#lawn tree

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Magnolia tripetala Umbrella Magnolia

Family: Magnoliaceae

 Plant community: unkown

 Origins: Central U.S. and central east coast.

 Mature size: 15-30’ height. Leaves clustered near ends of branches and forms umbrella like drooping shape.

 Habitat: Grows in deep, moist, woodsy soils along streams and swamps. Typically understory that grows beneath shade of other trees.

 Hardiness zone: 4-8

 Leaf: Alternate, simple, oblong ovate, 10-24” long, acute at base. Dark green above, pale grean beneath. Turning lighter and sometimes yellow in fall.

 Flower: 6-9 petaled flowers 6-10” across. Creamy white, solitary and overwhelmingly fragrant.

 Urban landscape applications: Used throughout the High Line in NYC, this tree does well in cold and elevated zones. It typically stays a pretty manageable size so can do well in cities. Does not do well with extremes in the soil type, but can tolerate a lower and consistent amount of moisture.

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, missouribotanicalgarden.org, www.thehighline.org/blog

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Magnolia virginiana Sweetbay Magnolia

Family: Magnoliaceae

 Plant community: unknown

 Origins: East coast U.S. to Texas.

 Mature size: 10-20’ high and wide in North, can grow 60’ high in South.  Small shrub shape, loose, open and upright habit in North with pyramidal semi-evergreen effect in South.

 Habitat: Does well in wet and swampy soils, tolerates shade, grows best in warm climates with acid soil.

 Hardiness zone: 5-9

 Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen to semi-evergreen. Lustrous dark green above and glaucous beneath. Some yellow color in fall.

 Flower: Creamy white, lemony flowers, 2-3” wide with 9-12 petals.

 Urban landscape applications: Evident along streams and coastal areas so does well in wet soils.

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, missouribotanicalgarden.org,

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Nyssa sylvatica

Black Tupelo, Black Gum

Family: Nyssaceae

 Plant community: Oak Hickory, Red Maple Swamp,

 Origins: Eastern North America.

 Mature size: 30-50’ height, 20-30’ spread. Pyramidal in youth, spreading horizontally into rounded shape in maturity.

 Habitat: Moist, acid, drained, deep soils. Found in wild on dry mountain ridges, in abandoned fields, and in mountain swamps.

 Hardiness zone: 4-9.

 Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate. Lustrous dark green above, changing to fluorescent yellow to orange to scarlet to purple in fall.

 Flower: Small, greenish-yellow.

 Urban landscape applications: Difficult to transplant due to taproot. Useful in urban plantings in cities not overly polluted. Can be used as street tree in residential areas with deep soil, due to the large taproot. Good for naturalizing a landscape. Fall coloration an important aspect of landscape choice.

Nyssa aquatica is an important relative that is highly applicable in flooded landscapes. “The closely related water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) is a tree most often seen growing in standing water in swamps and bottomlands in the lower Mississippi valley and southeastern U.S. coastal areas, either in pure stands or in combination with bald cypress, water oaks and swamp cottonwoods.”-Missouri Botanical Garden

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, www.arborday.org, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Acer triflorum

Three-flower Maple

Family: Sapindaceae

 Plant community: unknown

 Origins: Northern China, Korea.

 Mature size: 20’30’ height, same spread. Small and upright shape, full and dense branch pattern.

 Habitat: Prefers acid, moist, well-drained soil.

 Hardiness zone: 5-7

 Leaf: Opposite, trifoliate. Dark green changing to rich yellow and reds in fall. Orange overall effect.

 Flower:  Clusters of 3, terminating shoots. Yellow-green. Samara fruit, obtuse angle.

 Urban landscape applications: Does well in many soil and air situations, aesthetically pleasing shape and color, shade tree, seen on the high line in a grove.

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Thuja occidentalis 

Eastern Arborvitae

Family: Cupressaceae

 Plant community: Red Maple Swamp.

 Origins: Eastern North America

 Mature size: 40-60’ height, 10-15’ spread. Typically shorter in cultivation. Dense, often broad-pyramidal tree with short branches that end in flat, spreading horizontal sprays.

 Habitat: Areas with considerable moisture in air and soil. Requires deep, well drained soil. Can grow in bogs, more on hummocks rather than in the fully saturated soil. Occurs naturally in rocky, mountainous conditions.  

 Hardiness zone: 3-7

 Leaf: Scale-like, abruptly pointed. Bright green above and pale green below. Sometimes yellow-brown-green in winter.

 Flower: Monoecious, terminal, solitary.

 Urban landscape applications: Susceptible to strong wind, snow, or ice damage. Good for hedges as they can be pruned well, and wind breaks.  

  Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, www.mortonarb.org

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Koelreuteria paniculata

Goldenraintree

Family: Sapindaceae

 Plant community:

 Origins: China, Japan, Korea.

 Mature size: 30-40’ height with equal or greater spread.

 Habitat: Adaptable to wide range of soils, withstands drought, heat, wind and alkaline soils. Tolerates air pollutants and prefers full sun.

 Hardiness zone: 5-8.

 Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound. Leaflets ovate to ovate-oblong. Coarse shape. Rich green and glabrous above, pubescent, and lighter green beneath. Yellow and golden almost orange-yellow in fall.

 Flower: Perfect, yellow, borne in a long, wide panicle.

 Urban landscape applications: Adaptable to so many soils. Some see it as weak wooded so maybe not a street tree.

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Cercidiphyllum japonicum Katsuratree

Family: Cercidiphyllaceae

 Plant community: unknown

 Origins: China, Japan

 Mature size: 40-60’ height, 20-30’ spread. Pyramidal in youth, full and dense. Varies with maturity.

 Habitat: Prospers in moist, rich well drained soils. Full sun.

 Hardiness zone: 4-8

 Leaf: Opposite, simple, heart shaped. Emerge as reddish purple and change to bluish green in summer. Yellow to apricot in fall.

 Flower: Reddish purple, minute calyx and indefinite stamens.  pistillate of four green, fringed sepals. Small purplish banana shaped pods as fruit.

 Urban landscape applications: Possibly a street tree but hard to establish. Good for residences and parks.

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants

[rachelsplantinventory-blog]

Acer rubrum Red Maple

Family: Sapindaceae

 Plant community: Red Maple Swamp, Northern Hardwood Forest, Oak Hickory, New England Barrier Beach

 Origins: Eastern U.S.

 Mature size: 40-60’ height, larger in wild. Often pyramidal or elliptical in youth, irregular, ovoid or rounded crown. Varies based on cultivar.

 Habitat: Tolerant of many soil types but prefers slightly acid, moist conditions. Occurs naturally in low, wet area.

 Hardiness zone: 3-9

 Leaf: Opposite, simple, 3 or 5 lobed, medium to dark green above, grayish to silvery beneath. Red petioles. Greenish yellow to yellow to bright red in fall.

 Flower: Borne with petals, red and yellowish in dense clusters before leaves.  Samara fruit.

 Urban landscape applications: Ozone and sulfur dioxide tolerant. Good for parks, lawns, and streets. Adapted to swampy areas and rocky uplands, so cold be used in rubble or poor soils but also could be used in swales or floodplains.

 Sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org