The Beautiful and Unusual Trees You’ll Find in Montana

When you think of Montana and what you'll see here, after cowboys, rivers, and mountains, you'd probably think about Montana's trees. It may not be as forested as other states, but with the lack of urbanization in many parts of Montana, trees are plentiful.

You probably also imagined pine trees, especially because Montana's state tree is a Ponderosa Pine and it's one of the most common. But it's not all conifers in the Treasure State.

The Ginko Bilboa Trees Near Playfair Park in Missoula

Have you ever noticed the trees that grow along Bancroft Street in front of Playfair Park? If you look closely, one or two of them have strange leaves that look like this:

Those fanned leaves might remind you of a tea set, and they belong to a Ginko Biloba which typically grows in Asia. It's hard to say how they ended up lining the street along a public park in Missoula, but if you do know how they ended up at Playfair, we'd love to know the story.

The World's Tallest Larch Tree - Gus the Larch, Seeley Lake Montana

The Larch Tree is a conifer, but Gus deserves to be recognized because he's the world's largest larch tree. It's said Gus is over 1,000 years old. It's not exactly a draw for tourists the way the National Parks are, but it is quite the honor to be the world's tallest Larch Tree.

READ MORE: Montana Is Home to the World's Largest Larch Tree

Montana's Willow Trees

Seeing Willow Trees around Montana, you might think they're invasive or restricted, but there are native species of Willow in Montana, the golden and white willows. (note: the photo above is not likely a native species to Montana, but I'm no botanist).

Russian Olive Trees in Montana

Walk the neighborhoods of Billings and you'll smell the Russian Olive Trees, but these are considered a "regulated weed - priority 3" in the Montana Field Guide and are non-native. But when you learn that these trees are known for acting as a windblock, it's easy to understand why people might have planted them in eastern Montana decades ago.

Keep scrolling to learn more about Montana's plants.