Campus Botany Tour

During this lab session, you will visit the trees around the Natural History Building, one of the oldest buildings on campus. You will observe the trees at a time of the year when very few have leaves. Your TA will show you others ways to identify trees and tell you interesting facts about these trees. At the end of the lab, you should be able to give this tour yourself. Much of that information is repeated below along with pictures of the trees as they appear at different times of the year.

Yew: (Taxus cuspidata -Japanese) (Taxus canadensis-American)

• The yew around NHB is a Japanese yew.
• Yews are a symbol of immortality. Ancient peoples were in the habit of planting yew trees as acts of sanctification near to where they expected to be buried. Over the centuries, it has been widely planted in churchyards as an ornamental tree. The tree has a reputation for living longer than almost any other species in the UK. There is an old yew at Fortingall in Glen Lyon, Scotland which might be 2000 years old.
• The leaves and seeds of yew are very poisonous. The fleshy cone is not. The yew is also known as the "tree of death". The name Taxus comes from the Greek 'toxin', which translate to poison or toxin. It's poisonous nature has been mentioned in many cultures. Here are the few examples:
  * In ancient Roman literature.Julius Caesar, wrote that, Catuvolcus, who was king of the Eburones, poisoned himself with the yew because he was old and weak and didn't want endure anther war.
  * Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus) noted that people died after consuming wine stored in barrels made out of the yew tree.
  * In Celtic culture the yew is a sacred tree and is used to carve out religious objects such as the duric staff.
  * Dioscorides (Greek physician) observed that the yew emitted poisonous fumes (pollen).
  * Shakespeare also used the poisonous nature of the yew in writing Macbeth and Hamlet.
• An important anti-cancer drug is produced from yew hedge clippings.
• Yew is a resilient tree which will tolerate a lot of shade and withstand smoke and salty winds.
• Yew wood is amongst the densest of all conifers and is elastic so was once used for making long bows, spears and dagger handles.
• There are more miles of yew on our campus than any campus in the U.S. Many hours are spent keeping the yew hedges trimmed.

Bald Cypress: (Taxodium distichum)

• In the same family as redwoods.
• Nails in the trunk are because the tree grows normally in a swampy environment that is more acidic making iron more available. The nails provide iron.
• Lightening rod because it is the tallest thing around and likely to be hit.
• The Cache River Basin in southern Illinois contains bald cypress trees that are more than 1,000 years old and are possibly some of the oldest living things east of the Mississippi River. The state record bald cypress stands 73 feet tall. Some cypress trees are more than 40 feet around - the sequoias of the Midwest!
• Unlike most conifers (evergreens), the bald cypress loses its needles in the fall, giving the tree a bald appearance.
• Cypress wood is very resistant to decay and the wood is considered valuable for a variety of products such as shingles, boats, railroad ties, caskets, fence posts, bridges, greenhouses and flats for nursery plants.
• Development of bald cypress knees was initially associated with the low oxygen environment in which the trees grew. The knees were interpreted to be an adaptive strategy to provide roots with oxygen under flooded circumstances. Experiments eventually demonstrated little exchange of oxygen between roots and knees. A more likely function of the knees is to provide stability in the swamp substrate.
• Mature bald cypress trees tolerate submergence, but the seedlings are killed by it. The seedlings must therefore become established during dry periods.

Douglas Fir: (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

• Common Christmas tree. Oregon and Washington are the No. 1 and No. 4 growers of Christmas trees, respectively, and about 45 percent of those trees are Douglas firs, according to the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association. The states' Christmas tree crop in 2001 had a combined value of more than $208 million, according to the association's Web site. Most of the region's Douglas firs are shipped to the Southwest, Denison said, while East Coast trees mostly come from Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada.
• Growing tall and straight, Douglas firs produce wood that’s stiff and moderate in weight, making it of great value for constructing buildings. In proportion to its dead weight, Douglas Fir is said to be stronger than concrete.
• Douglas Firs generally grow 180 to 200 feet in height and four to six feet in diameter. Some giants may measure 325 feet in height, with a circumference of ten to fifteen feet.
• Named for Scotch botanist David Douglas. He was sent by the Royal Horticultural Society to study the tree in the 19th century.
• Sudden Oak Death is a forest disease caused by the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. This pathogen has caused widespread dieback of many species including Douglas fir, coastal redwoods and many coastal oaks.

Burr or mossy cup oak: (Quercus macrocarpa)

• The oldest trees in Champaign County are burr oaks (400+ years old).
• Thick bark is protection against prairie fires once common before European settlement. The bark is also corky; filled with air spaces. Dense bark transmits or transfer heat more readily.
• Burr oak is a white oak; white oaks have tyloses or balloon like structures that block off xylem elements when the xylem is no longer functional. Red oaks do not. Casks made out of red oak would leak. The French prefer wine aged in American red oak, while Americans prefer wine aged in French oak. American oak has more tannins (defense compounds for bacteria, fungi and insects).
• Acorns from oak trees are also an important source of food for wildlife: deer, turkeys, and squirrels. They mast produce, that is produce many acorns just once in three years. This makes it more likely that seeds left over during mast years. Mast years are unpredictable to the wildlife populations leaving some acorns to produce trees.
• Bur oak thrives under a broad range of environmental conditions. It survives in dry, mineral-poor soils as well as wet soils. Its deep taproot allows it to survive drought. It is the most fire-resistant of the oaks and is consequently common in savannas and prairie groves. Bur oak is also one of the most cold-tolerant oaks.
• The tree is slow growing, but long lived, and may reach ages approaching 1000 years. Bur oak reproduces by seed and stump sprouting. It is commonly browsed by herbivores and grows in areas where fire is more frequent (savannas, prairies). Young bur oak shoots may be browsed or burned back only to re-sprout numerous times. This results in a root system that is older than the aerial portion of the plant.
• Bur oak wood is durable and of high quality. It is used for cabinetry, barrels, hardwood flooring and fence posts. Native Americans used bur oak to treat heart ailments, diarrhea, broken bones, and as an astringent (to close bleeding wounds).

Sweet Gum: (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Tulip tree or Tulip Poplar: (Liriodendron tulipifera)

• Smooth when young, developing flat-topped ridges and furrows in diamond shaped patterns. On older trees sapsucker holes are common.
• Is related to magnolia and are among the tallest trees in Eastern North America. They grow quickly and are fairly disease free.
• Its wood is finely grained and resistant to splitting; and used for shingles, boats, furniture, toys, and pulp. Native Americans made dugout canoes from tulip tree trunks.
• Medicinal substances such as cinchona substitute are extracted from the bark. Bees appreciate this tree for its nectar.
• Every year, it produces a good seed crop, a source of food for a number of birds and small mammals.
• The tulip-tree prefers deep, rich, moist soils along streams or around swampy areas. It does not tolerate dry, acid soils. his is the tallest hardwood tree in eastern North America, reportedly reaching 200 feet in height.
  

Beech: (Fagus sylvatica -European) (Fagus grandifolia -American)

• These trees can regenerate in dense shade.
• Beech drops grow under beech trees. Beech drops lack chlorophyll and are hemi-parasites connected to the beech trees (as a source of carbon) via micorhizea.
• Beech trees have a smooth, gray bark and cigar-shaped buds.
• The fruit, beechnut, is used in flavorings. The nuts of this tree are edible and sweet, they are best when roasted a bit before eating.
• Often found in thickets produced by root suckering. Old trees may be surrounded by a ring of young beech.
• Beech wood is used to make flooring, furniture, veneer plywood, and railroad ties. It is especially favored as fuel wood because of its high density and good burning qualities. Coal tar made from beech wood is used to protect wood from rotting. The creosote made from beech wood is used to treat various human and animal disorders.
• Chilling is required to break dormancy.
• Beech wood is usually used to make small tool handles, barrels, clothespins, spoons, etc.
• Natives used a tea made of the bark to cure burns, frostbite, lung ailments, and poison ivy rash. They also chewed the raw nuts as a worm repellent.

Honey Locust: (Gleditsia triacanthos)

• The seeds are surrounded by a sweet, nutritious mucilage. Seeds need to pass through the digestive tract of animals or in some way be cracked or opened before seeds can germinate. The pulp around the seeds in the pods is edible, being sweet and molasses-like, and sugar can be extracted from it. Pods generally contain 12-14% sugar, although in selected cultivators this rises to up to 40%. Various North Americans recipes exist for making beer from the pulp. Roasted seeds can be used as a coffee.
• Honey from this tree is of excellent quality.
• The trees are mainly dioecious (i.e. with male and female flowers mainly on separate trees), although most trees actually bear some of both sexes of flowers. Flowering begins early at about 5-10 years. The sex of the tree cannot be identified other than by the flowers.
• Fruit forms on the female trees, and do not require male trees to produce this although they are required for full seed production. The pods contain up to 20 seeds embedded in a brown sugary pulp. The seeds are 21-36% of the weight of the pods. Honey locust trees are biennial in nature, bearing heavy crops every other year. The pods drop gradually after ripening from October to late winter. The pods make excellent fodder.
• The pods are a source of ethanol production. Pod yields of 2.5 tons of dry matter per Hectare (85 trees/Ha producing 30kg pods dry weight) would yield 730 litres of ethanol which is only 20% of that obtained from a hectare of sugar beet. As a sustainable and a low input source, though, it is much more viable.
• Although a legume it does not fix nitrogen, they do accumulate minerals and are used in land reclamation schemes.
• Trimmed plants make a thick, impenetrable hedge and the trees are also extensively used as windbreaks in the great planes region of the United States.
• The honey locust is tolerant of transplanting, heat, drought, air pollution, salt and high alkaline pH. It really prefers a continental climate and with warm summers and tolerates cold winters, being hardy to -32ºC and grow to about 4 meters in 10 years.
• Planted on this campus to replace the American elm. The American elm died of Dutch elm disease, a fungal disease, that spread across North American killing almost all American elm during the 1940s and 1950s. Disease spreads quickly in a monoculture. The roots of the honey locust often fuse underground making the many trees one and allowing disease to spread quickly.

Juneberry: (Amelanchier arborea)

• This understory tree is one of the first native forest plants to bloom in spring. It is easy to recognize by its smooth bark, branching truck, and round, simple, untoothed leaves. Although it can grow over 40 feet, it usually only reaches half that height at most.
• The sweet blue fruit is a favorite food of many birds. Juneberries and related species were used by Indians to make pemmican, a long-lasting jerky-like food made out of dried meat and fruit. Although it is called a “berry,” the juneberry is really a tiny apple (pome). Like the apple, the seeds inside contain cyanide compounds. The amount present in juneberries is not dangerous and gives the fruit a pleasant almond taste when cooked. Juneberries make an excellent pie, which some people claim tastes better than blueberry pie. Juneberries are often planted as ornamental trees because of their compact size, attractive flowers and bark, and brilliant yellow color in fall.

Sycamore: (Platanus occidentalis)

• These trees are massive in Eastern North America. White bark may protect against winter damage. Dark bark would expand more in the winter when the inside of the tree is frozen but the outside heats up in the sun. This tree grows along rivers.
• The genus name (Platanus) is derived from the Greek Platanos, which in turn is probably from the Latin platys for the wide leaves. Another name for sycamore is buttonwood. This common name arose from the fact that sycamore wood, which is difficult to work with is also difficult to split and is therefore used for butcher blocks and buttons. Sycamore wood is strong and hard, and is used for furniture, butcher blocks, and interior finishing. The tree is planted as an ornamental for its imposing stature and unusual bark. It is also a fast growing tree, often planted along streets.
• Native Americans used sycamore for a wide variety of medicinal purposes, from treatment of coughs and respiratory distress to dietary and gastrointestinal aids.
• Planetree Family, with several minor disease and pest problems; however, anthracnose (Gnomonia veneta) is a serious disease that causes severe dieback of the emerging stems and foliage in afflicted trees in mid- to late-Spring, and a resulting "witches' broom" of subsequent whorled stems that emerge in early Summer.

Bark of the sycomore

Red Bud: (Cercis canadensis)

• According to legend, an Old World relative of this tree was used by Judas Iscariot to hang himself.
• As a member of the pea or legume family, this tree has the ability to fix nitrogen from the air to use as a nutrient.
• Bark of redbud has been used as an astringent in the treatment of dysentery.
• Flowers of the tree can be put into salads or fried and eaten.
• Cardinals have been observed feeding on the seeds, and seeds have been consumed by ring-necked pheasants rose-breasted grosbeaks, and bobwhites. White-tailed deer and gray squirrels have also been observed feeding on the seeds. Flowers of the tree are regarded as important in the production of honey by bees.
• Eastern redbud is a small understory tree of a wide variety of upland sites. It is moderately tolerant when young, but will not mature without adequate sunlight. Redbud is an indicator of disturbance. In forests, it is found in major gaps or forest margins. However, it can persist for considerable periods after canopy closure,and remnant trees in forests are good indicators of past disturbance.

Basswood: (Tilia americana) American Linden Tilia x europaea (European Linden)

• The soft, pale wood is used for plywood, furniture, boxes and turnery. The inner bark was used for making ropes. The flowers are popular with bees (basswood honey).
• Basswood has thin bark and is sensitive to fire. At the western part of its range (eastern North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas to northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas) it often grows along firebreaks such as streams or around ponds.
• It is a prolific root sprouter when the main trunk is cut, damaged, or destroyed by fire. It is quite common to see numerous root sprouts at the stump. Whereas basswood is somewhat shade tolerant, it is less so than sugar maple, with which it occurs in mesic upland forests.
• Basswood leaves contribute significantly to the nutritional quality of the forest soils. They contain high levels of important mineral nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. These nutrients are not withdrawn from the leaves at leaf fall, so they are released to the soil when the leaves decompose, becoming available to the vegetation once again.
• The fruit and leaves on the American Basswood can be used to make a soothing tea, chocolate substitute, and vegetable. You can use the leaves and bark as medicine.
• The long fibers of the inner bark were utilized by Native Americans to make strong, tangle-free rope. These fibers have also been used to weave baskets and mats.
• Indians ate the leaves as a thirst quencher and cooked them as a vegetable. They also used inner bark tea for lung ailments, heartburn, and a weak stomach. They used leaves, flowers, and bud tea for nervous headaches, restlessness, and painful digestion. Warning: Frequent consumption of flower tea may cause heart damage.

Ginkgo: Ginkgo biloba

• Ginkgo : from the Chinese (later also Japanese) word Ginkyo meaning "silver apricot" (gin=silver, kyo=apricot). This term is thought to come from a romanized version for the Chinese ideograph Yin Hsing (Xing).
• biloba: two-lobed; bi from Latin "bis" meaning double, loba meaning lobes. The leaf is fanshaped with a split in the middle, hence two-lobed.
• Silver apricot: the seed has the size and appearance of a small apricot when mature and a silvery bloom on the fruit.
• Ginkgos are the living member of the order Ginkgoales and have been around for 270 million years.
• Ginkgos were thought to be extinct by western scientists until Engelbert Kaempfer encountered one in Japan in 1691 and brought back a sample to Europe. Ginkgos could be found then and now throughout Japan, Korea and China.
• Are gymnosperms (seed not in fruit but only a fleshy cone and a seed coat) and dioecious. Dinosaurs were dispersers, but today many mammals eat the fleshy cone and pass the scarified seed.
• Fleshy fruit contains butyric acid (smells like rotten butter) and urushiol (irritating to the skin).
• The seeds are most used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the leaves in western medicine. The seeds have been used to cure digestive problems as well as skin irritations. The leaves have been used been used for mental acuity.

Fan-shaped leaves

Feshy male cones with pollen

Fleshy cone with ovules

References:

General Sources:

Sources on Specific Trees: