Friday, July 31, 2009

Golden Rain Tree 2


Here's a golden rain tree near 37th St. and 9th Ave. that's a little ahead of the last one I found. The seed pods have developed and inside are little green berries.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Cortland Apple Tree


The Cortland apple tree (Malus Cortland) was developed in 1898 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. It's a cross between a McIntosh and a Ben Davis.


The apples are red when ripe (in Sept or Oct). Red on a yellow background. They don't brown quickly when cut which makes them a great apple for salads.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

tree identification


Most of the trees in the cemetery are tagged and can be identified using a list - a list that I'm going to get a copy of soon, I hope. It's not that online guides (such as this one from arborday.org) are bad. The problem is that they're about trees native to a specific area, and since there are trees in the cemetery from Asia and other places, those field guides don't quite cut it.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Golden Rain Tree

Koelreuteria paniculata is native to China, Japan, and Korea.

The fruit/seeds aren't here yet, but they come in balloon-like pods.

Here's a headstone I found near the golden rain tree. It says "Jane, my wife" at the top. Family headstones are always a bit curious. The dates alone make you wonder about each family member and his relation to the others, but in this case the relief made me contemplate the clan a bit longer. Is that Jane coming down the steps of the family house? And who's the man addressing her? It could depict a habitual circumstance in the family's life or maybe it's a specific event...

Monday, July 20, 2009

Birch




I came across this birch tree near the pond behind the chapel. Might be a silver birch.

Pond Plants




Paperbark Maple

Acer griseum, or paperbark maple, is native to central China. It was introduced to Europe in 1901.

It has compound leaves formed of three leaflets...

and cinnamon-colored bark that peels.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

some random trunks and leaves...



London Plane Tree




This London Plane is on top of a hill near the northern part of the cemetery. These are also called buttonwood trees, maybe because the seeds are inside of little wooden bristled balls. It's under a buttonwood tree down in the financial district that the New York Stock Exchange had its beginnings. Not a bad spot for endings either.