Trees on the Yale Nature Walk

This tree is a short, hardy, shrub-like tree native to Northern China and the Korean Peninsula that can be found near the short chain-link fence in the Marsh Gardens. It has corkscrew-like branches that are barbed and is also referred to as the Chinese bitter orange. This tree blooms in the spring and bears fruit in the fall (the fruit is pubescent (downy), citrus-like and great in a gin and tonic).

Located near Marsh Botanic Gardens, this fine specimen of a tree is a rewarding sight to the brave souls who trek up Prospect Street. Commonly known as rowan trees, American mountain ash are popular ornamentals in gardens and are widely used as street trees. In the spring and summer months they produce showy white flowers followed in the fall by orange berries that feed several species of birds and small mammals. Additionally, American mountain ash are the preferred snack of moose who feed on its foliage, twigs, and bark. Fear not, however, as this particular tree, nestled safely in New Haven, is not subjected to the ravages of wandering moose.

A rare find, this epaulette tree (Pterostyrax hispida) is the only one of its kind on the Yale Campus. The genus name refers to its fruits, "pteron" meaning "wing" and "styrax" refering to the ribbed fruit. The species name, "hispidus", references the fruit's bristly texture.

Decaisnea fargesii is commonly known as dead man's fingers or the blue bean tree. This shrub is native to western China and other western Asia countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern parts of India, though its common names originate from Ireland. This shrub is often as wide as it is tall, and this particular measured to 7m in the winter of 2014. It commonly flowers in the summer while its fruit ripen in the fall around Halloween. This plant is distinctive for its blue sausage-shaped fruit, which give its various common names. Although the fruit is edible, the tree mostly serves an ornamental or decorative purpose when grown in non-native parts of the world.

The white fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus, is a small but beautiful tree found in the Marsh Gardens. This tree is characterized by its resplendent white flowers, which bloom in May or June. The tree also has small olive-like fruit, which develops in August or September. It is deciduous and loses its leaves in the winter. This exposes the smooth gray bark. The white fringe tree is found throughout the eastern United States from Texas to Florida and south of New York. This tree is native to Missouri.

The Japanese falsecypress, also commonly known as the sawara falsecypress, is a medium to large-sized conifer. The tree is native to Japan but its planting potential has a widespread distribution across North America. The origin of its genus name "Chamaecyparis" is from the Greek words "chamai," meaning low growing, and "kyparissos," meaning cypress, which references its habitat and relationship to other genus members. Its species, "pisifera," means "bearing pea-like seeds," because of the small, rounded seeds and cones. The smaller rounded cones with fewer seeds are the characteristic that distinguishes the false cypress from the true cypress.

This grand copper beech commands an expansive view from its perch on the easterly slopes of Prospect Hill, near the intersection of Edwards and Prospect. Sitting upslope from Farnam Gardens' urban meadow, beside Yale's planetarium, and overlooking the Yale Sustainable Food Project's farm (and brick pizza oven!) you can glimpse the farthest reaches of New Haven: the towers of the Bella Vista housing project to the east and the industrial area beside Long Island Sound to the south-east. The long history of cultivation of the beech has resulted in trees with a variety of leaf colors. This one is 'Atropurpurea' and has dark purple leaves.

The Gleditsia triacanthos, or honey locust as its commonly called, is a decidious tree native to the central United States. It blooms relatively late in the spring and produces yellow leaves in autumn. The tree gets its name from the sweet, sticky pulp it produces. Alternatively, the tree is known as the "thorny" locust due to the spines or thorns that it bears on wood of its main trunk or the base of its branches. The honey locust has also historically been used for a wide variety of medicinal practices, particularly in Native American culture. Today, the honey locust has a number of applications: its fruit is used in agriculture to feed livestock; its dense wood is used to make furniture and fences; and its unique compounds may have medicinal uses for treating diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. This honey locust is located at the corner of Yale University Science Hill parking lot near the intersection of Whitney Avenue and Bishop Street.

Sweetbay Magnolia

Several Scotch Pines (also known as Scots Pines) tower majestically over the Cretaceous Garden near the Peabody. These trees are distinct in that they boast bark that is very thick and dark on their lower trunks. However, as one's eyes follow the trunks towards their tops, the Scotch Pine's bark becomes flaky and orange. The longevity of these trees is surpassed by few; often times, these pines will live for 150 to 300 years, with some of the oldest living Scotch Pines being over 760 years. The Scotch Pine makes up a large portion of coniferous forests in the Northern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, this species has become the target of fatal infestations of Pine Wilt Nematodes and is steadily declining. Still, this species of pine is dominant in places like Russia, Eastern Europe, and the continental United States.

Commonly known as mountain pine, dwarf mountain pine, and Swiss mountain pine—just to name a few—Pinus mugo has more names than any other conifer. A native to southwestern and Central Europe, mountain pine thrives in high elevation habitats and enjoys widespread popularity as an ornamental.

This tree is considered a "living fossil", meaning it looks very similar to fossils that are millions of years old. Interestingly, it is the only surviving tree in the entire order of ginkgoales: the order, family, genus, and species are all used to describe a single type of tree. Perhaps more interestingly, ginkgo trees are older than the T. Rex.

Japanese Cedar

This tree not only has an English and Latin name but also a Japanese name: koyamaki. In an area in Japan known as Mt. Kiso, locals put koyamaki branches on the graves of their loved ones because they believe that these branches can lead spirits back to the land of the living. The koyamaki is a coniferous evergreen that only grows wildly in two areas of Japan. Originally, the tree populated North America, Europe, and Asia but became extinct in Europe during one of the glacial periods. It is known as a living fossil, in that it has inhabited the earth for at least 230 million years. The species has been around since the Jurassic Period, and its image serves as the crest for Prince Hisahito of Akishino, who is third in line to become emperor of Japan. The trees prefer to live in moist, acidic soils in direct sunlight, and they can grow to heights as high as 27 meters. In the United States, however, they typically do not exceed nine meters in height. Often, an individual tree can survive for over one hundred years. These trees tend to be expensive and hard to purchase, since they grow so slowly. The tree is the only member of the sciadopityaceae family.

Towering outside of Osborn Memorial Lab, this tree is very hard to miss. Aside from being nearly 100 feet tall, this tree's most distinctive features are the different colors and textures of the bark: dark and tough at the bottom, light and smooth at the top.

The Blue Atlas cedar, the most popular of all Atlas cedars, is a majestic evergreen tree, with limbs covered with patches of green or blue-green needles. In its early years of life, it maintains a narrow conical form before widening into a pyramidal form after around 20 years. In its natural range (the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco), it can grow up to 120 feet high and 40 feet wide. This particular specimen stands alone in a courtyard between Hillhouse and Prospect Streets, so it has the space it deserves. Compared to most conifers, the tree is very tolerant of heat and dryness.

The Callery pear tree is a small decidious tree native to China and Vietnam. Look for its white flowers with an unpleasant odor in early spring.

The Japanese zelkova, is a deciduous tree that typically grows to a height of around 30m. It typically has a short trunk followed by many erect branches that continue upwards to create a round-topped head. You can differentiate these trees from an American Elm due to the Zelkova's unwinged fruit and symmetrical rather than uneven leaves.

This 1.78m specimen of Taxus x media is an evergreen with needle-like dark green foliage that sways in the university president's front yard on Hillhouse Avenue. Poisonous if ingested, it is a hardy, spreading conifer that can tolerate a wide range of soil and sun conditions, as well as pruning. This is a hybrid of Taxus cuspidata and Taxus baccata that was first bred in the early 1900s. Although it is slow-growing, it can grow to roughly 5 feet tall by 10 feet wide if left unpruned.

Magnolia stellata is a small tree native to Japan that can reach a height of 4.6 - 6.0 meters. It is a deciduous tree that has a twiggy appearance with small buds in the winter. Its common name, star magnolia, refers to its large, white star-shaped flowers which bloom anytime between late winter to early spring.

Acer palmatum (common name: Japanese maple or smooth Japanese maple) is a species of woody plant native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Acer palmatum is a deciduous shrub or small tree that is 20 to 33 ft tall. It is often present as an understory plant in shady woodlands. In nature, Acer palmatum undergoes considerable genetic variation. Seedlings from the same parent tree often grow to display differences in key traits such as the leaf size, shape, and colour. Development of Japanese maple cultivars started in Japan in the 1700s, when gardeners selected and bred or used grafting to propagate attractive variants in leaf features, and overall size and form of the tree. Currently, there may be more than 1000 varieties and cultivars present, including hybrids or grafts with species closely related to Acer plamatum, such as A. duplicatoserratum and A. japonicum (downy Japanese maple). Out of these, at least 350 cultivars are used in Europe and North America. The term “Japanese maple” does not represent one species and may be used to refer to any of the 23 species of Acer that are native to Japan.

Although it may not have any of the familiar green pods we've come to know from the food aisle, the black locust tree belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae. It's native to the southeastern United States and also the lower slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. A deciduous tree with short, irregular branches and feathery leaves, the black locust grows fast but is short-lived. Black locust trees can reach heights of 70 to 80 feet but are more often 30 to 50 feet tall. The black locust bears toxic pods that hang from its branches, but it also has white, fragrant flowers that bloom in late spring. These flowers produce a delicious and much sought-after honey that bees love. The black locust doesn't compete well with other trees and isn't a big fan of shade, but it's nevertheless a resilient species. It grows quickly, can survive drought and harsh winters, and creates new trees by sending up new sprouts from roots and stumps.

Cornus florida, commonly known as the flowering dogwood, is a beautiful tree located along the perimeter of the interior of the Grove Street Cemetery. Given its location right at the entrance and the bench placed under its relatively expanisve canopy, this tree welcomes visitors to the green space. In the late spring and early summer, its delicate white flowers offer some shade for those who choose to take a seat. Although it is not the tallest tree, its height is quite noticeable - the tree can be seen from the street, despite the brick walls surrounding the cemetery. As a decorative tree with many different appearances throughout the four seasons of New England, this particular tree is a wonderful attraction that everyone should stop to see on the Nature Walk!

Located in the middle of the Grove Street Cemetery, this tree is a great addition to any landscape. Commonly known as the small-leaved lime or littleleaf linden, this species is not related to the lime fruit. Tilia cordata is in a family of large deciduous trees that populate the northern hemisphere, although this tree is still quite young and therefore small. Tilia is a Greek cognate for “elm tree” or “black poplar” which descends from the root “ptelea” for broad, likely indicating the leaves.

This American witch-hazel tree resides in the Grove-Street Cemetary, on the grave of Kingman Brewster, the seventeenth President of Yale University. The tree itself is small, with a short base and a number of stems and branches growing from that point. Its flowers are usually yellow in bloom, but sometimes shade towards orange and red.

The paper birch, known as a white birch, silver birch, or canoe birch, rarely lives more than 140 years. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree that thrives in well drained, sandy loams on cool moist sites and is primarily noted and praised for its beautiful white bark. This paperlike bark has traditionally been used by the North American Natives for canoe construction, hence its alternate name. It is the state tree of New Hampshire.

This species of spruce tree is native to the Rocky Mountains. Due to its ornamental value, blue spruce has been introduced to locations far beyond its native range. "Pungens" in Latin refers to the stiff and sharply pointed leaves. This blue spruce sits center-west of Grove Street Cemetary in full sunlight. Its stiff, horizontal branches lend an air of solemnity to the landscape.

"The shadow of the walnut tree is poison to all plants within its compass." --Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) This imposing tree is located in the gaggle of trees behind 245 Prospect. Unsurprisingly enough, the Eastern Black Walnut is most well known for the fruit it produces--the walnut. While walnuts do not have a strong smell, the leaves, stems, and fruit husks have a spicy odor. Eastern Black Walnuts can live as long as 130 years. Eastern Black Walnuts are allelopathic, meaning that they excrete chemicals that harm competition that is "within its compass."

This gigantic London Plane tree sits on the corner of Mansfield and Woodland, just a few blocks up from Ingalls Rink. Its beautiful green bark and rich texture provide this residential area with a touch of nature. Intertwined with the power lines that run parallel to the street, its bare branches reach over 50 feet high, which is slightly smaller than the average height of 60-100 feet tall. This tree's habitat is commonly urban, which allows this London Plane to reside comfortably on the outskirts of the bustling city of New Haven. Its branches have been barren for quite some time due to the winter season, but the multicolored, camouflage-patterned bark is a year-round spectacle.

A tall conifer located near the Yale Greenhouse, this Austrian Pine is especially easy to identify due to the placement of a name card on its trunk. To otherwise identify this tree, turn your head up and look towards the sky. The branches extend way above your head and the trunk stands straight and tall. Generally the Austrian Pine can grow to reach 40 to 60 feet, although this one is just about 40 feet. The Austrian Pine is extremely hardy, and can survive in many urban environments since it can grow even with pollution or abnormal levels of salinity in the air. You might even say that the Austrian Pine's motto is survive and thrive.

The Eastern Ironwood, known also as the American Hophornbeam, Eastern Hop-hornbeam, Hophornbeam, Ironwood, or Leverwood, stretches over much of the Eastern United States with its attractive foliage and bell-like inflorescences. Be sure to come in the summer to admire its attractive yellow-green color and festive white flowers. The tree has 3 trunks, arising from the main trunk at 17.5 cm, probably after coppicing. The estimated DBH is 0.1414 m based on calculations given by Hari.

The Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), also known as the southern cypress, is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae that grows on saturated and seasonally inundated soils in the lowlands of the Southeastern and Gulf Coastal Plains of the United States. Because of its high presence in the south, it is the official state tree of Louisiana. The bald cypress is a large slow-growing and long-lived tree typically reaching heights of 30–35 m (100–120 ft) and a trunk diameter of 1–2 m (3–6 ft). The bark is gray-brown to red-brown, thin and fibrous with a stringy texture, having a vertically interwoven pattern of shallow ridges and narrow furrows. The leaves are alternate and linear, with flat blades borne on the twig that are spirally arranged on the stem, but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks, 1–2 cm long and 1–2 mm broad. The main trunks are surrounded by cypress knees, which come up from the surface at a distance from the trunk. Baldy cypress is monoecious. This species is a popular ornamental tree, grown for its light, feathery foliage and orange-brown to dull red fall color.

The Leyland Cypress is the hybrid cross between Monterey cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa, and Alaska cedar, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis. It is a tall and slender evergreen tree, and is very popular to plant as a screen or wind breaker because it forms a dense barrier, and can grow well in a variety of soil and climate conditions. In the Marsh Gardens, it is ironically planted in the middle of a relatively open area, so it does not serve its usual purpose as a wind breaker whatsoever.

Toona sinensis, commonly known as Chinese Mahogany or the Chinese Cedar, is a deciduous tree found in woodland habitats. It originates in East Asia and is specifically found in northern and western China. It requires sun to grow, and does best in moist, but well-drained soil. It is a fast-growing and hardy species that resists attack by both pests and diseases. It is also highly tolerant of frost and can survive in moderate drought conditions. This particular tree is located near the greenhouses at Yale's Marsh Botanical Gardens.

The Amur Cork Tree, named for its corky inner bark, is an interesting specimen. The Ainu people in Japan used parts of this tree, which they call shikerebe-ni, as a painkiller. It is also a widely-used source of huàng bà, an important herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, in the United States, it crowds out native species, diminishes other trees’ access to light with its shelf-like branching, produces many seeds, and does not have many seed predators. Consequently, this tree is able to successfully outcompete native trees (e.g. oaks, hickories) and shrubs; it also suppresses the growth of canopy trees. Consequently, it has become invasive in parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Virginia. In fact, in Massachusetts, it is considered a "noxious weed."

The Himalayan Pine is a beautiful tree native to the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush mountains. It is a coniferous evergreen that grows in altitudes of ~2000-4000 meters. The tree can grow up to 50 meters in height, but is more often 10 to 30 meters tall. It grows quickly and can thrive in moist environments. The branches of the pine can extend outward very far and are covered in blue-green needles all year. It is also known as the Blue Pine, the Bhutan Pine, and the Himalayan White Pine. This particular pine is in a wonderful location right on the corner of Hillside and Prospect, and is in a great place to take a walk or relax and enjoy nature.

Observational details: The Korean oak was found amidst a construction site with a torn branch. It stood surveying the area as the last tree standing. Biological background: Quercus dentata is also known as the Korean oak, daimyo oak, or the Japanese emperor oak. The Korean oak is a deciduous tree, meaning it loses its leaves once a year. It is also an angiosperm, or a flowering plant, and it is a eudicot. This can be observed macroscopically from the venation of the leaves, and would also be apparent from the anatomy of the seed and the organization of vascular tissue within the tree. This specimen is 7.5 meters, or approximately 24 feet tall, and the species can grow to up to 20-25 meters. The Korean oak also has remarkably large leaves for its size, growing up to 40cm long and 30cm wide. Typically, the Korean oak flowers in May, with mature acorns appearing between September and October. Geographic distribution: Quercus dentata is originally native to East Asia, specifically Japan, China, and the Korean peninsula. It was introduced to the West in the nineteenth century. In the year 1830 it was transported to the British Isles, where it was occasionally cultivated in botanical gardens much like Yale's own Marsh Botanical Gardens. The acorns of the daimyo oak have been used in Korean cuisine since the time of the Three Kingdoms (57 B.C.E. to 668 C.E.).

The black locust is native to United States, although it has been planted all over North America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. The species, Robinia pseudoacacia, is a deciduous angiosperm that is considered by many to be an invasive species. The wood of the black locust is very durable and used for many human purposes. Historically, Native Americans used the wood to make bows and tools. The flowers of the tree are strongly fragrant and pleasing to look at, although they often only appear for 7-10 days between May and early June.

The Japanese red-cedar, otherwise called the "Japanese sugi pine" - known to the Japanese as Sugi - is a large evergreen tree which is native to Japan, can reach up to 70 m in height, and can reach trunk diameters of 4m. It serves as the national tree of Japan and is often planted around shrines and temples. Although it is an evergreen, some of the foliage has been known to bronze in cold winters. It is a pyramidal and sometimes irregular evergreen conifer with tiered horizontal branching. It is often found in moist forests that have deep, rich, well-drained soil. The bark is a red-brown color and peels in vertical strips. The needle like leaves are approximately 0.5-1 cm long while the globular seed cones are 1-2 cm in diameter and contain about 20-40 scales. The Japanese Red Cedar is often cultivated in China and planted in rows for timber production in many countries, which is why it has been deemed “economically productive”. The timber is fragrant, weather and insect resistant, soft, strong, and has a very low density, which makes it useful for furniture making and home construction. Our Japanese Red-Cedar won't reach the height of a full grown Red-Cedar since cultivation in the US is associated with much smaller (50-60 ft) versions. They are a monoecious species which reproduce via wind-based pollen and seed dispersal. The Japanese Red Cedar is susceptible to Phytophthora root disease, Armillaria root rot, and Juniper blight.

The lacebark pine, also known as Bunge's pine or the white-barked pine, is a pine tree native to the mountainous regions of northeast and central China. It can reach heights of 25 m and can withstand temperatures down to -26 degrees Celsius. It's known for its trademark "lace" bark--its bark is grey-green but can peel to reveal pale yellow "scales," which often turn olive brown, red, or purple when exposed to light. It is often cultivated as a part of ornamental gardens and is a symbol of longevity.

The California Incense-Cedar is a fire tolerant plant native to forest fire prone California. The tree has many attractive features that has made it an important tree for indigenous tribes. Today, it is grown all over the world for its aesthetically pleasing addition to gardens. It can reach heights of 40-60 meters and diameters as large as 3 m.

small, deciduous tree

Hi! My name is Holly and I am an American. I am a hard-core dicot with my roots in eastern and south-central United States, from coastal Massachusetts south to central Florida, and west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. I'm trying to em-bark on the next stage of my life, and the first step is branching out with my relationships. Looking for a male Ilex opaca who wood want to go with the phloem, get trunk with me on weekends, and pollinate my flowers every night ;-) This may sound sappy but I promise my love will be evergreen. Look out for me on Tinder!!!

While strolling to the Marsh Botanical Gardens, you can spot this beautiful yellow birch perched in the middle of a sloping hill just off of Prospect Street, near the parking lot of the gardens. This tree can be distinguished because of its complex system of multiple, twisting trunks and of its unusual bark, which has a yellow-gold color, the namesake of this tree. Parts of this bark are almost flake-like, peeling away if touched! Scratching on the birch’s twigs may also give off the scent of a winter-green oil, a kind of natural perfume. Pointy flowers known as catkins, which resemble slender cones, become increasingly apparent in warmer months, so keep your eyes out for those. In the summer and fall especially, this tree provides a wonderful sanctuary for anyone looking for a bit of solace and shade in the sometimes chaotic Elm City, so come pop a squat!

This tree is situated in a fairly isolated patch of ground on a somewhat rocky hillside with decent light exposure due to it's proximity to the open space of a parking lot. In addition to the massive circumference of the tree, the carvings of visitors from years ago still adorn the trunk of this otherwise silvery smooth beech.

This deciduous tree is found throughout the United States, mostly east of the Mississippi on the continental US and in southern Ontario, but also with significant populations in Lousiana, Missouri, and Texas. Elevation-wise, it prefers to grow low on highlands of up to 3,000 ft. Further, it is also known to prefer wetlands. It can grow up to a height of 35 meters but tends to stay between 20 and 25 when it is fully grown. It can live to be 650 years old, and during its lifetime will contribute to honey production for bees, an will supply berries that are an important source of food for birds. When it is grown by humans, it is generally for the beauty of its bright red leaves in the fall. Further, its wood is very strong and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as pulleys, bowls, and pallets.

The Formosa Sweet Gum tree is a deciduous tree native to Asia and North America. At full growth, it can reach up to 40 meters tall. This eudicot grows mostly in woodland areas in warm temperate zones. It is known for its beautiful red and yellow color and grows best in moist soils. Interestingly, the Sweetgum tree has many medicinal applications. Its sap has been known to treat illnesses including coughs and ulcers and has also been used in the production of the Tamiflu drug that fights various forms of influenza.

Originating from Iran, this Persian Ironwood is situated in a patch of grass, between two other trees. While the tree may be small in width, it makes up for its narrow base with a plethora of branches, and orange leaves. The gray-green bark complements small flowering buds that reveal deep red flowers. This multi-branch shrub is an eye-catcher in the Marsh Botanical Garden, and should not be overlooked.

The Seven Son Flower comes from the mountains of Central China, where it received its name for the flowers that come in clusters of seven. A cousin of the honeysuckle, this small tree is known for its colorful bark and beautiful white flowers that bloom in early fall.

Larix laricina, commonly referred to as the tamarack or American larch (USDA symbol LALA), is a slender, conical-shaped tree belonging to the Pinaceae (Pine) family that grows 40 to 80 feet tall. The larch species is the only known deciduous conifers aside from the bald cypress. Just like other deciduous trees, their tufts of glossy needles (typically a bright green) turn golden-yellow and fall off in autumn. The tamarack’s deciduousness makes it practically immune to the road salt that is frequently laid down during winters.

Witch hazel is a small, vase-shaped shrub. It's a late blooming bush with distinct yellow flowers. It is well known for its medicinal uses.

Despite its name, the Eastern Red Cedar is not a cedar at all. It is actually a juniper, as is indicated by its scientific name juniperus virginiana. This tree is the most common eastern conifer and can be widely found in 37 states across the country. First observed in 1564 in Roanoke Island Virginia, this tree can be identified by its soft bark, its fragrant and scaled foliage, and its small berry-like cones that have a distinct blueish-purple color. Due to its high prevalence in the United States, the eastern red cedar has been adapted for a variety of uses. For example, its berries can be used for tea and a wide range of medicinal purposes, while its bark can be used for perfumes, fenceposts, and pencils.

Myrica pensylvanica is an upright semi-evergreen shrub that often spreads by suckers to form colonies. Northern Bayberry is noted for its ornamental silver berries in winter, its winter salt spray tolerance, and its adaptability to urban stresses or wet sites, making it a perfect asset to a centralized location on Yale's campus.

The red osier dogwood is a deciduous thicket-forming shrub with dark red winter stems, and it can grow up to 1.4-6 m tall. This shrub is mostly known for its stunning dark red winter stems which in winter often stand in stark contrast to the surrounding snow. Beyond that, this shrub is monoecious with perfect flowers, that are pollinated by short- and long- tongued bees, wasps, and butterflies, and its white-blue drupes are consumed by a variety of bird (~95 species) and mammal species. Its presence on science hill actually is somewhat out of place as these shrubs prefer riparian areas and often are good indicators of wet, basic soils for surveyors. However, its presence on the hill may help stabilize the soil around it, as the plant can be used to reinforce stream and river banks.

Located next to Sage Hall, this Northern Red Oak lumbers over its neighboring foliage.

PHENOLOGY: Open shape tree with incised, broad leaves. Leave margins are lobed and leaf base is acute. Leave apices are acuminate. Venation type is oak pinnate. Leaf arrangement is alternate. /// HISTORY: The swamp white oak is native to North America (Rogers). Historically, the swamp white oak has served as a food source for Native Americans and early colonists. The acorns, whether raw or cooked, have been incorporated into early American diets (Nemson). In addition, Native American communities have used the oak galls as a source of dye and as a medicinal treatment for constipation, cholera, and bone damage (Nemson) Today, the swamp white oak is used for lumber, commonly for construction, furniture, and flooring purposes because of its hardness and the knotty character that lowers its commercial value (Nemson). The oak is also commonly used for landscaping purposes, providing ample shade and tolerable of numerous environments (Nemson). /// NATURAL HABITAT: The swamp white oak, formally known as Quercus bicolor, is located in the central and north eastern regions of the United States (Rogers). Please see the map below for a detailed depiction of its geographical location, stretching from southern Quebec and Ontario to North Carolina and Missouri (Rogers). The swamp white oak is found most often in lowlands, along streams, and in marshy areas with ample access to water (Rogers). As is customary of this region of the United States, this species thrives in climates with average annual temperatures ranging from 4-16° C, hydromorphic soils with high water concentration, and hydromesomorphic forests (Rogers). /// SOURCES: Rogers, R. (n.d.). Quercus bicolor WiIId. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station. https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/quercus/bicolor.htm. Nesom, G. (n.d.). Swamp White Oak Plant Guide. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_qubi.pdf. General info: SWOT in the city: https://northerngardener.org/plant-profile-swamp-white-oak/, https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/swamp-white-oak

A tall, skinny tree that is leaning to a sharp angle. It has two large branches holding it up so that it does not fall, however it does not look to be slanted to the point of being uprooted. The branches begin nearer to the top of the tree and are thin and sparce.

This is a Japanese Maple Tree : Seiryu. It is one of the many cultivars of the Japanese maple and can be found worldwide as a stunning addition to one’s garden!

My window looks right onto the fullest part of this tree and I have lived in rooms that surround this courtyard for most of my Yale Undergraduate time. It has been lovely to see it grow into the magnificent tree we see today.

This generous magnolia tree welcomes strangers and residents alike, whether they're rushing to class or walking home after a long day of work. Its fragrant, early-spring blossoms bring joy and vibrance to the neighborhood in the spring, and its ovular leaves turn a festive orange-y green in the fall. The Saucer Magnolia is a hybrid first bred in France in 1820, and despite this ones height, it is actually a large spreading shrub which takes its name from the pink and white saucer-like flowers. Its ease of cultivation and relative tolerance to a range of weather and soil conditions makes it a popular tree for the home garden. hint: can you find the pair of "bluebirds" who live by this tree?

The American Elm is a species native to the eastern part of North America. It is a large deciduous, hermaphroditic tree that produces small perfect flowers in early spring. The flowers are wind pollinated, however, since they are protogynous (the female organs maturing before the male organs) this greatly reduces the chances of self fertilization. These kinds of trees can grow to more than 100 feet and they often provide great shade with their umbrella-like canopy. You have probably passed by this specific tree if you have ever taken a stroll on the New Haven Green. Unsurprisingly, this is one of very many American Elms on the Green. Maybe that's why New Haven is called Elm City!

The White Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) is a dicot, deciduous tree with grey bark. During the spring and summer the tree blooms with dark green leaves small white flowers that don nicknames such as "Snowflower Tree," "Flowering Ash," "Old Man's Beard," and "Grandfather Graybeard." The the height of our tree is 2.9 meters, but adult Fringetrees can grow up to 10 meters tall. The DBH is 0.040 meters (measuring the four bottom, thickest pieces of the trunk). The fruiting bodies appear as dark blue, oval shaped clusters of drupes. The Fringetree is related to the olive family, and the fruiting bodies reflect this similarity. As White Fringetrees tend to be late bloomers, we won't expect flowers on our tree until April or May, but are excited to smell the famously sweet fragrance when it blooms.

The eastern redbud is a deciduous tree with a central leader and round/oval form. Its leaves are alternate, simple, heart-shaped, and range from 3-5 inches high and wide. The leaves take on an alternate form, and have entire margins. The apices are emarginate. The bases are cordate. This tree sits outside the Murray gate facing Sachem St and the food carts. 13.1 units DBH

The black chokeberry is a species of shrub that is characterized by its black berries and glossy green leaves. During the spring, the shrub begins to grow white-colored flowers and at the beginning of autumn, it begins to grow clumps of black-colored berries. However, during the winter months, the shrub sheds its leaves and only leaves behind the berries, which can begin to whither due to the cold environment. These berries are edible and serve as a food source for local animals, such as birds.

The bur oak is a large, deciduous, slow-growth tree with simple leaves and a uniform crown of thick, spreading branches. Bur oaks are extremely resilient, displaying high levels of fire-resistance (thick bark), cold-tolerance, aerosol and soil salt tolerance, and drought resistance (deep taproot), surviving even in mineral-poor soil. The Bur oak has monoecious character with imperfect flowers, with a strategy of masting. This means acorns are produced in large quantities every few years in order to overwhelm consumption by wildlife. Bur oaks have a lifespan exceeding 200 years, approaching 1000 years. It has a wide distribution in North America, being native to Eastern NA. Bur oaks initial height growth is normally slow for the first 3 - 5 years, dependent on environmental conditions (sun exposure in particular). Based on the height, diameter, and growth factor, this individual is approximately 12 years old.

This Gleditsia tricanthos, or Honey locust, is located in a small green walkway between Winchester Ave and Lockstreet behind Yale Health. The honey locust is a deciduous tree native to central North America. However, it is highly adaptable to different environments, and has been introduced worldwide as an aggressively invasive species, considered as a nuisance by farmers as they grow quickly and outcompete grasses and crops. They can reach a height of around 20-30m; considering our tree is only 7.70m, it is most likely very young. Honey locusts have bright green, pinnately compound leaves which turn yellow in the autumn and are shed in the winter. They leaf out relatively late in the spring (May), when strongly scented, off-white-colored flowers appear. The fruit of honey locusts are flat legumes, which are eaten by herbivores who then excrete the seeds in droppings. The pulp on the inside of the fruit is sweet, where the name Honey locust originates, and has been used for food and traditional medicine as a sweetening agent by several Native American tribes.

Acer saccharum, the Sugar Maple tree is native to the hardwood forests of Eastern Canada and the Northern United States, best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. Sugar Maples are deciduous tress which normally reach heights of 25-35 m and can even grow up to 45 m. They have deciduous palmate leaves whose color changes year round between green, yellow, orange, red, brown, and colors in between. Their fruit are pairs of samaras, which are colloquially known as "twirly birds" because as they fall from the tree, the twirl around until they reach the ground. Fun Fact: One of the students whose tree this is used to have a sugar maple in her front yard as she is from Wisconsin. The sugar maple is actually the state tree of Wisconsin (in addition to New York, Vermont, and West Virginia).

Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree, is considered one of the oldest plants on Earth. This tree is native to China and is often looked at as “living fossil” since it is the last living species of the Gingkoales, an order which appeared over 290 million years ago. The actual maidenhair tree appeared later, almost 180 million years ago during the Jurassic period. These large trees reach heights of up to 50m in China, but in North America, their average height is between 20 and 35m. As a large, deeply rooted tree, the maidenhair is very resistant to extreme weather changes, making it the perfect tree to be planted between Yale Health and Science Hill. The tree watches over the stressed students rushing to Science Hill and it greets the hospital’s daily visitors, rain or shine.

Found exteriorly bordering the western wall of the Grove Street Cemetery on Lock Street across from Yale Health, this tree may be identified by its snapped, still attached branch. Its canopy spans over the cemetery wall and shades the sidewalk for passerby. This is a relatively young elm with a narrow trunk and height of only twenty four feet.

The evergreen azalea is a green shrub planted next to Yale Health along Lock Street.. Similar to other shrubs in the area, it is small but wide. During the winter season, the bulbs for flowering are not activated, but holds promise for a beautiful array of colors come springtime.

Our tree (Cornus florida) is the flowering dogwood. Flowering dogwoods are small deciduous trees; while our tree is only 9 feet tall today, flowering dogwood trees grow to 33 feet high and are often wider than they are tall when mature. The trunk diameter will grow up to one foot. Flowering dogwoods are native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. They are beautiful trees -- with flowers in the spring, beautiful leaves in the summer, and red fruit and foliage in the fall. Our tree, in particular, is the best tree in the nation!!

Waist-high rose bush situated next to Benjamin Franklin College bike path, and across from Yale Health and Grove St Cemetery. In spring, the plant has red flowers and light green leaves; its branches are mottled crimson and brown and are visible in the winter, when the shrub lacks leaves and flowers. Rosa Chinensis is native to south-west China and can grow up to 1 to 2m tall with single, semi-double or double flowers with red, white, pink or purple petals–it can grow in hedges or form thickets. China roses were cultivated in their native lands before the Europeans discovered them. Their floral scent is one of the ways that they lure insects to pollinate and who receive pollen or nectar as a reward–their scent is a particularly important pollinating syndrome when there are poor visual cues for pollinators.

The tree is very large with two bifurcations, causing it to have three main trunks. The branches were of the alternating pattern, and seed pods were observed on the ends of the branches. The bark was scaly.

This young red oak tree lives just off of the Farmington Canal Heritage trail behind Pauli Murray College. This tree is both a grower and a show-er, growing over two feet per year and sporting beautiful orangey-red leaves in fall. Its wood is valued for its attractive grain and durability, and its acorns are food for various birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. It is a bit clingy though; it holds onto many of its dead leaves for most of the winter. This does make it a good place for wildlife to seek shelter, and it is also used by many cavity nesting birds. Red oaks tend to be straight and tall with a long round head, but their size varies with geography. Red oaks range across most of the eastern United States and southeast Canada. They can even thrive in the Appalachians thanks to a shallow root system that can handle the rocky terrain, and they are relatively tolerant of pollution, allowing them to survive well in cities too.

The Chinese Dogwood Tree, or Cornus kousa, is a small to medium tree originally native to East Asia. It was originally introduced to North America in the 19th century. It blooms in late April to early May. Kousa berries are soft, sweet, and edible, with a flavor that is similar to that of a persimmon. However, the seeds are attached to the pulp, making them difficult to be eaten directly. The berries have a hard rind, which is often discarded due to its bitter taste; however, the rind is also edible. The kousa is believed to have transmitted a deadly fungus to native dogwoods in the late 1900s. This anthracnose fungus started to destroy native dogwoods in the U.S. (Cornus florida). At the time, the kousa was not considered invasive, as the fruits of the kousa did not appeal to wildlife in America. Its fruit was the original food for monkeys in East Asia. The kousa population was subsequently planted in the U.S to help mediate the loss of native dogwoods, as botanists thought the population could be controlled and regulated (thinking it could not become an invasive species due to the lack of the necessary wildlife required to spread seeds and eat its fruit). In recent years, the kousa has evolved to no longer rely on monkeys to spread and reproduce. Today, the kousa is now considered invasive in the state of New Jersey, as some researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst believe there is often a lag between when a species is introduced and the time it takes to be invasive. The kousa was previously hailed as a substitute for the dying native dogwood population, but today, it poses a threat and is another invasive species. This particular Cornus kousa tree was approximately 5.55 m and had three large branches that branched right from the bottom. It had many different branches coming off it and a DBH of approximately 23.7 cm. As of April 22nd, 2024, it has begun to bud; however, it has not fully bloomed yet. We can expect the tree to bloom in the Marsh Botanical Gardens in the coming weeks.

The Quercus alba tree (also known as Eastern White Oak) has a spreading tree shape. It is native to primarily Eastern North America (some Central NA) and can be found all the way from Quebec, Canada to the northern parts of Florida, U.S (USDA, n.d.). The Q. alba tree usually grows to be about 24-30m tall with a DBH of 0.9-1.2m (USDA Forest Service, n.d.). Please see the research section below for more information on the Q. alba tree. Fun fact: the Q. alba tree has medicinal properties, and can be used to treat diarrhea (Foster & Duke, 2014). References: Foster, S., & Duke, J. A. (2014). Peterson field guide to medicinal plants and herbs of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. USDA Forest Service. (n.d.). Quercus alba. In SRS–654: Southern Hardwoods - Volume 2. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/quercus/alba.htm

This tree is a cultivar of the Eastern White Pine which means it was cultivated especially for decorative use.

These trees are lining Edgewood street, making a beautiful path of white flowers on either side.

Meet the majestic Cedar of Lebanon, a true highlander of the tree world, that stands between 1,300 and 3,000 meters in elevation and can grow to be 40-60 feet tall! Known for its resilience, this true cedar has been a builder of empires and a symbol of strength for many countries. It's not just a tree; it's a historical pillar that has sailed through ancient Egyptian myths, fortified sacred temples, and even snagged a starring role on Lebanon’s flag. If trees were celebrities, the Cedar of Lebanon would be the timeless icon everyone wants at their garden parties!

Sweetbay magnolias are late-blooming trees that are native to the Eastern United States. They are deciduous trees that produce flowers and fruit. They also have a moderate salt tolerance, as well as fire resistance. Its high water tolerance does well in swampy, boggy habitats or near streams. They are usually around 10-30 feet tall, on some occasions, they can be 60 feet tall or, in Florida, 90 feet tall.

The Cotoneaster dammeric is a species of flowering plant native to central and southern China. This shrub is a vigorous, dense, evergreen shrub with elliptic-oblong leaves. This plant blooms small white flowers in May, followed by red berries. At Yale, the Bearberry shrub is located throughout the Pauli Muarry and Benjamin Franklin walkway. The shrub is low growing and expansive covering much of the peripheral walk-way.

This Scots Pine is located in the Marsh Botanical Gardens. In late winter, it has sparse leaves, many pine cones, and laterally extending branches. In spring, it has more cones, sap, and its needles look slightly more green. It is near the street side of the gardens, and has some broken branches. Its bark is red/brown, and this tree grows best in slightly acidic pHs, close to neutral pH.

The Kentucky Coffeetree is a slow to medium-growing species that is native to the midwest; it was Kentucky's state tree for nearly 20 years, hence providing the first part of this organism's name. While the second part of this tree's name (coffee) may seem inviting to taste this plant, it is important not to eat this plant raw, as the seeds and pods are poisonous to humans because they contain cytosine. However, upon roasting them, one can use the leaves, seeds, and pulp of the Kentucky Coffeetree to make beverages similar to coffee. This tree is remarkable in its toughness and adaptability; it can survive both droughts and floods, as well as high levels of air pollution. The Kentucky Coffeetree makes a great ornamental tree (as seen on Yale's campus) due to its unique ascending branching structure, which gives the plant a crown-like appearance. Students can look forward to this striking view as May and June approach, as the Kentucky Coffeetree is known to bloom in late spring. On the topic of blooming, this species is deciduous; its leaves emerge in a beautiful bronze-pink shade and progress to dark green over time, then as fall comes, the leaves turn yellow and brown before falling from the tree.

This tree is commonly known as the Sugar Maple and belongs to the Sapindaceae family. It is situated on a bed of ivy near Prospect street. One defining characteristic of this particular tree is the way it is slanted. It has a very prominent curvature and it started growing leaves in the beginning of April.

A message from our English ivy specimen growing up a wall and neighboring tree along the Farmington Canal Trail behind Pauli Murray: "Ivy is one of those plants everyone knows, and comes with a lot of baggage..." well excuse me, don't we all?! I may be getting dragged on the daily for "dominating the canopy," "invading California and the northwestern United States," having fruits that are "toxic to humans and livestock," or being "very costly and labor intensive to eradicate," but the haters only make me stronger. And I didn't hear a peep from them when I was out here purifying their air, making the front of their house all green and trendy, or providing shelter for adorable birds and bats. Long story short, it's tough being famous. I came here all the way from Europe and Africa, so love me or hate me...plant me or spend thousands of dollars and countless Saturdays trying to remove me...I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. ;) With love and ground cover from your favorite woody, perennial vine, English Ivy P.S. Please do not group me together with my sister Poison. We don't know where she went wrong...

The White Ash tree is native to eastern and central North America and is home to many different wildlife species, including birds, squirrels, and insects.

Hamamelis virginiana, most commonly known as the American witch-hazel, grows as a small deciduous shrub or tree. Though the species name "virginiana" means "from Virginia," the American witch-hazel is native to the broader region of eastern North America. Multiple branches extend from its base, typically growing about 15 feet tall. The plant is in peak bloom from late October to early November. Its characteristic bright yellow flowers have four thin petals and a calyx that darkens to a red color throughout the flower's development. The American witch hazel also produces fruit that appear as capsules. Witch-hazel has important medicinal uses as it is one of the only plants FDA approved for non-prescription use [1].

Tall, drooping branches. The twigs are pale gray and the bark is brown. As a deciduous tree, the Green Ash loses its leaves during the colder seasons. Once the weather became warmer, we were able to observe the Green Ash’s green leaflets and buds that grow opposite from one another. Its leaves have pointed tips and tapered bases, colored medium to dark green during the warmer weather. Its bark ridges are diamond shaped. We also were able to see some small green, or purplish flowers blooming.

This tree has five individual structures, each reaching about the same height. Standing across from SCL, the tree frames 230 Prospect street and offers shade to those leaving the parking complex behind the Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics. A squirrel has been spotted on this tree and the surveyors are hoping it makes another appearance for their presentation.

Hello, hello! My name is Ilex opaca, but my friends like to call me Lex. My species is dioecious – I identify as a lady. I am from the Southeastern United States, and am a huge fan of the moist soils that this region has to offer. I can be found along the East Coast from Massachusetts to Delaware, though I like to vacation in sunny Florida and have gone as far West as Eastern Texas. I am better known as American Holly for the vibrant red berries I produce in the fall and winter time, and I’m pretty famous for it (if I do say so myself) – the word "holly" is mentioned in over a thousand Christmas songs (according to https://www.lyrics.com/lyrics/CHRISTMAS%20HOLLY) including familiar favorites like “Holly Jolly Christmas” and the tradition carol “Deck the Halls”. However, as we’ll see, I’ve been involved in several other spiritual and medicinal traditions throughout history.