Castanea dentata

The American chestnut, Castanea dentata, is a member of the beech family and is the only chestnut native to Canada. The American chestnut is also known simply as the chestnut or as the sweet chestnut.

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The American chestnut is considered to be a large tree, reaching up to 100 feet in height.

The American chestnut is shade-tolerant, and indeed seedlings thrive best in the shade. In terms of soil, the American chestnut is found on acid to neutral sandy soil. The American chestnut does best with dry soils

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Distinct male and female flowers are found on the same tree, making the tree monoecious. However, cross-pollination is required as it is self-incompatible. Flowers appear in late spring to early summer. Pollination requires insects. Nuts are produced in the fall and are dispersed by large birds and squirrels.

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The dark grey-brown bark of the tree is smooth and thin, with fissures appearing with age. The smooth green leaves are alternate and simple, 6 to 12 inches long and 2 to 4 inches wide. The tip and base are tapered and the margins show widely spaced teeth.

Prior to the chestnut blight disease that spread in the early 1900s, the American chestnut dominated many forests of North America, and was considered one of if not the most important deciduous forest tree of eastern North America. However, the disease greatly reduced the overall population. In the United States, it is considered extirpated, critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable in numerous states.

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In addition to the birds and squirrels that eat the chestnuts, humans and livestock also eat the nuts. Chestnuts are also used as medicinal and can be used in dyeing. Due to the value for wildlife and humans, both Canada and the United States are interested in restoring this species.

On campus, an American chestnut is located between Colton Chapel and South College.

Carpinus caroliniana

The American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana, is also known as the blue-beech, ironwood, water-beech, or, in Spanish, lechillo. An American hornbeam can be spotted in the Simon Center parking lot.

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The American hornbeam is a small tree, occasionally found as a shrub, with a slow growth and a short lifespan. Large individuals reach heights of 65 feet with diameters of 27 inches and a crown spread of 66 feet, although more commonly the trees are much smaller. In Canada, the height of mature trees averages between 15 to 20 feet, while in the southern reaches of its range the American hornbeam averages 25 to 35 feet.

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The American hornbeam can be found in greatly varied climates and under varied conditions. For example, frost-free periods can range from 80 to 320 days. While not limited to any particular soil, the American hornbeam does do best on rich, wet-mesic soils. Abundant soil moisture but good drainage are ideal to prevent saturation and poor aeration, and the tree is only moderately tolerant of flooding. Alluvial or collvial soils are also ideal. The American hornbeam is usually found in acidic soils with a pH of 4 to 5.6, though can be found in soils with a pH as high as 7.4. The American hornbeam is also very shade-tolerant, especially in younger trees.

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The tree is resistant to frost and wind, but is susceptible to fire, likely because of its thin bard. Insects and diseases are not an issue. Once a tree is dying, it rots very quickly.

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The bark tends to be smooth and slate grey, with some ridges.

The American hornbeam has distinct male and female catkins, although both appear on the same trees, making the tree monoecious. Catkins and pollen appear in the spring, and depending on location flowering follows from late March through May. The fruit of the American hornbeam is an ovoid nutlet, ribbed with three lobes. American hornbeams begin producing seeds at 15 years of age, peaking between 25 and 50 years before ceasing towards 75 years. Seeds are usually dispersed by birds.

Betula papyifera

Paper birch, Betula papyifera, is also known as white birch, canoe birch, and silver birch. The standard paper birch is considered to be the papyrifera variety, but there are five other varieties that can be intergraded by geography. The paper birches are the most widely distributed birches in North America, dominantly in Canada.

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While medium sized, the paper birch is a fast growing tree. Within 30 years, a tree trunk often has a diameter of 8 inches, averaging 10 to 12 inches later during maturity. Paper birches are considered mature in 60 to 70 years. The paper birch averages 70 feet in height, though larger trees exceed 30 inches in trunk diameter and 100 feet in height. The paper birch typically has a life span less than 140 years, making it short-lived, although can grow to 200 years.

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The paper birch thrives on well-drained albeit cool and moist sandy loams, though it tolerates a range of precipitation amounts. The tree is adapted to cold climates, and can live at high elevations and on slopes with a northern aspect, meaning it does not require maximized sunlight. However, it has some difficulty growing in soils with shallow permafrost. The paper birch also tolerates relatively high amounts of aluminum with no issue, though it is nutrient-sensitive. In particular, nitrogen, phosphorus, and lime have positive effects on the paper birch. Paper birches are shade-intolerant. Paper birches are also less tolerant of flooding than river birches.

The rapidly decomposing leaf litter of the paper birch can add calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and nitrogen to the soil, as well as increasing pH.

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Paper birches can flower from mid-April through early June. The flowers are monoecious. Seed production begins at 15 years, with peak seed crops occurring in trees between 40 and 70 years of age. The fruits are winged nutlets with seeds ripening from early August until mid-September, though maturation and seed dispersal can occur earlier, as early as July, with injured trees. As the nutlets are winged, seeds can be spread very far, but most merely fall near the parent tree.

Paper birches can also regenerate from cuttings and sprouts.

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During the 1930s and 1940s, birch dieback killed or damaged a large percentage of papers birches, but is no longer considered a big threat. The bronze birch borer is a serious insect pest that targets overmatured paper birches. Other insects, microorganisms, and conditions can affect paper birches as well. Furthermore, due to the thin, flammable bark, paper birches are susceptible to serious damage or death fire. Finally, human vandalization of the bark is often an issue in parks.

Lots of animals eat the leaves, seeds, buds, and bard of the paper birch, including deer, porcupines, and birds. Humans also produce syrup, wine, beer, and medicinal tonics using paper birch sap.

On campus, one may see an example of a white birch in the Simon Center parking lot.

Betula nigra

The river birch, Betula nigra, is also known as the red birch, the water birch, and the black birch. The river birch can grow 50 to 90 feet tall, though averages around 40 to 50 feet.

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While its range stretches across the southeastern quarter of the United States, several areas are excluded, notably, the southern half of the Mississippi River flood plain, the Appalachian Mountains, and several notable limestone areas, including lower coastal plains and parts of Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

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While the river birch is typically found below 1,800 feet in elevation, it has been found higher, closer to 2,200 feet. Furthermore, it is possible that the lack of specimens in mountainous areas is due to the relatively little alluvium, or unconsolidated stream sediment, found at higher elevations.

While elevation is less variable than some species of tree, the river birch can be found in a wide range of climates. It prefers hot, humid areas with little frost and high precipitation, but it is present in areas with less precipitation and higher amounts of frost as well.

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River birches prefer moist, alluvial soils with clays, though it can sometimes be found on drier soils, such as the confines of prairie areas. Even though the river birch thrives with high moisture, it is not very resistant to flooding. This could explain why the river birch is not found on the southern portion of the Mississippi River flood plain. Additionally, river birches are very tolerance of acidic soils.

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The flowers of the river birch are either male or female, although both male and female flowers can be found on the same tree, making it a monoecious species. Male catkins can be found on the tips of twigs starting in the fall, though only mature the following May or April. Female catkins, instead, are found along the twigs as the leaves come out. River birches, like many other birches, produce copious amounts of pollen.

Flowers then open in early spring, with fruit appearing as late as early summer. Seeds are small and winged, in order to be carried by the wind or by streams. River birches produce good seed crops nearly every year, but are the only members of the birch family that do not produce seed in the fall.

Unlike many other birches, the river birch has reddish brown bark, which tends to peel into paper-like curls. Though the crown begins oval or pyramidal, as the river birch becomes older it spreads wider, with average spreads of 25 to 35 feet.

The river birch is shade intolerant. The river birch is relatively disease-free, and while it can host insects few serve as serious pests. Floods and floating ice along streams can kill riverbank trees.

Prince Maximilian, before becoming Emperor of Mexico, described the river birch as the most beautiful American tree, and it is frequently used in landscaping. Furthermore, the river birch has been used to reclaim strip mines, as it is tolerant of acidic soils. It is also used in the production of inexpensive furniture. The river birch is considered threatened in New Hampshire.

A weeping river birch of the ‘Summer Cascade’ cultivar can be found west of Markle Hall.

Aesculus glabra

The Ohio buckeye, Aesculus glabra, is also known as the American buckeye, the fetid buckeye, and the stinking buckeye. “Fetid” and “stinking” were names inspired by the smell derived from the crushing of its leaves. Abundance of the buckeye was high in the 1800s but has since fallen.

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The buckeye likes moist sites and can thus be found along streambanks or river bottoms. It can still be found on drier soils where it grows more slowly, sometimes reduced to shrub status at a maximum height of 5 feet. When not so hindered by dry soils, the Ohio bucokeye commonly exceeds 40 feet in height, reaching up to 80 feet. In terms of shade, the Ohio buckeye is shade tolerant, but does best as an individual in an open area during its earlier years. When found in dense stands, the Ohio buckeye grows much straighter and undergoes natural pruning.

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Ohio buckeyes bear both bisexual and male flowers, meaning it is polygamo-monoecious. The flowers are greenish-yellow, appearing from March to May in upright clusters. In each cluster, only the flowers close to the base are fertile.

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The fruit of the tree is a leathery nodule that can contain up to three seeds. The nodules tend to have seams and small spines. Seeds are only produced from 8 years onwards. The deep brown seeds can look like eyes, from which comes the name “buckeye.”

The leaves of the Ohio buckeye are compound, with 5 leaflets coming from a single stalk. Each leaflet is broad and flat, and can have fine teeth. The top surface of the leaves are light green, but they are paler underneath. The bark of older buckeyes is dark, furrowed, and scaly. The wood is light and soft.

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Relatively few diseases and insects affect the Ohio buckeye. While the young leaves can be killed by frost, the tree itself is resistant to severe winters and rarely damaged by frost or heavy loads of snow. Furthermore, the Ohio buckeye is resistant to sunscald.

The bark and seeds contain a narcotic glucoside that can be poisonous to livestock, and the young shoots are poisonous to cattle in particular. However, squirrels still eat some buckeye seed with no ill effect.

There are two buckeyes on the path east of Van Wickle Hall.

Acer saccharum

The sugar maple, Acer saccharum, is also known as the hard maple or rock maple.

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The sugar maple can reach heights of 40 to 80 feet by its 50th year. After the 50th year, growth typically slows. While the sugar maple can live under a wide variety of conditions, depth of the soil andparent material do greatly affect the height of the sugar maples in that area.

Sugar maples can exist on soils that are strongly acidic (pH 3.7), but is typically found on soils with a pH of 5.5 to 7.3, acidic to slightly alkaline. Additionally, sugar maples do best on well-drained loams. Dry, shallow soils and swampy soils are not conducive to the sugar maple. Further south in its range, the sugar maple is picker in terms of soil, while further north it is more accepting of a variety of soils. Additional variations by state include preferring abundant organic matter in New Hampshire and preferring to coexist with oaks in West Virginia.

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The sugar maple is found only in regions with cool, moist climates. Typical ranges in temperatures in the sugar maple region are from -40 degrees F to 100 degrees F, and the averaged annual temperatures for its area are shown in the map below. Additionally, sugar maples are very tolerant of shade, more so than most hardwoods.

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The leaves of the sugar maple are typical of the maple family, with five lobes. Leaves tend to be dark green on top with a paler undersurface and can be 3 to 5 inches long. Unlike the red maple, which has serrated lobe margins, the lobe margins on a sugar maple are shallow and smooth. Sugar maples produce high quantities of leaf litter. The leaves possess noticeable quantities of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and ash, and are themselves acidic, typically with a pH of 4.0 to 4.9. Calcium content drops when the trees are living in particularly acidic soils.

Sugar maples have yellow flowers up to 2.5 inches long which appear in drooping clusters between late March and mid-May. Flowering is rare until at least 22 years old, and gets heavier as the tree gets older. A single tree will have both male and female flowers, with both sexes appearing in the upper crown of the tree, while only males are found in the lower part. Pollination occurs without the need of insects like bees.

The fruit of the sugar maple is a double samara, which takes 16 weeks to ripen. When the samaras are yellowish green, the seeds inside are considered mature. As with flowers, older trees tend to produce high crops of fruits.

The bark of the sugar maple is dark grey, and develops rough vertical grooves and ridges as it ages, eventually appearing dark brown. Twigs tend to be reddish-brown with a white interior.

Numerous insects, fungi, and diseases may harm the tree, but while insects may kill it, diseases rarely do, instead only deforming a tree or decreasing a tree’s volume. Furthermore, animals such as deer, squirrels, birds, and porcupines feed on the tree, though rarely causing serious damage, except when insects or fungi take advantage of the weakened tree. Road salt can also severely hurt sugar maples.

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In terms of commercial lumber, the sugar maple is one of the most important hardwoods, comprising of 9% of hardwood land at 31 million acres and 6% of hardwood sawtimber volume in the Unites States. Another common usage of the tree is maple sugar. The trees are tapped early in the spring, from which sap is derived. The sap is then boiled into a syrup, and through evaporation can be turned into maple sugar. 34 gallons of sap can produce 1 gallon of syrup or 8 pounds of sugar.

The sugar maple on campus can be found between Skillman Library and Markle Hall.

Abies concolor

The white fir, Abies concolor, is also known as the Colorado white fir, and it has been noted to thrive best in the central Sierra Nevada of California.

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As most firs are, it is an evergreen, coniferous mountain tree, usually found in forests, and it is also frequently used as a Christmas tree. It is protected through the Nevada Natural Heritage Program as a Christmas tree native to Nevada.

As a mountain tree, its preferred elevation ranges from 4,000 to 10,000 feet. The white fir prefers areas with long winters and the moderate to heavy deposits of snow found in moderately humid climates. Typically, it prefers precipitation to exceed 20 inches per year, and thrives when precipitation is between 35 to 75 inches. The white fir also is commonly found on moderately to strongly acidic soils with granular and clay loam. It prefers deep soils with enough moisture, and does well on a wide variety of parent materials.

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While the white fir can have a lifespan extending beyond 300 years, its growth in the first 30 years is very slow. It can take between 6 and 9 years to produce a 6 foot tree. It is very tolerant of certain conditions, such as shade, and requires no pruning, but young trees can be easily killed by fire and need to be safeguarded against such. Additionally, sudden exposure of parts of the trunk to the sun leadsto the tree getting sunscalded, and due to its shallow, wide root system, it can be windthrown during high wind. The white fir is one of the most sensitive conifers in terms of Sulphur dioxide and several pests and fungi threaten this tree.

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The tallest white fir found was 192 feet tall with almost 107 inches in diameter of the trunk, but more commonly large specimen are 130 to 180 feet tall with 39 to 65 inches in trunk diameter.

The bark of the white fir is ash grey and can often have deep furrows with horny, flattened ridges. The bark can reach 7 inches of thickness on older trees.

Needles are 2 to 3 inches long, flat, and silvery-blue to silvery-green. The needles can extend from the branches at right angles from all sides of a branch, although sometimes are two-ranked, meaning the needles only come out from either side of the branch.

The cones are olive-green to purple and can be 2 to 5 inches long. Cones begin to disintegrate, shedding seeds, in late September or early October. The amount of seeds distributed during this time varies annually; the largest seed crops occur every 2 to 5 years.

The seeds are often eaten by squirrels, while porcupines gnaw on the bark. Deer may also eat the seedlings of the white fir.

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Note that there are two varieties of white fir, a distinction based largely on needle form and terpene content. Var. concolor is also known as the Rocky Mountain white fir, while var. lowiana is also known as the California white fir. Concolor is the variety found at Lafayette College, and a tree is found south of Van Wickle Hall, between the building and South College Drive.

Cladrastis kentukea

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The American yellowwood, also known by its scientific name Cladrastis kentukea, typically reaches 30 to 50 feet in height, with a spread of 40 to 50 feet, although it can reach up to 75 feet in height. The yellowwood is named for its yellow heartwood and has been used to create yellow dyes. In the fall, the leaves turn copper and yellow.

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The yellowwood can survive in zones 4 through 8, growing in both areas with some shade and with full sun. It has moderate drought tolerance and prefers occasionally wet to well-drained soils.
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The yellowwood produces a sizable number of flowers, typically one inch in diameter, which attract bees. Trees begin flowering at 10 years. While they flower yearly, the trees tend to display particularly impressive flowering displays every two to five years.
The yellowwood requires pruning to improve its lifespan, and pruning must be performed in the summer to avoid excess bleeding. If unpruned, trees can tear themselves apart in 30 to 40 years.
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The American yellowwood on campus can be found behind Markle, between the building and the parking deck.

Magnolia macrophylla

MgnMacrDistThe scientific name of the bigleaf magnolia is the Magnolia macrophylla.
The bigleaf magnolia on campus is located on the pathway between Colton Chapel and Pardee. It is recognizable by its very large leaves. In the wild these leaves can range from 12 to 32 inches long and 7 to 12 inches wide. The leaves tend to be larger when the tree is found in the wild, but even as a landscape tree the leaves are still impressively sized.

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Starting around 12 to 15 years, this magnolia develops flowers from May to July, later than most magnolias on campus. The flowers are white with some rose at the base, and can be 8 to 12 inches in diameter. Like many magnolias, the scent of the flower is pleasant.
The overall tree can reach heights of 30 to 40 feet with a 20 to 30 feet spread.

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The bigleaf magnolia can do survive in zones 5 through 8, although is natively found in a much more limited range in the southern portion of the United States. It tends to do well with some shade or full sun. Soil should be well-drained, and the bigleaf magnolia cannot survive with wet soil or droughts.

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Due to its pickiness, in captivity, the bigleaf magnolia can have a short lifespan. In fact, one of the trunks of the bigleaf magnolia on campus had to be removed recently due to rotting.

Acer rubrum

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The red maple, Acer rubrum, is also known by many other names, such as but not limited to the scarlet maple, the swamp maple, and the soft maple. It can and does natively grow over a large range and is one of the most abundant and widespread trees in eastern North America. Compared to other maples, it has a wider range of climate tolerance, and it can live in zones 3 to 9.

AcRubTemp It is also not picky about soils or parent material, moisture, nutrients, and pH levels. Perhaps it is due to this adaptability that it can be found in more extreme soil-moisture conditions, where other trees cannot. Furthermore, it easily develops more specialized root systems based on soil conditions in its current location. Its preferred locations, however, are moist, moderately well-drained sites at low to intermediate elevations.

AcRubPrec The red maple produces small, red to yellow flowers from March to May starting at 4 years of age. Some trees are entirely male, others female, and others are monoecious, usually with alternating functionality on branches.
The red maple is often used as a shade tree. It can grow between 60 to 90 feet in height, though the largest known red maple is 125 feet tall with a trunk circumference of 16.25 feet.

AcRubAlt On campus are three different cultivars of red maple, namely, ‘Red sunset,’ ‘October glory,’ and ‘Armstrong.’ They can be found by the Williams Center for the Arts, near Farinon, and on the path between Colton Chapel and Pardee. They are notable for their bright red fall coloring.

 

Sources

Walters, Russell S. and Harry W. Yawney. “Red Maple.” Silvics of North America. Ed. Russell M. Burns and Barbara H. Honkala. Washington, DC: Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, December 1990. 60-69. Print.

Acer rubrum.” Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Botanical Garden, n.d. Web. 14 April 2016.

A look at the trees on the Lafayette College campus