Multi-Stem Trees

Showy Flowering Trees

• Some trees produce a large showy floral display, making the trees an ornamental addition to the yard. One example is the “Don Egolf” redbud tree (Cercis chinensis “Don Egolf”), which stays compact at 9 to 10 feet tall and wide in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. In the early spring, this deciduous tree covers its bare branches with pinkish-red blossoms. “Morning Cloud” chitalpa (Chitalpa tashkentensis “Morning Cloud”) produces slightly cascading branches covered with long narrow bright green leaves with white trumpet-shaped flowers with purple throats appearing from spring through summer. This 25- to 30-foot-tall multi-stemmed tree attracts hummingbirds in USDA zones 6 through 8.

Ornamental Bark Trees

• A few multi-stemmed trees are grown for their ornamental bark, which adds to the tree’s interest in the winter. One multi-stemmed tree is the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia), which grows best in USDA zones 5 through 8 as a deciduous tree. The leaves emerge a bronze-purple in the spring, then age to a dark green. White camellia-like flowers appear in the summer before the leaves change to reddish-orange and fall. Strips of gray, orange and red-brown bark sheds off the trunks of the tree once the stems reach the diameter of 2 to 3 inches. Red Rocket crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica “Whit IV”) produces ruby red papery flowers that cover the branches all summer in USDA zones 6 through 9. The dark green leaves on this 15- to 20-foot-tall and -wide multi-trunked tree turn bronze-red in autumn before they fall to the ground. The attractive bark decorates the tree trunks all winter.

Decorative Branches

• Another small group of multi-stemmed trees develop twisting contorting branches, which shows up in the winter when the trees are bare of leaves. The corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana “Tortuosa”) grows best in USDA zones 4 through 8 in full to partial sun exposure, reaching 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. In the spring, pussy willow buds cover the twisted branches followed by the emergence of green leaves. “Lace Lady” Twisty Baby black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia “Lace Lady” Twisty Baby) produces zigzag thorny branches in full to partial sun in USDA zones 4 through 8. This deciduous tree reaches 8 to 10 feet tall, spreading 12 to 15 feet wide by the time the tree is 30 years old.

Multi-Stem Coniferous Trees

• Unlike the straight single trunks of pine trees, multi-stem conifers produce clumps of trunks that are not suitable for making lumber. One example is the “Big Tuna” mugo pine (Pinus mugo “Big Tuna”), which tolerates cold winter temperatures in USDA zones 2 through 7. This hardy conifer grows multiple trunks 6 to 8 feet tall, covering them with dark green needles. Japanese nutmeg-yew (Torreya nucifera), in USDA zones 6 through 10, reaches 15 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. The glossy dark green, fragrant, evergreen needles grow to 1 1/2 inches long.