Florida Trees That Leaf Out in Spring

Majestic Proportions

• Suited for large spaces, bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) reaches 130 feet tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10. Native to the southeastern U.S., it grows in standing water or average soils. Bald cypress needles turn reddish-brown in fall, and spring leaves are a feathery pale green. Appreciated for its striking red, yellow, purple or orange fall color and showy trunk, sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is pyramidal when young and oval or rounded with age, growing in USDA zones 5 through 10. Trees reach 60 or 75 feet tall and 35 to 50 feet wide. Star-shaped leaves emerge before the flowers.

Medium-Size Trees

• Best for southern Florida, wild tamarind (Lysiloma bahamensis) is a fast grower to 40 or 60 feet tall. Ferny, compound leaves are bright red when new, changing to a pale green with time. The contrast of foliage colors is striking. It has either a vase shape or a weeping habit and is hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11. Small white ball-shaped flowers occur in late spring. Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) grows 30 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide in zones 4b through 9b. Fleshy edible orange fruits usually need frost to ripen. In USDA zones 8 and below, leaves turn bright red in fall and reveal interesting bark color and tree shape.

For Limited Spaces

• Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) displays white, fragrant flowers that hang down in such masses that the plant seems covered with cotton. Dark green oval leaves turn yellow in fall. Size is about 20 feet high and 10 to 15 feet wide, useful for small yards. Fringe tree prefers partial shade in USDA zones 3 through 9. American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) grows slowly to 20 or 30 feet tall and makes a good shade tree near patios and decks or in sidewalk cutouts. Fall color is orange to yellow, and dry leaves sometimes persist into winter. Growing in USDA zones 3 through 9, trees often have multiple trunks.

Flowers Before Leaves

• Showy spring floral displays come from the Florida native forest understory trees Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Redbud is in the legume family, reaching 20 to 30 feet tall in USDA zones 4 through 9. Dark pink flowers cover the branches in early spring, followed by heart-shape leaves that turn yellow in fall. Flowering dogwood grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. The apparent flowers on the 20- to 30-foot trees consist of four bracts that surround the small yellowish true flowers in the center. Bracts are white or pink. Red berries develop in fall and accompany bright red leaves.