Tulip tree flower

 Getting good images of the Tulip tree flower can be quite a trick due to the trees tall height and the fact that the flowers are usually so far off the ground that you can only get a glimpse of them.  A few days ago however I came across a fairly young tree that had flowers as low as five feet off the ground.  These images are from that tree.

Caucasian Zelkova - Zelkova carpinifolia

The Caucasian Zelkova (species name: Zelcova carpinifolia) is a fairly large deciduous tree native to the Caucasus region of southeastern Europe.  The Zelcove genus is a family of six tree species in the Elm family.  The tree featured in this post is located in the Madrid botanical garden.

The Caucasian zelkova has a unique shape that consists of multiple branches branching off near the base and that are almost vertical and grow very close together.  The images above shows how these branches give the tree an almost bottle shape.

Leaves

Trunk base with fairly smooth gray bark

Another view of the way the main branches grow almost vertical

Old Grove of Large Leaved Linden (or Lime)

Near the Spanish town of El Escorial and located close the popular attraction called the "Seat of Philip the Second" is an interesting old grove of Large leaved lindens or as they are popularly called in Great Britain "Large leaved limes". This native European tree is a common sight in parks and gardens and has been widely introduced into the United States as an ornamental. This particular old grove of Lindens was quite enchanting, partly due to the shape of the older trees as a result of "pollarding". This is when the branches are cut off every year or every few years providing for firewood but not killing the tree.

You can see in the image above how there are fairly small branches growing up out of a very old and hollowed out trunk. Pollarding often makes the trunks of the tree a good deal more stout than it would have grown if it had been left to form its natural shape.

The image below is of a nearby tree that has never been pollarded and as a result has a much taller and even straight trunk. The bark detail is also visible in this image.

The leaves of the Large leaved linden are simple and somewhat heart shaped. They can measure from 3-6 inches across.

These images were taken near the "Finca El Castañar" (something like "Chestnut grove ranch) which is a bit strange given that the grove is mainly old Lindens. On one side though there are some very old sweet Chestnut trees as well.

London Plane - Platanus x hispanica (syn. x acerifolia)

The London Plane tree (Platanus x hispanica (syn. x acerifolia) is a very common urban tree that is extensively planted in city parks, gardens and avenues. Although it is called the London Plane this tree is not native to England. In fact it is not native to anywhere as it is a hybrid of two trees from opposite sides of the globe. Its parent trees are the American Sycamore and the Oriental Plane. The hybrid was most likely a natural result of the two parent trees being planted close to each other in Spain (thus x hispanica). It has been very widely planted in England since the late 1600´s.

The tree in the image above is of a tall London Plane that I found in the royal gardens of Aranjuez (Spain). I estimate that this tree is about 7 feet (2 meters) wide at the base and over 120 feet (35 meters) tall. It is a fine example of the fact that this tree can reach very large proportions. The tree below has a more rounded shape that is more typical of this tree when it does not have to compete for light. It is located on the grounds of the Bonneville dam east of Portland Oregon on the Columbia River.

There is a great deal of variation in the appearance of different London Plane cultivars. Some of these have a closer similarity to the American Sycamore while others are more like the Oriental Plane and variants can be found that cover the full spectrum between the two parent trees. The picture below is of the Londan Plane tree fruit which looks like a small puff ball about one inch in size.
These fruits grow in groups of 1-4 as can be seen in the image below and they stay on the tree into the winter until they disintegrate and drop their seeds.



The bark of the London Plane has a cameoflage like apearance and is constantly flaking which reveals the lighter color bark beneath. This is said to help it survive in city environments where the polution is greater.

I´ve often seen older London Planes with large lumby boles on their trunks. In the Laurelhust park of Portland Oregen there are a group of these trees that are extremely lumpy and deformed looking (below).

The leaf of the London Plane is the logo of the New York City department of Parks and Recreation.
One interesting bit of trivia about this tree is that one of its older specimens is the most valuable tree in Britain. A plane in Mayfair has been valued at £750,000.

"The survival secret is that its shiny leaves are easily washed clean by the rain and it sheds bark regularly in large patches, preventing the trees lenticels or breathing pores in the trunk becoming suffocated under a layer of sooty, sulphurous grime."

Empress Tree - Paulownia tomentosa

The Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a fast growing deciduous tree species native to China but widely used in parks and gardens in many countries. Its soft blue bell shaped flowers form in a cluster (panicle) prior to the new leaves in Spring. the leaves are heart shaped and quite large measuring sometimes up to 30-40 cm across.
The seed pods of this tree species are about the size of a golf ball and pointy on one end. When mature they crack open and release numerous small seeds that are disbursed by the wind.
The shape of the opened seed pods reminds me quite a bit of a nest of young birds with their beaks wide open as they await their next meal soon to be delivered by their mother.
Some years back when I lived in Portland Oregon I was charged with the task of removing what was thought to be a fast growing weed that was growing too close to the side of a building. We later discovered that it was in fact an Empress tree that did not at all want to be removed! Within a few weeks of having chopped it off at the base it had regained its original height. I removed it again and this time dug up the main bulk of the stump. A few months later it was growing back again having recovered from some of the roots that I had left. We gave up the fight for that year and let it grow. By the next year it was more than 15 feet tall growing right up against a large window. We were finally able to remove it completely and keep it from growing back, but not before gaining a very healthy respect for this tree species tenacity and obstinate persistence. No wonder it has become invasive in some parts of the US.
For a tree with similar flowers check out the Blue Jacaranda.
For a tree with similar leaves try the Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa).
For a tree with big extravagant leaves and interesting flowers try the Snowflake Aralia.

Walnut - Juglans regia

The English Walnut (Juglans regia) is the most common and widely distributed walnut tree species in Europe. In Spanish the Walnut tree is called "Nogal" and the Walnut fruit is called "Nuez". This tree is highly valued both for its popular nuts and for its high quality wood although the most sought after Walnut wood comes from the "Juglans nigra L." (Black Walnut) which is a close relative.

Looking at these pictures of the Walnut fruit it is hard to imagine that on the inside it contains the wrinkled, light brown, Walnut that we are used to seeing in the grocery store or market. I visited this tree a few years ago when the ripe Walnuts were falling. The round green ball that you see above turns brown and shrivels up a bit before it falls. To get the nut you collect the fallen fruit and remove the outer husk which comes off pretty easily. At that point what you have is the hard shell that we are familiar with which needs to be open with a nutcracker.
The images above and below are of the male flower of the English Walnut tree.


The Common Walnut (sometimes called Persian or English Walnut as well) has oblong leaflets that are about six inches in length and are arranged odd-pinnately compound on the stem. The venation is also pinnate and the leaf has entire margins.

One distinctive of the Walnut tree is its deeply furrowed bark.

Weeping Willow tree - Salix babylonica

The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is perhaps one of the most common trees to see in parks with ponds full of ducks and geese. I have fond memories of standing on the edge of a pond feeding the ducks and occasionally a large swan with a majestic Weeping Willow tree on a small island as the backdrop. The image above is of a pond in Laurelhurst park in Portland, Oregon. The tall trees behind the Weeping Willow are Giant Sequoias.

The image below is of a Weeping Willow in early spring before the green leaves appear. The smaller branches have a orange-yellow color that gives the Weeping Willow an interesting appearance even in Winter when it has no leaves. This particular tree is located in a park on the north side of Spokane Washington.

The image below is of the new leaf buds along the long, thin "weeping" branches before the leaves form.
The bark of the Weeping willow is fairly thick and rough with a sort of stretch pattern that can be seen in the picture below.

Another "weeping" tree that I like is the Weeping Bottlebrush tree.

Field Elm - Ulmus minor

A tree native to southern Europe the Field Elm (Ulmus minor) has a wide range of subspecies and hybrids. The images in this post come from two different trees. The first is of a mature Field Elm was photographed in the "Quinta del la fuente del Berro" botanical park in Madrid. The second is a young Field Elm in the botanical garden of the University of Malaga.
These trees are quite commonly used in Madrid as an urban tree that can be found along many streets and avenues.
While the native range of this tree is southern Europe it can be found in natural habitat as far away as Asia minor.
The Field Elm can grow quite large. The image above from a botanical park in Madrid is of a tree that has a trunk about one meter in diameter.

Ginkgo Biloba

The Ginkgo Biloba tree (also called the Maidenhair tree) is a living relic that only survives in the wild in a small region of China. This unique tree that can grow to large proportions is now cultivated in many urban areas around the world as an ornamental and shade tree.
The Ginkgo has one of the most unique leaf shapes of all trees. This makes it very easy to identify if you ever come across one. There are also Ginkgo leaf fossils where you can easily make out this leaf shape.
I found this large Ginkgo tree in the "Fuente de Berro" park in Madrid, Spain. The lowest branches are so large that the tree is almost as wide as it is tall.
The new leaves grow out of short stems that grow along the length of the branches. It appears as though these stems grow longer year by year.
I came back to this tree in mid september and discovered that it was bearing ripe fruits. I had never seen these fruits before so I was quite excited to find a few hanging on the branch as well as a few laying on the ground among the fallen leaves. The fruits are round and about 3 cm in diameter.
I cut open one of the fruits that I found on the ground. Under the smooth skin was a layer of soft flesh similar in consistency to a apricot. Beneath this was a rather large seed (considering the size of the fruit). This seed was about 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide.
The seed itself had a hard shell that encased a softer core. In the picture below you can see the whole fruit, half a fruit without the seed, the seed shell and the soft inner part of the seed.