Sweetgum! People chewed hard clumps of this gum (Petrides p. 204). Wait? Are we talking about gum or trees here? TREES! This trees common name is Sweetgum! This tree sits outside of my apartment on High Street, so I see it everyday. And I was intrigued to know what kind of tree it was. This tree is mostly pollinated by the wind (Yale).
Siberian Elm which is also known as Little Leaf. Let’s be honest, this tree was not the prettiest of all, however, I figured I should include some diversity. I found this tree near dry grass. This tree was introduced from Asia (Petrides p. 227) mostly for its ability to grow fast and grow in moist conditions (Minnesota DNR).
White Mulberry’s leaves looked like they were untouched for years. They looked silky and gorgeous and was right outside of my apartment on Ohio States campus. This tree was introduced by the British before the Revolution and had an unsuccessful attempt to establish a silkworm industry (Petrides p. 207). Its common name can be Silkworm Mulberry, no wonder they looked silky! In traditional Chinese medicine, the leaves contain chemical compounds which can provide therapeutic benefits (Pubmed).
Catawba-Tree is also known as a cigar tree. This is because of its long narrow fruits (Taylor). This is actually what originally caught my eye. It was on the same street as a few others I had found on north half of Ohio States campus. This tree closely resembles the Common Catalpa although it is larger and has long pointed leaves. (Petrides p. 85)
This trees red berries stuck out to me. It is called the American Hackberry. I found this tree somewhat near a stream but on a side street. The wood from this tree is similar to ash (Petrides p.209). This trees nickname is Common Hackberry. This tree will outlive most of us! Its lifespan can range from 150 to 200 years old (USDA)
The leaves on this tree stuck out to me because they were a dark green and very beautiful. This tree also had a section of leaves off of its branches. It was on one of the North side streets of Ohio States campus! This tree was an American Hornbeam also known as Blue beech. The wood on this tree is tough but surprisingly decays quickly when it comes into contact with the ground (Petrides p. 228). Early American used horn-like polish from the wood to make into bowls and tool handles (Adventure Science)
This tree was not very difficult to identify because it was a Sugar Maple. This tree was across from the American Hornbeam on Ohio States campus. It’s also known as Hard Maple. The wood from these trees are used for furniture (Petrides p. 97). Sugar maples do not produce as much syrup as one would think, to make one gallon of syrup we would need 40 gallons of sap (Ohio Plants).
The last one I found in a woody area and was so beautiful I knew I needed to include it. This one is called Tree of Heaven or Paradise Tree. Those names fit perfectly. In our area it is the most rapid growing woody plant and can survive under extreme conditions (Petrides p. 136). This tree crowds out native species (USDA, Tree-Of-Heaven).
Citations:
David Taylor, U.S. Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/Catalpa-speciosa.shtml
Ohio Plants, Sugar Maple: https://ohioplants.org/maple/
Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide
PubMed: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/white-mulberry-leaf
USDA Plant Guide, Common Hackberry: https://eec.ky.gov/Natural-Resources/Forestry/ky-champion-trees/Documents/Hackberry%20common.pdf
USDA, Tree of Heaven: https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/tree-heaven
Yale University, YaleNature Walk: https://naturewalk.yale.edu/trees/altingiaceae/liquidambar-styraciflua/american-sweetgum-46