Trees

Tree Trek

University of Pittsburgh's Pittsburgh campus and the University's commitment to growing tree canopy city-wide.

The Trek is ~1 mile that showcases various campus tree species around the Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Chapel and the William Pitt Union. You can start the tour at any tree and the entire route takes roughly 20 minutes to complete. The tour highlights 17 tree species.

American Basswood	Red Maple
Cucumber Magnolia Tree	River Birch
Dawn Redwood	Saucer Magnolia
Flowering Dogwood	Scarlet Oak
Japanese Maple	Smoothleaf Elm
Japanese Pagoda Tree	Sugar Maple
Littleleaf Linden	Sweetgum
London Planetree	Tulip Tree
Northern Red Oak

American Basswood

Scientific Name: Tilia americana
Native Region: eastern North America
Year Planted: 1898 (estimated)
Average Height: 60-80 feet

The American Basswood tree grows to a height 60-80 feet, with a mature width of 30-60 feet. It is native to the Chicago area is can be found at a variety of planting sites, such as city parkways, restaurants, parks, and wide medians. The leaves are large and sharply toothed.

The American Basswod has a very distinct bloom in the early summer with a multitude of white flower clusters. Bees favor the flowers as a source of nectar. A nickname for the Basswood is the “bee tree,” because once it blooms, the honeybee tends to favor it over all other nectar sources.

Small, round nutlets follow the flowers in the late summer/fall.

Native Americans made ropes and woven mats from the Basswood’s tough, fibrous inner bark.

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american basswood tree

american basswood leaves

american basswood flowers

Cucumber Magnolia Tree

Scientific Name: Magnolia accuminata
Native Region: eastern United States and southeastern Canada
Year Planted: 1931 (estimated)
Average Height: 40-70 feet

The hardiest species in the Magnolia family, the Cucumber Tree derives its name from the immature green fruit that develops after its flower petals fall away.

Cucumber Magnolia flowers bloom in May and are green to greenish white. Flowers and fruit often go unnoticed because they develop at the top of the tree.

Cherokee and Iroquois tribes used the Cucumber Tree for medicine and lumber. Because of its durability and straight grain, the Cucumber Tree is still a popular lumber choice today for items such as pallets, doors, and furniture . It is also a popular ornamental shade tree in wide open areas like parks and golf courses.

The Cucumber Tree is native in Western Pennsylvania and has moderate drought tolerance. The seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals; its young fruit is eaten by blackbirds and Grackles.

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cucumber magnolia tree

cucumber magnolia tree flower

cucumber magnolia tree seed

Dawn Redwood

Scientific Name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Native Region: China
Year Planted: 1950 (estimated)
Average Height: 70-100 feet

Once one of the most widespread trees in the Northern Hemisphere, the Dawn Redwood was believed to be extinct for 20 million years. Then in the early 1940’s, a forester discovered a large specimen in Sichuan province. As China was in the midst of war, it took several years before researchers could conduct a full study.

In the late 1940’s, at least 1,000 Dawn Redwoods were found growing in lowland canyons. The tree was well known to villagers who used it for everything from cattle feed to lumber, commonly referring to it as “water-fir” or “water-pine”. Of the three redwood species, Dawn Redwoods are the only deciduous conifers, shedding their leaves every fall. While popular in ornamental gardens, it is critically endangered in the wild, growing in only a few small, scattered regions of China.

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dawn redwood tree

dawn redwood tree needles dawn redwood tree seeds

Flowering Dogwood

Scientific Name: Cornus florida
Native Region: eastern North America and northern Mexico
Year Planted: 1983 (estimated)
Average Height: 25 feet

There are over 30 different species of Dogwood trees. The name “dog-tree” entered the English vocabulary before 1548, becoming “dogwood” by 1614. Once the name Dogwood was affixed to this kind of tree, it soon acquired a secondary name as the “Hound’s Tree” and the fruits were known as “dogberries” or “houndberries”.

The Flowering Dogwood’s leaves are opposite, simple, and ovate (2.5 to 5 inches long and 1.6 to 2.4 inches broad). Dogwood is ideal for golf clubs and tools.

Birds and mammals consume the fruit (red berries), twigs, seeds, flowers, bark, and leaves. The Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is ubiquitous in American gardens and landscaping, and is the state tree of North Carolina, Missouri, and Virginia.

The Dogwood tree also provides habitat for the young life stages of the native butterfly, Celastrina ladon.

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dogwood tree in bloom

dogwood tree flower

dogwood tree leaves

Japanese Maple

Scientific Name: Acer palmatum
Native Region: Japan, Korea and China
Year Planted: 1988 (estimated)
Average Height: 10-15 feet

The Japanese Maple has been cultivated in Japan for centuries — and in temperate areas around the world since the 1800s.

The first specimen of the tree reached Britain in 1821. When Swedish doctor-botanist Carl Peter Thunberg traveled in Japan late in the 18th century, he produced drawings of a small tree that would eventually become synonymous with the high art of oriental gardens. He gave it the species name “palmatum” after the hand-like shape of its leaves (similar to the centuries-old Japanese names “kaede” and “Momiji,” references to the “hands” of frogs and babies, respectively).

Japanese horticulturalists have long developed cultivars from maples found in Japan, China, and Korea. They are a popular choice for bonsai and enthusiasts — and have long been a subject in art.

Preparations from the branches and leaves are used as a treatment in Traditional Chinese medicine.

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japanese maple tree

japanese maple leaves

japanese maple seeds

Japanese Pagoda Tree

Scientific Name: Styphnolobium japonicum
Native Region: China, Korea, Vietnam
Year Planted: 1947 (estimated)
Average Height: 50-75 feet

Despite its name, the Japanese Pagoda Tree is native to China, Korea, and Vietnam. The tree is also commonly known as the “Chinese Scholar Tree,” because it was often planted around Buddhist temples.

The Japanese Pagoda Tree was first introduced to the West in 1753. They became popular for providing shade and having fragrant, creamy white flowers that grow in clusters, blooming in late Summer.

The Japanese Pagoda Tree is a member of the pea family; its fruits are legumes. The pea pods that follow its flowers are unique in that they are constricted between each seed, giving them the appearance of string of beads.

The Japanese Pagoda Tree grows to a height of 50 to 75 feet with a mature width of 50 to 75 feet.

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japanese pagoda tree

japanese pagoda tree seeds

japanese pagoda tree flowers

Littleleaf Linden

Scientific Name: Tilia cordata
Native Region: Europe and southwestern Asia
Year Planted: 1934 (estimated)
Average Height: 50-60 feet

The Littleleaf Linden grows to a height of ~60 feet and a spread of around 40 feet at maturity. Because of the dense canopy, this tree is great for shade. Littleleaf Linden produces clusters of yellowish flowers that hang down on a long stalk attached to a leaf-like wing. The flowers are very fragrant and bloom in the summer, after most trees have finished. Bees and hummingbirds are very attracted to the flowers. The leaves are heart-shaped and lopsided at the base, usually 2-3 inches long with somewhat saw-toothed margins.

The leaves change color from light green to glossy dark green to yellow throughout the seasons. The tree also produces fruit that are a quarter inch in diameter.

The Littleleaf Linden is native to Europe and was said to be special to Freya (Germanic and Norse goddess of love and fertility) and Frigga (the goddess of love and marriage). Women hoping to carry would hug the tree wishing to become pregnant.

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little leaf linden tree

little leaf linden leaves

little leaf linden flowers

London Planetree

Scientific Name: Plantanus x acerifolia
Native Region: none, man-made hybrid
Year Planted: 1870 (estimated)
Average Height: 70-100 feet

The London Planetree is a hybrid resulting from a cross between the native sycamore and the non-native Asian planetree. London Planetree is a large tree, with a mature height of 70 to 100 feet. London Planetree tolerates pollution and other urban conditions well. They can be easily transplanted.

They develop a mottled bark with red-brown scales that flake to reveal green, white, and creamy yellow. The leaves are large, generally up to seven inches long and ten inches wide with sparingly toothed edges.

In Spring, London Planetree produce red flowers as the leaves unfurl. The pendant seed ball-like clusters are popular with purple finches, goldfinches, and squirrels.

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london plane tree

london plane tree bark

london plane tree seeds

Northern Red Oak

Scientific Name: Quercus rebra
Native Region: central and eastern North America
Year Planted: 1842 (estimated)
Average Height: 60-75 feet

Northern Red Oak trees are fast growing under sun and optimal conditions; they may live up to 400 years. Northern Red Oak are easily recognizable by their bark, which features ridges appearing to have shiny center stripes .

Northern Red Oak trees provide great Fall color, with its leaves turning russet-red to bright red. Once the tree is over 25-years-old, it will begin to produce round acorns that are ¾ to 1 inch long and have a flat, thick saucer-like cap; its acorns are a food preference for lots of wildlife.

Approximately 1% of acorns produced will become a tree, with the primary seed dispersion method being by squirrel or mouse.

The Northern Red Oak has been a favorite of both foresters and landscapers since colonial times.

Northern Red Oak is the state tree of New Jersey.

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northern red oak

northern red oak acorns

northern red oak leaves

Red Maple

Scientific Name: Acer rubrum
Native Region: eastern United States and southeastern Canada
Year Planted: 1910 (estimated)
Average Height: 60-90 feet

Earning their name from the red hue of their fruit, twigs, and fall foliage, Red Maples are fast growing trees and begin to produce their distinctive “helicopter” seeds at 4 years old.

Along with being fast growing, they are highly adaptable to various environmental conditions, making them one of the most dominant tee species in the Eastern deciduous forest (ranging from Newfoundland to southern Florida).

While their wood is soft and susceptible to disease and pests, Red Maples dominate woodland areas recently impacted by devastation (e.g., fire or hurricane) due to their quick growth and adaptability. Their young shoots provide food for deer and moose; their seeds are eaten by squirrels and other rodents.

One of the largest Red Maples is in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. In 1997, it was crowned a champion tree by American Forests, with a height of 141 feet and a diameter of 7 feet.

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red maple tree

red maple leaves

red maple helicopter seeds

River Birch

Scientific Name: Batula nigra
Native Region: eastern United States
Year Planted: 1983 (estimated)
Average Height: 40-70 feet

The River Birch naturally grows along riverbanks, can be planted almost anywhere in the United States as a landscape tree. River Birch are valued as fast-growing shade trees, growing to a maximum height of 40 to 70 feet.

Once mature, River Birch develop a cinnamon-colored bark that curls and peels. In Spring, they are produce brown and green catkins (a slim, cylindrical flower cluster / spike, with inconspicuous or no petals). After the catkins mature, River Birch yield many tiny nutlets. Wildlife appreciates its small, but plentiful seeds, foliage, and catkins.

River Birch wood was historically used for ox yokes, wooden shoes, and other products around the farm.

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river birch tree

river birch flowers and seeds

river birch bark

Saucer Magnolia

Scientific Name: Magnolia x soulangeana
Native Region: none, man-made hybrid
Year Planted: 1968 (estimated)
Average Height: 20-30 feet

Saucer Magnolia is a smaller tree with beautiful pink and white flowers. This tree was created by cross-breeding Magnolia liliiflora (lily magnolia) and M. denudate (lilytree), which are both native to Japan.

Saucer Magnolia grow to a height of 20 to 30 feet, with a spread of ~25 feet at maturity. This specific species blooms late February to April, with some blossoms reappearing throughout the summer months.

Flower color tends to fade with re-emerging flowers. Leaves are thick, but soft — and generally 3 to 6 inches in length with a smooth margin and pointed tip.

Birds use the larger branches of Saucer Magnolia as nesting sites and enjoy its seeds.

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saucer magnolia tree

saucer magnolia flowers

saucer magnolia leaves

Scarlet Oak

Scientific Name: Quercus coccinea
Native Region: central and eastern United States
Year Planted: 1830 (estimated)
Average Height: 18-24 feet

Quercus coccinea, the scarlet oak, is primarily distributed in the central and eastern United States. It occurs on dry, sandy, usually acidic soil. It is often an important canopy species in oak-heath forests.

Many species of wildlife look to the scarlet oak for shelter, including small- to medium-sized birds, as well as small mammals such as squirrels. It is also a temporary home to various moth larvae throughout the year. It provides food in the form of acorns to many animals such as woodpeckers, blue jays, small mammals, wild turkeys, white tailed deer, and black bears.

Scarlet oak is commonly used in furniture, cabinetry, interior trim, flooring, and veneer. Scarlet oak shares many characteristics with red oak and often falls in the same category as red oak (Quercus rubra) in a broad sense. Quercus coccinea produces galls from insect interactions with may be used to treat hemorrhages, chronic diarrhea, and dysentery.

The scarlet oak is the official tree of Washington, D.C.

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Scarlet oak tree

scarlet oak leaves

scarlet oak acorns

Smoothleaf Elm

Scientific Name: Ulmus minor
Native Region: southern Europe and Asia Minor
Year Planted: 1882 (estimated)
Average Height: 40-50 feet

Also known as the Lacebark Elm Tree, the Smoothleaf Elm grows to a height of 40 to 50 feet and spreads from 35 to 45 feet at maturity. This Elm has a rounded crown adorned with radiant dark green leaves that change to a beautiful yellow and reddish purple in the fall.

Known for its distinctive bark, the Smoothleaf Elm is mottled and often creates colorful patterns within the trunk. It is a tough, durable tree as it adapts to many soil conditions and is relatively free from diseases ravaging other elm species.

Smoothleaf Elms produce oval, brown fruit that are up to half an inch with a small seed in the center. The seeds are an abundant food source for birds, making this tree a popular nesting spot for bird species.

Smoothleaf Elms are native to China, Korea, and Japan. It was introduced to American 1794.

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smooth leaf elm tree

smooth leaf elm bark

smooth leaf elm seeds

Sugar Maple

Scientific Name: Acer saccharum
Native Region: eastern North America
Year Planted: 1963 (estimated)
Average Height: 80-115 feet

Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. Sugar maple is best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. It may also be known as “rock maple”, “sugar tree”, “birds-eye maple”, “sweet maple”, “curly maple” or “hard maple”, particularly when referring to the wood. The sugar maple can be confused with the Norway maple, which is not native to America but is commonly planted in cities and suburbs.

The sugar maple is an extremely important species to the ecology of many forests in the northern United States and Canada. Pure stands are common, and it is a major component of the northern and Midwestern U.S. hardwood forests. Due to its need for cold winters, sugar maple is mostly found north of the 42^nd parallel in USDA growing zones 3-5. It is less common in the southern part of its range (USDA Zone 6) where summers are hot and humid; there sugar maple is confined to ravines and moist flatlands. Collection of sap for sugar is also not possible in the southern part of sugar maple’s range as winter temperatures do not become cold enough.

Indigenous peoples were the first to process the sugary sap into syrup and used it for medicinal purposes to help treat kidney and liver problems. They also used sugar Maple bark to dye clothing.

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sugar maple tree

sugar maple leaves

sugar maple seeds

Sweetgum

Scientific Name: Liquidambar styraciflua
Native Region: eastern North America through Central America
Year Planted: 1920 (estimated)
Average Height: 60-75 feet

Sweetgum is a large tree that may grow up to 75 feet tall. The alternate, palmately lobed leaves have toothed margins that mature into a star shape. The leaves provide brilliant fall color, with leaves turning shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple. The bark is gray-brown with irregular furrows and rough, rounded ridges.

In spring, small, bright yellow-green (tinged with red) flowers grow. The tree produces a spherical, spiny fruiting head which is composed of numerous tiny capsules, each bearing one or two-winged seeds. The seeds are eaten by a variety of birds. Small mammals enjoy the fruits and seeds.

The Sweetgum tree is native to the Southeastern United States — first noticed and recorded in 1542 by Alvar Nunez Cabza de Vaca. Today, the wood is used to form fine furniture and interior finishing.

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sweet gum tree

sweet gum tree leaves

sweet gum tree seeds

Tulip Tree

Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera
Native Region: eastern North America
Year Planted: 1986 (estimated)
Average Height: 80-100 feet

Liriodendron tulipifera, known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar. It is the one of the largest and most valuable hardwoods of eastern Northern America. It is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario to Illinois eastward to southwestern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and south to central Florida and Louisiana.

Originally described by Carl Linnaeus, Liriodendron tulipfera is one of two species in the genus Liriodendron in the magnolia family. The name Liriodendron is Greek for “lily tree”. It is also called the tuliptree magnolia, or sometimes, by the lumber industry, as the tulip-poplar or yellow-poplar. The flower provides a good source of nectar for the native ruby-throated hummingbird.

It was introduced into Great Britain in 1688 as part of Bishop Compton’s garden at Fulham Palace and is now a popular ornamental in streets, parks, and large gardens.

Indigenous peoples often used the trunks of this tree to make dugout canoes. The Appalachian Mountains and adjacent Piedmont running south from Pennsylvania to Georgia contain 75 percent of all yellow-poplar growing stock in 1974. However, this tree was favored by loggers for making railroad ties and fencing.

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tulip tree

tulip tree flower

tulip tree leaf