A List of Different Types of Trees With Seeds

Poplars

• The white poplar, Populus alba, is a nonnative species, originating in Europe. Growing to 100 feet, white poplar develops quickly. Its seeds mature in capsules shaped like eggs that hang down chainlike from the limbs before the wind disperses them. White poplar features showy whitish bark and serves as a shade tree in full sun locations. Eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoids, is a massive tree under ideal conditions, with some as big as 120 feet tall. Normally growing near water, it is a wet ground option for rural landscapes. Its seeds fill the air once they ripen and their capsules break apart.

Hornbeams

• The clusters of fruits surrounding the seeds of the eastern hophornbeam, Ostrya virginiana, look like the hops that beer comes from, hence the tree's name. The seeds are hard nutlets inside the papery covering, grouped together so they look like a bunch of bananas. They are yellow-green before turning tan. The American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana, shares roughly the same range in the eastern states, but it has bluish-green bark and its green fruits have more space between them. The hornbeams are small to medium trees that do well in shade as an understory species.

Maples

• The seeds of the maple trees, called samaras, are not particularly showy, but do provide food for hungry wildlife. The box elder, Acer negundo, generates its winglike samaras in September and October, just in time to feed many migrating bird species during their arduous trips; cedar waxwings are among the songbirds that eat box elder seeds. The tree grows to 60 feet in poor quality soils. The sugar maple, Acer saccharum, is a slow-growing tree suitable as a specimen tree because of its bright autumn colors. The samaras, joined to create a U shape on the twigs, float downward from the tree like a tiny helicopter landing on the ground. Sugar maples average between 40 and 80 feet.

Catalpas

• The elongated beanlike seedpods of a catalpa tree are just one interesting trait of this genus. The northern catalpa, Catalpa speciosa, is larger than the southern version, Catalpa bignoniodes, with the northern tree growing to 80 feet and the southern one to 60. The hanging pods are longer, up to 20 inches on northern catalpa, with those of southern catalpa maturing to 15 inches long. The pods contain many seeds, and they can stay on the catalpa all winter. Huge leaves, up to 12 inches in length, as well as attractive flowers shaped like colorful bells also adorn these trees.