Swedish Whitebeam - Sorbus x intermedia

Common name(s):  Swedish whitebeam
Scientific name:  Sorbus x intermedia (triple hybrid between s. aucuparia, s. torminalis, s. aria)
Family:  Rose - Rosaceae
Native range:   Southern Sweden and nearby areas
Type: deciduous
Non-native range:  Planted as an urban ornamental tree
Average height range:  10 - 20 meters
Forest or habitat:  
Wood density and quality:  
Leaf shape: orbicular - obtuse (almost circular)
Leaf arrangement:  
Leaf margin:  lobate - serrate
Leaf venation:  pinnate
Leaf stem:  1cm approx.
Leaf surface:   dark green, glabrous, (Reverse - grayish-green, pubescent (hairy))
Inflorescence: Corymb
Flower: White, 5 petals, 1cm
Reproduction: tetraploid apomictic
Fruit: Orange to read oval pome
Edible?:  no
Seed dispersal mechanism:  birds (Thrushes and Waxwings)
Bark:  Gray  and fairly smooth
Traditional uses:  ornamental
Commercial uses:   ornamental
Invasiveness:   unknown

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Árboles madrileños, Antonio López Lillo y Antonio López Santalla, 2007, Obra Social Caja Madrid.

Norway Maple - Acer platanoides L

Common name(s):  Norway maple
Scientific name:   Acer platanoides L.
Family:    Soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
Native range:  East central Europe to southwest Asia
Type: Deciduous
Non-native range:  widely planted as an urban tree in cities and parks
Average height range:  20-30 meters
Forest or habitat:  
Wood density and quality:  hard, good for furniture, color is pale-yellow to reddish.
Leaf shape:  palmate
Leaf arrangement:  Opposite
Leaf margin:  lobed, spiny (1-7 teeth-like points per lobe)
Leaf venation:  palmate
Leaf stem:  5-8 inches, 8-20 cm
Leaf surface:  glabrous (smooth, not hairy)
Inflorescence:  corymb like panicle
Flower: five sepals and five petals 3–4 mm, inconspicuous
Pollinating agents: ?
Fruit: double Samara pair
Edible?:  no
Seed description:  flattened disk-like with “wings” (samara)
Seed dispersal mechanism:  wind blown Samara
Bark:  gray-brown, grooved
Traditional uses:  ornamental, shade
Commercial uses:  furniture and wood-turning  (banister spindles etc.)
Invasiveness:  Moderate in some areas, (banned in New Hampshire and Massachusetts)
Threats: Asian long horned beetle,
Iconic or symbolic value:  Maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada and is represented on its flag.

Heart shaped tree leaves

Indian bean tree (Catalpa)

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

Redbud (Cercis siliquastrum)

Empress tree (Paulawnia tomentosa)

Ficus petiolaris

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.

Graveyard cypress trees - Cupressus sempervirens

 By for the most common tree species in European cemeteries is the Mediterranean Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens).  As a result it comes as no surprise that one of this tree species common names is "graveyard cypress".  The connection between these tall upright Cypress trees (fastigiate crown) and graveyards is not a new.  For several thousand years the Mediterranean cypress has been a symbol of mourning in the classical antiquity (Greece and Rome) and more recently in the Muslim world and in Europe.  There are several factors that possibly contributed to this.  One being the trees longevity, with it not being uncommon for the tree to live for 1,000 years.  Another factor being the tall narrow shape as if the tree were pointing heavenward or as if it were standing guard over the tombs of the departed.  The images in this post are from a cemetery in Spain.

Black locust - Robinia pseudoacacia

The Black locust tree (species name: Robinia pseudoacacia) is native to the southeastern United States but is widely planted in other regions as an urban ornamental tree.  It is also grown as a honey plant in some countries.

The flower of the Black locust tree is a loose hanging "raceme" inflorescence.  The individual flowers have a "papilionaceous" (butterfly like) shape (see image below).  In Spain these flowers are sometimes called "pan y quesito" (bread and cheese) in reference to the fact that the flowers are edible.  To give them a try all you have to do is pluck the petals from the flower base and nibble on the soft, sweet base of the petals.  Some have even made a syrup from this sweet nectar.

The leaf arrangement of the Black locust tree is parallel, compound and odd-pinnate with the individual leaves having an "ovate" to slightly "obcordate" (heart) shape.

The Black locust is also a thorn tree although from my observations the twin thorns grow mainly on the "epicormic shoots".  These are the shoots that grow from the base or trunk of the tree from an epicormic bud below the surface of the bark.  The normal branches do not seem to have many thorns at all.

Caracus wigandia: Wigandia caracasana

The Caracus wigandia is a small tree or large ornamental plant with large leaves and purple-blue flowers.  Other than the fact that this tree is native to Venezuela (from the sign - see below) I don´t know anything about it.  This tree is in the Southern Spanish town of Mijas not too far from the Bull ring.  Enjoy the pictures!

Cherry plum - Prunus cerasifera

The Cherry plum tree (species name: Prunus cerasifera) is a small tree in the plum family native to Europe and Asia.  It is also planted outside of its native range as an ornamental tree that is prized for its brightly colored blossoms in spring and its purple-reddish leaves.  The fruit is a 2-3cm drupe that it edible.

The size and color of the "cherry plums" makes them easily confusable with cherries (thus the name).  The dark leaf color is a very good clue however to indicate that it is not a cherry tree.  A close examination of the drupe will also set it apart from the shape of a cherry.

The Cherry plum is one of those trees that is highly ornamental in both its spring flowering period and its spring to fall period.

I happened across one of these in bloom recently and observed several Monk parakeets feasting on the flower bulbs. (Image below)

The leaves of the Cherry plum are alternate on the branch.  They have a simple ovate shape and a crenate margin (rounded teeth).  One of the distinctive´s of this tree species is the color of its leaves that range from a dark purple-green to a purple-red color.

The image below shows the bark on both young (lower) and mature (upper) trees.

Chinese rain tree - Koelreuteria elegans

The Chinese rain tree (species name: Koelreuteria elegans) is a cousin of the Goldenrain tree. These two tree species have very similar and distinctive looking seed pods as seen in the image above.
The leaves of the Chinese rain tree are even-pinnate with individual leaflets having a lanceolate to acuminate shape with a serrate margin and a pinnate venation.
This native Taiwanese tree, like its cousin, it used as an ornamental street tree in the warmer sub-tropical zones of the world. This particular tree is in the botanical garden of the University of Malaga in southern Spain.

The seed pods are in clusters at the terminal tips of the branches as seen above.

American Sweetgum - Liquidambar styraciflua

The American Sweetgum tree (species: Liquidambar styraciflua) is one of my favorite Autumn color trees. The image above is from a tree in Switzerland and the tree below is from a fine example near the base of the Eiffel tower in Paris. Both of these images give an idea of the magnificent range of bright colors that this tree can show off in the fall. It is for these colors that this tree species has become a favorite as an ornamental tree for parks, gardens and avenues.

The leaf of the American Sweetgum (also known as the Redgum) is a five pointed star like leaf that is similar to those of the Sugar Maple. It has a slightly serrated margin and measures about 4-6 inches across.
The "fruits" of the American sweetgum is one of the key identifiers for this tree species. They are small spiky balls that measure about an inch in diameter. They are bright green until they turn black after maturing and releasing their seed capsules. There are many names given to these curious little fruits including "space bugs".

The leaves have rather long stems that grow out of the ends of new branchlets as seen below.


The next image is a bit out of focus but serves to give an idea of the bark pattern of a young tree.