Focus — Trees

spreading northward and eastward by the megafauna extinction at the end of the last ice age. It is thought that mastodons, mammoths, giant ground sloths and others dined on the fruit.

Why We Love It: “I really love the bark,” commented Beuerlein. “It has character. ‘White Shield’ is a fruitless cultivar with shiny leaves. It’s a fast grower and you can have a tree with history without the fruit if you find it a nuisance.” Historically, Osage oranges were planted by pioneers as they moved west. It forms a fast-growing thicket, and the young branches are thorny, creating an instant fence. The wood is dense and tough, often used for bows, tool handles, and fence posts.

thing you could possibly do to kill it would be to put it in a perpetually wet place. We’ve got it in dry shade and full sun. Plus, it’s got a cool little weird flower that you might have to hunt for, but they’re there very early when not much else is blooming.”

Parrotia persica Persian ironwood

Zone: 4 to 8

Sun: full sun to light shade

Water: average; tolerates moist and dry soils and is pollution tolerant

Size: 20 to 30 feet high and wide

Bark: Bark exfoliates to show patches of green, white, and tan.

Flower: Interesting small deep maroon strappy flowers bloom in early spring.

Fall Color: Fall color is shades of yellow, orange, and red and usually quite beautiful.

Why We Love It: A slow-growing tree, Persian ironwood makes an interesting specimen. “We’ve planted it everywhere at the zoo,” enthused Beuerlein. “For some reason I thought it’d be hard to grow, but it’s ironclad. I think the only

Quercus bicolor swamp white oak

Zone: 3 to 8

Sun: full sun

Water: average to wet

Size: 50 to 60 feet high and wide Bark: Gray bark is flaky and fissured on young trees and young branches. Foliage: Leaves are dark shiny green on the upper side and whitish on the underside, making them attractive in any breeze.

Fall Color: Russet and leaves will dry and hold on the tree until bud break in the spring.

Native: Swamp white oak can be found mostly east of the Mississippi throughout the Midwest and East.

Why We Love It: Swamp white oak has tremendous versatility in nearly any soil and is fast-growing. Plus, as a native oak, it feeds an incredible amount of wildlife while looking stately. “It has that classic tree shape,” commented Beuerlein. “They do get big, but it doesn’t take the biggest oak to sort of knock you down with a sensation that it’s awe-inspiring. It just gives a feeling of size. There’s a presence to oaks, a stateliness. The fall color is sort of reserved, classy russet, or dusty yellows, and browns. Swamp white oak is marcescent, so they hold their leaves all win- ter. I love the rustle of the leaves. Plus, it can be a handy screen in a wet spot where a conifer won’t live.”

Ulmus parvifolia

Lacebark elm

Zone: 4 to 9

Sun: full sun

Water: average; adaptable to any Size: 40 to 50 feet high; 25 to 40 feet wide; cultivars may be smaller Bark: Spectacular mottled bark in shades of cream, brown, green, and orange. Fruit: Seeds are formed in late fall, and it can spread by seed.

Fall Color: Yellow to a reddish-orange. Why We Love It: Dutch elm resistant, lacebark elm also features tiny leaves that provide dappled shade. “For me, it’s the bark,” said Beuerlein. “It has really beautiful bark on an incredibly tough tree. It’ll handle the most miserable postconstruction soil and be fine.” A smaller elm, the cultivars tend to have the showiest bark and most organized shape.