Kousa Dogwood
Cornus kousa Native to Japan and Korea This small tree is attractive
in all seasons. In winter, its mottled, exfoliating bark in shades
or grey, beige and cream catches the eye. The tree comes into flower
in early June, about a month later than our native Flowering Dogwood,
Cornus florida. The pointed white petals are actually modified leaves
called bracts. They surround clusters of tiny yellow true flowers.
By late summer, showy red raspberry-like fruit hangs down among the
green leaves. The fruit persists into autumn complimenting the bronze-red
fall foliage color. This Cornus kousa is the second largest of its
kind on Long Island.
Weeping Purple Beech
Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendula’ This tree was donated
in 1996 as a mature specimen. It replaced another Weeping Purple Beech
planted during the Coe estate era. These dwarf trees are very slow
growing and generally only reach a height of 12 to 15 feet. The glossy,
deep purple leaves will remain colored until early fall. The graceful,
arching growth habit and smooth gray bark of this tree offer interest
throughout the year.
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica Native to Central and Southern Europe Beech trees
are majestic shade trees with dense foliage and spreading fibrous
root systems. The leaves are alternate on the twigs and a lustrous
deep green. The nuts of the European Beech are about 1-inch long,
enclosing two triangular seeds almost twice as large as those of the
American Beech. Long, slender, brown colored buds and smooth grey
bark make Beech easy to identify in the winter. This is a splendid
specimen tree, well suited for large estates. Beech leaves do not
decompose quickly and it is interesting to note that they were used
by European peasants to stuff mattresses.
Atlas Cedar
Cedrus atlantica Native to the Atlas Mountains of North Africa The
Atlas Cedar is a stately tree that is of interest throughout the year.
Cedars bloom in October. The male flowers, botanically called strobi,
are 2 inches long, narrow and cone-like. Yellow pollen is released
in clouds when the wind blows or the flower is tapped. The female
flowers are much smaller, usually appearing higher in the tree’s
canopy. The large upright cones take two years to reach maturity,
at which time they are 4-6 inches long. The cones do not fall in one
piece but shatter into many scales that litter the ground under the
tree. The tip of the cone usually stays in one piece and looks like
a woody brown rose. 9. Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana Native to Greece,
Caucasus and Asia Minor Like the true cedars, firs produce both male
and female flowers with females developing into the obvious erect
cones. These cones develop in one season after which the scales and
the seeds drop away leaving the central upright spike. Usually the
cones occur only on the upper branches. On this tree however, at least
two of the lower branches, after growing sharply downward, have reversed
direction forming what look like two new young trees. These two upright
“shoots” produce cones at lower levels easily viewed by
visitors. Firs do not tolerate air pollution, so their success at
Planting Fields is an indication of our low pollution levels.
Ginkgo Ginkgo
biloba Native to China The Ginkgo is one of the two most ancient
plant species of trees known. Geological records show that it once
grew in what is now the United States. European plant explorers first
found living Ginkgo trees cultivated in a Chinese monastery in 1784.
Like Holly, Ginkgo is dioecious; that is, it bears male and female
flowers on different trees. The flowers are greenish yellow and inconspicuous.
Ginkgo fruit looks like a small yellow plum. It has a pleasant edible
kernel. However, the flesh of the fruit as an unpleasant odor. Since
the female trees often fruit profusely, they are undesirable as ornamental
trees. The Ginkgo bears interesting fan-shaped leaves that turn a
beautiful clear yellow in the fall. Look under the female tree in
October and view the female fruit.
Dawn Redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides Native to China Surprisingly, the
Dawn Redwood is a deciduous tree. Look at the oppositely arranged
buds in winter. In spring each bud puts forth a feathery shoot made
up of soft green needles along a central stem. The needles retain
their fresh color all summer. In autumn, the foliage turns a striking
golden brown before it falls. It is then that the cones become noticeable.
They are rounded and brown, each about ¾ “ long, hanging
down on long stems from high on the tree. When they are ripe, the
scales open and flat seeds fall to the ground. Dawn Redwood has textured
reddish brown bark. The lower trunk forms buttresses in a most unusual
way as the tree matures.
Sweet Buckeye
Aesculus octandra Native to the Southeastern United States A
close relative of the more familiar Common Horsechestnut, Aesculus
hippocastanum, the Sweet Buckeye can be readily identified when in
flower. The Common Horsechestnut has large showy white flower clusters;
Sweet Buckeye has less conspicuous, pale creamy yellow flowers. The
foliage and shape of the Sweet Buckeye make it an attractive shade
tree. It is not commonly found in yards and along streets in rural
towns due to its large size. Commonly, it is seen at large estates
as well as botanic gardens and arboreta. It is interesting to note
that although the sweet seeds of Aesculus octandra contain a poison
called aesculin, Indians found a way to produce tasty nutritious flour
from the seeds. The seeds were roasted among stones to loosen the
shells, then peeled, mashed and leached in water for several days
before grinding.
Tulip Tree
Liriodendron tulipifera Native to Eastern North America One of the
tallest and most majestic trees native to Long Island, the Tulip Tree
prefers the moist rich woods of the low areas on the North Shore.
It is easy to identify by its tulip shaped leaves. The flowers, which
bloom in May and June, look like green tulips marked with yellow and
orange. Because the flowers face upward and because Tulip Trees in
woodlands lose all of their lower branches, the flowers frequently
go unnoticed. They are visible at Planting Fields because this tree
retains its lower branches. The cone-like fruits ripen in fall but
persist well into winter making the seeds readily available to birds.
Purple finches and cardinals are particularly fond of Tulip Tree seeds.
Tulip wood, frequently used for furniture, is light colored and easily
worked. Indians fashioned canoes by burning out the centers of fallen
trunks.
Spiderleaf Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Ornatum’ These animated dwarf
Japanese Maples have delicately cut deep red leaves, graceful pendant
branches, and intricately twisted trunks with smooth greyish, muscular-looking
bark. They are beautiful when silhouetted against the snow or winter
sky. A number of these trees are planted along the lawns at Planting
Fields.
Silver Linden
Tilia tomentosa Native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia Silver
Linden leaves are deep green above and silver white beneath. The very
fragrant flowers are said to contain a substance which stuns or poisons
honeybees that come in contact with them. Linden wood is soft and
light. It is used for crates, picture frames, and yardsticks. The
inner bark of Linden yields long tough fibers. Native Americans used
these fibers for sewing mats of bark and for binding wounds. This
Silver Linden is a relatively young tree that was donated by Panfield
Nurseries to replace a much larger Linden lost in a 1980 storm.
Japanese Zelkova
Zelkova serrata Native to Japan A vase-shaped tree similar to
its relative, the American Elm, Zelkova grows eventually to a maximum
height of 50 feet . The bark in youth is reddish brown with distinct
horizontal lines of lenticels (small dark spots on the bark that are
actually pores for the exchange of gases). In autumn the leaves turn
from yellow to orange to brown and some specimens turn deep red to
reddish purple. In old age, the bark is often exfoliating similar
to the Chinese Elm, Ulmus parvifolia. Although its habit is more rounded
with a shorter trunk than the American Elm, the Zelkova has often
been recommended as a substitute because it is highly resistant to
Dutch Elm disease as well as tolerating the elm leaf beetle and the
Japanese beetle.
Umbrella Pine
Sciadopitys verticillata Native to Japan This tree has been called
one of the most handsome and distinctive of conifers for its foliage
effect as well as texture. The large deep green needles of this conifer
grow in whorls along the twigs like spokes of an umbrella. Broad and
flat with two lines beneath, they are actually two needles grown together.
They measure 3 to 5 inches long. The Umbrella pine is extremely slow
growing and has some popularity as a large pot plant. In southern
states it grows much faster and appears to prefer light shade. In
Japan, the lumber is used for bathtubs and boats. The cones, which
grow high in the tree, have heavy woody scales and six to nine round
seeds.
Yew Collection
Taxus species Yews have flat green needles with two yellowish stripes
beneath. The fruit is a dark seed surrounded by a fleshy red collar
called an aril. Yews have been valued for centuries, chiefly for their
ornamental qualities. Handsome in their natural shape, they are more
commonly seen sheared into hedges and topiaries. There are two main
species of Yews: Japanese, Taxus cuspidata, and English, Taxus baccata.
There are named forms of both of these species and over the years
a number of hybrids between the two have been produced as well.
Golden Larch
Pseudolarix kaempferi Native to China This uncommon conifer,
like the true Larch, is deciduous. The Golden Larch is a broad-pyramidal,
deciduous conifer with wide-spreading horizontal branches and a rather
open habit at maturity. Before the leaves drop, the foliage turns
a beautiful golden yellow. Golden Larch needles are flat, bright green,
and wider towards the tip than at the base. They grow in whorls on
short branches called spurs, or single at the branch tips. Although
it is exceptionally handsome, the Golden Larch is not often found
except in arboreta and large estates because in grows over 100 feet
tall and almost as wide.
American Elm
Ulmus americana Native to eastern North America With numbers
now decimated by the Dutch Elm disease, the American Elm is remembered
fondly as being the most popular shade tree in the U.S. The Elm has
inconspicuous reddish flowers that bloom in early April followed by
its fruit, a flat winged seed. The fruit is ½” long, with
a hairy margin, deeply notched at the apex. The 4 to 6” leaves
have doubly-toothed margins which are lopsided at the base. Indians
used elm bark for canoes, rope making and as a poultice on wounds.
Early settlers crafted the bark fibers into seats for chairs.
Japanese Pagoda
Tree Sophora japonica Native to China The Japanese Pagoda tree is
a member of the Legume family. In mid-summer, it bears upright clusters
of pale yellow pea-like flowers. Its leaves are pinnately compound
with 7-17 stalked oval leaflets. The oddly shaped pale green pods
constricted between each bean last well into the winter. A yellow
dye is made from the flowers and buds by baking them in an oven until
they turn brown and then boiling them in water.
