Hey! Welcome to the trees page! This page consists of 8 different trees, their pictures and some fun facts. Any reference to Peterson is directed towards the Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs. The citation for this is as follows: (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 428 pp.). Before getting into my elite 8, I would like to briefly talk about the amazing New York Times article by Gabriel Popkin, “Cure Yourself of Tree Blindness” (https://ohioplants.org/tree-blindness/). In the very beginning of the article, Popkin talks exactly about my purpose in this class. He talks about how knowing trees was a matter of life and death at one point. He also states how knowing your trees could provide you with food to eat. I am super interested in this survival aspect of Ohio plants so I easily understood. Aside from that, trees tell us a lot of things about history, environment, etc. From a point that can impact everyone, Popkin states how treating or cutting down victimized trees costs societies money. He wraps the article up very strongly and explains how it’s important to step away from the busy world and get away into nature. I hope to have cured my tree blindness!
NOW LETS BEGIN! ↓↓↓
Norway Maple (Acer platanoides)
-Opposite, simple, fan-lobed leaves with flatter samaras. This tree sits in my front yard and it’s best known for its distinct purple leaves.
-I live in an Upper Arlington neighborhood and this tree has been alone in my front yard for my whole life.
-Peterson stated that “its best field mark is milky juice of broken leafstalk.” When I broke the leafstalk, I confirmed that the milky juice was there. As much as I wanted to taste it, I did not.
-According to Minnesota Wildflowers “this is a maple native to Norway and much of Europe into western Asia. It was introduced in colonial times as an urban street tree and is still widely bought and sold for that purpose today” (https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/norway-maple). I found this interesting because it seems like a rare tree in my neighborhood, so it makes sense that it’s not native. Also, as stated, mine also sits as an urban street tree.
Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
-Alternate, simple, entire, heart-shaped leaves with dry pod fruits.
-Found walking around Upper Arlington neighborhoods. It was a forested part on the sidewalk of Canterbury Rd.
-Peterson stated that “though a member of the pea family, Redbud exceptional in not growing nitrogen-fixing root nodules.” I found this interesting because the pea-like fruit pods are what ultimately caught my attention with this tree. This would make me originally think that it shares this similarity with the pea family, but it ultimately does not.
-Something I found interesting was that Peterson stated “red [flower] roots yield a dye.” Meanwhile, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says “boiled in water, redbud twigs produce a yellow dye” (https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CECA4). I would test this but I don’t think I have any good excuses for when my parents ask why I’m boiling twigs.
Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata)
-Opposite, pinnately compound, toothed leaves with twisted paddle-like samara.
-Found walking around Upper Arlington neighborhoods. It was a forested part on the sidewalk of Canterbury Rd.
-Peterson stated that “inner bark yields a blue dye.” I may have determined this had the tree not been on someone’s property. Also, I don’t really want to bother the tree.
-According to Illinois Wildflowers “The larger lateral branches are widely spreading, except toward the bottom of the crown, where they have a tendency to droop” (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/blue_ash.html). I noticed this drooping because the lower branch of the tree was low enough that I was able to reach it while walking on the sidewalk.
Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
-Opposite, palmately compound, toothed leaves with some flowers.
-Sitting in the Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center lawn. It is a fairly large roadside lawn with multiple different trees (even some other Buckeye friends).
-Peterson stated that “twigs emit a foul odor when broken.” When I tried this I wasn’t expecting the skunky smell. I think I recognized the smell from opening the fresh fruits for the nuts.
-According to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center “pioneers carried a buckeye seed in their pockets to ward off rheumatism” (https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AEGL). I am not sure how effective that actually was but while the pioneers were doing that, OSU fans were wearing them around their neck to ward off the University of Michigan. Go Bucks!
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
-Alternate, simple, star-shaped, toothed, lobed leaves with dry, brown, prickly, ball fruit. I’ve seen the “spiky balls” my whole life and never knew what they actually were. I thought they were bug things when I was a kid.
-Found at Upper Arlington Tremont Fountain Park. It is a small park with multiple different trees on the roadside.
-Peterson stated that “the leaves are pleasantly fragrant when crushed.” When I tried this I found a really good smell that was like a minty rootbeer. I didn’t even have to crush them to smell it.
-When researching the tree I wanted to know the story behind the name. According to Illinois Wildflowers “a fragrant gum is produced from the sap of Sweet Gum that is referred to as ‘American Storax’” (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/sweet_gum.html). This actually really interested me in going back and trying this for myself sometime.
Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra)
-Alternate, simple, toothed, very sand-papery, unevenly based leaves.
-Found walking around Upper Arlington neighborhoods. It was a forested part on the sidewalk of Canterbury Rd.
-Peterson stated that the “common name comes from the slimy inner bark, once known as a scurvy preventive.” I couldn’t reach the tree through the thick brush to determine this. Luckily I don’t have scurvy, I think.
-Something that stood out while researching was from Illinois Wildflowers, which said, “[Slippery Elm] is somewhat vulnerable to Dutch Elm disease, although less so than American Elm (Ulmus americana)” (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/slippery_elm.htm). Every source mentioned Dutch Elm disease and its impact on the various Elm trees.
Tulip-Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
-Alternate, simple, 4-pointed, notched-tip leaves with tulip-like flowers. Very noticeable leaves and flowers.
-Roadside front yard of Upper Arlington neighborhood.
-Peterson stated that the wood can be “used for furniture, interiors, shingles, boats, implements, boxes, toys, pulp and fuel.” It was unexpected that a showy tree would have so many uses. Like what can’t this tree do?
-Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center shocked me when I read that the “showy, yellow-orange, tulip-like flowers are often missed because they are up 50 ft. or higher in the tops of trees” (https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LITU). The tree I found in my neighborhood was not very tall and the flowers were easily eye level. However, I did see a Tulip-Tree on OSU campus that was way taller with no visible flowers.
Beech (fa*gus grandifolia)
-Alternate, simple, toothed leaves with a distinguishing smooth gray bark.
-Found at Thompson Park in Upper Arlington near the South Shelter. On the sidewalk neighboring other trees.
-Peterson stated that “quality of wood is only fair but used for cheap furniture, tool handles, veneer, shoe lasts and fuel.” I felt bad that they called the quality “only fair” until I realized that this ornament tree can actually be useful too. Show some respect you sons of Beeches.
-The Beech tree made me think of Beech-Nut chewing tobacco. I’ve never used chewing tobacco but I have heard the lyrics to A Country Boy Can Survive by Hank Williams Jr., “I’d love to spit some Beech-Nut in that dude’s eyes.” So this made me think about if Beech-Nut chewing tobacco had anything to do with the Beech tree. According to Illinois Wildflowers “fertile female flowers are replaced by nuts with prickly husks” (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/am_beech.htm). So that would be no correlation.
