Shade Trees for the Northeast 



fragrant, cream-colored flowers appear 

 in July or August and are said to be 

 poisonous to bees. The silver linden 

 tolerates heat and drought and there- 

 fore is suitable for planting along wide 

 city streets. It may also be grown suc- 

 cessfully near the seacoast. 



The pendent, or silverpendent, lin- 

 den has leaves like those of the silver 

 linden, but it has slender, drooping 

 branches and is adapted to planting as 

 an ornamental shade tree on lawns. 

 Well grown, it may reach 80 feet. 



THE AMERICAN SYCAMORE, or the 

 planetree, is native in the region except 

 in northern New England, northern 

 Wisconsin, most of Minnesota, and 

 northwestern Iowa. This tree has been 

 planted rather extensively as a shade 

 tree in its native range. It is suscepti- 

 ble to anthracnose, a fungus disease 

 that attacks and kills the leaves when 

 they are developing in the spring and 

 also infects twigs, causing a disfiguring 

 dieback. Therefore, it is not recom- 

 mended for street or lawn planting. 



THE LONDON PLANETREE, which is 

 more resistant to anthracnose, has been 

 grown successfully along wide streets 

 and around suburban homes. This 

 species is considered a hybrid between 

 the American sycamore and the Ori- 

 ental planetree, and is hardy in the 

 southern parts of Maine, New Hamp- 

 shire, Vermont, in central New York, 

 and southward. 



In the past few years it has proved 

 susceptible to canker stain, a disease 

 caused by a fungus that may kill large 

 branches and entire trees. The disease 

 may be controlled by using certain pre- 

 cautionary methods in pruning and 

 in the treatment of cut surfaces and 

 wounds. Detailed information about 

 the disease and its control can be ob- 

 tained by writing to the Division of 

 Forest Pathology, Plant Industry Sta- 

 tion, Beltsville, Md. 



The London planetree may attain a 

 height of 100 feet. Usually it has a 

 short trunk that divides into several 

 stout ascending secondary trunks. Its 



55 



head is irregularly rounded or pyram- 

 idal. The bark resembles that of the 

 American planetree, except that it is 

 slightly cream-colored. The brownish 

 bark peels off in rather large, thin 

 patches, and exposes the yellowish or 

 greenish innermost bark. The leaves, 

 which have three to five lobes, are 

 bright green, glossy on the upper sur- 

 face, broader than long, and 4 to 10 

 inches wide. The rather inconspicu- 

 ous reddish-green flowers appear in 

 May when the leaves are partly devel- 

 oped. The fruit matures in September 

 or October in greenish-brown, bristly 

 balls, about an inch in diameter. The 

 balls hang on the trees during winter. 

 The London planetree is easily 

 transplanted, grows rather rapidly, and 

 prefers a rich, moist, well-drained soil. 

 It is tolerant of a wide range of soil 

 conditions, however, and may be 

 planted as a lawn or street tree where 

 there is enough room for the spread 

 of its branches. It endures city fumes. 



AMERICAN YELLOW WOOD is native in 

 the Southeastern States, but is hardy 

 as a shade tree southward from eastern 

 Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con- 

 necticut, and southern New York. It 

 is a small tree, usually not exceeding 30 

 to 45 feet, with a short trunk and sev- 

 eral ascending or slightly spreading 

 branches that form a broad, rounded 

 head. The bark of the trunk is light 

 gray or brown, usually smooth and at- 

 tractive. The leaves are composed of 

 seven to nine leaflets, bright green, 

 smooth and firm, each leaflet 3 or 4 

 inches long. The leaves turn bright 

 yellow in the autumn before they fall. 

 In June, after the leaves have devel- 

 oped, the fragrant white flowers appear 

 in loosely branched, drooping clusters, 

 10 to 16 inches long. In August or 

 September, the fruit matures in pods 

 about 4 inches long. 



American yellowwood should be 

 transplanted in the spring; it becomes 

 established rather slowly. It prefers 

 rich, moist, well-drained soil, but it is 

 drought-resistant. The slender twigs 

 are rather brittle and may break in 



