Garden Notes - Wild Pear to Lombardy Poplar

Wild Pear
Pyrus communis

Grows chiefly in the South of England, usually attaining to a height of 20 to 40 feet. Wood: fine-grained, strong and heavy, reddish. Twigs: usually drooping, often spiny. Bark: purplish-gray, scaly and fissured. Leaves: pointed oval, toothed, downy beneath, 2 in. to 3 in. long, in clusters on older wood. Flowers: pure white, 1 in. to 2 in. long, gritty and harsh in flavor, green at first, yellow when ripe.
 

Scotch Pine, or Scotch Fir
Pinus sylvestris

Our only native Pine; under favorable conditions its upright, tapering trunk attains a height of 100 feet. Bark: bright coppery color, furrowed, scaling. Branches: short and spreading, those on lower portion of trunk dying off and upper branches lengthening, producing the characteristic flat-top. Leaves: in bundles of two, 2 in. to 3 in. long, needle like, reaming on the tree for two years. Stamen-bearing flowers yellow, about ¼ in. across, grouped in spikes; Pistil-bearing flowers in cones, egg-shaped, tapering, 2 in. to 3 in. long, usually in pairs, or clusters of three. Fruit: cones about 2 in. long, tapering, scales four-sided.

Stone Pine
Pinus Pinea

In this country rarely exceeds 30 feet in height; probably a native of China, but common in Mediterranean countries. Bark: deeply fissured, red-gray. Trunk: divides a few feet above ground level into massive spreading branches of great length, which grow upward and produce the characteristic umbrella-like appearance. Leaves: in pairs, 5 in. to 6 in. long, bright green. Lasting for two years. Stamen-bearing flowers in a spike; Pistil-bearing flowers ¾ in. long, composed of pale greenish scales. Fruit: grouped in oval cones 4 in. to 6n in. long, reddish-brown. Seeds: enclosed in bony shell (hence the name Stone Pine).

Plane
Platanus orientalis

Although a familiar feature of our city streets, the Plane Is probably not a native British tree; when well grown reaches a height of 70 to 90 feet, with a circumference of 9 to 12 feet. Bark: grayish, flaking off in vertical layers, exposing the yellowish surface of the inner bark. Leaves: three or five lobed, 6 in. to 8 in. across, glossy. Stamen-bearing and Pistil-bearing flowers arranged in greenish-yellow catkin balls, one or more or which hang suspended on a stalk about 1 ½ in. long. Fruit: small, one-seeded nuts arranged in balls or buttons, about 1 in. in diameter.

Lombardy Poplar
Populus fastigiata

Introduced from Italy in 1758. Its rapid growth and great height (100-150 feet when fully grown) make it popular as an ornamental tree. Roots: produce numerous suckers. Bark: rough and deeply furrowed: trunk sometimes twisted. Branches: almost vertical, producing the spire-like shape characteristic of the tree. Leaves: broadly heart-shaped, almost triangular; silky beneath when young; dancing in the breeze on their slender leaf-stalks. Stamen or pollen-bearing flowers: only found in this country, consequently no fruit is produced, the trees being propagated by suckers or cuttings.