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* Denotes trees identified by a plastic name plate near their base or
affixed to the trunk.
1. Juglans cinerea L.*
butternut
This is a tree of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence valley forest. The fruit,
a nut enclosed in a sticky fleshy covering, is edible, making this a favorite
of squirrels. Note the large compound leaves with multiple leaflets. At
the end of the growing season, the twigs are quite distinctive because of
their stoutness, large leaf-scare, and chambered pith.
2. Quercus macrocarpa Michx.
bur oak
The only eastern oak that comes across the prairie, but oak is not native
to Alberta but is frequently planted. It is an attractively-shaped tree
and the wood is hard and notable heavy. The fruit is a typical oak acorn
with the nut enclosed in a cap.
3. Acer negundo L.*
Manitoba maple
Another eastern species that follows the river valleys west, Manitoba maple
is the ony North American representative of this genus that has compound
leaves (3-7 leaflets). Notice on the new twigs, a kind of whitish bloom
covering the surface.
4. Betula papyrifera Marsh.
white or paper birch
A native Alberta species, this tree is easily recognized by its smooth,
white, peeling bar,. Being intolerant of shade, the birch thrives on burned-over
and cut- over areas. Watch for black-capped chickadees and woodpeckers (hairy
and downy) amongst the branches.
5. Aesculus glabra Willd.*
Ohio buckeye
Ohio buckeye has a very small native range in the Ohio river valley. Fairlyextensively
planted in the Edmonton region, it surprises many botanists because of its
ability to survive in this cold, dry climate. It also has a compound leaf
(palmately compound). The fruit is a spiny capsule which opens to release
a large shiny seed.
6. Thuja occidentalis L.*
Eastern white cedar
Found through out the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Acadian Forest regions,
this tree tends to occupy wet areas. It is widely used as an ornamental
here. Besides having scale-like leaves which are easily distinguished from
the other conifer species, its bark forms long narrow flat ridges that give
it a shredded appearance. The wood is highly resistant to decay and is therefore
used for boat building, shingles, or fence posts.
7. Pinus contorta var. latifollia Engelm.
lodgepole pine
Lodgepole pine is the most provincial tree of Alberta and is recognized
by most residents because of its tall straight narrow crown. Its wood is
used primarily for lumber and pulp. The cones, which typically remain closed
on the tree until heat melts the waxy resin holding them closed, can hold
many years supply of seed. The species is exceptionally well-adapted to
reproduction after frequent fires. Man imitates these conditions when regenerating
lodgepole pine by scattering the tree tops around the cut over area and
allowing the warm temperatures near the ground surface to open the cones
naturally.
8. Pinus cembra L.
Swiss stone pine
Swiss stone pine comes from the mountains of Europe. This tree, although
not widely planted, is an attractive ornamental because it maintains its
narrow columnar form to adulthood. This is a soft pine or white pine (notice
the five needles per bundle).
9. Ulmus americana L.
White or American elm
White elm is a common street tree in Edmonton and other prairie cities.
This native species to North America has been decimated throughout much
of its range by the introduced Dutch elm disease. Because of its scattered
distribution in the prairies (primarily planted in cities and towns) and
the cold climate, the carrier of the Dutch elm disease (the elm bark beetle)
has not brought this disease into Saskatchewan or Alberta yet. This tree
is a favorite of city planners and landscape architects because of its general
base shape with the arching, spreading crown which creates a natural green
canopy over many courtyard streets.
10. Tilia americana L.
basswood
Basswood is a large tree in its native habitat in the eastern deciduous
forest. The wood is light yet strong and dimensionally stable. It is commonly
used for coarse stock, for doors, and for the interior parts of drawers
in furniture. The fruit isquite distinctive: several individual hard nuts
are attached to the middle of a large, leaflike bracket.
11. Populus deltoides Bartr.
eastern cottonwood
Primarily a tree of the eastern and central States, the plains variety of
the eastern cottonwood can be found in the river valleys of southern Alberta,
and is frequently planted on the prairies as windbreaks. A similar tree
is trembling aspen (Tour 2 Tree 20).
12. Ulmus pumila L.
Siberian elm
Siberian elm, another exotic to Edmonton, is not infrequently planted as
an ornamental. The leaves are somewhat smaller than the whiter American
elm and its crown does not have quite the distinctive shape, but it is frequently
favored where the Dutch elm disease has decimated the native North American
elms.
13. Sorbus aucuparia L.
European mountain-ash
European mountain-ash is one of several mountain-ash widely planted across
the prairies. This particular species has hairy buds which make it distinctive
from the North American mountain-ashes, and a little apple-like fruit which
is quite attractive to certain songbirds, especially the Bohemian waxwing.
European mountain-ash is a member of the rose family and like the other
members of this family is quite susceptible to fire blight of the western
prairies.
14. Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.*
balsam fir
Balsam fir is native in the eastern 2/3 boreal forest across Canada. It
is quite common in Alberta in the Slave Lake area and along the foothills.
The firs have smooth bark with prominent resin blisters and the needles
are flatter than those of spruces. Although they will grow in much more
shaded and competitive conditions, firs are typically shorter-lived than
spruces.
15. Larix siberica Ledeb.
Siberian larch
Much of the boreal forest in the Soviet Union is dominated by this species,
which is well adapted to dry interior climatic conditions because of its
deciduous habit. When planted in Edmonton, Siberian larch seems to think
it is in the tropics and grows exceedingly well. These trees typically require
a lot of room because of their broad spreading crown when planted individually.
In the spring and summer notice the short shoots and bunches of tender needles.i
16. Acer saccharinum L.*
silver maple
Silver maple is a native species of the eastern deciduous forest, typically
occupying riverside and lake margins and swampy areas. Its leaves are deeply
dissected. This is one of the soft maples which disperses its fruits early
in the season, an adaptation that seems to be related to dispersal by the
flood waters inits native habitats.
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