(Christmastree, Veitch Fir)

A handsome evergreen with deep green needles that curved upwards to reveal the silvery undersides, veitch fir also produces purplish cones. A tall conifer evergreen that is relatively fast-growing, it is native to central and southern Japan. Its smooth bark is sandy brown to gray in hue.

The non-prickly needles are short and glossy, dark green with silver to blue-green undersides. Needles densely line the branches' end twigs. Male and female cones are borne in late spring; the female cones become...

(Dieck's Maple)

A possible hybrid or selection of Norway maple, this fast-growing, medium-sized to large, deciduous tree is also sometimes listed as its own species. Columnar in habit, it has fissured gray bark and glossy, dark green, five-lobed leaves. The leaves turn yellow and red in fall. Heads of small greenish yellow flowers appear in conspicuous abundance in spring. Large two-winged fruits followed, maturing from green to brown.

Plant this maple in full sun. Moist, well-drained, acidic to mildly alkaline...

(Maple, Norwegian Sunset™ Maple)

Norwegian Sunset maple is a rapidly growing, uniformly branched deciduous tree discovered as a chance seedling in a bed of Shantung maples (Acer truncatum) in Oregon. Its upright oval habit resembles that of its other suspected parent, Norway maple (Acer platanoides). This straight-trunked hybrid has glossy dark green five- to seven-lobed leaves that turn orange-red to red in fall. Small yellow flowers in spring give rise to winged green fertile fruit.

Plant this maple in full...

(Rock Maple, Rocky Mountain Maple)

Native to rocky slopes and moist ravines through much of western North America, this small, hardy, relatively drought tolerant maple makes a good choice for low-maintenance landscapes within its native range. An upright, typically multistemmed shrub or small tree, it has three- to five-lobed, shiny, medium-green leaves that sometimes are divided into three leaflets. Fall color is a yellow to orange. Although rather sparsely branched and rangy in shady sites, it forms a much denser plant in partial...

(Douglas's Rock Maple)

Native to rocky slopes and moist ravines in far western North America, this small, hardy, relatively drought tolerant maple makes a good choice for low-maintenance landscapes within its native range. An upright, typically multistemmed shrub or small tree, it has shallowly three-lobed, medium-green leaves that turn a good yellow in fall. Although rather sparsely branched and rangy in shady sites, it forms a much denser plant in partial sun. Its greenish yellow flowers appear in early spring, followed...

(Bigtooth Maple)

Bigtooth or canyon maple boasts great fall foliage color while being better suited to colder, drier regions than the sugar maple. This impressive native of the intermountain West of the United States and extreme northern Mexico usually grows along stream banks. The large leaves are three to five lobed and have blunt tips. Fall coloring is typically reddish, but tones of yellow or pinkish red are not out of the realm of possibility.

Bigtooth maple is a hardy tree, tolerant of high soil alkalinity...

(Ash-Leaved Maple, Boxelder)

Box elder is a medium-sized to large, fast growing, short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Typically low-branched with furrowed light gray to gray-brown bark, it bears bright green, compound leaves with three or sometimes five leaflets. Inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers emerge with the leaves. Male and female flowers occur on separate trees. Box elder is rarely grown as a landscape tree due to its weedy, weak-wooded nature, but a few cultivars with unique ornamental...

(Ash-Leaved Maple, Boxelder)

Box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Although sometimes scorned as an ornamental plant because of its weak wood and its penchant for self-sowing, it has given rise to many attractive cultivars. Introduced in the late nineteenth century, 'Auratum' has three-parted, lemon-yellow leaves with contrasting red stems. The leaves hold their color through summer. Fall color is usually unremarkable. A female selection, it produces inconspicuous greenish yellow...

(Ash-Leaved Maple, Boxelder)

Box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Although sometimes scorned as an ornamental plant because of its weak wood and its penchant for self-sowing, it has given rise to many attractive cultivars. Introduced in the late nineteenth century, 'Aureomarginatum' has three-parted leaves with broad irregular margins that fade from gold to creamy yellow. Fall color is usually unremarkable. A male selection, it produces inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers in spring,...

(Boxelder, Crispum Variegatum Boxelder)

Box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Although sometimes scorned as an ornamental plant because of its weak wood and its penchant for self-sowing, it has given rise to many attractive cultivars. Introduced more than 100 years ago, 'Crispum Variegatum' has curled, three-parted leaves with creamy yellow margins. Fall color is usually unremarkable. A male selection, it produces inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers in spring, and does not fruit. Typically...