Think Trees Tour at Twin Oaks Branch

Welcome to the Think Trees Tour at Twin Oaks Branch! We encourage you to learn about the trees that grow in Austin and how to identify them. Maybe you’ll even find a new favorite to plant in your own landscape.

Click or tap the numbered icons in the map for abbreviated descriptions and tree locations. Use the navigation bar above to see more pictures and details about each species. Scroll to the bottom of the page to take community action and find your next  Think Trees Tour . 

Texas persimmon is a small, native fruit tree. It shouldn’t be planted within 20 feet of utility wires. The thin, flaky bark adds visual appeal all year. It produces grape-sized fruits that can be eaten off the tree or made into jelly, wine, or other recipes.  

Texas Persimmon thrives on the limestone bluffs of West Austin. It can tolerate extreme drought and high pH soils. It’s a great choice for an ornamental specimen or understory canopy. 

Mexican Plum is a small, native fruit tree. It produces fragrant, white flowers in spring before leaves appear. The bark is dark brown or gray, with horizontal striations in lighter gray or silver. The fruits are small, ripening July through September. They are enjoyed by people and wildlife.  

Chitalpa is a hybrid of Catalpa and Desert Willow.  It shares the large, pink-to-purple flowers of Desert Willow, but the leaves are wider and larger.  Flowers grow from spring through summer. It tends to form multiple stems and spread widely. It is very resistant to drought and heat. It can reach heights of 35 feet, so should not be planted within 20 feet of power lines. 

Starting at the corner of South Fifth Street and West Annie, we have several native Live Oaks. There are two closely related species whose ranges overlap along I-35:   Quercus fusiformis (Escarpment Live Oak)   and   Q. virginiana (Southern Live Oak)  . It is often difficult to distinguish between them in the field. These are probably Escarpment Live Oak.

Live oaks reign in Austin. Their acorns are sometimes long and narrow, sometimes shorter and rounder. Both species keep their leaves through winter. The old leaves drop and the new leaves emerge all within a few weeks in early spring. 

Famous Austin Live Oaks include the Treaty Oak and The Auction Oaks downtown. Live oaks are strong, reliable trees, but they are susceptible to Oak Wilt disease, which can spread through their roots and destroy whole colonies of trees. Oak wilt is treatable, but consider a white oak instead if you are planting a new tree, especially if you live in an area where there are already lots of live oaks. 

Lacebark Elm is a large shade tree native to Asia. Like Cedar Elm, Lacebark Elm grows flowers in autumn and has small leaves, but the leaves are not as coarse as on Cedar Elm. The name comes from the thin, flaky bark that crumbles away to reveal a mottled, orange-brown pattern. Seeds form in flat discs called samaras. Wood tends to be brittle and trees often have poor structure. This species is best planted away from high traffic areas and valuable property. It is very prolific and spreads rapidly. 

Mexican Buckeye is a large bush or small, rangy, understory tree. It has compound leaves with pointed leaflets. It is covered with light, pink flowers in spring. Seeds form in large capsules, or pods, that turn brown and split open when ripe. Seeds are hard, brown, shiny balls that grow 3 or 4 to a capsule. The pods often remain on the tree through winter to add visual appeal.  

Monterrey Oak is a medium to large tree that usually keeps its leaves all winter and drops them just before growing new leaves in spring. Acorns have a striped appearance and bulge out of shallow caps. 

Also known as Mexican White Oak, this species is resistant (though not immune) to Oak Wilt disease. Its native range is south of us, so we hope it will be able to survive hotter, drier weather as our climate warms up. It can grow up to 50 feet tall, so should not be planted near utility wires. 

Texas ash is a small to medium-sized tree that grows naturally near creeks and other waterways but tends to be drought tolerant. It has compound leaves in opposite arrangement that often show bright fall colors. Leaflets tend to be smaller than other ash species, with more rounded tips. It grows seeds in paddle-shaped structures called samaras.  

We don’t recommend planting any Ash species anymore because of an invasive insect,  Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  If you already have an Ash tree, you should educate yourself about EAB before it arrives. The wisest course may be to remove poor quality Ash trees now, before the insect kills them and makes the job more dangerous. 

Baldcypress is a large tree that is related to Redwoods. It has light, feathery foliage that turns orange or yellow before dropping in fall. Seeds form inside small, round cones. It grows naturally in swamps and other wetlands, but cultivated trees have been bred to tolerate drier soil. Still, this tree would not be a good choice for an elevated site with good drainage. They are perfect for a low spot where water may collect after rains. Because there are only a few species in this genus, it is less likely to be attacked by an invasive insect or disease from another part of the world, making it a sustainable choice.

American Elm is a large shade tree with long, arching branches growing in a vase form. It can grow up to 60 feet tall in Austin. It does best in deep soils with plenty of space to spread. It has often been used as a street tree because it naturally forms a tall archway over the road. 

Bur Oak is our largest oak at maturity. It needs deep soil but can tolerate a range of soil types and is well adapted to our high-pH soils. It is in the White Oak group, so it resists oak wilt disease. The leaves can be close to a foot long, with deep lobes and rounded tips. The acorns can be as large as golf balls. The bark forms deep fissures that create long, straight ridges, especially on twigs and small branches. 

Arizona Cypress is a small to medium evergreen tree with silvery gray-green foliage. It naturally forms a strong pyramidal shape and is sometimes grown as a Christmas tree. Hard, round cones can remain on branches for years before eventually splitting open to release seeds. It should not be planted within 20 feet of electrical wires. 

Learn more about our public tree data and where public trees are located using  TreePlotter , the City of Austin's application for tree inventory.

Be part of the Native Tree Seed Collection Program by learning how to collect and send native tree seeds. This program is a partnership between  Central Texas Seed Savers ,  TreeFolks , and the  City of Austin's Watershed Protection Department .