State of Missouri Arboretum - Maryville, Missouri

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State of Missouri Arboretum - Maryville, Missouri On the campus of Northwest Missouri State University, over 1,300 trees provide spring flowers, summer shade, fall colors, and winter shelter. The arboretum containes over 111 tree species, ninety-four of which are deciduous broadleafs, fourteen are evergreen needleleafs, and three are deciduous needleleafs.

Since 1993, Northwest Missouri State University has been the official Missouri State Arboretum. Northwest has long billed itself as the "most beautiful state university campus" in the state of Missouri thanks its landscaped tree lined campus.

Thomas Gaunt first starting planting trees on the campus moved to Maryville 1857. Gaunt’s house has served as the home of all presidents of the university and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is in a direct line with the university’s landmark Administration Building. The route (called the "Long Walk") was lined with hundreds of trees — most famously birches (prompting a phrase that the campus was "behind the birches").

An arboretum is a place where trees and other plants are grown for educational or scientific purposes. Pick up a Tree Walk Booklet in the brochure rack in the Administration Building. It contains maps of each trail and of campus and information about and locations of each species.

The Gaunt Trail is named for Thomas Gaunt, a Civil War captain who, in the 1850’s, established a nursery on the land that is now the Northwest Arboretum. He also built the Gaunt House, which now serves as the home of the University president. The trail begins on the south side of Hudson Hall and contains the following 39 species:
1. Horsechestnut Aesculus hippocastanum
2. European Beech Fagus sylvatica
3. Sawtooth Oak Quercus acutissima
4. White Fir Abies concolor
5. Norway Spruce Picea abies
6. European Larch Larix decidua
7. American Linden Tilia americana*
8. Black Oak Quercus velutina*
9. Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora
10.Ponderosa Pine Pinus ponderosa
11.Jack Pine Pinus banksiana
12. Texas Buckeye Aesculus arguta
13. Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
14. Colorado Blue Spruce Picea pungens ‘Glauca’
15. Baldcypress Taxodium distichum
16. Star Magnolia Magnolia stellata
17. Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida*
18. Austrian Pine Pinus nigra
19. Pecan Carya illinoensis*
20. Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis*
21. Washington Hawthorn Crataegus phoenopyrum*
22. Golden Weeping Willow Salix alba ‘Tristis’
23. Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica*
24. River Birch Betula nigra*
25. Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata*
26. Flowering Crabapple Malus spp.
27. Northern Catalpa Catalpa speciosa*
28. Ohio Buckeye Aesculus glabra*
29. Red Horsechestnut Aesculus x carnea
30. European Filbert ‘Contorta’ Corylus avellana
31. Sycamore Platanus occidentalis
32. Common Witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana*
33. White Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus
34. Paperbark Maple Acer griseum
35. Japanese Maple Acer palmatum , var. dissectum Crimson Queen
36. Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica*
37. Full Moon Maple Acer japonicum
38. Japanese Maple Acer palmatum
39. Black Cherry Prunus serotina*

The Tower Trail surrounds the University Bell Tower, the oldest section of the Northwest campus. The trail begins east of Roberta Hall and contains the following 32 species:
40. Red Mulberry Morus rubra
41. Hedge Maple Acer campestre
42. Black Willow Salix nigra*
43. Russian Olive Elaeagnus angustifolia (to be removed soon)
44. Turkish Filbert Corylus corluma
45. American Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua*
46. Saucer Magnolia Magnolia x soulangiana
47. Yellow Buckeye Aesculus octandra*
48. Kentucky Coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus*
49. Swamp White Oak Quercus bicolor
50. Red Maple Acer rubrum*
51. Downy Hawthorn Crataegus mollis
52. White Oak Quercus alba*
53. Bur Oak Quercus macrocarpa*
54. Canadian Hemlock Tsuga canadensis
55. White Spruce Picea glauca

56. Katsuratree Cercidiphyllum japonicum
57. English Oak Quercus robur
58. Limber Pine Pinus flexilis
59. Pin Oak Quercus palustris*
60. Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus
61. White Ash Fraxinus americana
62. Thornless Honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis*
63. Common (Black) Alder Almus glutinosa
64. Willow Oak Quercus phellos*
65. Bradford Pear Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’
66. Amur Corktree Phellodendron amurense
67. Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila
68. Water Oak Quercus nigra
69. Ginkgo (Maidenhair Tree) Ginkgo biloba
70. Common Hackberry Celtis occidentalis*
71. Littleleaf Linden Tilia cordata

The Chatauqua Trail is so named because around the turn of the century, much of the area surrounding the Mary Linn Performing Arts Center was called Chatauqua Park. Each year, traveling entertainers would visit Maryville and locals would camp out in the park and enjoy days of frivolity. The trail begins near the northeast corner or North Complex and contains the following 31 species.

72. American Elm Ulmus americana*
73. Chinese Chestnut Castanea mollissima
74. Eastern Cottonwood Populus deltoides*
75. Japanese Zelkova Zelkova serrata
76. American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana
77. Overcup Oak Quercus lyrata
78. Red Oak Quercus rubra*
79. American Yellowwood Cladrastis lutea*
80. Amur Maple Acer ginnala
81. Panicled Goldenraintree Koelreuteria paniculata
82. Paper Birch Betula papyrifera*
83. Autumn Olive Elaeagnus umbellata
84. Scotch Pine Pinus sylvestris
85. Common Smoketree Cotinus coggygria
86. Yellow Poplar (Tulip Tree) Liriodendron tulipifera
87. Silver Maple Acer saccharinum*
88. Shingle Oak Quercus imbricaria
89. European Hornbeam Carpinus betulus
90. Downy Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea*
91. Butternut Juglans cinerea
92. Shumard Oak Quercus shumardii
93. Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides
94. Lacebark Elm Ulmus parvifolia
95. Japanese Larch Larix kaempferi
96. Black Walnut Juglans nigra*
97. Osage Orange Maclura pomifera*
98. Pagoda Dogwood Cornus alternifolia
99. American Beech Fagus grandifolia
100. Eastern Redceder Juniperus virginiana*
101. American Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana
102. Scholar-tree (Japanese Pagodatree) Sophora japonica
103. Norway Maple Acer platanoides
104. Sugar Maple Acer saccharum*

The Shrubs

In the Spring of 2000, the shrubs on campus were identified and labelled with signs. A pamphlet was created as a supplement to the Tree Walk Booklet. This pamphlet contains a map that illustrates the location of each species of shrub as well as a brief description of the shrub, including height and width of growth and the most noteworthy characteristics of the species. The shrub guide can be picked up at the brochure rack in the Administration Building.

The following shrub species were included:

1. Beautybush Kolkwitzia amabalis
2. Bloodtwig Dogwood Cornus sanguinea
3. Bridalwreath Spirea Spirea prunifolia
4. Dwarf Alberta Spruce Picea glauca ‘Conica’
5. Japanese Spirea Spirea japonica ‘Daphne’
6. Old Fashioned Weigela Weigela florida
7. Glossy (Fernleaf) Buckthorn Rhamnus frangula ‘Asplenifolia’
8. Northern Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica
9. Oak-Leaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia
10. Catawba Rhododendron Rhododendron catawbiense
11. PJM Hybrid Rhododendron Rhododendron ‘P.J.M.’
12. Flowering Almond Prunus triloba var. multiplex
13. Rockspray Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
14. Common Lilac Syringa vulgaris
15. Witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana
16. American Filbert Corylus americana
17. Border Forsythia Forsythia x intermedia
18. Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii
19. European Filbert (Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick) Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’
20. Anthony Waterer Spirea Spirea x bumalda ‘Anthony Waterer’
21. Little Princess Spirea Spirea japonica ‘Little Princess’
22. Bush Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa
23. Dense Yew Taxus x media ‘Densiformis’
24. Gray Dogwood Cornus racemosa
25. Nanking Cherry Prunus tomentosa
26. Redosier Dogwood Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’
27. Rose-of-Sharon Hibiscus syriacus
28. Border Privet Ligustrum obtusifolium
29. Slender Deutzia Deutzia gracilis
30. Vanhoutte Spirea Spirea vanhouteii
31. Anglojap Yew Taxus x media
32. Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea ‘Laladei’
33. Savin Juniper Juniperus sabina ‘Broadmoor’
34. Spreading Cotoneaster Cotoneaster divaricatus
35. Wayfaringtree Viburnum Viburnum lantana
36. Winged Euonymus (Burning Bush) Euonymus alatus
37. Panicle Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’
38. Littleleaf Boxwood Buxus microphylla
39. Common Smokebush Cotinus coggygria
40. Japgarden Juniper Juniperus procumbens
41. Bird’s Nest Spruce Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’
42. Meserve Hybrid Holly Ilex x meserveae
43. Mugo Pine Pinus mugo
44. Azaleas (Northern Lights Mix) Rhododendron spp.
45. Flowering Quince Chaenomeles speciosa
46. Japanese Barberry Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea
47. Downy Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea
48. Chinese Juniper (Pfitzer) Juniperus chinensis ‘Pfitzeriana’
49. Blue Rug Juniper Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltoni’
50. Everlow Yew Taxus x media ‘Everlow’
51. Inkberry Holly Ilex glabra
52. Thunberg Spirea Spirea thunbergii
53. Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
54. Doublefile Viburnum Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’
55. Linden Viburnum Viburnum dilatatum ‘Erie’
56. European Cranberrybush Viburnum Viburnum opulus
57. Judd Viburnum Viburnum x juddii
58. Fragrant Snowball Viburnum Viburnum carlcephalum
59. Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum Viburnum rufidulum
60. Willow Wood Viburnum Viburnum rhytidocarpum
61. Koreanspice Viburnum Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’
62. Koreanspice Viburnum Viburnum carlesii ‘Cayuga’
63. European Cranberrybush Viburnum Viburnum opulus ‘Xanthocarpum’
64. Nannyberry Viburnum Viburnum lentago

Many of the trees date to grounds keeper J. R. Brink who was known to have planted 300 trees a year starting 1915. During this period Brink planted a dense forest on practically all land that did not have buildings. The Brink forest has been whittled away with new buildings and memorials.