Shade Trees for the Northeast 



53 



streets and in lawns. The leaves are an 

 attractive light green and resemble wil- 

 low leaves in shape. It is native in the 

 Coastal Plain from Virginia to New 

 York City and in the small area sur- 

 rounding the junction of the Ohio and 

 the Mississippi Rivers. In planting, 60 

 feet should be allowed between trees 

 for full development. 



THE GINKGO was introduced into 

 America from China and Japan, where 

 it has been grown for centuries in 

 temple gardens. It has long been cul- 

 tivated in northeastern United States 

 as an ornamental and shade tree, par- 

 ticularly for street planting. It is hardy 

 northward to southern Maine and may 

 be grown near the seacoast. It reaches 

 a height of 60 to 80 feet and has a single 

 erect trunk continuous into the crown. 

 The straight, slender branches are 

 slightly ascending and form a broadly 

 conical or pyramidal head. 



The flowers appear in May; the 

 male and female flowers are borne on 

 separate trees. The female flowers de- 

 velop into a stone fruit with a malodor- 

 ous, fleshy outer layer, which, when 

 the fruit falls, makes pavements slip- 

 pery and disagreeable. For that rea- 

 son, only trees that bear male flowers 

 should be planted. The fan-shaped 

 leaves, about 2 to 4 inches broad, re- 

 semble a leaflet of the maidenhair fern. 

 In autumn they turn bright yellow and 

 fall from the tree within a few days. 



The ginkgo tolerates unfavorable 

 city conditions and a wide range of 

 soil conditions. It is relatively easy to 

 transplant. It withstands wind and ice 

 storms and is free from serious pests. 



TULIPTREE, also called yellow-pop- 

 lar, is native in Indiana and southern 

 Michigan south of a line that extends 

 eastward along the south shore of Lake 

 Ontario, eastward to Massachusetts, 

 and then southeastward diagonally to 

 Rhode Island. It is native also in the 

 southern tip of Illinois and in south- 

 eastern Missouri. It is grown as a shade 

 tree as far north as central Vermont. 



It reaches a height of 50 to 70 feet, 



with a tall, straight trunk that is con- 

 tinuous into the crown. The branches 

 are ascending at the top and horizontal 

 or slightly drooping at the base, but 

 they have upcurved tips that form a 

 low-branched, compact and pyramidal 

 head when young. As the tree matures 

 it develops an oblong and open crown. 

 The leaves are light green, glossy, 5 to 

 6 inches long, and four-lobed, with 

 petioles or stems as long as the leaves. 

 They turn bright yellow before fall- 

 ing in the autumn. The large, tuliplike 

 flowers are greenish yellow, 1% to 2 

 inches deep, and 2 to 5 inches wide; 

 they appear on older trees in May or 

 June after the leaves develop. 



The tuliptree is not easily trans- 

 planted, and its young fleshy roots 

 must be carefully protected from dry- 

 ing during transplanting, which should 

 be done in early spring. It requires a 

 rather moist, well-drained soil and, 

 once established, its growth is fairly 

 rapid. In the forest it reaches maturity 

 in about 200 years. 



When soil conditions are favorable it 

 may be used as a shade tree along wide 

 streets in suburban areas. Its brittle 

 wood, however, makes it rather suscep- 

 tible to storm and ice damage and 

 therefore it is sometimes considered un- 

 desirable for street planting. It is rela- 

 tively free from fungus diseases, but a 

 slight early leaf fall may occur as a re- 

 sult of dry summer weather. It is most 

 satisfactory for planting in parks and 

 around the home, where its attractive 

 foliage and flowers make it valuable 

 both for shade and ornament. 



SWEETGUM is native to the southern 

 part of this region. Its northern range 

 extends diagonally from southeastern 

 Missouri to southern Connecticut. It 

 has been used successfully in more 

 northern locations but has not proved 

 hardy in some localities of the Lake 

 States. It usually attains a height of 50 

 to 75 feet and its straight trunk is con- 

 tinuous into the crown. The slender 

 ascending or spreading branches form 

 a narrow pyramidal or broad, rounded, 

 and open crown. The leaves are 3 to 5 



