Trees | Nora's Ohio Plants Website

Olentangy River Wetland Tree Species

This section is demonstrates eight species of trees that are broad-leafed and wild (so not cultivated and/or pine species). They were all found at the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP), located at 352 W. Dodridge Street, Columbus, OH 43202¹.

Finding and listing these species is done for two reasons. Firstly, to represent a fraction of Ohio’s tree diversity. Eight species previously discussed in EEOB 2210 include redbud (Cercis canadensis), Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra), maple species (Acer spp.), ash species (Fraxinus spp.), walnut (Juglans nigra), oak species (Quercus spp.), hickory species (Carya spp.), and dogwood (Cornus florida)². The list here on this page includes three of these previously learned species (the first three species on the list, ordered alphabetically by scientific name), as well as five new species (species 4 – 8; also ordered alphabetically by scientific name). The second reason to create these species lists is to cure my “tree blindness,” which, according to Gabriel Popkin, is essentially the state of being unaware and unnoticing of the differences between tree species.³

So, without further ado, my eight species:

Species 1: Box Elder (Acer negundo)

Figure 1.1: Box elder overall shape and form

Species Identification:

Opposite leaf arrangement^4(p52)
Pinnately compound leaf complexity; usually 3 -5 leaflets^4(p52)
This species closely resembles ash trees and poison ivy^4(p52)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, on a lower, inner floodplain near pooling water.
This tree is tall, meeting the canopy, but with a sharp bend in the trunk near chest height, with leaf galls.

Interesting Species Facts:

Box elder is the only “ashlike” tree with leaf scars that meet in the middle^4(p52).
Female box elder trees are often attacked by mid-summer boxelder bugs⁵.

Species 2: Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)

Figure 2.1: Ohio buckeye overall shape and form

Species Identification:

Opposite leaf arrangement^4(p53)
Palmately compound leaf complexity; usually 5 leaflets^4(p53)
Branches smell skunky when scratched^4(p53)
Fruits are spiky^4(p53)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, on a lower, inner floodplain near pooling water.
This tree is short and bushy, in the understory, gently bending towards the sunlight.

Interesting Species Facts:

Ohio buckeyes have ridged bud scales on the end buds; similar Aesculus species do not^4(p53).
Ohio buckeyes are generally considered poor “focal species” for yard planting, as they often take on leaf blotch characteristics that make them unsightly in late summer⁶.

Species 3: Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Figure 3.1: Black walnut overall shape and form

Species Identification:

Alternate leaf arrangement^4(p135)
Pinnately compound leaf complexity; 7 – 17 leaflets^4(p135)
Branch pith is chambered^4(p135)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, near a property boundary and street run-off area.
This tree is tall, forming the upper canopy, and branching into a split at about the middle of the tree.

Interesting Species Facts:

The crushed leaves of this tree have a spicy scent^4(p135).
Of the species harvested for timber in Ohio as of January 2024, walnut has the highest price paid per unit⁷.

Species 4: Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

Figure 4.1: Pawpaw overall shape and form

Species Identification:

Alternate leaf arrangement^4(p269)
Simple leaf complexity^4(p269)
Buds are often pointed and hairy^4(p269)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, on a lower, inner floodplain near pooling water.
This tree is short and spindly, spreading out in the understory, gently bending towards the sunlight.

Interesting Species Facts:

These trees are members of the custard-apple family^4(p270).
The flavor of the pawpaw’s fruit is compared to a banana with mango, vanilla, and citrus flavors⁸.

Species 5: Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

Figure 5.1: Honey locust overall shape and form – angle 1

Figure 5.2: Honey locust overall shape and form – angle 2

Species Identification:

Alternate leaf arrangement^4(p127)
Pinnately compound leaf complexity; many leaflets, often subdivided^4(p127)
Thorns are not paired, unlike black locust trees^4(p127)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, on a lower, inner floodplain near a paved path.
This tree is relatively tall, forming the bottom of the upper canopy, leaning and branching mostly over the path.

Interesting Species Facts:

This species does not carry the nitrogen-fixing bacteria common in legumes^4(p127).
“Locust” species, including honey, black, and water locust, are known to glow a bright, uniform green when exposed to a black light⁹.

Species 6: Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)

Figure 6.1: Red mulberry overall shape and form

Species Identification:

Alternate leaf arrangement^4(p206)
Simple leaf complexity^4(p206)
Leaves sandpapery on top, hairy on the bottom^4(p206)
Milky sap^4(p206)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, near a property boundary and street run-off area.
This tree is relatively bushy and has branches and leaves from the upper canopy to only slightly above the height of the grasses below, branching out over the street.

Interesting Species Facts:

The fruit can be eaten by humans, as well as many species of wildlife, including deer and birds^4(p206).
The silkworm, famous for producing Chinese silk for over 4,000 years, eats exclusively mulberry¹⁰.

Species 7: American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)

Figure 7.1: American sycamore overall shape and form

Figure 7.2: American sycamore leaf detail – leaves in canopy

Figure 7.3: American sycamore leaf detail – leaf fallen from tree

Species Identification:

Alternate leaf arrangement^4(p204)
Simple leaf complexity^4(p204)
Leafstalk bases are hollow, and cover the buds^4(p204)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, on a lower, inner floodplain.
This tree is massive, leafing well above the height of the other canopy trees and with a large trunk.

Interesting Species Facts:

Sycamores are generally considered to be the largest tree of the eastern U.S.^4(p204)
When the American sycamore matures, the upper bark of this tree peels off, creating grey-white patches beneath¹¹.

Species 8: Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

Figure 8.1: Eastern cottonwood overall shape and form

Figure 8.2: Eastern cottonwood leaf detail

Species Identification:

Alternate leaf arrangement^4(p223)
Simple leaf complexity^4(p223)
Leafstalks are flattened^4(p212)

Location:

Growing in a woody wetland, on a lower, inner floodplain near a paved path.
This tree is tall, forming the top of the upper canopy, with branching over the path.

Interesting Species Facts:

These trees have 2 – 3 small glands at the top of the leaf stalk, and is the only tree with flattened leaf stalks to also have these glands^4(p212).
The seeds of the eastern cottonwood are covered in white, silky hairs that are dispersed by the wind, creating the appearance of “cotton balls” drifting through the sky¹².

References

Location, Hours, Parking, and Park Rules. The Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park. (n.d.). https://u.osu.edu/orwrpramsar/visiting-us/
Klips, R. A. (n.d.). Ohio Plants. https://ohioplants.org/trees/
Popkin, G. (2017, August 26). Cure yourself of tree blindness. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/26/opinion/sunday/cure-yourself-of-tree-blindness.html
Petrides, G. A. (1972). A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs of Northeastern and North-central United States and Southeastern and South-central Canada (Ser. Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Mifflin.
Koetter, R., & Zuzek, K. (2018). Boxelder. University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/trees-and-shrubs/boxelder
Knebusch, K. (2015, May 15). Ohio State fans: 7 things to know about growing an Ohio Buckeye Tree. College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. https://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/ohio-state-fans-7-things-know-about-growing-ohio-buckeye-tree
The Ohio State University. (2024, January). Ohio Timber Price Report. Ohio Woodland Stewards Program. https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/ohio-timber-price-report
Matthews, E. (2021, September 21). Pawpaw: Small Tree, big impact (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/pawpaw.htm
Meier, E. (2024). Fluorescence: A secret weapon in wood identification. The Wood Database. https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/fluorescence-a-secret-weapon-in-wood-identification/
Ombrello, T. (2003, March 13). The Mulberry Tree and Its Silkworm Connection. Web Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20121019191608/http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/POW/Plant-List.htm
Shaughnessy, D., Polomski, R. F., & Coyle, D. (2022, February 10). Sycamore. Home & Garden Information Center. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/sycamore/
North Carolina State University. (n.d.). Eastern Cottonwood. North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/populus-deltoides/common-name/eastern-cottonwood/