Horticulture: Research Programs: UGA Campus Arboretum Walking Tour of Trees

1. Quercus lyrata, Overcup Oak - Unique member of the white oak family with upswept branches that permit use along streets and walks. Heat and drought tolerant, insect and disease resistant. Georgia.

2. Quercus rubra, Northern Red Oak - Common in north Georgia, Athens is the southern limit for successful garden use. Easy to transplant and grows fast. The 7 to 11-lobed leaves and the large acorns are used to separate the species from other red oaks. Georgia.

3. Prunus caroliniana, Carolina Cherrylaurel - Medium sized broadleaf evergreen tree. White, plum scented flowers appear during March-April, followed by black fruits. Birds eat and distribute seeds. Georgia.

4. Ligustrum lucidum, Chinese Privet - Although injured by low temperatures in the early 1980’s, this species has recovered and is again thriving. A large evergreen shrub or small tree with fragrant white flowers in June and dull blue-black fruit that persists into winter. Grows in sun or shade. China.

5. Sophora japonica, Japanese Pagodatree - Utilized in China around temples, the species carries religious and educational connotations. Fragrant cream white flowers in June-July are followed by bead-like yellowish pods. Does not perform as well in Georgia and the southeast as further north.

6. Quercus acutissima, Sawtooth Oak - Shining dark green ‘sawtooth’ leaves. Golden yellow fall color. Pyramidal at youth, becoming broad-rounded with age. China.

7. Quercus falcata, Southern Red Oak - A resilient Georgia native that prospers under hostile cultural conditions. Leaves have a rounded base that sets them apart from other oaks.

8. Juniperus virginiana, Eastern Red Cedar - Needles have a pungent odor when bruised. Note grayish brown stringy bark. Small blue-green cones provide food for birds. Georgia.

9. Osmanthus americanus, Devilwood - An evergreen shrub/tree with cream-white fragrant flowers in April and blue-purple fruits. Occurs naturally in wet areas. Good for sun or shade situations. Georgia.

10. Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple - The benchmark species for kaleidoscopic yellow-orange fall color. Tolerates considerable shade as well as full sun. Uniform oval-rounded growth habit. Maple syrup is made from the sap at a ratio of 40 gallons of sap: 1 gallon of syrup. Georgia.

11. Quercus shumardii, Shumard Oak - Remarkably adaptable noble native oak. Easily transplanted, fast growing. The lustrous dark green leaves turn yellow-bronze-red in November.

12. Tsuga canadensis, Canadian Hemlock - Remarkable evergreen of great beauty; common to the North Georgia mountains where it prefers moist, cool sites and blends with stands of rhododendron and mountainlaurel. Georgia.

13. Quercus stellata, Post Oak - Beautiful native oak, massive in structure with branches that have bold architectural shapes. A member of the white oak family and the scaly, gray-brown bark is indicative of this relationship. Notice how the bark twists around the trunk of this old specimen.

14. Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’, Aristocrat Callery Pear - A stronger tree than Bradford pear and is less subject to breakage in wind, snow, and ice. Note the wavy margined, elongated leaves. Fall colors are yellow, persimmon-orange, with traces of red. Flowers after Bradford pear.

15. Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’, Bradford Callery Pear - Bradford pear, planted rampantly throughout Georgia, is a short-lived tree popular for its early white flowers and red-purple colored fall leaves. Fruits are a food for wildlife. Korea.

16. Quercus laurifolia, Swamp Laurel Oak - A semi-evergreen native oak with leaves falling in January, otherwise similar to laurel oak. In the wild, this species grows in moist habitats. Georgia.

17. Quercus hemisphaerica, Laurel Oak - Semi-evergreen oak (drops leaves in February in Athens) that is confused with live oak and willow oak. Grows in drier soils than many oaks. Georgia.

18. Quercus alba, White Oak - Like the American beech, the white oak is one of the most majestic and noble trees. Common throughout the mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Georgia, it is readily identified by the 5 to 9 finger-like lobes and one-inch long chocolate-brown acorns. Note the gray-brown, scaly bark.

19. Cornus kousa, Kousa Dogwood - An alternative to flowering dogwood because of disease resistance. Somewhat stiff, rigid and shy-flowering in youth. Flowers occur about three weeks after flowering dogwood. Develops multicolored, patchy bark with age. China.

20. Malus species, Flowering Crabapple - This tree heralds the promise of spring and is often in full flower by mid to late March. Fruits are tart but make excellent jelly. Asia.

21. Ilex xkoehneana ‘Wirt L. Winn’, Wirt L. Winn Koehne Holly - Beautiful conical-pyramidal holly with leathery, lustrous, dark green leaves and large red fruits. Unique hybrid between English holly and lusterleaf holly. One of the fastest growing hollies that should be utilized more in Georgia.

22. Quercus alba, White Oak - Like the American beech, the white oak is one of the most majestic and noble trees. Common throughout the mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Georgia, it is readily identified by the 5 to 9 finger-like lobes and one-inch long chocolate-brown acorns. Note the gray-brown, scaly bark.

23. Pinus thunbergii, Japanese Black Pine - Lustrous black-green, stiff, sharp-pointed needles in bundles of two is the way to identify this pine from others grown in Georgia. Irregular growth habit contributes sculptural quality in the landscape. Short-lived and short-statured. Japan.

24. Morus alba, White Mulberry - Originally introduced from China as a food source for silk worms, it quickly escaped from cultivation and now grows throughout North America. The shiny green leaves turn a brilliant birch yellow in fall. Fruits develop on female trees and are relished by birds.

25. Robinia pseudoacacia, Black Locust - This tree can survive under the harshest conditions. Not recommended for the home landscape, but has its place in difficult areas. Flowers are fragrant and bees use it to produce honey. Southeast.

26. Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’, Burford Chinese Holly - A robust broadleaf evergreen large shrub or small tree with red fruits. Leaves have a terminal spine where the typical Chinese holly has five spines. Discovered in West View Cemetery in Atlanta and named after the superintendent, Thomas H. Burford.

27. Prunus serotina, Black Cherry - A native cherry with fragrant white flowers followed by shiny red to black fruits. The bark becomes scaly with age. Georgia.

28. Pinus echinata, Shortleaf Pine - Easily identified by the blocky, puzzle-piece reddish brown bark and short, green needles in clusters of two. Georgia.

29. Aesculus pavia, Red Buckeye - Handsome small spring flowering shrub/tree, often growing in woodlands or at their edges. Beautiful red flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. The smooth pear-shaped brown fruits mature in September-October and contain 1 to 2 shiny brown seeds. Georgia.

30. Celtis laevigata, Sugarberry - Sugarberry grows in wet soils and is used in street plantings in Savannah. Leaves turn yellow in fall. Gray bark is smooth to warty. Georgia.

31. Diospyros virginiana, Common Persimmon - Common tree in Georgia, frequently invading pastures, fence rows, abandoned areas. Fragrant white flowers followed by orangish fruits. Fruits are highly astringent until fully ripe. Note the beautiful, checkered, blocky gray-black bark.

32. Carpinus caroliniana, American Hornbeam - Small tree, growing in the understory, and common along water courses throughout Geogia. Called musclewood for the resemblance of the bark to flexed muscles. Fall color ranges from yellow to reddish purple. Georgia.

33. Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’, Blue Atlas Cedar - Native to the Atlas Mountains of North Africa and for 90-years prospering on the Georgia campus. Beautiful silver-blue needles occur in the clusters along the stem.

34. Carya glabra, Pignut Hickory - Tall slender trunk with asymmetrical crown of stout branches. The leaves are composed of 5 to 7, dark green leaflets that turn brilliant yellow to golden in November. Fruits are top-shaped with thick shelled nuts.

35. Carya tomentosa, Mockernut Hickory - The leaves, stems and buds are covered with dense short hairs. Leaves develop golden yellow fall color. Georgia.

36. Fraxinus americana, White Ash - Leaves are composed of 7, egg-shaped dark green leaflets that turn maroon-yellow in fall. Interwoven bark forms diamond patterns. Native but seldom planted as an ornamental tree. Wood is the source of the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

37. Catalpa bignonioides, Southern Catalpa - Large leaves provide a coarse- textured tree that lacks curb appeal but is adaptable under harsh conditions. Flaring trumpet-shaped, white, spotted purple and yellow flowers appear in May-June. Southern United States.

38. Firmiana simplex, Chinese Parasol Tree - Small tree with terrific sun, shade, heat, drought tolerance and immense fig-shaped leaves and bright green bark. Yellow-green flowers in spring are followed by pea-shaped fruits. China, Japan.

39. Nyssa sylvatica, Black Tupelo - One of the first trees on campus to develop fall color which is often glorious red, but colors from yellow to maroon occur. Bark on mature trees is blocky. Georgia, from the mountains to the coast.

40. Pinus strobus, Eastern White Pine - Graceful and artistic pine species with feathery textured foliage and interesting branching habit. Needles occur in bundles of five. Georgia.

41. Liquidambar styraciflua, American Sweetgum - One of the first native species to inhabit a disturbed site. The lustrous dark green star-shaped leaves turn shades of yellow-red-burgundy in fall. The spiny ball-shaped fruits drop throughout fall and winter.

42. Magnolia virginiana, Sweetbay Magnolia - Handsome small tree with silver-backed leaves. Called sweetbay because of the sweetly fragrant flowers and the resemblance of the leaf to bay leaf. Common native throughout the Coastal Plain swamps.

43. Quercus prinus, Chestnut Oak - Great native species for bold textured leaves and bronze-red fall color. Common in north Georgia where it grows on mountain ridges. Large acorns provide food for wildlife including black bear.

44. Magnolia stellata, Star Magnolia - A harbinger of spring with a few star-shaped flowers opening in late January to early February. Small in stature, 10’ to 20’ high, it produces 3” to 5” diameter fragrant white flowers. Japan.

45. Magnolia xsoulangiana, Saucer Magnolia - First hybrid flowered in 1826 in France with over 50 cultivars now known. Nine-petaled white to pink and purplish fragrant flowers open before the leaves in late winter. A small tree, 20’ to 30’ high, often as wide at maturity. Flowers at a young age.

46. Pinus taeda, Loblolly Pine - The most important timber pine in Georgia. For general landscape use, it is the best pine for the Piedmont. Dense in youth, becoming open with horizontally spreading branches at maturity. Grows fast, often 2’ to 3’ per year.

47. Platanus occidentalis, American Sycamore - White bark is spectacular, especially in the winter landscape. Unfortunately a messy tree for the average home landscape. Found along water courses throughout Georgia.

48. Quercus georgiana, Georgia Oak - A hidden jewel, shy, small, rounded, with glistening dark green summer leaves that turn mahogany-red in fall. Tolerant of heat and drought, and grows on granite outcrops in Georgia.

49. Paulownia tomentosa, Royal Paulownia - Weedy tree with immense leaves but notable for the fragrant lilac flowers. Fruits look like the pac-man character and contain hundreds of tiny winged seeds. China.

REFERENCES

For additional information about trees and shrubs, the Campus Arboretum Committee recommends the following resources. All books are available at the University Bookstore.

Brown, Claud L. and L. Katherine Kirkland. 1990.
             Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States.
             Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Duncan, Wilbur H. and Marion B. Duncan. 1988.
             Trees of the Southeastern United States.
             University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA.

The Botany Herbarium is a rich repository of the woody and herbaceous plants of Georgia. It is located on the second floor of the Miller Plant Science Building and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Contact Dr. David E. Giannasi, 706-542-1819;
e-mail-giannasi@dogwood.botany.uga.edu.

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