Ten Native Trees with Leathery Leaves

Trees with tough, durable foliage

Leathery leaves of Quercus stellata (post oak)

Image courtesy of Iowa State Extension Service

In tree books and nursery catalogs, the term "leathery leaves" is sometimes used. What does "leathery" mean?

Leathery is an adjective that is used to describe a leaf's texture -- that is, how it feels when you hold the leaf between your fingers. A leaf's texture is a entirely separate characteristic from its size, shape, or color.

"Leathery" is the opposite of delicate. Leathery leaves are tough and durable. They are a bit thicker than most leaves, and they're somewhat pliable. They have a texture that's similar to thin leather. They are not easily torn by accident. A leathery leaf would never be called "limp" -- rather, they are substantial leaves.

When you're wondering if a tree's foliage would be described as leathery, examine a mature leaf. The leaves of a few tree species are leathery as soon as they pop out of the bud, but the leaves of various others are delicate at first but become leathery as they mature.

Homeowners should be aware that leathery leaves are slow to deteriorate. Raking will be needed to remove fallen leaves from the lawn.

Here are some examples of deciduous native trees of North America that have leathery leaves. The Latin names are linked to the trees' respective pages in the USDA Plants database.

Alnus serrulata -- Hazel alder (leaf image)
Fagus grandifolia -- American beech (leaf image)
Liquidambar styraciflua -- American sweetgum (leaf image)
Magnolia acuminata -- Cucumbertree magnolia (leaf inage)
Prunus serotina -- Black cherry (leaf image)
Quercus alba -- White oak (leaf image)
Quercus bicolor -- Swamp white oak (leaf image)
Quercus prinus -- Chestnut oak (leaf image)
Quercus stellata -- Post oak (leaf image)
Rhododendron maximum -- Rosebay rhododendron (leaf image)

What Trees Do Beavers Prefer?

Popular trees on the beaver's menu

The passage about Teddy Roosevelt's "beavered-down" trees aroused my curiosity about beavers. I've read several dozen webpages this evening, trying to learn exactly what trees they prefer.

I've read about beavers chewing down white cedars and cherry trees in Washington D.C., elm, cottonwood, hackberry and maple in Tennessee, and willow, maple, birch, aspen, cottonwood, beech, poplar, and alder trees in New Hampshire. In Colorado, willow, aspen and cottonwood are mentioned again.

On several sites, I read that beavers prefer to cut down soft-wooded trees which enables harder-wooded species like oaks and hickories to get more sunshine and flourish. However, Bob Arnebeck provides images of oak trees taken down by beavers, so I wonder if that theory holds true.

American Wildlife and Plants by Martin, Zim, and Nelson (full citation at bottom of the page) cites the following trees as used by beaver in various parts of the U.S.:  poplar (cottonwoods and aspens), willow, birch, hazelnut, serviceberry, maple, alder, ash, sweetgum, pine, dogwood, oak, sycamore, redcedar, and Douglasfir.

According to Martin, et al, poplar trees are especially important to the beaver's diet in the Northeast U.S. and in the West, and sweetgum makes up a significant portion of their diet in the Southeast.

I can testify from personal knowledge and observation that beavers in the Nebraska Sandhills thrive in little streams with willows on the banks.

Why do beavers cut down trees? They eat the bark and wood, as well as using the branches in their dams and lodges.

Photo of the "beavered-down" tree courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Sweetgum Seedballs

Sweetgum trees are messy.

I probably wouldn't have identified a winter-bare sweetgum tree on a street corner today, if it hadn't been for the seedballs. The lawn and sidewalk beneath the tree's wide canopy were covered with them. Car tires had thrown many more seedballs against a concrete median in the street (photo above).

Sweetgum balls are woody, so they don't disintegrate quickly. A homeowner who wants a well-groomed lawn will need to rake up the prickly seedballs. They fall throughout winter, so they might have to be raked several times. Any seedballs left in the grass will be an unpleasant surprise for summer's barefoot strollers.

In an urban setting, the seeds from the spiny balls may be eaten by birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. In the wild, sweetgums often grow in swampy areas, and there, the seeds are also enjoyed by beavers.

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a tall native tree of the southeastern U.S. In Kentucky, we are in the northern part of the sweetgum's natural range, though it is also found in southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, near and within the Ohio River valley.

Sweetgum trees are noteworthy for their foliage. Their leaves are star-shaped, and their fall color may be orange, bright red or purple. The beauty of the leaves helps make up for the messiness of the tree's seed dispersal process.

Good Trees for Reducing Air Pollution

White pines, scarlet and red oaks, and bald cypress compared

Because of their size, trees can absorb a lot of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas produced by nature and by man's activities.

U.S. Forest Service researcher Dave Nowak lists the following trees as some of the best for soaking up Co2: "the Common Horse-chestnut, Black Walnut, American Sweetgum, Ponderosa Pine, Red Pine, White Pine, London Plane, Hispaniolan Pine, Douglas Fir, Scarlet Oak, Red Oak, Virginia Live Oak and Bald Cypress..."

Sweetgum female & male fruits, leaf

It is interesting to see six of Kentucky's native trees in this list -- black walnut, sweetgum, white pine, scarlet oak, red oak (I assume he means the northern red oak), and bald cypress.

All of these are big trees, so you'd need plenty of room to plant any of them as a lawn tree. I wouldn't recommend the black walnut if you keep a well-manicured lawn. The nuts are a mess unless you really dedicate yourself to picking them up. The prickly seed-balls of the sweetgum could also be a problem. They can blunt lawn mower blades and hurt bare feet.

The bald cypress is the longest-lived tree in this group of Kentucky natives. It can live up to a thousand years or even more in ideal circumstances. It likes damp areas, and it will develop knees if its roots are able to reach water. However, it will tolerate dryer spots if water is provided during long spells of hot, dry weather. It holds up well to wind and ice, but it doesn't do well in alkaline soils. Its wildlife value is very low.

The oaks will be beautiful, weather-resistant trees, and scarlet and red oaks are fast-growing compared to some oaks, adding up to two feet a year to their height. Their acorns are a great food source for birds, squirrels, and other small and large animals. They may live for a couple of centuries in a good site. You will have to watch them for insect infestations, wilts, etc. and perhaps do some spraying. The northern red oak will endure more air pollution than the scarlet oak. Neither tree will do well in compacted soil.

White pine needles and cone

White pines are also great trees for wildlife, and they are attractive and weather resistant. They could easily live 200-300 years in good growing conditions. Their growth rate is similar to the red and scarlet oaks, up to 2 feet per year. White pines don't thrive in areas of heavy air pollution and they also don't like salt, compacted soil, or excessive drought and heat. They definitely wouldn't be a good tree to plant along a busy highway.

If I were going to plant one of these trees, I'd choose one of the oaks!

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To make this comparison, I consulted Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Urban and Rural America: A Planting Design Manual for Environmental Designers, by Gary L. Hightshoe. Published by Van Rostrund Reinhold, New York, in 1988.