Nature Profiles
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Malus coronaria
Wild crabapple
Where can you find this tree? In Ohio: Throughout, fields, fence rows, edges of woodlands. At HF&G: Holden Arboretum, Wildflower Garden Bloom time: Usually early to mid May but infrequently... more
Silene regia
Royal catchfly
Where can you find this plant? In Ohio: Prairies of southwest Ohio. At HF&G: Arlene & Arthur S. Holden, Jr. Butterfly Garden; Wildflower Garden, south end, and Prairie Garden. Bloom... more
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Flame azalea
Where can you find this plant? In Ohio: Only in unglaciated southeastern parts on rock outcrops. At HF&G: Holden Arboretum, Wildflower Garden, Rhododendron and Discovery Gardens. Bloom time: May-June, usually... more
Impatiens capensis
Common jewelweed
Where can you find this plant? In Ohio: Throughout, floodplain forests, disturbed wetlands, moist woodland edges. At HF&G: Cleveland Botanical Garden, Woodland Garden; Holden Arboretum, Wildflower Garden, Rhododendron Garden. Growing... more
Castanea dentata
American chestnut
Where can you find this plant? In Ohio: Stump sprouts persist in places, but no large mature trees known due to chestnut blight. At HF&G: Holden Arboretum, by Corning Visitor... more
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas-fir
The Rocky Mountain variety of Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca is more commonly planted in the Eastern United States than the coastal variety from the temperate rain forest of the... more
Acer saccharum
Sugar maple
Renowned for its autumn color, sugar maples are perhaps the most magnificent shade trees in northeastern Ohio. Sugar maple interbreeds with black maple which shares much of its native range.... more
Picea omorika
Serbian Spruce
The Serbian spruce is an elegant tree for northeast Ohio landscapes. Mature specimens are tall and slender, with gracefully drooping secondary branches and ascending primary branches that become bowed with... more
Quercus bicolor
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolor is an excellent tree for the heavy, seasonally wet soils of northeast Ohio. Although pin oak, Q. palustris is much more common in our landscapes, the ruggedly handsome... more
Fagus grandifolia
American Beech
American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is a tree native to eastern North American. The geographic range of American beech extends to Nova Scotia, southern Quebec and Ontario in the north; to... more
Tsuga canadensis
Canada Hemlock
The geographic range of Canada hemlock in North America extends from southern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia down the Appalachian Mountains into northern Georgia and over to Michigan in... more
Acer x freemanii ‘Autumn Fantasy’ (Freeman maple)
According to Klyn Nursery, “Being a Freeman maple, the ‘Autumn Fantasy’ is a hybrid of Acer rubrum and A. saccharinum resulting in A. rubrum’s strong branch structure and A. saccharinum’s fast growth. The ‘Autumn Fantasy’ really takes this to heart with an improved... more
Quercus alba
Quercus alba (white oak)
Pyramidal when young, upright rounded to broad-rounded habit with wide-spreading branches at maturity. Foliage is dark green changing in fall from brown to reddish-purple. Majestic native tree for large areas. Prefers... more
Nyssa ‘Tupelo Tower’
Nyssa ‘Tupelo Tower’ (black gum)
This selection has a very tight, upright habit unlike the species. The lustrous dark green summer foliage turns impressive shades of orange in early fall. The upright narrow habit is ideal for smaller... more
Ginkgo biloba ‘Princeton Sentry’
Ginkgo biloba ‘Princeton Sentry’ (gingko)
‘Princeton Sentry’ is an all-male cultivar with an upright, narrowly conical habit. Leaves turn a uniform golden yellow in autumn and persist for several weeks. When the leaves do drop,... more
Carya laciniosa
Carya laciniosa (shellbark hickory)
Shellbark hickory, a.k.a. kingnut is native from western New York to Iowa, south to Georgia and Texas. Although widely distributed, it is not common, certainly not in Holden’s natural areas... more
Carya cordiformis
Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
According to Klyn Nursery, “This Ohio native is one of the faster-growing hickories. It will eventually become a slender tree with an irregular, cylindrical crown of stiff ascending branches. The interesting bark is gray to brown and shallowly-furrowed. The tree is salt tolerant, and... more
Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’
Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’ (red maple)
According to Klyn Nursery, “A columnar red maple! Narrower when young, this tree becomes a broad column at maturity with a spread ranging from 18–25’. Green foliage turns yellow-orange to reddish-orange in fall. ‘Bowhall’ can be used as a shade... more
Acer rubrum ‘Brandywine’
Acer rubrum ‘Brandywine’ (red maple)
According to Klyn Nursery, “Introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum, the ‘Brandywine’ is a selection from the native species Acer rubrum. It forms an upright, oval crown as it matures but does not... more
Zelkova serrata ‘Green Vase’ (green vase zelkova)
According to Klyn Nursery, “A vigorous-growing tree whose vase-shaped outline is ideal for use in urban plantings. Compared with other Zelkova species, it experiences more rapid growth when young, better winter hardiness,... more
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