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Pin Oak: This tree is native to east and central North America, is not endangered, and is not invasive.
Green Hawthorne: Also known as the “Winter King,” the Green Hawthorne is native to North America. While it is not endangered in the state of New York, it is considered to be a threatened species in the state of Indiana. It is not an invasive species.
London Plane: The London plane tree is a hybrid between the American and Oriental plane trees, and despite its name, is actually native to the United States. The species is neither invasive nor endangered.
Swamp Chestnut Oak: The Swamp Chestnut oak is commonly found in southeastern United States, and is native to North America. It is not endangered, and it is not invasive.
Littleleaf Linden: The Littleleaf linden is native to Europe and western Asia, but is cultivated in North America. It is not endangered and it is not invasive.
Yoshino Cherry: A hybrid between two different species, the Yoshino cherry is not native of North America. It is thought to have originated in Korea or Japan, and was introduced to the United States in 1912. The species is not invasive and is not endangered.
Cucumber tree: The cucumber tree is native to North America, is not invasive, and is not endangered in the state of New York. It is endangered, however, in both Florida and Indiana.
(From the walk back to school)
Japanese Maple: The Japanese maple is native to Japan, North Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. It is considered an invasive species, and is not endangered.
American Linden: As its name suggests, the American Linden is native of North America. It is neither endangered nor invasive.
London Plane: (see above)
Chokecherry “Canada Red”: The Chokecherry tree is native to North America, and is not invasive. Although it is not endangered in New York, it is a cause for “special concern” in Tennessee, according to the USDA.
Honey Locust: The honey locust is native to eastern North America, is not endangered, and is not invasive.
Willow Oak: The Willow oak is native to North America, and it is not invasive. It is endangered in both New York and Pennsylvania, and is threatened in Illinois.
2. Based on your observations, was each plant common in Central Park?
The one tree we came upon several times was the London plane, easily distinguished by its peeling bark. We also saw a variety of oaks, but no two were the exact same species. According to the official Central Park Web site, out of the trees that we saw, the ones that are the most prevalent throughout the park are the American elm, the Pin oak, the Willow oak, and the Yoshino cherry. The Pin oak is the most common oak tree in Central Park, and the Yoshino cherry is the most common ornamental flowering cherry tree in Central Park.
3. Does the variety of plants you found resemble any of the ecological neighborhoods described by Sanderson?
Considering all of the plants we identified were trees, including three oak trees, the most analogous ecological neighborhood described by Sanderson in Mannahatta was that of the “old-growth forests” (Sanderson, 2009, p. 154). While the East Green (where we did most of our plant identification) itself is flat, the part of Manhattan upon which the green is located is hilly, and the vast majority of the trees we found were quite tall. The main difference lies in the bedrock: “Soils won from nutrient-saturated rocks, like Inwood marble, are richer,” Sanderson notes, while “metamorphic schists” – such as the Manhattan Schist, the bedrock of Central Park – “are stingier with the nutrition they provide” (Sanderson, 2009, p. 158). Regardless, with the trees found – particularly oaks and maples – it fits in with the historic ecology of the old-growth forests.
4. Based on your map and your findings, how does each plant play a role in its ecological neighborhood? (food? habitat? shade? grows in poor soil?)
American Elm – Ulmus Americana: This is a very resilient tree that can withstand winter temperatures as low as −42 °C. Trees in areas unaffected by Dutch elm disease can live for several hundred years. This tree is also hermaphroditic and is therefore capable of self-pollination, so it doesn’t require insects to pollinate and populate. American Elm will continue to grow well into autumn.
Pin Oak- Quercus palustris: Pin oak has good retention of leaves through the winter. It produces an acorn that can be used as food by a variety of animals in the park. Pin oak also mainly grows on level or nearly level, poorly drained alluvial floodplain and river bottom soils with high clay content.
Green Hawthorn – Crataegus virdis: Green Hawthorn produces fruits that are red and grow in clusters Hawthorns are used by many birds as nest sites. Their leafy branches provide good cover for many animals, big and small.
London Plane – Platanus acerifolia: The London Plane is highly tolerant of urban conditions. It is mainly used as an ornamental tree, especially in urban areas and by roadsides.
Swamp Chestnut Oak – Quercus michauxii: This tree produces big acorns and makes a good shade tree with its broad, spreading branches and large foliage.
Littleleaf Linden – Tillia cordata: This tree produces a fruit that is a dry nut-like drupe that can be used as food by animals. It is also commonly used as an ornamental tree. A valuable monofloral honey is produced by bees using these trees. It grows to 20-38 m tall and can grow leaves that are 3-8 cm long and broad that can be used for shading.
Yoshino Cherry – Prunus yedoensis: The Yoshino cherry tree produces a fruit, a small cherry, which is an important source of food for many small birds and mammals. This tree is often used for ornamental purposes.
Cucumber Tree – Magnolia accuminata: This tree produces an unripe fruit, which is green and often shaped like a small cucumber, and can be used as food. It makes for an excellent shade tree in parks and gardens.
Japanese Maple – Acer palmatum: The Japanese maple tree is often shaped like a hemisphere or takes on a dome-like form, which is ideal for shade. It produces a fruit, which is a pair of winged samaras. It is very suitable for borders and ornamental paths because the root systems are compact and not invasive. It also doesn’t require a large amount of fertilization.
American Linden – Tilia Americana: This tree produces a fruit that is a small, globose, downy, hard and dry cream-colored nutlet. It is perfect for a deep shade due to its long and broad leaves. Its foliage and flowers are both edible, and it is a beneficial species for attracting pollinators. Bees produce excellent honey with a mildly spicy flavor from its blossoms.
Chokecherry “Canada Red” – Prunus virginiana: The chokecherry is a hardy, pyramidal tree that provides plenty of shade. It produces a small, sweet red fruit that is eaten by a variety of animals.
Honey Locust – Gleditsia triacanthos: The honey locust can reach a height of 20–30 m and grows quickly. It produces a fruit, which is a flat pod, and the pulp on the insides of the pods can be eaten by insects and mammals.
Willow Oak – Quercus phellos: This tree grows 5-12 cm long leaves, which provide lots of shade. It is one of the most prolific producers of acorns, an important food tree for squirrels, birds, and other animals in the forest. It grows rapidly, has a notable hardiness, and can withstand both sun and shade.
5. How does the variety and geographic distribution of the plants you identified reflect people’s influence in building and managing the park?
Central Park has a great variety of trees in close proximity to one another. Our group did not have to go far in order to locate and identify a significant number of different tree species. In fact, all of the tree species we located inside the park were within a two street radius. Having such a wide variety of trees makes a stroll through the park much more interesting, and so this large assortment found in Central Park is one way in which the designers managed to present nature in the most captivating way possible. It reflects the way people manage the park as a whole, trying to showcase nature in the best possible light. The majority of the trees we saw in Central Park were native to North America, which may give certain locations of the park a natural feel. However, people’s influence is still greatly felt in certain instances. One such example is the Yoshino Cherry Tree. Eight such trees were planted in Central Park this May to remember the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan earlier this year (Associated Press, 2011). Such cases show how people use Central Park for spiritual and symbolic purposes as well.
The location of the tress also shows the people’s influence on the park. Ken Chaya, an avid Central Park birder known for being one of the men to map out the trees of Central Park, said it best: “Olmsted used trees the way an artist uses colors. He used them to create curtains, walls, corners, and it looks natural” (Adler, 2011). This statement reflects exactly what our group witnessed. Nothing felt unnatural about the placement of the trees. However, if one stopped to think about it, it seems that each tree had a purpose, whether it was to accentuate a path or create a shaded area for resting. This reflects one of the major goals of the park – to create an environment that feels natural yet artistic and useful at the same time.
6. How does the diversity and number of plants along the streets compare to what you found in the park?
Most of the trees found, both in the park and on the streets, were native to North America, with the exception of the Littleleaf Linden, the Yoshino cherry, and the Japanese maple, the latter being an invasive species. However, we found a great deal more trees in the park than outside of it, assumingly because some of them – the Yoshino cherry and presumably the Swamp Chestnut Oak, for example – were not originally cultivated, but introduced to the park and surrounding area.
7. Do either or both the Park plants and street plants represent a wide, diverse range of plant species? Why or why not?
The six street plants we identified represented a generally wide, diverse range of plant species. The Japanese maple tree, the chokecherry tree, and the honey locust tree were all relatively short trees with short branches, while the London plane tree, the willow oak tree, and the American linden tree were noticeably taller and had long branches that spread out. All of the six plants had varying leaf structures and some varied in color, as well. For instance, the leaves of the American linden tree and the London plane tree were large and more round than those of the willow oak tree or the honey locust. The chokecherry tree stood out, because its leaves were deep purple color.
The eight trees we identified in the park weren’t as diverse in height as much as they were in leaf structure, the fruits, and the bark. Majority of the trees (littleleaf linden, swamp chestnut oak, London plane, American elm, and Pin oak) were distinctly tall and had large branches that spread out either up or sideways. The leaves of the cucumber tree, the yoshino cherry tree, and the swamp chestnut oak tree were elongated. Meanwhile the leaves of the American elm, the littleleaf linden, and the London plane were rather round. The leaves of the green hawthorn tree and the pin oak tree were a strange shape that was neither elongated nor round. The fruit of the cucumber tree was long and green, while the fruit of the green hawthorn tree was a round, yellow structure. The fruits on the tallest trees were generally small and harder to pinpoint. There was a notable difference in the texture of the bark on the trees. For example, the yoshino cherry tree, the American elm, and the swamp chestnut oak tree had a very rough, textured bark. The bark of the London plane tree and the green hawthorn tree, on the other hand, was more smooth and easy to peel off.
Works Cited
Adler, Margot. “Mapping (Almost) Every Tree In Central Park,” NPR, 7 July 2011. Web <http://www.npr.org/2011/07/07/137340619/mapping-almost-every-tree-in-central-park>.
“Cherry trees planted in N.Y.’s Central Park for Japan quake victims.” Associated Press. 13 May, 2011. Web. <http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9N6S2NO0&show_article=1>.
“Invasive and Exotic Trees.” Invasive.org. University of Georgia. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www.invasive.org/species/trees.cfm>.
“Threatened and Endangered.” The PLANTS Database | USDA PLANTS. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://plants.usda.gov>.
“Trees and Blooms.” Central Park – The Official Website. Central Park Conservancy. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/trees-blooms/>.
Welcome to the PLANTS Database | USDA PLANTS. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://plants.usda.gov>.
