D.W. Brooks Arboretum Walk

BALD CYPRESS

Taxodium distichum Bald cypress is a deciduous conifer of swampy coastal regions of the southeastern United States. The trunk of a bald cypress will also produce protruding roots called "knees". Bald cypress swamps are rich environments for wildlife, vegetation, insects, and crustaceans. Bald cypresses are slow to moderate growth and can live upwards of 500 million years. The valuable timber of the tree and millions of acres of swamp land being drained has led to a severe decrease in the population of mature trees.

WATER TUPELO

Nyssa aquatica The water tupelo is a native tree to the coastal regions of the southeast and the Mississippi River Valley. Annually, water tupelos produce an abundance of seeds that are mostly dispersed by water. A variety of bird species use these seeds as a food source. Waer tupelos along with other members of the Tupelo genus are prized plants for making light, delicate-tasting honey.

DAHOON HOLLY

Ilex cassine The dahoon holly is a species of holly native to the southeastern United States along with parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. The name dahoon is of Native American origin. The dahoon holly is a popular ornamental in landscapes because of its attractive evergreen foliage and profuse fruiting of classic fluorescent red holly berries or bright yellow berries. Like many other Ilex species, both a male and a female plant are required in order to have fruit set.

SUAGRBERRY

Celtic laevigata The sugarberry is a common tree throughout the southeastern and south-central United States, along with pockets occurring in northeastern Mexico. When trees reach maturity, they produce orange-red to yellow berries in the autumn. These berries are eaten by a plethora of bird species including robins, cardinals, and mockingbirds. The leaf litter of sugarberries contains allelochemicals that prevent competition from other plant species. Sugarberries have distinctive, gray, warty bark at maturity.

ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR

Chamaecyparis thoides The Atlantic white cedar is native to a narrow strip of the east coast of the United States. Because of its moderate to slow growth habit, these cedars can live up to 1,000 years. The Atlantic white cedar timber has superior decay resistance and is used for construction. Some logs have been raised from peat bogs after thousands of years only to find the limber in pristine condition. Although the tree itself is not endangered, Atlantic white cedar wetlands are an at-risk ecosystem.

WATER HICKORY

Carya aquatica As the name would imply they are native to the southeast United States in coastal plain flats and river bottoms. In areas where water hickories are a dominant species, they have the ability to purify drainage water. They are also an important wildlife species in terms of providing shelter along with nuts that are a food source for many animals.

GOLDEN WEEPING WILLOW

Salix abla 'Tristis' The weeping gold white willow was introduced in colonial times by settlers that valued its handsome foliage and many uses. The weeping willow is native to Europe, central Asia, and northern Africa, but has become naturalized in many regions in the United States. In Ancient Greece, tonics made from the leaves of the willow were prescribed to patients suffering from gout. The bark was used by Hippocrates, Galen, and Pliny the Elder, all of whom believed that the extracts from willow bark were useful for curing fevers and easing aches and pains. They were correct as salicin, the precursor to the chemically derived salicylic acid used in aspirin, is found in the plant.

VIRGINIA PINE

Pinus virginiana The Virginia pine is a short-living, slow-growing species of pine native to the eastern United States. The Virginia pine is a popular choice for reforestation projects and creating a nourishing ecosystem in areas that have been deforested from mining. Cherokee Native Americans used Virginia pine medicinally to treat various ailments and also sued the tree in cultural rituals.

JAPANESE ZELKOVA

Zelkova serrata The Japanese zelkova is native to Japan, Taiwan, and eastern China. In 1862, the zelkova was brought to America. In the United States, the zelkova is a revered street tree and is used as a substitute for our beloved native American elm because of their similar, graceful growth habits. The zelkova also has outstanding resistance to Dutch elm disease which has decimated populations of American elm. In Japan, the timber of the zelkova is valued and thought of as the ideal wood for construction of taiko drums.

GRANCY GREYBEARD

Chionanthus virginicus Native to the eastern United States, the Grancy Graybeard is a small tree that is known for its drooping clusters of fleecy, fringelike flowers. Male plants have showier blooms than females. However, females will produce attractive dark blue fruits that attract wildlife and birds after their flowers have bloomed. The genus name refers to the Greek words chion (snow) and anthos (flower) which when combined, translates to snow white flowers.

AMERICAN YELLOWWOOD

Cladrastis kentukea The Kentucky Yellowwood is one of the rarest forest trees of the eastern United States. It is principally found in small pockets of the southeast on limestone cliffs. Its name comes from the yellow heartwood of the tree that is caused by a yellow dye that colors the wood. It is known for its beautiful panicles of white, fragrant blooms that appear in the  spring.

TULIP POPLAR

Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip poplars are fast-growing, native trees and are often the tallest trees in the forests. It is not uncommon for them to reach heights of 140 feet with the tallest recorded tulip poplar being 192 feet tall. The name of the tulip poplar comes from the large tulip-like flowers the tree produces in the spring. These flowers are a favorite of bees, which makes this tree an important species for honey production. The rich greenish-orange color of the flowers produces dark honey which is a favorite of bakers. The flowers give way to an abundance of fruit and seeds that mature and shed in the fall.

SWAMP WHITE OAK

Quercus bicolor Swamp White Oak is native to the central and eastern United States. It is most common in the north but scattered pockets can be found as far south as Alabama and Georgia. They are found growing in bottomlands such as along streams and lakes and at the edges of swamps. They have surprisingly good drought resistance which, along with the relative ease of transplanting them, has made them popular landscape trees. Being in the white oak group, wildlife including deer, bears, turkey, ducks, and geese are attracted to this tree when acorns are dropping in the fall. 

SHORTLEAF PINE

Pinus echinata The picturesque shortleaf pine is native to the eastern United States. They are an important lumber source in the deep South. Shortleaf pines are used for lumber, plywood, and pulpwood for making paper. 

BIGLEAF MAGNOLIA

Magnolia macrophylla Native to the forests of the southeastern United States, this magnolia is a peculiar, but also undeniably beautiful, sight. The tree has comically large leaves and huge flowers to match. Like the name would imply, the bigleaf magnolia boasts the largest simple leave and single flower of any tree native to North America. The branches often droop because of the weight of the extraordinarily large leaves. The tree was first described by Andre Michaux, a French naturalist, in June of  1795 in a forest near Charlotte, North Carolina.

AMERICAN HORNBEAM

Carpinus caroliniana The American hornbeam is small, understory tree distributed in the eastern North America and pockets of central Mexico. The trunk is often fluted with smooth gray bark, giving it a muscular appearance. The extremely hard wood of the American hornbeam made it the perfect material to make tool handles and ox yokes for early Americans.

AMERICAN BEECH

Fagus grandifolia The American beech is a common forest tree of the eastern United States. American beeches will sometimes be found in nearly pure stands due to its ability to propagate by sucker shoots. The seeds from the beech are high in oil, making them a valuable food source for wildlife. The tree is easily identified by its smooth blue-gray bark. Cherokee legend says that the bark of the beech was inscribed with arborglyphs to indicate the location of buried treasure. 

BLACK GUM

Nyssa sylvatica Native to the eastern United States, the black tupelo is a widely distributed tree found in a multitude of regions. The black tupelo is an important species for wild honey production and is one of the main sources for tupelo honey. Hollows of the tree have been used as bee gums. The small flowers of the black tupelo produce large amounts of nectar and are beloved by bees. The black tupelo is also a cherished tree in the landscape for its interesting blue-black fruit, stunning fall color, and great architecture.

LONGLEAF PINE

Pinus palustris The longleaf pine is a stately giant of the southeast. Longleaf pines are symbolic of the southern United States. The tree can survive in our poor, acidic soils low in nutrients and tolerate our long, hot summers. This giant is slow growing. It can take 125-150 years for the tree to reach its full height. The long needles of this tree are used in the ancient art of coiled basket making, stuffed upholstery, and antiseptic dressings.  Before European settlement, longleaf pine forest dominated as much as 90,000,000 acres stretching from Virginia south to Florida and west to East Texas. This rich ecosystem now has been relegated to less than 5% of its presettlement range due to clear-cutting practices and the longleaf pine is now listed as an endangered species.

BUR OAK

Quercus macrocarpa Bur oaks are a species of oak native to the northern Midwest United States with some ranges extending into Canada. Although the trees do not reach fruit- producing age until they are 30-35 years of age, they will produce acorns for the next 200-300 years. Bur oaks are an important species on the eastern prairies and oak savannas since it has the ability to grow in open, windy, and drought-prone areas that experience seasonal fires.

ATHENA LACEBARK ELM

Ulmus parvifolia 'Athena' The lacebark or Chinese elm is an extremely tough elm native to China, Korea, and Japan. It is a notable tree for its spectacular mottled bark. The durable nature of the tree has made it a popular substitute for the American elm which has declined due to Dutch elm disease. Unfortunately, because of it's resilient nature, Chinese elms have become weedy and invasive in our area. The 'Athena' cultivar was developed from a Chinese elm on UGA's campus and promoted by UGA's very own Dr. Michael Dirr in the 1980s.

Sawtooth Oak

Quercus acutissima This handsome, fast growing oak is native to China, Japan, Korea and regions of the Himalayas. Sawtooth oaks are known for their broad, rounded shapes which looks stately in the landscape. It was widely planted in North America, mostly as a food source to attracting wildlife. They produce prolific crop loads of acorns from a young age, so they are a favorite of wildlife, especially wild turkeys. This specimen is the State Champion sawtooth oak in Georgia.

BALD CYPRESS

Taxodium distichum Bald cypress is a deciduous conifer of swampy coastal regions of the southeastern United States. The trunk of bald cypress is flared accompanied by buttressing. The bald cypress will also produce protruding roots called “knees.” Bald cypress swamps are rich environments for wildlife, vegetation, insects, and crustaceans. Bald cypresses are slow to moderate growth and can live upwards of 500 years. The valuable timber of the tree and millions of acres of swamp land being drained has led to a severely decreased population of mature trees. 

CHINESE FLAME TREE

Koelreuteria bipinnata The Chinese flame tree is native to southern China. The tree was said to be discovered by the french botanist Pere Jean-Marie Delavay in 1886. In the South, it is used as an ornamental tree because of the interest it adds to the landscape throughout the year. In the late summer, the tree is filled with large panicles of fragrant, small, buttery-yellow flowers. The flowers give way to fruits that are enclosed in a papery capsule. These rosy-pink coverings on the fruit are attractive and give the appearance that the tree is covered in paper laterns.

LITTLE LEAF LINDEN

Titla cordata The little leaf linden is a European native that has en widely planted in the US as an ornamental tree because of its elegant foliage and dense, low-branching architecture. In Europe, the flowers of the tree are used medicinally in herbal teas. Linden honey, honey produced from the nectar of the tree is also sadis to have medicinal benefits.