#park tree

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Common Name: Green Ash

Family: Oleaceae

Native: Nova Scotia

Leaves: Oppostive, Pinnately compound 

Size: 50′- 60′ with half of that in spread. 

Growing Conditions: Prefers deep rich soil moist and well drained. Full sun.

Leaf Color: shiny medium to dark green. Changes to yellow in the fall.

Hardiness Zone: 3 and 4. 

 Flowers: green to reddish purple in fall

Benefits: Very adaptable and have been used in street planting, however can become a nuisance due to the seedling. 

Source: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Plants

Catalpa speciosa

Common Name: Western Catalpa or Northern Catalpa

Family: Bignoniaceae

Leaves: Whorled or Opposite, simple, ovate-oblong 6″-12″ long. 

Buds: Terminal

Native Region:  Southern U.S

Size: 40′ to 60′ height with spread of 20′-40′

Habitat/Growing Conditions: Very tolerant of many soil conditions. Prefers deep moist fertile soil. 

Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8

Leaf Color: Medium green. Bright green in summer. Fall color poor yellow green to brownish. 

Flower:  Perfect, Corolla white, 2″ long. Tube bell shaped. 

Benefits: Tree is very tolerable to extremely hot and dry conditions and there. Wood had been used for railroad ties due to there rot resistance. Can be used for parks due to it’s showiness and low lying branches allow kids to enjoy.  Should not be plants next to sidewalks where fruit can fall (slippery). 

Source: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Plants

Fraxinus ornus

Common Name:  Flowering Ash 

Family: 

Leaves: Opposite, pinnately compound 

Buds: pubescent, grayish brown

Native Region:  Europe

Size:  40′-50′ and 35-35′ spread. 

Habitat/Growing Conditions: prefers moist, deep, fertile soils for best growthHardiness 

Zone: 5 to 6

Leaf Color: Dull dark green and glabrous above 

Flower:  Creamy white, Fragrant 5″ long panicles. Yellow, purple tinged fall color. 

Magnolia virginiana Sweetbay Magnolia

 Acer Saccharum 

Common Name: Sugar Maple, Rock Maple, Hard Maple

Family: Sapindaceaa (Maple Family) 

Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3 to 6″ long and across, 3 to 5 lobed, acuminate

Buds: Terminal-imbricate. 

Native Region: Moist bottomlands, rich wooded slopes. 

Size: 60′  to 75′ in height. Can reach 100 to 120′. Spread is usually 2/3′s the height 

Habitat/Growing Conditions: Well drained moderately moist soil. Slightly acidic soil. Sun, Part Shade, Shade. 

Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8.  

Leaf Color: Medium to dark green in Summer. Brilliant yellow. Burnt orange to red tones in autumn. 

Flower Color: Perfect. Greenish Yellow. 

Eco-Benefits: This tree provides great shade habitat for birds as well as shade, and wood resource for humans. The sap when concentrated and boiled produced maple syrup used by colonists but learned first from the indians.

Medicinal: Inner bark used to make tea to treat coughs and diarrhea.  Soap made from its ashes. Sap drank as spring tonic and taking syrup for liver and kidney problems.  

Gymnocladus dioicus

Common name: Kentucky Coffeetree

Family: Legume Family

Leaves: Alternate, binnateley compound to 36″ long and 34″ wide

Buds: Terminal, Absent

Native Region: New York, PA

Size: 60′ to 75′ 

Habitat/Growing Conditions: Moist soil for best growth

Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8

Leaf Color: New leaves pink to purpleish changing to dark green. Dark blueish green in summer. 

Flower: Dioecious, Greenish White

Benefits:  Very adaptable to wide range of conditions, such as chalk (limestone), drought and city conditions. 

Acer Rubrum

Common Name: Red Maple, Scarlet Maple

Family: Sapindaceae

Leaves: Opposite, simple, 2 to 4″ long and wide

Buds: Imbricate, red to green, 1/16th to 1/8th long with rounded bud scale. 

Native Region: Moist bottomlands, rich wooded slopes. 

Size: 40 to 60′ in height. Spread less than equal to height

Habitat/Growing Conditions: Well drained moderately moist soil. Slightly acidic soil. Sun, Part Shade, Shade. 

Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9

Leaf Color: Reddish tinged. Gray cast beneath in summer. Fall color greenish yellow, to brilliant red. 

Flower:  Red, rarely yellowish.