Myers Quad Arboretum Walk

PECAN

Carya illinoinensis The pecan is native to the Mississippi River Valley. Pecans require hot, humid summers accompanied by long frost-free winters. Their peak nut producing years often occurs when they are between 75-255 years old. Spanish and French settlers spread the tree throughout the southeast and Europe upon its discovery. Today, it is the most commercially important native nut tree in North America. Georgia is the leading producer of pecans in the nation.

SIBERIAN ELM

Ilex latifolia The siberian elm is native to eastern Siberia, northern China, and Turkestan. It was widely introduced as a substitute for the American elm since the Siberian elm displayed impressive resistance to Dutch elm disease. It was used widely throughout the US after the Dust Bowl in shelter belts to protect prairies. Initially, this project was a success but soon the tree took over ecosystems and fell victim to various ailments. Before the 1950s, the Siberian elm was used for viticulture in Italy as supports for grape vines.

TRIDENT MAPLE

Acer buergerianum The trident maple is a popular ornamental and street tree in Athens that is originally native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The specific epithet honors Heinrich Buerger, a German botanist, who was sent to Japan by the Dutch to study the country’s flora and fauna. The trident maple is a popular bonsai specimen because of its positive response to leaf reduction and ramification techniques. Mature trident maple trees are easy to recognize because of their exfoliating bark.

CHINESE FRINGE TREE

Chionanthus retusus The Chinese chestnut is native to China, Taiwan, and Korea. In the 1890s, both the Chinese and Japanese chestnuts were introduced to the United States in hopes of utilizing them in orchards since they are more compact than our stately native American chestnuts. This proved to be disastrous since the chestnut blight pathogen also was introduced. Both the Chinese and Japanese chestnuts had evolved with the disease so they were mostly unaffected by it. However, the disease quickly ravaged the American chestnuts across the country which had no resistance. In an effort to re-establish American chestnut populations, breeding programs have been conducted by crossing the American chestnut with the Chinese chestnut to improve disease resistance.

OHIO BUCKEYE

Aesculus glabra Ohio buckeyes are native to the eastern, central United States. It only grows in forested areas and is not typically seen growing in open sites. The Ohio buckeye produces nut-like fruits that have been used to tan leather by Native Americans. Crushing parts of the tree, including the bark, twigs, and flowers, releases a putrid smell which has earned the tree the nickname “fetid buckeye.” Despite this, Ohioans have chosen the tree to serve as their state tree and represent The Ohio State University.

PERSIAN IRONWOOD

Parrotia persica The Persian parrotia is a tree native to the Caucasus region of northern Iraq. The tree was discovered by Georg Friedrich Parrot, a German naturalist, on a mountaineering expedition in 1830. It is a popular ornamental because of its attractive, smooth, exfoliating bark. In its native regions, the Persian parrotia is critically endangered.

AMERICAN HOLLY

Ilex opaca The American holly is a native of the eastern and southeastern United States. They are beloved for their spiny evergreen leaves and bright red berries that evoke thoughts of Christmas. Over 20 species of song and game birds feed on the berries and there are over 1,000 cultivars of the tree.

COMPTON OAK

Quercus x comptoniae The Compton oak is a cross between the southern live oak and the overcup oak. The Compton oak naturally occurs in the southeast. This hybrid displays characteristics from both parents, making it an extremely hardy tree while maintaining a handsome appearance. The name Compton oak honors the wife of a forest service employee in Natchez, Mississippi. Mrs. C.C. Compton was an avid plantswoman and is responsible for bringing this hybrid to the attention of Charles Sargent of the Arnold Arboretum.

STAR MAGNOLIA

Magnolia stellata The star magnolia is a small tree native to the highlands of Japan’s Honshu island. Star magnolias are one of the smallest species of magnolia. The tree was introduced to the United States by Dr. George Robert Hall in 1862 and has been in cultivation ever since. The star magnolia is a beloved ornamental for its stunning white, early spring blooms that appear on the leafless trees. 

LACEBARK PINE

Pinus bungeana Native to the mountains of northeastern and central China, the lacebark pine is known for its attractive exfoliating bark. Although young trees will have mottled bark similar to that of a sycamore, it is the more mature specimens that have truly striking milky-white bark on mostly multi-trunked stems. In Chinese gardens, lacebark pines symbolize longevity.

SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK

Quercus michauxii The swamp chestnut oak is native to the southeastern United States in the Coastal Plains and Piedmont. As its common name implies, the swamp chestnut oak prefers to grow in wet areas like bottomlands and the edges of bodies of water. The timber of the swamp chestnut oak is hard, durable, and strong, making it an ideal wood for flooring. The wood can also be split into long strips that can be woven into baskets.

SAVANNAH HOLLY

Ilex x attenuata The savannah holly is a naturally occurring hybrid between the dahoon and the American holly found growing in Florida in 1924. The 'Savannah' cultivar was founded by W.H. Robertson in Savannah, Georgia, and has been on market since 1953. Savannah hollies are popular plants for southern landscapes thanks to their hardy nature and attractive, fluorescent- red berries. Not only do these berries add interest to landscapes during dull winter months, but they are also a magnet for attracting birds.

JAPANESE SNOWBELL

Styrax japonicus The Japanese snowbell is a small, flowering tree native to China, Japan, and Korea. The Japanese snowbell is a treasured plant in the landscape because of its unique branching habit and dainty, petticoat-like white flowers that bloom in clusters from May to June. 

WEEPING YAUPON HOLLY

Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula' Yaupon hollies are native to the coastal plains and maritime forests of the southeast United States. Yaupon hollies are the only plant native to North America that contains caffeine. Native Americans utilized these caffeine alkaloids to make ceremonial teas for purification and unity rituals. These ceremonies often included vomiting not related to the tea, but Europeans associated vomiting with the plant which is how the specific epithet of vomitoria was derived. The ‘Pendula’ cultivar of the yaupon holly is an attractive, irregularly weeping form of the species.

EASTERN WHITE PINE

Pinus strobus Eastern white pines are important trees of the eastern United States. The twigs and branches of the white pine are much more flexible to facilitate shedding heavy snow. Prior to the arrival of white settlers in the Americas and extensive logging, almost pure stands of the valuable white pine stood across the eastern US. Various Native American tribes used the white pines for a multitude of things. The inner bark was used as food in times of starvation, the resin was used to waterproof boats and baskets and treat infections, and the needles were used for herbal teas. 

HARDY ORANGE

Poncirus trifoilata Native to China and Korea, this member of the citrus family is a small tree or shrub that is known for its production of unusual fruits that resemble a small orange covered in a downy, peach-like fuzz. These fruits contain high levels of poncirin which gives them a very bitter taste. Therefore, the fruits are usually not consumed fresh. However, the fruits are used in Chinese medicine to treat inflammation caused by allergic reactions. The hardy-orange was used historically in hedgerows to enclose cattle because of its large spines.