Chinese Weeping Willow Salix babylonica (Salicaceae) 20m

Has graceful ‘weeping’ branches and foliage reaching the ground. SHOOTS Brown and slender at first, becoming gnarled and thicker with age. LEAVES To 16cm long and 1.5cm wide, finely toothed and pointed; petiole to 5mm long. Mature leaves dark green, slightly glossy above. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins, to 2cm long and 0.4cm wide, appearing in May. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of China, planted in Britain and sometimes naturalised in wet habitats.

Chinese Weeping Willow leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Weeping Willow S. × sepulcralis (20m) More popular than Chinese Weeping Willow. A hybrid between Chinese Weeping Willow and White Willow. Pendulous branches and golden foliage elegant in waterside settings.

Weeping Willow leaf

Corkscrew Willow Salix babylonica ‘Tortuosa’ (Salicaceae) 18m

Distinctive willow, recognised by its contorted stems and pointed, twisted leaves. SHOOTS Older shoots less twisted, but bark still shows signs of earlier curves and even boles of older trees show some torsion. LEAVES Bright green, opening early in spring and darkening by summer. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male flowers are yellow catkins, to 2cm long. Female flowers smaller, greenish catkins, on separate plants. Both open around same time as leaves. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Originally from China butnowfound onlyin cultivation.

Corkscrew Willow leaf

Osier Salix viminalis (Salicaceae) 6m Spreading shrub or small tree. Rarely reaches full potential, being regularly cropped for long flexible twigs (‘withies’), used for weaving. Natural crown is narrow with slightly pendulous branches. SHOOTS Straight, flexible twigs, covered with greyish hairs when young, becoming smoother and shiny olive-brown with age. LEAVES Narrow, tapering, to 15cm long, the margin usually waved and rolled under; underside has grey woolly hairs. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female catkins, to 3cm long, appear before leaves on separate trees; erect or slightly curved. Males yellow, females browner. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native in wet habitats but planted for withies, masking its native range.

Osier leaf

Olive Willow Salix elaeagnos (Salicaceae) 6m

Similar to Osier. SHOOTS Young twigs with dense grey or white hairs; older twigs becoming yellow-brown and smooth. LEAVES Species is best recognised by leaves: matt white hairs beneath; dark shiny green above when mature. Leaves, to 15cm long and less than 1cm wide, have untoothed margins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female catkins on separate trees, appearing just before leaves; reddish male catkins to 3cm long, female catkins smaller. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of mainland Europe, sometimes planted for ornament in the British Isles.

Olive Willow leaf upperside

Olive Willow leaf underside

Weeping Willow foliage

Corkscrew Willow foliage

Corkscrew Willow bark

Weeping Willow

Osier, pollarded trees

Osier bark

Osier foliage

Olive Willow foliage

Grey Willow Salix cinerea (Salicaceae) 6m

Variable, usually a large shrub or sometimes a small tree with characteristic thick, downy, grey twigs. Represented by ssp. cinerea and ssp. oleifolia (previously known as S. c. atrocinerea or S. atrocinerea). SHOOTS Wood shows a series of fine longitudinal ridges if bark is peeled off 2-year-old twigs. LEAVES Oblong and pointed, usually 3–4 times as long as broad, on short petioles with irregular stipules. Leaves often have inrolled margins and are grey and downy below in spp. cinerea; by autumn, develop rusty hairs on veins in ssp. oleifolia. Upper surface matt and downy in ssp. cinerea but glossy and hairless in ssp. oleifolia. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins in early spring on separate trees, usually before leaves: male catkins ovoid and yellow, female catkins similar but greener, eventually releasing finely plumed seeds. This species and Goat Willow S. caprea are often called ‘Pussy Willow’ when their silky grey buds, resembling cats’ paws, appear in spring, followed by bright yellow catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Common across much of Britain, usually growing in wet habitats such as fenlands, stream sides and damp woodlands; ssp. cinerea is restricted mainly to East Anglia and Lincolnshire while ssp. oleifolia is widespread elsewhere.

Grey Willow ssp. oleifolia leaf upperside

Grey Willow ssp. oleifolia leaf underside

Grey Willow ssp. cinerea leaf underside

Eared Willow Salix aurita (Salicaceae) 2m

Shrubby and much-branched willow. SHOOTS Downy at first, becoming shiny and brown with age. LEAVES Broadly ovate, to 4cm long, with wavy margins and a twisted tip; note the large, leafy stipules (‘ears’) at the leaf base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins ovoid and yellow, female catkins greener. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Favours damp, acid soils; common beside moorland and upland streams, and on damp heaths.

Eared Willow leaf

Dark-leaved Willow Salix myrsinifolia (previously known as S. nigricans) (Salicaceae) 4m Branched, shrubby willow. SHOOTS Downy at first, becoming smoother and dull brown with age. LEAVES Ovate, to 7cm long, dark green above but glaucous below; note toothed margin and large stipules. Leaves turn black when dried. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Males catkins ovoid, yellow; female catkins greener. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native, favouring damp, stony and rocky ground. A northern and upland species.

Dark-leaved Willow leaf

Tea-leaved Willow Salix phylicifolia (Salicaceae) 4m

Much-branched shrub or small tree. SHOOTS Downy when young but smoother with age, becoming shiny reddish brown. LEAVES Ovate, to 8cm long, hairless with toothed margins; leathery texture, shiny green above but greyish below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins ovoid and yellow, female catkins greener. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native, on damp, rocky ground.

Tea-leaved Willow leaf

Grey Willow bark

Grey Willow ssp. oleifolia foliage

Eared Willow foliage

Eared Willow catkins and foliage

Dark-leaved Willow foliage

Tea-leaved Willow foliage

Goat Willow (Sallow) Salix caprea (Salicaceae) 12m

Depending on its situation this may be a multi-branched, dense, shrubby tree, or a taller tree with a straight, ridged stem and sparsely domed crown. SHOOTS Thick, stiff twigs hairy at first, but becoming smoother and yellowish brown with age. Twigs smooth when bark is peeled off (compare with Grey Willow). LEAVES Large, up to 12cm long, oval, with a short twisted point at the tip. Upper surface dull green and slightly hairy, lower surface noticeably grey and woolly; in windy weather this can suddenly change the appearance of the tree from green to grey as the leaves are blown around. Leaf margins have small, irregular teeth, and short petiole sometimes has 2 ear-like sinuous stipules at its base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female catkins, on separate trees, appear before the leaves, often in very early spring in sheltered places. Up to 2.5cm long, they are ovoid and covered with greyish silky hairs before opening; at this time, Goat Willow is often called ‘Pussy Willow’ because the silky grey buds bear a fanciful resemblance to cats’ paws. Male catkins become bright yellow when they open; female catkins greener, producing numerous silky-haired seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread and common native species in Britain and Ireland, occurring in woods, hedgerows and scrub, and often in drier places than other similar species. COMMENTS An extremely important species in ecological terms, serving as a food plant for the larval or adult stages of a large number of insects. It is particularly noted for the number of species of Lepidoptera that are associated with it. In the case of most moth species, the larvae consume the leaves: the Sallow Kitten is a good example. However, the larvae of the Sallow Clearwing and Lunar Hornet Clearwing feed on the wood, living inside the twigs and trunk respectively. In the case of these 3 moth species, Goat Willow is the most important food plant, although their larvae will feed on other willow species. However, larvae of the Purple Emperor butterfly will feed on nothing else.

Goat Willow leaf

Purple Emperor caterpillar

Goat Willow foliage

Goat Willow catkins

Goat Willow bark

Lunar Hornet Clearwing

Goat Willow tree in summer

Goat Willow tree in winter

In addition to the sizeable willows (pp. 130–8), 7 low-growing native Salix species also occur in the British Isles. All but one are associated with northern and upland areas.

Creeping Willow Salix repens (Salicaceae) 1.5m

Low-growing and creeping shrub. SHOOTS Sometimes downy; usually reddish brown. LEAVES Ovate, usually untoothed, to 4cm long; hairless above when mature, with silky hairs below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Locally common on moors, heaths and coastal dune slacks.

Creeping Willow leaf

Downy Willow Salix lapponum (Salicaceae) 1.5m

Low-growing shrub. SHOOTS Downy at first, becoming shiny and reddish brown with age. LEAVES Ovate to elliptical, to 5cm long, greyish green with silky hairs on both surfaces. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Stalkless catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Local; damp mountain slopes and cliffs in Scotland.

Downy Willow leaf

Woolly Willow Salix lanata (Salicaceae) 3m

Small shrub. SHOOTS Woolly at first, glossy brown with age. LEAVES Broadly oval, to 6cm long, white and woolly below when mature. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins; males golden. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Rare, on damp, base-rich mountain ledges.

Woolly Willow leaf

Mountain Willow Salix arbuscula (Salicaceae) 1.5m

Small shrub. SHOOTS Dark brown and shiny when mature. LEAVES Ovate, to 4cm long, shiny green above but downy grey below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins; males with red anthers. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Local, on base-rich mountain flushes.

Mountain Willow leaf

Net-leaved Willow Salix reticulata (Salicaceae) 10cm

Mat-forming undershrub with distinctive leaves. SHOOTS Smooth and reddish brown when mature. LEAVES Ovate, to 5cm long and untoothed; dark green above but whitish below with prominent, netted veins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins; males with reddish stamens. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Rare in Scottish Highlands.

Net-leaved Willow leaf

Dwarf Willow Salix herbacea (Salicaceae) 10cm

Prostrate, spreading undershrub. SHOOTS Smooth and reddish brown when mature. LEAVES Round, to 2cm long and toothed; shiny green above, pale below, both sides with obvious veins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Locally common on mountains and, further north, at lower altitudes.

Dwarf Willow leaf

Whortle-leaved Willow Salix myrsinites (Salicaceae) 50cm

Spreading undershrub. SHOOTS Glossy reddish brown when mature. LEAVES Oval, to 5cm long, shiny green with obvious veins on both sides. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Rare, on base-rich mountain soils.

Whortle-leaved Willow leaf upperside

Whortle-leaved Willow leaf underside

Creeping Willow catkins

Creeping Willow plant and fruits

Downy Willow foliage

Woolly Willow foliage

Mountain Willow flowers and foliage

Net-leaved Willow flowers and foliage

Dwarf Willow foliage

Dwarf Willow plant

Whortle-leaved Willow foliage

POPLARS POPULUS (FAMILY SALICACEAE)

About 30 species, most of which grow rapidly to form large trees. Numerous hybrids occur.

White Poplar (Abele) Populus alba (Salicaceae) 20m

An easily identified tree in windy weather in summer, when the pure white undersides of the leaves are turned up and the whole tree looks white. BARK White on the trunk and, in mature specimens, broken by diamond-shaped scars. SHOOTS Covered in white felt, which usually wears off by the end of the growing season. LEAVES Simple, deeply lobed and covered with dense white felt underneath; greyish green above. Leaves fall early in the autumn, sometimes turning a pleasing bright yellow for a few days before falling. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins long and ovoid, white and fluffy; female catkins more slender and greenish yellow. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of mainland Europe, but presumed to have been an early introduction to Britain, perhaps because of its rapid rate of growth and its ability to flourish even in the poorest of soils and on the most exposed sites. Common near the coast, where it grows in thickets as a result of suckering, but less frequent inland. COMMENTS In the past, the timber was used for planking, and to make packing crates and toys. Trees growing in waterlogged settings are often host to the larvae of the GoatMoth, which burrow in, and eat, the wood.

White Poplar leaf upperside

White Poplar leaf underside

Grey Poplar Populus × canescens (Salicaceae) 37m

Stable hybrid between White Poplar and Aspen. When fully mature, grows into an impressively large tree with a good solid bole. In spring the tree has a whitish appearance when the wind displaces the leaves, but it is not as brilliantly white as the White Poplar. BARK Whitish with diamond-shaped fissures. LEAVES Rounded to oval and toothed with regular, blunt, forward-pointing teeth; borne on long petioles. Leaf upper surface glossy grey-green; lower surface covered with greyish-white felt. By mid-to late summer the leaves lose some of the white felt and the tree looks greyer. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female catkins on separate trees. Female trees, with green, pendulous catkins are rare. Male catkins elongated and pendulous, giving the whole tree a purplish colour when they swell before opening in spring. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of mainland Europe and introduced to Britain very early, probably with the White Poplar. Our best specimens are found in chalky areas of S England and in limestone valleys of Ireland. However, it tolerates a wide range of climates and soil types and is found in N Scotland as well as in many coastal places. COMMENTS This tree suckers freely, so sometimes appears to be growing in thickets of the same species.

Grey Poplar leaf

White Poplar foliage

White Poplar foliage

White Poplar bark

Goat Moth

Goat Moth larva

White Poplar

Grey Poplar foliage

Grey Poplar bark

Grey Poplar tree in winter

Aspen Populus tremula (Salicaceae) 18m

Slender to slightly conical tree with a rounded crown and tall, tapering trunk. Best known for its fluttering leaves, which rustle in the slightest breeze. BARK Smooth and greyish green at first, becoming brown, ridged and fissured with age. LEAVES Rounded to slightly oval, with shallow marginal teeth. Green on both surfaces, but paler below, on long, flattened petioles. In autumn, leaves may turn golden yellow, especially in the N; further S they often fall quickly without a colour change. Leaves newly produced in summer are often deep red. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins, to 8cm long, in clusters at ends of twigs, male and female on different trees. Male catkins reddish purple, females green tinged pink. Seeds are produced prolifically. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to Britain and common in many places, especially on poor, damp soils. COMMENTS Can easily be recognised by sound alone! The characteristic dry rustling of the leaves, especially on almost still days when no other leaves are moving, is quite distinctive. Aspen suckers readily, often growing in small groves of the same sex.

Aspen leaf

Black-poplar Populus nigra ssp. betulifolia (Salicaceae) 32m

Large, spreading tree when fully mature, with a domed crown and thick, blackish, gnarled bole covered with distinctive burrs and tuberous growths. Rather straggly, however, when growing among other trees in woods. BARK Grey-brown, darkening with age, becoming deeply fissured. SHOOTS (AND BUDS) Smooth and golden brown when young. LEAVES Triangular to diamond-shaped and variably long-stalked with a finely toothed margin; fresh shiny green on both surfaces. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins pendulous and reddish, female catkins greenish. Both appear in April. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the British Isles, preferring heavier soils and damp conditions. Tolerates pollution so sometimes planted in cities. COMMENTS Known in N England as ‘Manchester Poplar’. The main host for the larvae of the Hornet Moth Sesia apiformis.

Black-poplar leaves

Lombardy-poplar Populus nigra ‘Italica’ (Salicaceae) 36m

Distinctive, narrowly columnar tree. Gnarled bole supports numerous short, ascending branches that taper towards narrow, pointed crown. Otherwise similar to Black-poplar, with slightly more triangular leaves. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Typical, slender Lombardy-poplars are all males, bearing reddish catkins. Female trees of the clone ‘Gigantea’ are scarce and have thicker, spreading branches that form a broader crown. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Italy, introduced to Britain in mid-18th century. Tolerates a wide range of soils and climates. Often planted in long lines.

Lombardy-poplar leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Berlin Poplar P. × berolinensis (27m) More spreading and tolerant of pollution; planted occasionally.

Aspen trunk

Aspen foliage

Aspen tree in autumn

Black-poplar bark

Black-poplar tree in winter

Lee Morgan

Black-poplar

Hornet Moth

Lombardy-poplar foliage

Lombardy-poplar

Hybrid Black-poplar Populus × canadensis (Salicaceae) 30m

Upright or spreading tree (depending on situation), with a narrow crown. Similar to Black-poplar, one of its parent species, and in many areas far more common; the other parent is the North American tree Cottonwood. Trunk lacks the burrs seen in Black-poplar. BARK Deeply fissured and greyish. SHOOTS Young twigs greenish or slightly reddened. LEAVES Alternate, oval to triangular, and sharply toothed with fringes of small hairs. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins, similar to those of Black-poplar. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Planted for ornament or timber (used for packing crates and boxes). Does not thrive in wet or cold areas. COMMENTS Many Hybrid Black-poplar forms occur, separated by leaf structure and tree shape, e.g. Black Italian-poplar.

Hybrid Black-poplar leaf

Western Balsam-poplar Populus trichocarpa (Salicaceae) 35m

Fast-growing (up to 2m per year), columnar when mature with a tapering crown and trunk. BARK Dark grey with shallow grooves and fissures. SHOOTS Stout. LEAVES Pointed, tapering, glossy green above and white below, turning yellow in autumn. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins, produced in April, slender and pendulous: males reddish brown and females greenish. Seeds hairy and abundant. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Pacific coast of North America, sometimes planted in Britain. COMMENTS Often planted in sites unsuited to its rapid growth and large size when mature. Small trees regenerate well when pruned.

Western Balsam-poplar leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Populus ‘Balsam Spire’ (35m) A hybrid between Western and Eastern Balsam-poplars, growing to a domed spire with a spreading crown. Bark silvery black and leaves triangular but rounded at the base. Widely planted.

Hybrid Populus ‘Balsam-spire’ leaf

Eastern Balsam-poplar Populus balsamifera (Salicaceae) 30m

Conical to slightly spreading tree with numerous ascending branches arising from a tapering bole with its base often surrounded by suckers. BARK Thinner than in other poplars and narrowly grooved. SHOOTS Young shoots (and 2.5cm-long buds) covered with shiny resin. LEAVES To 10cm long, oval and pointed at tip with finely toothed margins; dark shiny green above, paler and downy below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Greenish catkins appear in late spring or early summer. Males (to 7.5cm long) and females (to 12.5cm long) on separate trees. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of North America. Cultivated elsewhere occasionally. Cultivated trees appear to be all males.

Eastern Balsam-poplar leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Balm-of-Gilead P. × jackii (20m) Buds abundant and sticky, on downy shoots that are balsam-scented. Young leaves aromatic when newly opened, heart-shaped and downy below; on a downy petiole. Mature tree open-crowned, suckering freely and forming thickets.

Balm-of-Gilead leaf

Hybrid Black-poplar foliage

Hybrid Black-poplar bark

Western Balsam-poplar bark

Hybrid Black-poplar

Western Balsam-poplar foliage

Western Balsam-poplar

Eastern Balsam-poplar foliage

Balm-of-Gilead bark

Balm-of-Gilead foliage

HICKORIES CARYA (FAMILY JUGLANDACEAE)

19 species occur in North America, 1 in SW China. Male catkins in 3 parts. Internal pith is solid.

Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata (Juglandaceae) 20m

Upright or slightly spreading tree with a broad, flattened crown. BARK Grey, splits into long scaly flakes. BRANCHES In winter, sparse branches support reddish twigs tipped with scaly buds. LEAVES Compound, 5 (sometimes 3 or 7) leaflets, to 20cm long, longer near tip of leaf. Leaflets oval to oblong, toothed, with tufts of short white hairs between teeth. Terminal leaflet short-stalked. Leaves leathery, sometimes oily. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins green, to 15cm long, in spreading clusters. Female flowers small, yellowish, in terminal clusters. Fruits round, to 6cm long, on short stalks; containing white seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America, planted in Britain occasionally.

Shagbark Hickory leaf

Shagbark Hickory fruit

Bitternut Carya cordiformis (Juglandaceae) 30m

Large tree with a high conical crown. BARK Greyish, smooth at first becoming scaly with age; peeling flakes revealing orange patches beneath. BRANCHES Mostly straight and ascending, the greenish twigs tipped with elongated, yellowish and scaly buds. LEAVES Compound, with 9 leaflets (rarely 5 or 7); terminal leaflet stalkless. Individual leaflets elongated, pointed at tip with toothed margins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins, to 7cm long, yellowish and pendulous. Fruits, to 3.5cm long, rounded to pear-shaped with 4 wings, concealing grey, smooth seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America; planted in Britain mainly for ornament.

Bitternut leaf

Bitternut fruit

SIMILAR TREE

Pignut C. glabra (20m) A fine specimen tree, but rarely planted. Bark smooth; leaves like Ash.

WINGNUTS PTEROCARYA (FAMILY JUGLANDACEAE)

Attractive, suckering trees. Winter buds protected by 2 closely adpressed hairy leaves. Twig pith is divided into chambers. Winged seeds in pendulous catkins.

Caucasian Wingnut Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Juglandaceae) 35m

Spreading tree with domed crown and stout bole from which many branches arise close to the same point. Suckers freely. BARK Grey, fissured and gnarled. LEAVES Compound, with up to 20 pairs of leaflets, each to 18cm long, ovate to lanceolate with a pointed tip and toothed margins. Midribs bear stellate hairs on underside. Leaves turn yellow in autumn. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins solitary, female catkins pendent with many flowers, giving rise to broad-winged nutlets. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of SW Asia, planted elsewhere for ornament.

Caucasian Wingnut fruits

SIMILAR TREE

Chinese Wingnut P. stenoptera (25m) Leaves compound with toothed wings on central blade; fewer leaflets. Winged fruits pink.

Caucasian Wingnut leaf

Caucasian Wingnut fruit

Shagbark Hickory fruits and foliage

Shagbark Hickory bark

Bitternut foliage

Caucasian Wingnut foliage

Caucasian Wingnut bark

Caucasian Wingnut fruits and foliage

WALNUTS JUGLANS (FAMILY JUGLANDACEAE)

15 species exist, from North and South America and Asia. They produce large edible nuts and excellent timber. Twig pith is chambered. Can be propagated from seed and grafting.

Common Walnut Juglans regia (Juglandaceae) 30m

Spreading, deciduous tree. Has domed crown and straight bole when grown in ideal conditions; often contorted when found in orchards. BARK Smooth, brown at first, grey and fissured with age. BRANCHES Lowest ones spreading to ascending, often large near base, but dividing rapidly into numerous twisted twigs with dark purple-brown buds. LEAVES Compound, with 5–9 elliptical leaflets, to 15cm long, thick and leathery, with pointed tips and untoothed margins. Crushed leaves slightly aromatic. Opening late in spring, reddish, becoming green later in summer. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins yellow, to 15cm long; female flowers small, greenish with yellow, protruding, branched stigma. Fruits rounded, to 5cm long; smooth green skin, dotted with slightly raised glands, encasing familiar edible walnut seed. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of SE Europe and Asia, long cultivated and may have arrived in Britain with the Romans. Rarely naturalised.

Common Walnut leaf

Walnut

SIMILAR TREE

Japanese Walnut J. ailanthifolia (20m) Leaves much larger with 11–15 pointed, toothed leaflets, hairy on both surfaces, on hairy shoots. Fruits in clusters of up to 20.

Black Walnut Juglans nigra (Juglandaceae) 32m

Has a tall, straight bole and domed crown of brighter green leaves than Common Walnut. BARK Dark brown, showing a diamond pattern of deep cracks. LEAVES Compound with 15–23 leaflets, finely toothed and downy below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Fruits similar to Common Walnut but not as edible; green husk yields a similar dark dye. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of USA, planted in Britain occasionally.

Black Walnut leaf

Butternut Juglans cinerea (Juglandaceae) 26m

Slender tree. BARK Grey. LEAVES Compound, to 70cm long, leaflets more widely spaced than in Black Walnut; central leaf stalk densely hairy and leaflets near leaf base smallest. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Edible fruits in clusters of up to 12. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America, planted elsewhere for ornament.

Butternut bark

Butternut leaf

BOG MYRTLES MYRICA (FAMILY MYRICACEAE)

Shrubs or small trees, sometimes with aromatic leaves, and flowers in catkins.

Bog Myrtle Myrica gale (Myricaceae) 1m

Woody, brown-stemmed deciduous shrub. LEAVES Oval, grey-green and resin-scented. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Orange, ovoid male catkins and pendulous brown female catkins, on separate plants. Fruits are brownish nuts. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widespread but local on boggy heaths.

Bog Myrtle leaf

Common Walnut fruit

Common Walnut

Black Walnut fruit and foliage

Black Walnut fruit and foliage

Black Walnut

Butternut flowers

Butternut flowers and foliage

Bog Myrtle flowers and foliage

BIRCHES BETULA (FAMILY BETULACEAE)

About 40 species occur across the whole of the northern hemisphere, some surviving further N than any other tree species. Most grow into medium-sized trees with good hard timber used for making plywood, and sometimes for paper pulp. Few birches grow large enough to provide sizeable beams or planks for building. Flowers are in the form of catkins and the seeds are very small winged nutlets dispersed by the wind over great distances and in large numbers. They are rapid colonisers of disturbed ground, and some birches are very invasive. The seeds are important as a winter food for small birds, such as Siskins and Redpolls, and the leaves are food for innumerable insect larvae.

Silver Birch Betula pendula (Betulaceae) 26m

A slender, fast-growing deciduous tree with a narrow, tapering crown when young and growing vigorously. Older trees acquire a weeping habit, especially if growing in an open, uncrowded situation. BARK In old trees, thick, deeply fissured at the base of the bole, breaking up into rectangular plates; higher up the bole the bark is a smooth silvery white, often flaking away and revealing greyer patches below. A pattern of black diamond shapes is often seen on the trunk of older trees. BRANCHES Ascending in young trees, but twigs and shoots pendulous, slender and smooth, mostly brown and pitted with many white resin glands. LEAVES Up to 7cm long, triangular and pointed with large teeth separated by many smaller teeth. Thin and smooth when mature, and borne on hairless petioles. Turning golden yellow in autumn. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins in groups of 2–4 at the tips of young twigs, appearing very early in the winter, when they are brownish in colour; yellow and pendulous in spring, when the leaves are opening. Female catkins shorter, more erect, greenish, produced in the axils of leaves. After pollination they become browner and thicker, eventually reaching a length of 3.5cm. Seeds winged and papery and usually produced copiously. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of a wide area of Europe, including Britain and Ireland. Often planted as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks. In the wild, often colonises heathland areas and its invasive habit is usually not welcomed, trees typically being felled and cleared. COMMENTS A fast-growing tree and an early coloniser, although it does not thrive in shade or compete with even more vigorous species. Silver Birch timber is popular as firewood. As a habitat, Silver Birch woodland is rich in fungi, some of which are associated with the tree almost exclusively. These include Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria, Brown Birch Bolete Leccinum scabrum, Woolly Milk Cap Lactarius torminosus. The Birch Polypore Piptoporus betulinus, a bracket fungus, grows on trunks.

scale

leaf

seed

Brown Birch Bolete

Birch Polypore

Silver Birch

Silver Birch catkins

Silver Birch bark

Silver Birch trees in autumn

Phil Green

Downy Birch Betula pubescens (Betulaceae) 25m

An attractive and rather elegantly proportioned tree when growing out in the open. It is superficially similar to Silver Birch, often growing alongside it. The crown in winter looks untidy compared with Silver Birch. It is a rather variable species but usually easy to recognise by the soft, downy feel of the tips of the twigs in spring, and by the reddish bark on young wood. BARK Mostly smooth and brown or greyish, but not breaking up into rectangular plates at the base like that of Silver Birch. BRANCHES More irregular and densely crowded than Silver Birch, and mostly erect, never pendulous. The twigs lack the whitish resin glands, but do have a covering of downy white hairs. LEAVES More rounded at the base than Silver Birch and more evenly toothed; white hairs in the axils of the veins on the underside; petiole hairy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins very similar to Silver Birch but the winged seeds have smaller wings, about the same size as the seed itself. Female flowers in April–May. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of most of Europe, including Britain and Ireland, and common in some areas where soils are poor or peaty; common and widespread in upland areas, and in the west and north. COMMENTS Downy Birch is a rapid coloniser of cleared and recently burned areas and is often invasive on heathland. The felled timber is good for firewood and, like Silver Birch, is often used in wood-turning. The leaves are the food plant for large numbers of insect species, many moths among them. As with Silver Birch, a wide range of soil fungi are associated with Downy Birch woodland. In the Scottish Highlands, the Hoof Fungus Fomes fomentarius, a tough bracket fungus, is often found growing on stumps and trunks.

Downy Birch leaf

Downy Birch bark, young tree

Downy Birch bark, old tree

Dwarf Birch Betula nana (Betulaceae) 1m

A low-growing and often rather prostrate undershrub. BARK Reddish brown. BRANCHES Short and upright or spreading, with stiff, hairy twigs. LEAVES Rather rounded, 6–8mm across, coarsely toothed and hairy when young, smooth and hairless when mature. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins, females covered with 3-lobed scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A northern, tundra species in global terms, confined in Britain as a native plant to the Scottish Highlands, where it grows on upland heaths and in bogs and is tolerant of both waterlogged and relatively free-draining peaty soils.

Dwarf Birch leaf

actual size

Downy Birch foliage

Downy Birch catkins and foliage

Downy Birch

Hoof Fungus

Dwarf Birch catkins and spring foliage

Dwarf Birch autumn foliage

Paper-bark Birch (Canoe-bark Birch) Betula papyrifera (Betulaceae) 23m

A stout, spreading tree. Best recognised by its leaves. BARK Mostly white and smooth, flecked with grey or sometimes orange or brown; peeling horizontally into strips. BRANCHES Spreading, the shoots covered in rough warts and a few long hairs. LEAVES Large by birch standards (to 10cm long), dull green and with only 5 pairs of veins; borne on hairy stalks. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins, females eventually producing winged seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of N North America from the E to the W coasts. It is planted in Britain as an ornamental tree, mainly for the novelty of its bark. COMMENTS The freely peeling bark was once used by Native Americans to make canoes.

Paper-bark Birch bark

Kevin Carlson

Paper-bark Birch leaf

Himalayan Birch Betula utilis (Betulaceae) 20m

An elegant tree, rather rounded in specimens found growing in the open. BARK Extremely colourful, gleaming white in var. jacquemontii but pink, red or golden in other forms. The bark is marked with horizontal lenticels and peels off horizontally into rolls. BRANCHES Mainly upright rather than spreading, with twigs that are hairy when young. LEAVES Oval, with a pointed tip and toothed margins; dark green with 7–14 pairs of veins depending on the variety. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins: males long, pendulous and yellow. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of the Himalayas. Planted in Britain as an ornamental tree, mainly for its bark, which is particularly striking and evident on a sunny winter’s day.

Himalayan Birch bark

Himalayan Birch leaf

Erman’s Birch Betula ermanii (Betulaceae) 24m

A fast-growing and attractive tree, easily recognised by its bark. The tree is more spreading and has a stouter bole than Silver Birch, with which it frequently hybridises. BARK Pinkish, or sometimes shining yellowish white; peeling horizontally and hanging in tattered strips down the bole of mature trees; younger trees have smoother, white bark. BRANCHES Rather upright, with twigs that are warty and usually hairless. LEAVES Triangular to heart-shaped with a pointed tip, toothed margins and 7–11 pairs of veins; stalks hairless. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of E Asia, introduced into Britain and Ireland from Japan. The best specimens are seen in established gardens where the peeling bark is a fine winter feature.

Erman’s Birch leaf

Himalayan Birch foliage

Himalayan Birch bark peeling

Paper-bark Birch tree in autumn

Erman’s Birch bark

Erman’s Birch foliage

ALDERS ALNUS (FAMILY BETULACEAE)

A genus of about 30 species, mostly found in wet habitats and especially characteristic of river banks. The roots have numerous bacteria-containing nodules to fix nitrogen, like members of the Pea family, so they can cope well on infertile soils. The clusters of bright orange nodules are often exposed when the roots of riverside trees are seen at low water levels. Alders are useful in protecting river banks from erosion and provide valuable cover for riverside wildlife. Seeds are borne in small, woody, cone-like catkins. The durable timber can withstand alternate wetting and drying.

Common Alder Alnus glutinosa (Betulaceae) 25m

A small, spreading and sometimes multi-stemmed tree with a broad domed or conical crown. BARK Brownish and fissured into square or oblong plates. BRANCHES Ascending in young trees, but spreading later. Twigs smooth except when young, when they have a sticky feel (hence glutinosa), with raised orange lenticels. Buds about 7mm long, on stalks 3mm long. LEAVES Stalked and noticeably rounded, up to 10cm long, with a slightly notched apex and a wavy or bluntly toothed margin. The 5–8 pairs of veins have long hairs in the axils on the underside of the leaf. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS In winter Common Common the purplish male catkins, in bunches of 2–3, are an attractive feature, even though they are only around 3cm long; by the end of winter they open up, revealing yellow anthers, and are more colourful. Female catkins are smaller (1.5cm) and cone-like, reddish purple at first and then turning green, usually in bunches of 3–8. They form hard green ‘cones’, which grow through the summer and persist until the following spring. Their small winged seeds float on water, which aids their dispersal. They are also an important source of winter food for finches like Redpolls and Siskins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native species throughout Europe, including Britain and Ireland, absent only from the very far north. It commonly grows beside water and can be found at altitudes up to 700m. COMMENTS Wetland-colonising alder woodlands are referred to as carr. In locations where it is left to its own devices, Common Alder forms an elegant, domed tree. However, in many places it is, or has been, coppiced to produce long, straight poles, creating broad, spreading, multi-stemmed boles. Common Alder is a useful timber for wet situations, so it is used for pier pilings, lock gates and making clogs. In the past, it was reckoned to be the best source of charcoal for gunpowder. The wood has an attractive bright orange colour when freshly cut. Growing trees help stabilise river banks and prevent erosion with their tough roots. The leaves are the food plant for many insects, particularly the larvae of moths. Larvae of the White-barred Clearwing Synanthedon spheciformis feed inside the trunk.

Common Alder, floating seeds

Common Alder cones

Common Alder leaf

Common Alder bark

Common Alder cones and foliage

Common Alder carr

White-barred Clearwing

Common Alder, freshly cut timber

Green Alder Alnus viridis (Betulaceae) 5m

Rarely more than a large shrub or small tree. BARK Brown. BRANCHES With mostly smooth, greenish twigs and pointed, sessile, shiny red buds. LEAVES More pointed than those of Common Alder and sharply toothed, hairy on the midrib and in the joins of the veins on the underside. When first open they are sticky to the touch. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins, appearing with the leaves, are up to 12cm long, yellow and pendulous; female catkins are 1cm long, erect and greenish at first, becoming reddish later, and usually found in stalked clusters of 3–5. The cone-like ripe catkins are rounded, green and tough at first, becoming blackened later and persisting until the following spring. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the mountains of central and E Europe, planted in Britain for ornament.

Green Alder leaf

Grey Alder Alnus incana (Betulaceae) 25m

A fast-growing alder more at home on dry soils than most other alders. Shoots and new leaves are covered with a dense layer of soft greyish hairs (hence incana). BARK Smooth and grey. LEAVES Triangular and toothed, terminating in a point; margins not rolled inwards. Hairs persisting on underside of leaf as it matures. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins and fruits very similar to other alders, although the green fruits are more globose before ripening to the typical dark, woody alder cone. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of Europe, introduced to Britain but not often planted. A good species for wasteland and reclamation schemes.

Grey Alder leaf

SIMILAR TREES

Red Alder A. rubra (25m) Resembling Grey Alder, but toothed margin of leaf inrolled (check with a hand-lens). Leaves up to 20cm long. Catkins and cones very similar to those of Common Alder. A native of W North America. Not often planted in Britain. However, where it does occur, such as in Scotland, it grows rapidly at first, then slows down.

Smooth Alder A. rugosa (20m) A North American species with red hairs in axils of leaf veins on the singly toothed leaves. Planted occasionally.

Italian Alder Alnus cordata (Betulaceae) 29m

An attractive tree with a bold, conical shape, fine glossy leaves and an impressive show of catkins and cones. BARK Pale grey and fairly smooth with slightly downy twigs. LEAVES The best feature for identification: glossy, heart-shaped (hence cordata), with short tufts of orange hairs along the midrib on the underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins yellow and produced prolifically; female catkins in small clusters, ripening in early summer. Woody ‘cones’ larger than those of any other alder species. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Corsica and S Italy, planted in British parks and gardens, and often along roadsides.

Italian Alder leaf

Grey Alder bark

Green Alder catkins and foliage

Grey Alder cones

Grey Alder foliage

Italian Alder catkins, cones and foliage

Italian Alder catkins

Italian Alder cone

HORNBEAMS CARPINUS AND HOP-HORNBEAMS OSTRYA (FAMILY BETULACEAE)

About 45 species occur in the northern hemisphere; related to birches and alders but sometimes placed in their own family, Carpinaceae. Male catkins are protected inside winter buds. Leaves are sharply toothed and have conspicuous parallel veins.

Hornbeam Carpinus betulus (Betulaceae) 30m

A fine tree with a bold outline in winter. Bole is often gnarled and twisted. BARK Silvery grey with deep fissures lower down and occasional dark bands. BRANCHES Densely packed, ascending and twisted, bearing greyish-brown, partly hairy twigs. LEAVES Oval and pointed with a rounded base, short petiole, and double-toothed margin; 15 pairs of veins hairy on underside. Colourful in autumn, turning yellow, through orange to russet-brown; trees planted in hedgerows retain leaves long into the winter. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins, to 5cm long, yellowish green with red outer scales. Fruits in clusters of winged nutlets, to 14cm long, usually consisting of about 8 pairs of small hard-cased nuts with a 3-pointed papery wing. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to Britain, occurring in pure stands in some woodlands and hedgerows. Also widely planted and seen as a specimen tree in parks and gardens. Tolerant of heavy clay soils. COMMENTS Hornbeam was regularly coppiced in the past to provide a timber crop. The tough wood is prized for its durable qualities: it was used for wheel hubs, mill-wheels, piano hammers and chopping blocks. The tough seeds are a favourite food of the Hawfinch, the only British bird able to crack them open.

Hornbeam bark

Hornbeam leaf

Oriental Hornbeam Carpinus orientalis (Betulaceae) 11m

Similar to Hornbeam but separable with care; overall the tree is normally smaller and neater. BARK Like Hornbeam. BRANCHES With thinner shoots than Hornbeam, covered with long silky hairs. LEAVES Like Hornbeam but smaller, always looking slightly folded. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Similar to Hornbeam but fruit bracts unlobed (3-lobed in Hornbeam). STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of SE Europe and Asia Minor, occasionally seen in Britain as a specimen tree.

Hornbeam fruit

Oriental Hornbeam fruit

Oriental Hornbeam leaf

European Hop-hornbeam Ostrya carpinifolia (Betulaceae) 19m

A spreading tree with a domed crown and robust bole. BARK Grey-brown, with squarish plates. BRANCHES Almost level when growing in the open, but in woodland may be crowded and ascending. LEAVES Like Hornbeam. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Fruits in clusters with a superficial resemblance to bunches of hops. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of mainland Europe; in Britain it occurs mainly in well-established gardens.

European Hop-hornbeam fruit

European Hop-hornbeam leaf

Hornbeam fruits and foliage

Hornbeam pollarded trees

Hornbeam catkins

Hornbeam fruits

European Hop-hornbeam catkins and young leaves

Oriental Hornbeam fruits and foliage

European Hop-hornbeam fruits and foliage

HAZELS CORYLUS (FAMILY BETULACEAE)

About 15 species, of which only 4 reach tree status, all confined to northern hemisphere. Prominent male catkins open early in winter, and female flowers are little more than tiny buds. Fruits are edible hard-shelled nuts.

Hazel Corylus avellana (Betulaceae) 6m

Often no more than a spreading, multi-stemmed shrub, but sometimes grows into a taller tree with a shrubby crown and a short but thick and gnarled bole. BARK Smooth and often shiny, peeling horizontally into thin papery strips. BRANCHES Upright to spreading, depending partly on management regime. Twigs covered with stiff hairs; buds oval and smooth. LEAVES Rounded, to 10cm long, with a heart-shaped base and pointed tip. Margins double-toothed and upper surface hairy. On underside, white hairs on leaf veins. Petiole short and hairy; whole leaf has a bristly, rough feel. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins first appear in autumn and are short and green, but when they open early in spring they are up to 8cm long, pendulous and yellow. Female flowers red and very small, producing hard-shelled nuts in bunches of 1–4; nuts partly concealed in a leafy, deeply toothed involucre. Nuts up to 2cm long, brown and woody when ripe. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread native tree across most of Europe, including Britain and Ireland, occurring in hedgerows and woodlands where it is an important component of the understorey. COMMENTS Frequently coppiced to provide poles for a variety of uses and of immense importance to woodland wildlife for its edible leaves and fruits. The Dormouse Muscardinus avellenarius is particularly reliant on the nuts and numerous moth larvae eat the leaves. Some Hazels that have been coppiced and recoppiced many times are now extremely old trees, having greatly exceeded their normal lifespan through the constant regeneration caused by cutting them back and allowing them to regrow.

Hazel leaf

Hazel nut

Hazel nuts

Filbert Corylus maxima (Betulaceae) 6m

Very similar to Hazel except for the nuts, which are longer, mostly solitary or in bunches of 2–3 and entirely enclosed in an undivided involucre, which is constricted over the nut and toothed at the tip. A native of the Balkans, but widely planted elsewhere for the superior quality of its nuts, and sometimes naturalised. ‘Purpurea’ is a commonly planted cultivar.

Filbert leaf

Filbert nut

Filbert nuts

Turkish Hazel Corylus colurna (Betulaceae) 22m

Larger than Common Hazel with a stout bole and a conical crown. The best feature for identification is the involucre, which completely encloses the nut and is finely toothed and often recurved. Leaves are similar to those of Common Hazel but are more likely to look lobed. A native of SE Europe and Asia Minor, and also found as an introduction further N and W.

Turkish Hazel leaf

Turkish Hazel fruit

Hazel bark

Hazel foliage

Hazel, mass catkins

Hazel var. contorta

Hazel male catkins

Hazel female catkins

Filbert foliage

Turkish Hazel bark

Turkish Hazel catkins

BEECHES FAGUS (FAMILY FAGACEAE)

Large, impressive trees with smooth bark. Male flowers appear in rounded clusters and the 1 or 2 nuts are in woody and sometimes spiny husks.

Beech Fagus sylvatica (Fagaceae) 40m

A large and imposing deciduous tree with a broad, rounded crown. BARK Usually smooth and grey, but may occasionally become rougher. BRANCHES Often crowded and ascending, but sometimes arching outwards. Buds up to 2cm long, smooth and pointed, and reddish brown. LEAVES To 10cm long, oval and pointed, with a wavy margin and a fringe of silky hairs when freshly open. Petiole up to 1.5cm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male flowers pendent, in clusters at tips of twigs. Female flowers paired, on short stalks, and surrounded by a brownish, 4-lobed involucre. Nuts up to 1.8cm long, 3-sided, shiny and brown, and enclosed in a prickly case in pairs. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread native of W and central Europe. It was one of the last native trees to colonise Britain and its natural range lies S and E of a line between the Wash and the Severn; widely planted elsewhere as an ornamental tree, in shelter-belts and hedgerows, and for timber. Beech prefers drier soils such as chalk, but is found on a wide variety of free-draining soils. COMMENTS The timber is mostly used for making furniture; it does not last well out of doors. Beech trees cast such a dense shade and produce such copious leaf litter that comparatively little grows beneath them and no other tree species can compete. However, a select group of specialist plants find Beech woodlands to their liking, notably helleborines (orchids) of the genera Epipactis and Cephalanthera, which favour clearings, and the saprophytic, shade-tolerant Bird’s-nest Orchid Neottia nidis-avis. Comparatively few insects feed on the leaves of Beech, a notable exception being the larva of the Lobster Moth Stauropus fagi. By contrast, a wealth of fungi appear in autumn and species such as the Death Cap Amanita phalloides, Satan’s Bolete Boletus satanus, the Porcelain Fungus Oudemansiella mucida and the Artist’s Bracket Ganoderma applantum are reasonably Beech-specific. During the winter months, Bramblings and Chaffinches feed on the fallen mast.

Beech leaf

Beech nut

Beech mast

Bird’s-nest Orchid

SIMILAR TREES

Copper Beech F. sylvatica ‘Purpurea’ (40m) A densely purple tree, often looking rather overbearing and casting a very dense shade. Leaves shaped like those of Common Beech, but new leaves red and older leaves a deep opaque purple.

Dawyck Beech F. sylvatica ‘Dawyck’ (40m) A columnar form of Beech discovered in Dawyck, Scotland, in the mid-19th century. Resembling Lombardy Poplar from a distance, but more densely branched with otherwise normal Beech leaves, flowers and fruits. Still rare, but sometimes seen in parks and gardens and on roadsides.

Beech bark

Beech, winter woodland

Beech fruit and foliage

Beech, autumn colours

Beech flowers and foliage

Death Cap

Copper Beech

Oriental Beech Fagus orientalis (Fagaceae) 23m

Leaves larger than those of Common Beech and widely separated, with 7 or more pairs of veins. A native of the Balkans, Asia Minor and the Caucasus, rare elsewhere. Grows vigorously and forms a fine tree in good conditions.

Oriental Beech leaf

SOUTHERN BEECHES NOTHOFAGUS (FAMILY FAGACEAE)

About 40 species occur in South America and Australasia. A few are deciduous, but most are evergreen with fine, glossy foliage.

Rauli Nothofagus procera (Fagaceae) 28m

Attractive, conical tree with a stout bole and striking autumn foliage. BARK Grey, with vertical plates. BRANCHES Lower branches usually level, upper branches more ascending. Thick, green twigs, darkening with age; buds about 1cm long, pointed and reddish brown. LEAVES Alternate, to 8cm long and rather pointed at tip. Margin wavy, minutely toothed; 15–22 pairs of veins covered on underside with fine silky hairs. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female flowers on same tree. Males solitary, in leaf axils; female flowers also usually solitary, giving rise to 4-lobed hairy capsules containing 3 shiny brown nuts. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Chile, introduced to Britain early in 20th century and found in parks, gardens and commercial plantations. Grows rapidly at first, up to 2m a year, and soon makes an attractive specimen tree.

Rauli leaf

Roble Nothofagus obliqua (Fagaceae) 30m

More delicate in appearance than Rauli. BARK Silvery grey with curling plates. BRANCHES Slender, ascending branches and pendent shoots on upper crown. Twigs finer than Rauli, branching in a regular, alternate pattern. LEAVES 7–11 pairs of veins (compared with Rauli’s 15–22) and a wavy margin. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers grow in leaf axils and fruits are 4-lobed hairy capsules. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Chile and W Argentina; grown in the British Isles for ornament, occasionally for timber. COMMENTS Grows very fast, comes into leaf later than Rauli, and has good autumn colour.

Roble leaf

SIMILAR TREES

Coigue N. dombeyi (28m) Evergreen, but rather tender until well established. Bark of young trees smooth and black, but becoming wrinkled and browner with age, with scales peeling away to leave red patches.

Coigue leaf

Beech Antarctic Beech N. antarctica (16m) First discovered in its native Chile and Tierra del Fuego in the 1830s, and grown in Britain since then. Hardy, but prefers some shelter. An attractive small tree with delicate, shiny foliage and reddish, shiny bark in young trees. Leaves with only 4 pairs of veins and remaining curled for most of the season, turning a pleasing yellow and then brown in autumn.

Antarctic Beech leaf

Oriental Beech foliage

Rauli fruits and foliage

Roble flowers and foliage

Coigue fruits and foliage

Oriental Beech bark

Rauli bark

Antarctic Beech fruits and foliage

Roble bark

Coigue bark

SWEET CHESTNUTS CASTANEA (FAMILY FAGACEAE)

10 species exist and are found in the northern hemisphere, most coming from southerly areas that experience a temperate climate. Most species eventually grow to become large trees and have long leaves and edible nuts.

Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa (Fagaceae) 35m

A handsome, large-leafed deciduous tree with a fine bole and attractive autumn colours. BARK Silvery and smooth in young trees with fine vertical fissures, but in older trees the bark becomes more deeply fissured and the grooves markedly spiralled up the trunk. BRANCHES In old trees the lowest branches are often very large and spreading, the upper ones more ascending and twisted. LEAVES Glossy, up to 25cm long, lanceolate, the margins serrated with spine-tipped teeth, pointed at the tip, and sometimes with a slightly heart-shaped base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins creamy white, long and pendulous, producing a sickly sweet smell. The female flowers, in groups of 2 and 3 at the base of the male catkins, are greenish and erect, and give rise to the familiar spine-covered green capsules that split open to reveal 3 shiny, brown-skinned nuts. Flowers are produced in June–July, and the edible fruits are ripe in October–November. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread native of most of mainland Europe and N Africa, but not native to the British Isles, where it was introduced by the Romans and is now frequently planted, and sometimes naturalised too. It thrives on a range of soils, but does especially well on well-drained, slightly acidic ground, and on hillsides. COMMENTS The edible nuts were a staple part of the diet of Roman legionaries, which explains the species’ introduction to Britain. However, Sweet Chestnut seldom produces a significant crop of nuts in the British Isles, and today the timber is of greater economic significance. The wood is strong and durable, and Sweet Chestnut is frequently planted and managed commercially to this end: typically trees are coppiced on a 10-to 12-year cycle, generating tall, straight poles. Short lengths are then split lengthways to make pales and these are used in fencing. Thin, steam-bent planks are traditionally used to make Sussex trugs. Sweet Chestnut is of comparatively little value to native wildlife and relatively few moth larvae, for example, will feed on its foliage.

Sweet Chestnut leaf

Sweet Chestnut leaf in autumn

Sweet Chestnut fruit

Sweet Chestnut bark

Sweet Chestnut fruit and foliage

Sweet Chestnut trunk

Sweet Chestnut fallen fruit

Sweet Chestnut foliage

OAKS QUERCUS (FAMILY FAGACEAE)

About 500 species exist in the northern hemisphere, many of them occurring in warmer climates (for example, Mexico has about 125 species). Some species hybridise freely, and a number of long-established, named hybrids exist. Around half are evergreens. Some of the deciduous oaks produce brilliant autumn colours. All reproduce by means of acorns. Many are fine and imposing trees producing high-quality, long-lasting timber and are of considerable commercial significance. Oaks are often slow-growing but long-lived, and some are immensely important to wildlife for food and shelter, dominating the landscape in many areas.

Pedunculate (English) Oak Quercus robur (Fagaceae) 36m

A large, spreading, deciduous tree with a dense crown of heavy branches. BARK Grey, becoming thick and deeply fissured in mature trees. BRANCHES Very old trees (700–800 years) may have dead branches emerging from upper canopy (giving rise to description ‘stagheaded’) and a hollow trunk. Shoots and buds hairless. LEAVES Deeply lobed with 2 auricles at the base; on very short stalks (5mm or less). First flush of leaves is often eaten rapidly by insects, and is replaced by a second crop in midsummer – so-called ‘Lammas growth’. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female catkins produced just as first flush of leaves appears in spring. Male catkins die off after pollination, by which time leaves are fully open. Acorns are borne on long stalks in roughly scaled cups, in groups of 1–3. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widespread native tree in Britain and Ireland, preferring heavier clay soils than the superficially similar Sessile Oak. Often dominant in old woodlands, especially in lowland areas, but it occurs in more hilly country as well. In almost all settings in the British Isles, mature oak woodland is classed as semi-natural because of the degree to which it has been, and still is, managed by man. COMMENTS Oak is an extremely important building material and for traditional timber-framed buildings it was certainly the timber of choice, and often the only one used. Little or no distinction was made between timber derived from our 2 native oak species, but in much of lowland Britain wood from Pedunculate Oak would have predominated, simply because it was more readily available. English Oak is a former name for this species; confusingly, today timber from both native oaks is sold as ‘English oak’. Pedunculate Oak timber was also used to make furniture and floorboards, offcuts making extremely good firewood. In ecological terms, the importance of Pedunculate Oak to native wildlife cannot be overstated. It supports invertebrate life in abundance, the larvae of several hundred moth species feeding on its leaves, for example. Gall-forming insects (mainly Hymenoptera) are also associated with it and even in death it supports life in the form of wood-boring beetle larvae and fungi.

Pedunculate Oak leaf

Purple Hairstreak butterfly, a species tied to mature oaks.

Pedunculate Oak bark

Pedunculate Oak acorns

Pedunculate Oak acorns

Pedunculate Oak, summer

Pedunculate Oak, winter

Pedunculate Oak flowers

Pedunculate Oak Lammas growth

Sessile Oak Quercus petraea (Fagaceae) 40m (43m)

Sturdy deciduous tree with a domed shape. BARK Grey-brown with deep vertical fissures. BRANCHES Relatively straight, radiating around a longer and more upright bole than Pedunculate Oak. Buds orange-brown with long white hairs. LEAVES Lobed, flattened, dark green and hairless above, paler below with hairs along the veins; on yellow stalks, 1–2.5cm long, and lacking auricles at the base, distinguishing them from those of Pedunculate Oak. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Drooping green male catkins appear in May and fall off as leaves open fully. Acorns long and egg-shaped, stalkless, sitting directly on the twig in small clusters. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Common and widespread in western parts of Britain, in hilly areas on poor soils. COMMENTS Once heavily coppiced for fuel and bark for tanning, but now valued more for its importance to the landscape and the wildlife it supports. Sessile Oak woodlands are often rich in epiphytes. Hole-nesting birds, notably the Pied Flycatcher, are associated with them, feeding on the abundant insect life that Sessile Oak foliage supports.

Sessile Oak leaf

Sessile Oak acorn

Downy Oak Quercus pubescens (Fagaceae) 24m

Similar to Pedunculate Oak, forming a large, sturdy tree under good growing conditions. BARK Deep grey, grooved with numerous deep fissures and small plates or rough scales. BRANCHES Twigs and buds covered with greyish downy hairs, buds looking more orange-brown beneath the down. LEAVES Smaller than Pedunculate Oak, to 13cm long and 6cm wide, with shallower, forward-pointing lobes and very hairy petioles. Young leaves densely downy at first but becoming smoother and grey-green above when mature. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins appearing in late May; acorns forming in early autumn. Acorns sessile, borne in stalkless shallow cups about 1.5cm deep, and covered in closely packed downy scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Europe, occasionally planted in Britain.

Downy Oak leaf

Pyrenean Oak Quercus pyrenaica (Fagaceae) 15m

Slender, more open crown than most other oaks. BARK Rough and scaly: a good identification feature. LEAVES Deeply lobed, to 20cm long, with petioles about 2cm long; often on pendulous shoots, and covered with soft grey, downy hairs at first, but becoming smooth above with maturity. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins, conspicuously long and yellow, in June and July, often after other oaks have finished flowering. In good years they can be abundant and make a brief but colourful display. Acorns about twice the length of the cup, which is covered in blunt overlapping scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to Iberia, N Italy and Morocco, occasionally planted in Britain. COMMENTS Can be cultivated by grafting shoots onto 2m stocks of Pedunculate Oak.

Pyrenean Oak leaf

Sessile Oak woodland

Sessile Oak acorns and foliage

Sessile Oak

Sessile Oak bark

Downy Oak bark

Pyrenean Oak bark

Downy Oak foliage

Pyrenean Oak foliage

Cork Oak Quercus suber (Fagaceae) 17m

Medium-sized evergreen oak forming a rounded tree. BARK Thick, pale greyish-brown with deep fissures and ridges if left to mature, and a soft corky texture. BRANCHES Numerous, large and twisted, arising low down on bole; in very old trees some branches may trail on ground. LEAVES Like holly leaves, with spiny tips to shallow lobes; to 7cm long, on 1cm petioles. Mature leaves dark green and smooth above, but paler, almost grey and downy below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Acorns 2–3cm long, egg-shaped, in cups covered with scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Mediterranean region, introduced to the British Isles and grown for ornament as far N as Scotland. COMMENTS Abroad, especially in Spain and Portugal, the bark is often regularly stripped to supply corks for wine bottles. After stripping, the trunk is red but the cambium and inner tissues are unharmed and the bark regrows, to be harvested again after a few years.

Cork Oak leaf

Cork Oak acorn

Turkey Oak Quercus cerris (Fagaceae) 38m

Deciduous, broadly conical oak, becoming more spreading and domed with age. BARK Thick, grey-brown, becoming fissured and forming regular, squarish plates in older trees. BRANCHES Appearing swollen near base and spreading upwards. Buds covered with long hairs. LEAVES To 10–12cm long, deeply lobed with up to 10 lobes or large teeth, on slightly downy petioles 1–2cm long. Upper leaf surface feels rough and is deep green, lower surface downy when new and greyish. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins appearing in May–June. Acorns ripening in late summer; partly encased in a deep cup covered in long outward-pointing scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S Europe, introduced to Britain by J. Lucombe of Exeter in 1735; now widely planted in parks and gardens and sometimes occurring in woodlands. COMMENTS A fast-growing tree, seemingly tolerant of different soil types and atmospheric pollution.

Turkey Oak leaf

Turkey Oak acorn

Lucombe Oak Quercus × hispanica ‘Lucombeana’ (Fagaceae) 35m

Tall evergreen hybrid between Cork Oak and Turkey Oak. BARK Variable, some specimens similar to Cork Oak, and others having a smoother, darker bark. LEAVES Long, glossy and toothed, remaining on the tree throughout all but the hardest winters. Some of the earliest trees, dating from the original hybridisation, lose a large proportion of their leaves; later crosses have a denser crown. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins in early summer; acorns in autumn in small scaly cups. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Hybrid originated in Exeter, Devon, in the 18th century, and was named after Lucombe’s nursery. It is still most common in parks and gardens around Exeter, especially near the sea. However, it may also be found in mature parks and gardens in sheltered regions elsewhere.

Lucombe Oak leaf

Cork Oak bark

Cork Oak foliage

Cork Oak

Turkey Oak foliage

Turkey Oak acorn

Turkey Oak bark

Lucombe Oak flowers and foliage

Hungarian Oak Quercus frainetto (Fagaceae) 30m

Deciduous, fast-growing oak that forms a fine, broadly domed tree. BARK Pale grey and finely fissured, breaking into fine ridges. BRANCHES Largest ones long and straight, emerging from a sturdy bole and terminating in finely downy greyish-green or brownish twigs. LEAVES Large, deeply lobed, to 25cm long and 14cm wide. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Pendulous yellow catkins in May and early June; acorns in cups about 1.2cm deep covered in downy, blunt, overlapping scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to Balkans, central Europe and S Italy. Planted elsewhere for its splendid appearance when mature. COMMENTS Sometimes grafted onto the stock of Pedunculate Oak.

Hungarian Oak leaf

Hungarian Oak acorn

Evergreen (Holm) Oak Quercus ilex (Fagaceae) 28m

Broadly domed tree; crown is often very dense and twiggy. BARK Very dark with shallow fissures, eventually cracking to form squarish scales. BRANCHES Appearing from low down on bole. Young shoots covered with white down. LEAVES Variable: usually ovate to oblong with a pointed tip and a rounded base on mature trees, but more like holly leaves on a young tree. Dark and glossy above, paler and downy below with raised veins; on hairy petioles 1–2cm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins appear in spring, their golden colour contrasting with silvery new leaves and darker twigs. Acorns, to 2cm long, sit deeply in cups covered with rows of small hairy scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S Europe, planted here mainly in mild areas and as a shelter-belt tree in coastal areas, to protect more tender species from winds and salt spray. Naturalised occasionally.

Evergreen Oak leaf

Evergreen Oak acorn

SIMILAR TREE

Golden Oak of Cyprus Q. alnifolia (8m) A small, shrubby evergreen oak with numerous branches, a short bole and dark grey bark pitted with orange-brown lenticels. Leaves 5cm long, leathery, with a toothed margin, a smooth, dark glossy green upper surface, and distinctive golden felt below. Male catkins yellowish green and pendulous, female catkins smaller and inconspicuous. Acorns up to 3cm long, sitting in a small scaly cup. A native of the mountains of Cyprus, seen in the British Isles only in specialist collections.

Golden Oak of Cyprus leaf underside

Golden Oak of Cyprus leaf upperside

Kermes Oak Quercus coccifera (Fagaceae) 5m

Small evergreen oak, often just a dense, much-branched shrub. BARK Greyish and smooth at first, finely patterned in older trees. BRANCHES Young twigs yellowish with branched hairs, but becoming hairless with maturity. LEAVES Tough and holly-like, dark green above and a little paler below, to 4cm long with pronounced spines; petiole short or almost absent. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Small acorns, to 1.5cm long, sit in a shallow cup protected by strong spiny scales. They take 2 years to mature, so trees always have some acorns on them. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widespread around the Mediterranean. Grown elsewhere for its intriguing foliage; not hardy, so rare in Britain.

Kermes Oak leaf

Hungarian Oak bark

Hungarian Oak foliage

Hungarian Oak

Evergreen Oak foliage

Evergreen Oak acorn

Evergreen Oak flowers and foliage

Golden Oak of Cyprus foliage

Kermes Oak foliage

Kermes Oak acorns and foliage

Red Oak Quercus rubra (Fagaceae) 35m

Broadly conical tree. BARK Pale silvery grey, sometimes brownish, and mostly smooth; fissured with age. LEAVES Large, usually 10–20cm long; deeply lobed, with smaller teeth terminating in fine hairs at tips of lobes. Green above and paler matt green below during growing season; turning red or brown in autumn. Young trees produce the finest red colourings. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Pendulous male catkins in spring as leaves open, turning tree golden yellow. Acorns rounded, in a neat scaly cup. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of North America, planted in Britain for autumn colours; naturalised occasionally.

Red Oak leaf

Red Oak acorn

Pin Oak Quercus palustris (Fagaceae) 26m

Broadly conical deciduous tree with a short bole. BARK Smooth and grey-brown. BRANCHES Numerous, mostly ascending. LEAVES Distinctive: to 12cm long and deeply lobed with bristles at tips of pointed lobes. In summer, leaves are glossy green on both surfaces, palest below; tufts of brownish hairs in vein axils. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins pendulous, yellowish, opening in early summer. Acorns, to 1.5cm long, partially enclosed in shallow scaly cup. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America. Introduced to Britain for ornament.

Pin Oak leaf

Scarlet Oak Quercus coccinea (Fagaceae) 28m

Rather slender, domed tree. BARK Dark greyish brown, smooth in young trees, ridged with maturity. BRANCHES Slender and spreading. LEAVES 15cm long, even more deeply lobed than Pin Oak but less strongly bristle-tipped. In summer, glossy green above and paler below with small hair-tufts in vein axils below. Turning brilliant red in autumn, especially in cultivar Q. coccinea ‘Splendens’. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Acorns, to 2.5cm long, are rounded, half-enclosed in a slightly glossy cup. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America. Planted in Britain for its brilliant autumn colours.

Scarlet Oak leaf

Scarlet Oak acorn

Mirbeck’s Oak Quercus canariensis (Fagaceae) 25m

Domed, columnar tree. BARK Thick, dark grey and furrowed. LEAVES Ovate to elliptic, to 15cm long, with up to 12 lobes. Young leaves hairy and reddish, maturing darker green and smooth. Some turn yellow and fall in autumn, others remain through winter. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male catkins yellowish green and pendulous; female catkins small. Acorns, to 2.5cm long, ovate, one-third hidden in scaly cup. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of N Africa and SW Europe, planted in Britain occasionally.

Mirbeck’s Oak leaf

Mirbeck’s Oak acorn

Water Oak Quercus nigra (Fagaceae) 18m

Domed tree. BARK Purplish grey. BRANCHES Spreading. LEAVES Dark green, glossy, hairless, with irregular lobes, broadest near blunt tip; retained into winter. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Domed acorns in shallow cups. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E USA, planted in Britain occasionally.

Water Oak leaf

Red Oak ‘Aurea’ autumn colours

Scarlet Oak autumn colours

Red Oak bark

Pin Oak autumn colours

Pin Oak bark

Scarlet Oak bark

Mirbeck’s Oak acorns and foliage

Mirbeck’s Oak bark

Water Oak bark

Water Oak foliage

ELMS ULMUS (FAMILY ULMACEAE)

A genus of mostly large deciduous trees with small flowers that open before the leaves, except for a few that flower in autumn. Leaves are asymmetric at the base. Many species propagate freely from root suckers.

Wych Elm Ulmus glabra (Ulmaceae) 40m

Large, often spreading tree, frequently with several prominent trunks arising from a stout bole. Rarely produces suckers like other elms, so reproduces only by seed. BARK Smooth and greyish in younger trees, becoming browner with deep, mostly vertical cracks and ridges with age. BRANCHES Main ones spreading, sometimes almost horizontal. Youngest twigs thick, reddish brown and covered with short stiff hairs; older twigs smoother and greyer. In winter, buds are reddish brown and hairy, oval with blunt-pointed tips. LEAVES Rounded or oval, to 18cm long, with long tapering point at tip. Base of leaf unequal: a good pointer to all the elms. Long side of leaf base extends beyond petiole (which is 2–5mm long) to the twig. Leaves feel rough; upper surface hairy, and lower surface with softer, sparser hairs. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers sessile with purple anthers, opening before leaves in February and March, high up on tree so inconspicuous. Fruits about 2cm long, on a short stalk, and papery. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of much of Europe, including Britain and Ireland, occurring in woods and especially hedgerows, often near flowing water. An attractive feature of many riversides in the north of England. COMMENTS Susceptible to Dutch elm disease, so much reduced in numbers. Slow to recover as it does not sucker like other elms.

Wych Elm leaf

English Elm Ulmus procera (Ulmaceae) 36m

High-domed and lofty. BARK Dark brown, grooved with small squarish plates. BRANCHES Main ones large and ascending. Twigs thick, reddish and densely hairy. Winter buds 3mm long, ovoid, pointed and hairy (use a hand-lens). LEAVES Rounded or slightly oval with short tapering tip; base unequal, longest side does not reach beyond petiole to twig. Leaf rough to touch; petiole (1–5mm long) and midrib finely downy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers with dark red anthers, opening before leaves in February and March. Ripe fruits (rarely produced) up to 1.5cm long, papery, and very short-stalked. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S and E Europe, in hedgerows and woodland edges. Doubtfully native to Britain, except perhaps in S England, but present for millennia. COMMENTS Probably brought to Britain by early European colonisers; certainly introduced to Ireland and N Britain. Sadly, no longer a countryside feature because of Dutch elm disease. Formerly, its leaves were fed to cattle. Its durable timber was used for furniture, floorboards and coffins. Some authorities classify it as U. minor ssp. vulgaris.

English Elm leaf

Wych Elm fruits

Wych Elm bark

Wych Elm foliage

English Elm foliage

English Elm bark

English Elm fruits

English Elm

Jim Russell

Ulmus minor is a variable tree and its classification is extremely confusing. Formerly, several regional subspecies were recognised and given English names. However, I have adopted the classification system suggested by Max Coleman in British Wildlife Vol. 13, No. 6. Smooth-leaved Elm U. minor is recognised as a native species. Cornish, Jersey and Plot’s Elms, while reasonably distinct, are now considered to be clones of U. minor, their current distribution influenced to varying degrees by the planting of cuttings; consequently, a horticultural style is adopted for their scientific names.

Smooth-leaved Elm Ulmus minor (Ulmaceae) 32m

Domed and spreading tree. BARK Greyish brown, scaly and ridged. BRANCHES Usually ascending, often with pendulous masses of shoots. LEAVES Superficially hornbeam-like, leathery, to 9cm long, oval, pointed at tip, with toothed margins; unequal leaf bases, narrowly tapering on short side, and a short petiole. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Fruits papery. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to S and SE England; once widespread but range and abundance badly affected by Dutch elm disease. COMMENTS Includes trees previously (and sometimes still) known as U. carpinifolia and Coritanian Elm U. coritana. Coritanian Elm is often distinct enough to be recognised. It is a spreading tree with stout twigs and rather broad leaves that show a distinct curve towards the side of the leaf where the margin is shortest. The base is markedly unequal, with the long side sometimes forming a lobe. It is restricted to E and SE Britain.

Smooth-leaved Elm bark

Smooth-leaved Elm leaf

Cornish Elm Ulmus ‘Stricta’ (Ulmaceae) 36m

(Referred to in Stace as Ulmus minor ssp. angustifolia.) Narrowly conical hedgerow tree with a rather open, spreading crown. BARK Grey-brown and scaly. BRANCHES Relatively few; lowest ones ascending steeply. LEAVES Oval, toothed and relatively small (to 6cm); smooth and leathery above, downy on midrib below. Leaf narrow and almost equal at base, sometimes concave and with a straight midrib. Petiole 1cm long and downy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Restricted mainly to Cornwall, W Devon; more local elsewhere in SW England and in SW Ireland. Much reduced because of Dutch elm disease. A form known as Goodyer’s Elm occurs in S Hampshire and is sometimes afforded species status (U. angustifolia).

Cornish Elm leaf

Jersey Elm Ulmus ‘Sarniensis’ (Ulmaceae) 20m

(Referred to in Stace as Ulmus minor ssp. sarniensis.) Similar to Cornish Elm but separable by using characters as well as geographical range. Has a tall, straight trunk that extends to top of tree and a conical shape overall in maturity. BRANCHES Numerous; spreading or only slightly ascending. LEAVES To 4cm long, rather neatly narrowly ovate and almost equal at the base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widespread on Guernsey, probably introduced to other Channel Islands, and occasionally planted in mainland Britain too as a street tree, for example, in Edinburgh.

Jersey Elm leaf

Smooth-leaved Elm foliage

Cornish Elm foliage

Smooth-leaved Elm hedgerow

Jersey Elm foliage

Cornish Elm hedgerow

Plot’s Elm Ulmus ‘Plotii’ (Ulmaceae) 25m

(Referred to in Stace as Ulmus plotii.) Reasonably distinctive tree with a narrow, upright crown, an arching leading shoot and overall a rather shaggy appearance in maturity. BARK Greyish brown and scaly. BRANCHES Rather slender with long pendulous twigs. LEAVES To 4cm long, narrow (much more so than English Elm), widest in the middle with a straight midrib and pointed tip, and an almost equal base; upper surface rough to touch. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A hedgerow and field-margin tree, more or less confined to the English East Midlands. Much reduced (large trees in particular) by Dutch elm disease. Favours damp ground.

Plot’s Elm leaf

Dutch Elm Ulmus × hollandica (Ulmaceae) 30m

Tall and rather straggly hybrid tree. BARK Brown, cracking into small, shallow plates. BRANCHES Higher branches longer than ones lower down, and spreading. LEAVES Oval, toothed, to 15cm long, sometimes buckled. Leaf base only slightly unequal. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Hybrid (probably naturally occurring), whose parents are U. glabra and U. minor. Has a scattered range across S England and SW Wales and is found in hedgerows in lowland districts. COMMENT Has a degree of natural resistance to Dutch elm disease and this is enhanced in some cultivars, notably ‘Groeneveld’.

Dutch Elm leaf

Dutch Elm fruit

Huntingdon Elm Ulmus × hollandica ‘Vegeta’ (Ulmaceae) 30m

(Referred to in Stace as Ulmus × vegeta.) Widely spreading tree with a domed crown. BARK Greyish and broken into regular ridges. BRANCHES Main branches long, straight and upright to spreading. LEAVES Ovate to elliptical with a pointed tip and toothed margins; base markedly unequal and upper surface smooth. Rather similar to leaves of Wych Elm, but petiole more than 5mm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A clone of Dutch Elm, formerly considered to be a naturally occurring hybrid, found in East Anglia and central England. It is widely planted. COMMENTS Has a degree of resistance to Dutch elm disease.

Huntingdon Elm leaf

Other Hybrid Elms Ulmus; many different hybrids (Ulmaceae) 35m

Narrowly columnar trees with rather dense foliage exist. BARK Brown, cracking into small, square plates. BRANCHES Upright, straight and spreading at shallow angles. LEAVES Ovate to elliptical, dark green and shiny with a pointed tip and toothed margins; base almost equal and upper surface smooth. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widely planted. COMMENTS Artificial hybrids with a complex parentage that includes U. × hollandica. Frequent cultivars include ‘Lobel’ with oval leaves and ‘Dodoens’ with leaves that have a very long, pointed tip.

Hybrid Elm ‘Lobel’ leaf

Hybrid Elm ‘Dodoens’ leaf

Plot’s Elm foliage

Dutch Elm bark

Dutch Elm

Dutch Elm fruits

Dutch Elm foliage

Huntingdon Elm foliage

Hybrid Elm ‘Lobel’ foliage

Hybrid Elm ‘Dodoens’ foliage

European White Elm Ulmus laevis (Ulmaceae) 20m

Broadly spreading tree with an open crown. BARK Grey and smooth when young, deeply furrowed with age. BRANCHES Twigs reddish brown and softly downy, but becoming smooth with age. LEAVES To 13cm long, with markedly unequal bases and toothed margins. Leaf veins paired, and longer side has 2–3 more veins than the other. Upper leaf surface usually smooth but underside normally with grey down. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers in long-stalked clusters. Fruits winged and papery, with a fringe of hairs; in pendulous clusters. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of mainland Europe, possibly native in Britain in the past but now probably extinct. Sometimes grown in collections.

European White Elm leaf

Japanese Elm Ulmus japonica (Ulmaceae) 8m

Spreading, low-growing tree. BARK Grey-brown, scaly and ridged. BRANCHES Upright and spreading with downy shoots. LEAVES Narrow-ovate, to 10cm long, dark green, rough above, downy below; leaf bases unequal. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Papery fruits. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Japan, planted in Britain partly for its resistance to Dutch elm disease.

Japanese Elm leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Chinese Elm U. parvifolia (15m) Crown domed; leaves oval, dark green, to 6cm long; bases almost equal and teeth blunt. Native of E Asia, sometimes planted.

Chinese Elm leaf

ZELKOVA (FAMILY ULMACEAE)

Includes 5 species, closely related to the Elms, from E Mediterranean, the Caucasus, China and Japan. Only one becomes a large tree. Susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Caucasian Elm Zelkova carpinifolia (Ulmaceae) 31m

Dense, multi-stemmed crown composed of numerous almost upright branches. Bole, to 3m, is heavily ridged. BARK Greyish and flaking; falling away in rounded scales to expose orange patches. BRANCHES Youngest twigs greenish with whitish down. LEAVES To 10cm long, oval and pointed with rounded teeth and 6–12 pairs of veins. Upper surface dark green and slightly hairy, lower surface slightly paler with hairs on either side of veins. Petiole very short, to 2mm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male flowers, in April, are sessile clusters of yellow-green stamens arising from older, leafless part of twig. Female flowers solitary, in axils of last few leaves on shoot. Fruits spherical, to 5mm across and slightly 4-winged. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the Caucasus, grown for ornament elsewhere. COMMENTS Noted for its autumn colours. Mature trees produce suckers and can spread like a hedgerow elm.

Caucasian Elm leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Keaki Z. serrata (26m) Young twigs hairy at first, becoming smoother with age. Leaves more markedly toothed and smooth below. Fruits smooth and rounded.

Keaki leaf

European White Elm bark

European White Elm autumn foliage

Japanese Elm foliage

Chinese Elm fruits and foliage

Caucasian Elm

Caucasian Elm bark

Caucasian Elm foliage

Keaki foliage

Black Mulberry Morus nigra (Moraceae) 13m

Gnarled bole and dense, twisting branches and twigs make even a young tree look ancient. Crown may be broader than tree is tall. BARK Dark orange-brown, fissured and peeling. Downy shoots release milky juice if snapped. LEAVES To 20cm long, oval with heart-shaped base, toothed margin and pointed tip. Petiole hairy, to 2.5cm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flower spikes on short downy stalks in May; yellowish-green male flowers about 2.5cm long; females about 1–1.25cm long, giving rise to a hard raspberry-like fruit, acidic until fully ripened, when wine-red or purple. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Asia, long cultivated elsewhere. In Britain, found mainly in the south, in sheltered gardens.

Black Mulberry leaf

White Mulberry Morus alba (Moraceae) 15m

Deciduous tree with a narrow rounded crown on a broad bole, to 2m across. BARK Heavily ridged and grey, sometimes tinged pinkish. BRANCHES Shoots thin, with fine hairs at first; buds minute, brown and pointed. LEAVES To 18cm long, oval to rounded with a heart-shaped base and a hairy, grooved petiole up to 2.5cm long. They feel thin and smooth, and have a toothed margin, with downy hairs on veins on underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Female flowers stalked, spike-like and yellowish. Male flowers on slightly longer spikes; whitish with prominent anthers. Fruit comprises a cluster of drupes; white or pink at first, ripening purple. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E Asia, grown in Britain occasionally. COMMENT The leaves are the food plant for silkworms.

White Mulberry leaf

Fig Ficus carica (Moraceae) 5m

Deciduous tree with distinctive fruits and leaves. BARK Pale grey, smooth, sometimes with finer lines. BRANCHES Thick, forming a spreading domed crown. LEAVES Alternate, to 20cm long, on a 5–10cm petiole; deeply lobed, usually in 3 segments, sometimes 5. They feel rough and leathery, with prominent veins on underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers hidden, produced inside pear-like, fleshy receptacle that is almost closed at apex. This ripens in second year into the familiar fleshy, sweet-tasting fig. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to SW Asia, possibly also S and E Europe. Long cultivated in Britain, thriving in walled gardens. COMMENTS Cultivars have been developed and these are more likely to be seen in gardens. The fruits are eaten either fresh or dried.

Fig leaf

Fig fruit

Barberry Berberis vulgaris (Berberidaceae) 2m

Small deciduous shrub with grooved twigs and 3-forked prickles. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flower small, yellow, in hanging clusters in late spring. Fruits ovoid, reddish berries. LEAVES Sharp-toothed, oval; borne in tufts from axils of prickles. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Scarce native in Britain but also planted and naturalised. Found in hedgerows and scrub, mainly on calcareous soils.

Barberry leaf

Barberry fruit

Black Mulberry bark

Black Mulberry foliage

Black Mulberry unripe fruits

Black Mulberry ripe fruits

White Mulberry fruits and foliage

Barberry flowers and foliage

Fig foliage

Fig fruits

Chilean Firebush Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae) 12m

Small, spreading and untidy-looking evergreen. BARK Purple-grey and flaking. BRANCHES With slightly pendulous shoots. LEAVES Lanceolate, to 22cm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Best known for its clusters of striking red flowers, to 10cm long, produced in May; swollen at tip, which, when open, divides into 4 segments. Fruits are grooved capsules that retain 3cm-long style at tip. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Chile and Argentina, planted elsewhere for its colourful flowers.

Katsura Tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum (Cercidiphyllaceae) 25m

Conical-crowned deciduous tree, sometimes with a single bole, more often with several main stems. BARK Vertically fissured and peeling. LEAVES In opposite pairs, to 8cm long, rounded, with pointed tips and heart-shaped bases. Pink at first, turning green in summer, then red in autumn. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers in leaf nodes in April. Male flowers are small clusters of reddish stamens, female flowers are darker red clusters of styles. Fruits are claw-like bunches of 5cm-long pods that change from grey, through green, to brown. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Japan, grown in Britain and Ireland for ornament.

Katsura Tree bark

Katsura Tree leaf

TULIP TREES LIRIODENDRON (FAMILY MAGNOLIACEAE)

Only 2 species occur, relics of the pre-Ice Age flora, surviving in North America and China.

Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera (Magnoliaceae) 45m

Impressive deciduous tree. Despite the promise of its name, foliage is more attractive than flowers. BARK Pale grey. BRANCHES Often twisted. LEAVES Strikingly shaped, to 20cm long and 4-lobed with a terminal notch, looking as though they have been cut out with scissors; fresh green through summer, turning bright gold in autumn. Leaves smooth and hairless, on a slender petiole 5–10cm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers superficially tulip-like, giving the tree its name. Cup-shaped at first, and inconspicuous as perianth segments are greenish and blend in with leaves. Later, flowers open more fully, revealing rings of yellowish stamens surrounding paler ovaries. Often produced high up in the middle of dense foliage, and not until the tree is at least 25 years old and quite sizeable. Conical fruits, to 8.5cm long, are composed of numerous scale-like overlapping carpels. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E USA. Introduced to Europe in the 17th century and commonly planted in gardens and parks.

Tulip Tree bark

Tulip Tree leaf

SIMILAR TREE

Chinese Tulip Tree Liriodendron chinense (25m) Similar to Tulip Tree in most respects but leaves more narrowly waisted and terminal ‘cut’ often less indented. Native to E Asia and planted in Britain occasionally.

Chinese Tulip Tree leaf

Chilean Firebush flowers and foliage

David Rae

Katsura Tree autumn colour

Katsura Tree foliage

Tulip Tree

Tulip Tree autumn colour

Tulip Tree flower

Chinese Tulip Tree foliage

MAGNOLIAS MAGNOLIA (FAMILY MAGNOLIACEAE)

A genus of about 35 species, many with beautiful showy but primitive flowers. Numerous cultivars exist and these are popular garden trees.

Southern Evergreen Magnolia (Bull Bay) Magnolia grandiflora (Magnoliaceae) 30m

A large, spreading evergreen tree with a broadly conical crown. BARK Smooth, dull grey. BRANCHES Large, the youngest shoots covered with thick down and terminating in red-tipped buds. LEAVES Elliptical, to 16cm long and 9cm wide with a smooth or sometimes wavy margin. Upper surface shiny, dark green, and underside rust-coloured and downy, as is the 2.5cm-long petiole. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Striking flowers, composed of 6 white petal-like segments, borne at tips of shoots; conical in bud, later opening out to a spreading cup-shape, to 25cm across. Fruit conical, to 6cm long, composed of scale-like carpels on a single orange stalk. Flowers from midsummer to late autumn. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of SE USA, introduced to Europe in 18th century. Popular in gardens, and does well if grown against a wall. In more sheltered areas it will form a splendid free-standing tree. COMMENTS Many other magnolia species and cultivars are found in cultivation and the following are among the most popular in gardens:

Southern Evergreen Magnolia leaf upperside

Southern Evergreen Magnolia leaf underside

Campbell’s Magnolia Magnolia campbellii (Magnoliaceae) 20m

Much-branched and widely spreading tree, or large bush. BARK Grey, slightly fissured. BRANCHES Long, mainly level. LEAVES Oval, pointed at the tip. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers, to 30cm across, comprising numerous pink tepals. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E Asia, grown in gardens elsewhere for its wonderful flowers. COMMENTS Used as a parent stock in many hybrid tree magnolia cultivars, although in many forms it is not possible to determine the precise parentage.

Campbell’s Magnolia leaf

Star Magnolia Magnolia stellata (Magnoliaceae) 9m

Usually forms a much-branched bush rather than a tree. LEAVES Narrowly oval. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers comprising numerous white tepals, arranged in a star-like fashion. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Japan and widely planted in Britain.

Star Magnolia leaf

Saucer Magnolia Magnolia × soulangeana (Magnoliaceae) 12m

Dense bush or untidy, low, spreading tree. BARK Grey. BRANCHES Much divided and untidy; shoots carrying silky buds. LEAVES Dark green, ovate and pointed at the tip. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Upright flowers, the 9 pale tepals flushed pinkish orange or purple at the base. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widely planted hybrid and a contributor to many other hybrid cultivars.

Saucer Magnolia leaf

Southern Evergreen Magnolia flower and foliage

Frank Blackburn

Campbell’s Magnolia flowers

Tony Schilling

Star Magnolia flower and foliage

Magnolia ‘Loeberi’ – a hybrid between M. stellata and M. kobus

Saucer Magnolia flower

Saucer Magnolia flower

Magnolia ‘Iolanthe’ flower

Bay (Sweet Bay) Laurus nobilis (Lauraceae) 17m

Moderate-sized evergreen tree with a conical crown. BARK Smooth, dark grey or almost black. BRANCHES Mostly ascending and dark grey, terminating in reddish twigs and conical dark red buds. LEAVES To 10cm long, narrowly oval or lanceolate with wavy margins; they feel tough and leathery and have a pleasing aroma when crushed. Upper surface glossy dark green and underside paler; glands that release scent can be seen through a hand-lens. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers are borne below the petioles against shoot, opening in creamy yellow clusters. Fruits are small, shiny black berries up to 1.5cm long. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Mediterranean area, but widely planted in the British Isles and naturalised in the south. COMMENTS Long favoured as a culinary herb, Bay leaves can be used to flavour stews, sauces and soups. The Romans used them to make laurel wreaths or garlands to adorn poets and heroes. Bay lends itself to pruning and clipping; it can be trained into neat symmetrical shapes and grown in tubs.

Bay leaf

Californian Laurel Umbellularia californica (Lauraceae) 20m

Dense evergreen with a domed crown and similar foliage to Bay. BARK Grey and cracked. BRANCHES Much divided. LEAVES Similar to Bay but typically narrower and paler green or yellowish green. Crushed leaves give off a stronger scent than Bay, inducing headaches and nausea in some people. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Yellowish flowers in small, dense, rounded clusters. Fruits rounded and greenish, ripening to purple. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of W coast of North America, cultivated in milder parts of the British Isles, where some fine trees exist.

Californian Laurel leaf

Sassafras Sassafras albidum (Lauraceae) 20m

Medium-sized, columnar, deciduous tree. BARK Thick, reddish brown, furrowed and aromatic. BRANCHES With thin, green shoots, particularly evident after leaf-fall. LEAVES Mostly elliptic and untoothed, to 15cm long and 10cm across, but sometimes with large lobes on either side. Upper surface bright green and lower surface bluish green; leaves turning through yellow and orange to purple in autumn. Trees that have spread through suckers can form large clumps that produce a brilliant autumn display. Crushed leaves have a pleasing smell and to some they taste of orange and vanilla. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female flowers very small, greenish yellow, without petals, in small clusters on separate plants and opening in the spring. Fruit an ovoid berry, about 1cm long, ripening to dark blue. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Common native tree of E North America, growing in woods and thickets, and used as a raw ingredient for root beer and tea. Seen in Britain and Ireland in arboreta and well-established gardens.

Sassafras leaf

Bay flowers and foliage

Californian Laurel foliage

Californian Laurel flowers and foliage

Sassafras bark

Sassafras foliage

Sweet Gum Liquidambar styraciflua (Hamamelidaceae) 28m

A large tree with attractive foliage. BARK Greyish brown with scaly ridges. BRANCHES Twisting and spreading to upcurved. LEAVES Sharply lobed with a toothed margin. They are alternate and give off a resinous scent when crushed, unlike maple leaves, which they resemble. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers globose; fruits spiny and pendulous, 2.5–4cm across, resembling those of a plane. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread and common native tree of the SE USA as far S as Central America. Familiar as a colourful autumn tree in many British parks and gardens. Also imported as timber called satinwood.

Sweet Gum fruit

Sweet Gum leaf in autumn

Persian Ironwood Parrotia persica (Hamamelidaceae) 12m

A small, spreading deciduous tree with a short bole. BARK Smooth, peels away in flakes, leaving attractive coloured patches; older trees have a pattern of pink, brown and yellow. BRANCHES Mostly level. Young twigs hairy, terminating in blackish hairy buds. LEAVES To 7.5cm long, oval with a slightly tapering tip and a rounded base; margins wavy or sometimes slightly toothed. Glossy green above and appearing slightly crushed or crinkled; underside slightly hairy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers appear before the leaves in early spring, in short-stalked clusters, reddish and inconspicuous. Fruits are dry capsules that split open to release small, pointed, shiny brown seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the Caucasus and N Iran, introduced to Europe as an ornamental tree.

Persian Ironwood leaf in summer

Persian Ironwood leaf in autumn

Witch Hazel Hamamelis mollis (Hamamelidaceae) 4m

Rarely more than a small sprawling shrub, but sometimes grows into a small domed tree. BARK Greyish brown. BRANCHES Dense and mostly ascending. LEAVES Resembling Hazel leaves; alternate and mostly oval with pointed tips, a toothed margin and an unequal base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Best known for its winter flowers, produced long before the leaves open and providing a welcome sign of early spring in a winter landscape. They are composed of long yellow, ribbon-like petals and red stamens, and are noticeably sweet-scented. They are often produced prolifically on bare twigs, making the shrub stand out conspicuously. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of China, introduced to Britain late in the 19th century and now found in parks and gardens and sometimes naturalised in open woodlands.

Witch Hazel leaf

SIMILAR TREES

Japanese Witch Hazel H. japonica (4m) A spring-flowering shrub with a spreading habit. Flower colour rather subdued but autumn leaves colourful.

Japanese Witch Hazel leaf

Hybrid Witch Hazel H. × intermedia (4m) A popular hybrid with more showy spring flowers than the above species; many different cultivars exist.

Hybrid Witch Hazel leaf

Sweet Gum foliage

Sweet Gum

Persian Ironwood bark

Persian Ironwood flowers and foliage

Witch Hazel flowers

Hybrid Witch Hazel flowers

Hybrid Witch Hazel fruits

Japanese Witch Hazel flowers

Oriental Plane Platanus orientalis (Platanaceae) 30m

Large deciduous tree with a broad, domed crown. The main trunk is frequently covered with large tuberous burrs. BARK Mostly smooth and pale brown, flaking away to reveal rounded yellow patches. BRANCHES Often spreading. In older specimens branches droop down to the ground. Young shoots yellow-brown and hairy; older twigs greyer. LEAVES Large, up to 18cm in length and width; deeply divided into 5–7 lobes that are themselves notched; central lobe longest. Petiole 5cm long with swollen base enclosing a bud. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male flowers, up to 6cm long, composed of 2–7 rounded, yellowish flower heads. Female flowers, up to 8cm long, comprising up to 6 rounded, dark red flower heads; flowers open May–June. As they ripen into fruits, the catkins reach a length of 15cm and the ball-like heads grow to 3cm across; they contain many 1-seeded carpels with long hairs attached to bases. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the Balkans, eastwards into Asia. Commonly planted in British parks and gardens, sometimes alongside roads, although it is not suitable for narrow roads because its spreading habit makes it too large.

Oriental Plane bark

Oriental Plane leaf

Oriental Plane ‘Digitata’ leaf

London Plane Platanus × hispanica (× acerifolia) (Platanaceae) 44m

Large deciduous tree resulting from a cross between the American and Oriental Planes, and known since the mid-17th century. Main trunk is usually very tall and the crown of an old tree is often spreading. BARK Greyish-brown and thin, flaking away in rounded patches to leave paler, yellowish areas beneath. BRANCHES Often tangled and rather twisted. LEAVES Up to 24cm long and mostly 5-lobed and palmate, but not as deeply divided as those of Oriental Plane; very variable, however, and the degree of lobing may differ greatly. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers very similar to those of Oriental Plane. Some flower spikes may bear only 1 or 2 flower heads. Fruits also similar to Oriental Plane. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread tree in towns, where the peeling bark is a useful way of ridding the tree of soot and dust deposits. Very sturdy and resistant to gales and storms, and also quite disease-resistant. Very much a feature of London streets and squares – hence the name – but also popular in other cities.

London Plane bark

London Plane leaf

London Plane fruit

Oriental Plane fruits and foliage

Oriental Plane

Oriental Plane fruits

London Plane fruits and foliage

London Plane foliage

London Plane

Bridewort Spiraea salicifolia (Rosaceae) 2m

Much-divided shrub that suckers freely. BRANCHES Whip-like and mainly upright. BARK Reddish brown. LEAVES Elliptical to narrowly oval, the margin toothed towards the tip. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers with pink petals, in frothy conical to cylindrical heads. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of central and E Europe, popularly grown in gardens in Britain and naturalised occasionally. COMMENTS Numerous other confusingly similar species, hybrids and cultivars are planted, and sometimes become naturalised. Examples include Intermediate Bridewort S. × rosalba (with paler petals and a narrowly conical flower head), Pale Bridewort S. × alba (with whitish petals) and Confused Bridewort S. × pseudosalicifolia (with intermediate characters).

Bridewort leaf

Quince Cydonia oblonga (Rosaceae) 7.5m

Small, irregularly spreading, deciduous tree with a flattened crown. BARK Greyish brown. BRANCHES Dense. Shoots noticeably woolly at first, but lose this with age. LEAVES Up to 10cm long with entire margins; upper surface green and mostly smooth, lower surface greyer and markedly downy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Attractive pink-tinged white flowers, at their best in April–May, up to 5cm in diameter and bowl-shaped, containing yellowish anthers and stigmas. Fruit up to 7cm long, resembling a small pear, greenish at first and becoming golden-yellow when mature with a pleasing fragrance. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of SW Asia, but long cultivated elsewhere, including in Britain, for its fruits. Many cultivated varieties have much larger fruits, up to 12cm long. Mostly found in orchards and gardens, but occasionally naturalised in hedges and open woodlands.

Quince leaf

Quince fruit

Medlar Mespilus germanica (Rosaceae) 9m

Sometimes a small, rounded tree, or often a spreading and untidy shrub. BARK Greyish brown, in old trees breaking into oblong plates with deep fissures. BRANCHES Young shoots densely hairy. LEAVES To 15cm long, lanceolate to ovate with entire or sometimes very finely toothed margins and deep veins; often a yellowish-green colour and almost shiny above, with dense white hairs on the underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Solitary white flowers, up to 6cm across, with sepals longer than petals and about 40 red anthers. The curious fruit is about 3cm long, divided into 5 carpels, with a brown russet-like skin and a sunken apex. It is edible, but not until it has started to rot, when it can be used in preserves. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the woodlands of SE Europe and Asia Minor, but has been in cultivation elsewhere for a long time. Usually found in old gardens, but also naturalised in some woodlands.

Medlar leaf

Medlar fruit

Bridewort flowers and foliage

Quince flower

Quince fruit and foliage

Medlar flower

Medlar fruit

PEARS PYRUS (FAMILY ROSACEAE)

About 20 species occur in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Some produce edible fruits and many yield good-quality durable timber that is used for inlay work and turnery. Many are found in cultivated forms and are important commercial species.

Common Pear (Cultivated Pear) Pyrus communis (Rosaceae) 20m

A normally upright and slender deciduous tree with a stout bole and a dense framework unless pruned. BARK Dark brown, breaking up into small square plates. BRANCHES Ascending in young trees, but becoming more spreading in older specimens; some branches may bear a few spines. Young twigs reddish brown and sparsely hairy, becoming smoother with age. LEAVES Up to 8cm long, usually oval to elliptic in shape, but always with some variation; the margins have numerous small teeth, and the leaves are smooth and almost glossy when mature. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers pure white, opening before leaves have fully expanded, typically 2 to 4 weeks earlier than cultivated apples flowering in the same location. A pear orchard is a spectacular sight on a sunny spring day. The fruits may be up to 12cm long, with soft, but slightly gritty, sweet-tasting flesh. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of W Asia originally, but cultivated for millennia and now widespread across Europe, including Britain and Ireland. Grown traditionally for its highly edible fruits but nowadays also planted simply for its display of flowers (often using sterile hybrids). Many hundreds of cultivars exist and there are numerous hybrids. Today, almost all Common Pears that are grown and sold are grafted onto rootstocks and this can affect their size and appearance. Popular varieties include ‘Conference’ (good for eating) and ‘Concorde’ (grown as a dessert pear). Single trees may be seen naturalised in hedgerows and woodlands, sometimes indicating where an old dwelling once existed. COMMENTS Cultivated Pear can be trained into a variety of shapes, by a range of different techniques (e.g. cordon and espalier), in order to aid fruit picking or to make best use of available space. The close-grained timber was, and still is, used in turnery: particularly prized objects include bowls and urns.

Common Pear leaf

Common Pear fruit

Pear turned from spalted Pear wood

Common Pear bark

Common Pear

Common Pear with fruit

Common Pear fruit and foliage

Common Pear flowers

Plymouth Pear Pyrus cordata (Rosaceae) 8m

A small, slender or slightly spreading deciduous tree. BARK Dark brown, breaking up into small square plates. BRANCHES Spiny, with purplish twigs. LEAVES Alternate, oval and up to 5cm long, although they are usually much smaller. Margin finely toothed and leaf downy when young, becoming dull green with age. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers open at same time as leaves in May; tree often covered with white blossom. Fruit up to 1.8cm long, resembling a tiny pear on a long stalk; golden brown at first, ripening later to red and marked by numerous brown lenticels. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A scarce native of SW Britain (also found in W France and the Iberian peninsula). Here, it is usually found in hedgerows and copses. COMMENTS Suckering is an important means by which Plymouth Pear reproduces. Unsympathetic hedgerow maintenance, which does not suit the species, helps explain its limited and seemingly diminishing range.

Plymouth Pear leaf

Plymouth Pear fruit

Wild Pear Pyrus pyraster (Rosaceae) 20m

A medium-sized deciduous tree, sometimes becoming fairly large and spreading, but often rounded in outline and no more than 8–10m tall. BARK Dark brown, breaking up into small square plates. BRANCHES May be spreading, or sometimes ascending, and normally spiny; twigs smooth, greyish brown. LEAVES Up to 7cm long, elliptic or rounded, or sometimes heart-shaped near the base, but nearly always with a toothed margin near the apex. Hairless when fully grown; petiole up to 7cm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Long-stalked, white flowers open at same time as leaves in April–May. Petals in clusters of about 5, sometimes looking slightly crushed. The tree is often densely covered with blossom and can be a most attractive sight in woodland in spring. Fruits small, hard, rounded, about 3.5cm in diameter; yellowish brown, sometimes blackened, and pitted with numerous tiny lenticels. They grow on thin stalks. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of a wide area of Europe, including S Britain. Found in open woodlands and copses. Usually solitary, and typically easy to spot for a short time in spring when the white blossom is open. COMMENTS With many individual trees it can be difficult to ascribe identity or precise parentage with any certainty because Common Pear varieties are occasionally naturalised, and other Pyrus species are sometimes planted. Neolithic charcoal made from Wild Pear wood has been found and this perhaps hints at the species’ greater abundance in times past. Certainly in medieval times it was important enough to be mentioned in charters and land registers.

Wild Pear leaf

Wild Pear fruit

Plymouth Pear bark

Plymouth Pear foliage

Plymouth Pear fruit

Wild Pear bark

Wild Pear

Wild Pear foliage

Wild Pear flowers

Wild Pear fruits

Willow-leaved Pear Pyrus salicifolia (Rosaceae) 10m

Small deciduous tree with a rounded crown. BARK Rough, scaly and usually dark brown. BRANCHES Mostly level with pendulous, very downy twigs. LEAVES Narrow, to 9cm long, like willow leaves: silvery grey on both surfaces at first, but greener on upper surface later in season. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers, to 2cm across, usually opening with leaves. Fruits about 3cm long, pear-shaped or sometimes more pointed, and brown when ripe, on a downy pedicel. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of central Asia. Grown in Britain for ornament. COMMENT ‘Pendula’ is a popular cultivar.

Willow-leaved Pear leaf

Willow-leaved Pear leaf

Pyrus elaeagnifolia (Rosaceae) 10m

Small, often slender tree. BARK Rough and scaly. BRANCHES Spreading and spiny; twigs covered with grey hairs. LEAVES Alternate, to 8cm long, lanceolate, sometimes toothed at tip, and covered with thick white down, even at end of growing season. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White, almost sessile flowers open with leaves. Thick-stalked fruits about 1.3cm long and pear-shaped, sometimes globular, remaining green when ripe. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the Balkans eastwards; planted in Britain occasionally.

Pyrus elaeagnifolia leaf

Sage-leaved Pear Pyrus salvifolia (Rosaceae) 10m

Small, much-branched tree. BARK Rough and scaly. BRANCHES Spreading and spiny with blackish, almost hairless old twigs. LEAVES To 5cm long, elliptical, smooth above, grey and woolly below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers open with leaves, followed by pear-shaped fruit, to 8cm long. Pedicel and young fruit are woolly; bitter fruit ripens yellow; used to make perry. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Occurs in the wild from France eastwards; planted in Britain occasionally. COMMENT Possibly a hybrid between P. communis and P. nivalis.

Sage-leaved Pear leaf

Almond-leaved Pear Pyrus amygdaliformis (Rosaceae) 6m

Small tree. BARK Rough and scaly. BRANCHES Often dense and sparsely spiny with greyish, woolly young twigs. LEAVES To 8cm long, usually lanceolate with a sparsely toothed margin. Young leaves downy, fully grown leaves shiny above and slightly downy below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flower clusters, opening with the leaves. Thick-stalked fruits rounded, to 3cm across, ripening dark yellow. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of SE Europe; planted in Britain occasionally.

Almond-leaved Pear leaf

Snow Pear Pyrus nivalis (Rosaceae) 20m

Medium-sized tree. BARK Rough and scaly. BRANCHES Ascending, usually spineless. LEAVES To 9cm long and smooth; blade runs decurrently down petiole. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers opening just after leaves. Fruits to 5cm long, rounded, greenish yellow with purple dots. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native from France to Russia; planted in Britain occasionally.

Snow Pear leaf

Willow-leaved Pear fruit and foliage

Willow-leaved Pear flowers

Pyrus elaeagnifolia fruit and foliage

Sage-leaved Pear fruit

Sage-leaved Pear bark

Almond-leaved Pear bark

Snow Pear bark

Almond-leaved Pear flowers and foliage

Almond-leaved Pear fruit

Snow Pear foliage

Snow Pear fruit and foliage

APPLES MALUS (FAMILY ROSACEAE)

About 25 species occur in northern temperate regions, although there are countless varieties and cultivars used for their highly important edible fruit and sometimes for their attractive blossom. They are hardy trees, growing in a variety of soils and climates, and some produce good-quality timber suitable for turnery. Most important fruiting varieties are propagated by grafting on to healthy stocks.

Cultivated Apple Malus domestica (Rosaceae) 15m

A familiar orchard tree producing copious quantities of edible fruits. BARK Usually brown and fissured. BRANCHES Tangled unless pruned. Twigs downy. LEAVES Up to 13cm long, elliptical and rounded at the base with a slightly pointed tip and toothed margin. Slightly downy on upper surface and normally very downy on lower surface. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers white or tinged with pink and, in some varieties, produced abundantly in short-stalked clusters. Fruits normally larger than 5cm in diameter and indented at the pedicel. A great variety of shapes, sizes, tastes and colours exist. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Almost always found in cultivation in orchards and gardens across much of Britain and Ireland. Occasionally naturalised, or found in isolated places where human habitation once occurred, or where apple cores containing seeds (‘pips’) were discarded. Cultivated Apple is a hybrid species, probably between the Wild Crab M. sylvestris and M. dasyphylla, and possibly M. praecox. COMMENTS There are more than 2,000 varieties of Cultivated Apple that are particular to Britain and Ireland. Popular and traditional varieties include Bramley, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Discovery, Russets (many regional forms) and Worcester Pearmain. Timber from the Apple tree is excellent for wood-turning, for making mallet heads, and for imparting a rich fragrance to wood-smoke on log fires. Apple trees in old orchards are often parasitised by Mistletoe Viscum album, which becomes very obvious in winter when the leaves have fallen. Apple leaves are the food plant for a range of moth larvae, and those of the Red-belted Clearwing Synanthedon myopaeformis (a moth) live and feed in the trunks of old and gnarled trees.

Cultivated Apple leaf

Russet apple

Apple turned from spalted Apple wood

Lord Derby apple

Granny Smith apple

Cultivated Apple

Cultivated Apple blossom

Cultivated Apple fruit

Mistletoe

Red-belted Clearwing

Discovery apples

Wild Crab Malus sylvestris (Rosaceae) 10m

A small tree, sometimes tall and slender if growing in woodland, or more spreading if found in a hedgerow. BARK Deep brown, cracking into small oblong plates. BRANCHES May be spiny on twigs and branches; smooth brown shoots often sport long thorns. LEAVES Up to 11cm long, toothed and smooth above and below when fully open. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers up to 4cm across and usually white, but sometimes showing a pinkish tinge. Cultivated varieties of apple, which have become naturalised, always show the pink tinge. Fruits up to 4cm in diameter and rounded; yellowish green when ripe, and very tough and sour to taste. They often lie on the ground beneath the tree uneaten until they start to rot before deer or rabbits will try them. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native tree of a wide area of Europe, including Britain and Ireland, but not found in the far north. Occurs widely in woodlands and hedgerows; most easily spotted when in blossom or when the green fruits start to fall. COMMENTS One of the parent species of the hybrid Cultivated Apple. Of little importance as a food species but it does make a delicious jelly! Timber close-grained and hard, making it suitable for wood-carving and turnery. It also makes excellent firewood.

Wild Crab leaf

Wild Crab fruit

SIMILAR TREE

Malus ‘John Downie’ (10m) A popular cultivar, with rather narrow leaves. Fruits maturing bright reddish orange; edible and delicious (unlike Wild Crab), and still good for jelly although without the same degree of sourness.

Malus ‘John Downie’ leaf

Malus ‘John Downie’ fruit

Plum-leaved Crab Malus prunifolia (Rosaceae) 10m

An upright tree, becoming rather straggly when neglected or naturalised. BARK Greyish brown with striking fissures. BRANCHES Dense and irregularly divided. LEAVES Broadly oval and plum-like, to 7cm long, shiny above but rather hairy below when young. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers up to 5cm across and pinkish, in dense clusters among terminal leaves on shoots. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Probably of E Asian origin. Planted rather infrequently in parks and gardens in Britain and Ireland, and very occasionally naturalised.

Plum-leaved Crab leaf

Siberian Crab Malus baccata (Rosaceae) 15m

A domed and rather spreading tree. BARK Brownish and regularly cracking. BRANCHES Much divided and dense. LEAVES Rather slender; matt rather than shiny. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Compact flower heads of white blossom make this a popular garden tree. Fruit green at first, ripening to bright red and remaining on tree long after leaves have fallen, providing a late feed for winter migrant birds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of China, planted in Britain and Ireland in parks and gardens.

Siberian Crab leaf

Siberian Crab fruit

Wild Crab bark

Wild Crab flowers

Wild Crab

Malus ‘John Downie’ flowers

Malus ‘John Downie’ blossom

Plum-leaved Crab blossom

Siberian Crab fruit and foliage

Plum-leaved Crab fruit

Japanese Crab Malus floribunda (Rosaceae) 8m

A compact, densely crowned small tree on a thick bole with dark brown, fissured bark. Twigs slightly pendulous and reddish when young, remaining densely hairy. LEAVES Alternate, up to 8cm long, oval with a pointed tip and a toothed margin. Underside downy when leaves first open, becoming smooth later. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers fragrant, appearing soon after leaves and usually so dense that they hide the leaves. Buds rich pink at first, becoming paler as they open, and blossom gradually fading to white. Fruits rounded, up to 2.5cm across, but sometimes smaller; ripening yellowish, and often as abundant as the flowers. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Probably a hybrid between 2 Japanese garden species, as this tree has not been found in the wild. Frequently planted in gardens and parks all over Europe for its attractive blossom and convenient small size.

Japanese Crab leaf

Japanese Crab fruit

Hubei Crab Malus hupehensis (Rosaceae) 15m

Broadly domed and spreading tree. BARK Reddish brown with scaly plates. BRANCHES Long and spreading, lower ones with shoots that almost reach the ground. LEAVES Narrowly ovate, pointed at the tip, to 10cm long, shiny green above, on a rather long, downy petiole. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers white, buds pink. Fruits reddish, 1cm across. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Scarce native of E Asia, widely planted in British parks and gardens.

Hubei Crab bark

Hubei Crab leaf

Hawthorn-leaved Crab Malus florentina (Rosaceae) 10m

Attractive and rather conical small tree with good blossom, small fruits and colourful autumn foliage. BARK Brown with yellowish scales. BRANCHES Mostly level to upright. LEAVES To 8cm long, sharply lobed, resembling those of Wild Service-tree. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers whitish and fruits red, around 1cm across. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Possibly a hybrid between a Malus species and Wild Service-tree Sorbus torminalis, which it resembles. Planted occasionally.

Hawthorn-leaved Crab leaf

Hawthorn-leaved Crab fruit

Cherry-crab Hybrid Malus × zumi (Rosaceae) 9m

Hybrid crab apple popular for its small red fruits. BARK Reddish brown. BRANCHES Spreading. LEAVES Narrowly oval. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers white, buds pink. Fruits ovoid, to 2cm long; typically red but lemon-yellow in cultivar ‘Golden Hornet’. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widely planted.

SIMILAR TREES

Cherry-crab Malus × robusta (10m) Buds red, flowers whitish and fruits reddish and cherry-like.

Purple Crab Malus × purpurea (10m) Leaves tinged purple, flowers reddish and fruits deep red. Weeping Purple Crab Malus × gloriosa (10m) Similar to Purple Crab but with weeping foliage.

Japanese Crab fruit and foliage

Japanese Crab flowers

Hubei Crab flowers

Hubei Crab ripening fruits

Hawthorn-leaved Crab fruits and foliage

Hawthorn-leaved Crab

Cherry-crab hybrid fruits

WHITEBEAMS AND ROWANS SORBUS (FAMILY ROSACEAE)

About 80 species of medium to small trees and shrubs, mostly with showy umbels of white flowers and clusters of colourful berries. Rowans typically have pinnate leaves and whitebeams have simple, usually toothed leaves. They hybridise and confusing leaf forms occur. Some very rare and local Sorbus species exist, native to Britain and Ireland and restricted to isolated localities. These attract considerable attention from conservationists.

Rowan (Mountain Ash) Sorbus aucuparia (Rosaceae) 20m

A small to medium-sized deciduous tree with a fairly open, domed crown. BARK Silvery grey; usually smooth but sometimes feels slightly ridged. BRANCHES Ascending and quite widely spaced with purple-tinged twigs that are hairy when young but become smooth later. Buds oval with curved tips; mostly purple and covered with greyish hairs. LEAVES Compound and pinnate, composed of 5–8 pairs of toothed leaflets, each one up to 6cm long, ovoid and markedly toothed. The central rachis is rounded near the base, and grooved between the leaflets. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers in dense heads in May; each flower is up to 1cm in diameter with 5 creamy white petals. Fruits rounded, under 1cm long and bright scarlet, hanging in colourful clusters and persisting after the leaves have fallen. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of a wide area of Europe, including Britain and Ireland. It occurs in woodland and open land on a variety of soils, apart from very wet ones, and grows at a higher altitude on mountains than many other species. Often planted as a town tree in squares and along roadsides. COMMENTS The bright scarlet fruits are a favourite food of birds in winter and often attract migrants like Waxwings into busy town centres.

Rowan leaf

Rowan fruit

Service-tree Sorbus domestica (Rosaceae) 20m

Resembles Rowan but note subtle differences in bark, buds and fruit. BARK Rich brown, fissured, ridged, and often peeling in vertical shreds. BRANCHES Upright to spreading. Buds smooth, rounded and green, unlike the purple, pointed buds of Rowan. LEAVES Alternate and pinnate, composed of up to 8 pairs of oblong leaflets about 5cm long, toothed only on outer half (almost all round margin in Rowan) and softly hairy on underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers in May, in rounded, branched clusters; each flower about 1.5cm across and composed of 5 creamy white petals. Small pear-or sometimes apple-shaped fruits, up to 2cm long and green or brown like a russet apple. They have a very sharp taste when ripe, but after a frost they become more palatable. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Widespread in S Europe but a rare British native, mainly in Bristol Channel area; also planted occasionally.

Service-tree leaf

Service-tree fruit

Service-tree fruit

Rowan fruits

Rowan tree with fruits

Rowan flowers and foliage

Service-tree foliage and faded flowers

Rowan bark

Service-tree bark

Service-tree fruits and foliage

Common Whitebeam Sorbus aria (Rosaceae) 25m

Medium-sized deciduous tree, or sometimes little more than a shrub, with a spreading or, more often, domed crown. BARK Smooth and grey but sometimes ridged. BRANCHES Spreading; twigs brown on upper surface and usually green below; hairy when young, becoming smooth later. Buds up to 2cm long, ovoid, green and tipped with white hairs. LEAVES Simple and oval, to 12cm long, toothed or shallowly lobed at margins and very hairy, especially on white underside; 10–14 pairs of veins. When leaves first open, white undersides can make a distant tree appear white, but gradually it becomes greener as upper leaf surfaces turn down and leaves lose their white covering of hairs. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers in stalked clusters, opening in May; fruits ovoid, about 1.5cm long, bright red by September and covered with many small lenticels. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Occurs as a native tree only in S Britain, found in hedgerows and woodland edges, mainly on limestone and other calcareous soils; often found on chalk downland slopes. However, its true native range is confused because it is often planted in towns and along roadside verges, being relatively tolerant of atmospheric pollution, and is naturalised in the countryside at large. COMMENTS A number of cultivars are commonly planted in gardens and streets. ‘Lutescens’ has purple twigs, smaller leaves and a very neat, compact habit; fruits are woolly before they ripen. ‘Decaisneana’ has larger leaves, dark and glossy above, and fruits are white-spotted on yellow stalks. ‘Majestica’ has larger, thicker leaves, sometimes up to 15cm long, and stronger, more upright branches. Common Whitebeam fruits are popular with birds in autumn and winter. Fieldfares and Redwings find them irresistible in the countryside, and urban-planted cultivars lure Waxwings into towns. The timber is hard and durable: in the past, before cast iron was widely available, it was used to make machinery cogs for mills and the like. It also makes durable tool handles and is used in turnery. The species’ English name is derived from the tree’s white appearance in spring, and from beam, the Saxon word for tree.

Common Whitebeam leaf upperside

Common Whitebeam leaf underside

Common Whitebeam var. longifolia leaf

Common Whitebeam fruit

SIMILAR TREES

Bastard Service Sorbus × thuringiaca (16m) A naturally occurring hybrid between Common Whitebeam and Rowan. Leaves with 2–3 pairs of free lobes; fruits brown. S. thibetica has leaves to 20cm long and fruits to 2cm long; a Himalayan species, planted in Britain for ornament.

NOTE As with other Sorbus species, the classification of Sorbus aria is a minefield, in a state of flux, and viewed differently by various experts. Some treat Sorbus aria as an aggregate species that includes some of the rare and regionally restricted species described on the following pages. Here, it is treated as a distinct species in its own right.

Common Whitebeam bark

Common Whitebeam fruits

Common Whitebeam

Common Whitebeam flowers and foliage

Common Whitebeam leaves underside

Bastard Service leaf

Bastard Service fruit

Sorbus thibetica leaf

Sorbus thibetica fruit