 6 species native to North America and 7-13 species native to Eurasia; there are also several hybrids. Species are deciduous or evergreen...
, Buckeyes - Betula lenta, Sweet Birch
- Chamaecyparis thyoidesChamaecyparis thyoidesChamaecyparis thyoides , is a species of Chamaecyparis, native to the Atlantic coast of North America from Maine south to Georgia, with a disjunct population on the Mexican Gulf coast from Florida to Mississippi...
, Atlantic White Cypress or Atlantic Whitecedar - Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood
- Diospyros spp.PersimmonA persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
, Persimmon - Fagus grandifolia, American Beech
- Ilex opaca, American Holly
- Ostrya virginianaOstrya virginianaOstrya virginiana , is a species of Ostrya native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas and northeastern Mexico...
, Eastern Hophornbeam - Picea glauca, White Spruce
- Picea mariana, Black Spruce
- Picea rubens, Red Spruce
- Tilia americanaTilia americanaTilia americana is a species of Tilia native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Texas, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska...
, Basswood - Thuja occidentalisThuja occidentalisThuja occidentalis is an evergreen coniferous tree, in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is widely cultivated for use as an ornamental plant known as American Arbor Vitae. The endemic occurrence of this species is a northeastern distribution in North America...
, Northern White Cedar - Morus rubra, Red Mulberry
- Carpinus caroliniana, American Hornbeam
- Magnolia grandiflora, Southern Magnolia
- Tsuga canadensis, Eastern Hemlock
- Nyssa spp.TupeloThe tupelo , black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa , is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves...
, Tupelos
Intermediate shade tolerant
- Castanea dentata, American Chestnut
- Celtis occidentalisCeltis occidentalisCeltis occidentalis, commonly known as the Common hackberry, is a medium-size deciduous tree native to North America. It is also known as the nettletree, beaverwood, northern hackberry, and American hackberry...
, Hackberry - Fraxinus americana, White Ash
- Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Green Ash
- Fraxinus nigraFraxinus nigraFraxinus nigra is a species of Fraxinus native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, from western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia....
, Black Ash - Magnolia spp.MagnoliaMagnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
, Magnolias - Quercus alba, White Oak
- Quercus macrocarpa, Bur Oak
- Quercus nigra, Black Oak
- Quercus rubra, Northern Red Oak
- Pinus elliottiiSlash PinePinus elliottii, commonly known as the Slash Pine, is a pine native to the southeastern United States, from southern South Carolina west to southeastern Louisiana, and south to the Florida Keys....
, Slash Pine - Pinus strobusEastern White PinePinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, Eastern White Pine - Taxodium distichumTaxodium distichumTaxodium distichum is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States.-Characteristics:...
, Bald Cypress - Ulmus americana, American Elm
- Ulmus thomasii, Rock Elm
- Acer rubrum, Red Maple
- Betula alleghaniensis, Yellow Birch
Shade intolerant
- Betula papyrifera, Paper Birch
- Betula populifolia, Gray Birch
- Catalpa spp.CatalpaCatalpa, commonly called catalpa or catawba, is a genus of flowering plants in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae, native to warm temperate regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia....
, Catalpas - Carya illinoinensisPecanThe pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...
, Pecan - Carya spp.HickoryTrees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
, Hickories - Gymnocladus dioicusKentucky coffeetreeThe Kentucky Coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus, is a tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to the midwest of North America.-Introduction:...
, Kentucky Coffeetree - Juglans cinerea, Butternut
- Juglans nigra, Black Walnut
- Juniperus virginianaJuniperus virginianaJuniperus virginiana is a species of juniper native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Great Plains...
, Eastern Red Cedar - Larix laricinaTamarack LarchTamarack Larch, or Tamarack, or Hackmatack, or American Larch is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the northeastern United States from Minnesota to Cranesville Swamp, West Virginia; there is also a...
, Tamarack - Liriodendron tulipiferaLiriodendron tulipiferaLiriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...
, Yellow poplar - Maclura pomifera, Osage Orange
- Pinus banksiana, Jack Pine
- Pinus echinata, Shortleaf Pine
- Pinus palustrisLongleaf PinePinus palustris, commonly known as the Longleaf Pine, is a pine native to the southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
, Longleaf Pine - Pinus resinosaRed PinePinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...
, Red Pine - Pinus rigidaPitch PineThe Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized pine, native to eastern North America. This species occasionally hybridizes with other pine species such as Loblolly Pine , Shortleaf Pine , and Pond Pine The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 meters or 20-100 feet)...
, Pitch Pine - Pinus taeda, Loblolly pine
- Pinus virginianaVirginia PinePinus virginiana is a medium-sized tree, often found on poorer soils from Long Island in southern New York south through the Appalachian Mountains to western Tennessee and Alabama. The usual size range for this pine is 9–18 m, but can grow taller under optimum conditions. The trunk can be...
, Virginia Pine - Platanus occidentalis, Sycamore
- Populus deltoides, Eastern Cottonwood
- Populus grandidentataPopulus grandidentataPopulus grandidentata — the large-tooth, or big-tooth, aspen — is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America.-Name:...
, Big-Tooth Aspen - Populus tremuloidesPopulus tremuloidesPopulus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
, Quaking Aspen - Prunus pensylvanica, Pin Cherry
- Prunus serotina, Black Cherry
- Robinia pseudoacacia, Black Locust
- Salix spp.WillowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, Willows - Sassafras spp.SassafrasSassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
, Sassafras
Western North America
Shade tolerant- Abies amabilis, Pacific Silver Fir
- Abies concolor, White Fir
- Abies grandis, Grand Fir
- Abies lasiocarpa, Alpine Fir
- Acer circinatum, Vine Maple
- Acer macrophyllum, Big-leaf Maple
- Arbutus arizonicaArbutus arizonicaArbutus arizonica is a tree species of southwestern North America, mostly in Mexico but also the United States, from the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, in the Ericaceae family...
, Arizona Madrone - Arbutus menziesiiPacific MadroneArbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
, Pacific Madrone - Arbutus xalapensis, Texas Madrone
- Callitropsis nootkatensisCallitropsis nootkatensisNootka Cypress , formerly Cupressus nootkatensis, Xanthocyparis nootkatensis or Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, is a cypress with a chequered taxonomic and nomenclatural history. This species goes by many common names including Nootka Cypress, Yellow Cypress, and Alaska Cypress...
, Nootka Cypress - Calocedrus decurrensCalocedrus decurrensCalocedrus decurrens is a species of conifer native to western North America, with the bulk of the range in the United States, from central western Oregon through most of California and the extreme west of Nevada, and also a short distance into northwest Mexico in northern Baja California...
, California Incense-cedar - Lithocarpus densiflorus, Tan Oak
- Picea engelmannii, Engelmann Spruce
- Picea sitchensis, Sitka Spruce
- Quercus chrysolepisQuercus chrysolepisQuercus chrysolepis, commonly termed Canyon Live Oak, or Golden Cup Oak, is a species of evergreen oak that is found in the southwestern part of North America, notably in the California Coast Ranges. This tree is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats...
, Canyon Live Oak - Sequoia sempervirens, Coast Redwood
- Sequouiadendron giganteumSequoiadendronSequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
, Giant Sequoia - Taxus brevifoliaTaxus brevifoliaTaxus brevifolia is a conifer native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It ranges from southernmost Alaska south to central California, mostly in the Pacific Coast Ranges, but with an isolated disjunct population in southeast British Columbia, most notably occurring on Zuckerberg Island...
, Pacific Yew - Thuja plicataThuja plicataThuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
Western Red Cedar - Torreya californicaTorreya californicaTorreya californica is species of conifer endemic to California, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada...
, California Torreya - Tsuga heterophylla, Western Hemlock
- Tsuga mertensiana, Mountain Hemlock
- Umbellularia californica, California Laurel
Intermediate shade tolerant
- Abies magnificaRed FirAbies magnifica, the Red Fir or Silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high altitude tree, typically occurring at altitude, though only rarely reaching tree line...
, Red Fir - Alnus rubra, Red Alder
- Chrysolepis spp.ChrysolepisChrysolepis is a small genus in the beech family Fagaceae, endemic to the western United States. Its two species have the common name chinquapin...
, Golden Chinquapin - Fraxinus latifolia, Oregon Ash
- Picea pungens, Colorado Blue spruce
- Pinus lambertianaSugar PinePinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine, is the tallest and most massive pine, with the longest cones of any conifer...
, Sugar Pine - Pinus monticolaWestern White PineWestern White Pine, Pinus monticola in the family Pinaceae, is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and the northern Rocky Mountains. The tree extends down to sea level in many...
Western White Pine - Pinus radiata, Monterey Pine
- Pseudotsuga spp.Douglas-firDouglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
, Douglas-fir - Quercus garryana, Oregon White Oak
- Quercus lobata, California White Oak
Shade intolerant
- Abies procera, Noble Fir
- Juniperus asheiJuniperus asheiJuniperus ashei is a drought-tolerant evergreen shrub or small tree, native to northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States north to southern Missouri; the largest areas are in central Texas, where extensive stands occur...
, Ashe Juniper - Juniperus californicaJuniperus californicaJuniperus californica is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America; as the name implies, it is mainly found in California, although its range also extends through most of Baja California, a short distance into the Great Basin in southern Nevada, and western Arizona...
, California Juniper - Juniperus deppeanaJuniperus deppeanaJuniperus deppeana is a small to medium-sized tree reaching 10-15 m tall. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States...
, Alligator Juniper - Juniperus monospermaJuniperus monospermaJuniperus monosperma is a species of juniper native to western North America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma , and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua...
, One-seed Juniper - Juniperus occidentalisJuniperus occidentalisJuniperus occidentalis is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800-3,000 m .-Description:...
, Western Juniper - Juniperus osteospermaJuniperus osteospermaJuniperus osteosperma is a shrub or small tree reaching 3-6 m tall. It is native to the southwestern United States, in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, western New Mexico, western Colorado, Wyoming, southern Montana, southern Idaho and eastern California...
, Utah Juniper - Juniperus scopulorumJuniperus scopulorumJuniperus scopulorum is a species of juniper native to western North America, in Canada in British Columbia and southwest Alberta, in the United States from Washington east to North Dakota, south to Arizona and also locally western Texas, and northernmost Mexico from Sonora east to Coahuila...
, Rocky Mountain Juniper - Larix lyalliiSubalpine LarchLarix lyallii, the Subalpine Larch, or simply Alpine Larch, is a coniferous tree native to northwestern North America. It lives at very high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, British Columbia, and Alberta...
, Alpine Larch - Larix occidentalisWestern LarchWestern Larch is a species of larch native to the mountains of western North America, in Canada in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, and in the United States in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho and western Montana.It is a large deciduous coniferous tree...
, Western Larch - Pinus albicaulisWhitebark PinePinus albicaulis, known commonly as Whitebark Pine, Pitch Pine, Scrub Pine, and Creeping Pine occurs in the mountains of the Western United States and Canada, specifically the subalpine areas of the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Pacific Coast Ranges, and the northern Rocky Mountains –...
, Whitebark Pine - Pinus aristata, Rocky Mountains Bristlecone Pine
- Pinus attenuataKnobcone PineThe Knobcone Pine, Pinus attenuata, is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border....
, Knobcone Pine - Pinus balfourianaFoxtail PineThe Foxtail Pine is a rare pine that is endemic to California, United States, where it is found in two areas with a separate subspecies in each, the typical subsp. balfouriana in the Klamath Mountains, and subsp. austrina in the southern Sierra Nevada.-Description:Foxtail Pine is a tree to tall,...
, Foxtail Pine - Pinus contortaLodgepole PineLodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
, Lodgepole Pine - Pinus coulteriCoulter PineThe Coulter Pine or Big-cone Pine is a native of the coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California . Isolated groves are found as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area in Mt. Diablo State Park and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve...
, Coulter Pine - Pinus flexilisLimber PineThe Limber Pine, Pinus flexilis, is a species of pine tree-the family Pinaceae that occurs in the mountains of the Western United States, Mexico, and Canada. It is also called Southwestern White Pine and Rocky Mountain White Pine...
, Limber Pine - Pinus jeffreyiJeffrey PineThe Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine.-Distribution and habitat:...
, Jeffrey Pine - Pinus longaeva, Great Basin Bristlecone Pine
- Pinus muricataBishop PineThe Bishop Pine, Pinus muricata, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in the U.S. state of California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico...
, Bishop Pine - Pinus ponderosaPonderosa PinePinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
, Ponderosa Pine - Pinus sabineanaGray PinePinus sabiniana , with the common names gray pine, California foothill pine, and the more historically and internationally used digger pine, is a pine endemic to California in the United States...
, Digger Pine - Pinus Ducampopinus spp.Pinyon pineThe pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
, Piñon Pines - Populus fremontii, Fremont Cottonwood
- Populus tremuloidesPopulus tremuloidesPopulus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
, Quaking aspen
External links
- Tolerance of Tree Species
- Silvics of North America, an encyclopedia of characteristics for around 200 tree species native to the United States published by the United States Forest ServiceUnited States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
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