Parks, Recreation & Leisure

Parks, Recreation & Leisure / Parks & Forestry

Tree Treks

Fancyburg Park | Northam Park | Thompson Park

Click here to download a pdf version of the Fancyburg Tree Trek

In addition to ball fields, tennis courts, a playground, shuffleboard courts and many other recreation facilities, Fancyburg Park’s 25 acres support over 60 different varieties of trees. This Tree Trek brochure is intended to introduce many of these trees to park users. Trees are numbered on the map and are tagged on a low branch. The self-guided walk begins and ends near the Fancyburg Park shelter house, located off Kioka Avenue.

We hope that you enjoy the walk and learn about the trees of Fancyburg Park. For additional details about trees, consult:
www.oplin.lib.oh.us/products/tree/index.html
www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/Education/ohiotrees/treesindex.htm

1. Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a large-growing tree with flaky light gray bark. It has a bi-pinnately compound leaf rarely found on trees in Ohio, giving it a tropical look. Female trees bear thick seedpods in summer, which contain bean-like seeds. Early settlers used the beans as a coffee substitute. Since it lacks fine twigs, it has a very open appearance in winter.

2. White Ash (Fraxinus americana ’Rose Hill’) is a relatively fast-growing tree which is native to Ohio. It can reach 60’ in height. Ash cultivars come in various fall colors ranging from red to deep purple. Most cultivars are seedless which is a big advantage. Its compound leaves have toothed margins.

3. Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) is a small Asian maple with a compound leaf. It has deep cinnamon-colored bark that exfoliates like a birch. It can have good fall color, usually reddish-purple. The tree is relatively free of pests and diseases.

4. Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) was thought to be extinct, known only through fossils, when three trees were found in a small village in China in the 1940s. Most of the individuals in cultivation are descended from those three trees. It is a large, rapid-growing deciduous conifer with dark orange fall color.

5. Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens) tolerates wet sites. It is native to the southern United States, and is a deciduous conifer with dark orange fall color. It reaches 60’ to 70’ in height but remains narrower than most broadleafed trees.

6. White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a five-needled pine native to northeast Ohio and other northeastern parts of the U.S. It grows rapidly but not densely, and has a rather open crown as it gets older. It does not do well in wet areas.

7. Serviceberry (Amelianchier sp.) is a small tree with white flowers in early spring. Several different cultivars are planted in this area. It has smooth, light gray bark and excellent fall color. The berries resemble blueberries when ripe and are eaten by birds.

8. Hardy Rubber Tree (Eucommia ulmoides) is a medium sized tree with shiny green leaves that contain latex. It grows rapidly and is drought resistant and pest free. The fall color is unremarkable.

9. Norway Maple (Acer platinoides) is native to Europe and grows to 40’ to 50’ in height. It has a broad crown with dark green broad leaves and milky sap. This individual was planted by Jones Middle School 6th graders in 1991.

10. Lacebark Pine (Pinus bungeana) is the most expensive tree in the park! It is a medium-sized pine with bright green needles in bundles of three. On rare older trees, the bark becomes multicolored with a striking appearance.

11. Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora) has short contorted needles in bundles of five. The needles are silvery on the underside. It is slow-growing and has an open habit.

12. American Linden (Tilia americana ‘Redmond’), also known as Basswood, reaches 60’ in height and has smooth heart-shaped leaves with toothed margins. The fragrant flowers produce small round fruits with bracts which help them “fly”.

13. Japanese Zelkova (Zelkovia serrata ‘Green Vase’) is a member of the elm family which reaches 50’ in height and width. It has the vase shape that elms were known for, which is why this species was introduced to the U.S. It is resistant to Dutch elm disease and has purplish fall color and ornamental bark.

14. Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra) is a two-needled pine with long, stiff needles and heavily furrowed bark. It will grow in very poor soils but is susceptible to blight after 15 to 20 years in the landscape.

15. London Planetree (Platinoides x acerfolia) is a large, fast-growing tree with mottled cream-colored bark. It tolerates a variety of sites, and is a hybrid between American sycamore and the Oriental planetree. It got its name in industrial-age London because it could tolerate air pollution. It is quite anthracnose-resistant compared to American sycamore.

16. Norway Spruce (Picea abies) is a European spruce that becomes quite large, up to 70’ to 90’ in height. Its needles are attached individually to the twig and the branches tend to hang downward producing a drooping appearance. It is not drought tolerant.

17. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is native to the northeastern U.S. and is the source of “real” maple syrup. It has a moderate growth rate, and can become a large tree. Its fall color is brilliant yellow, orange and red. It tolerates shade better than most trees. Yellow flowers give it a distinctive look in spring.

18. Bigtooth Maple (Acer grandidentatum ‘Rocky Mountain Glow’) is a small tree native to the western U.S., reaching about 25’ with a round crown. It resembles a dwarf sugar maple. Fall color can be excellent.

19. Sergeant Cherry (Prunus sergeantii) is one of the more durable ornamental cherries. It has typical cherry bark with horizontal striping. Although this tree blooms heavily (pink) in the spring, it seldom produces fruit, a characteristic that can be an advantage in the landscape.

20. Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crusgalli var. inermis) has very glossy dark green leaves, with orange fruit in late summer. The fruit is susceptible to rust fungus. This small tree has a horizontal branching habit.

21. Amur Corktree (Phellodendron amurensis) has a compound leaf similar to ashes, and corky bark. It reaches 40’-50’ and can be quite broad. The female plants bear dark purple berries that can be messy; male cultivars are available.

22. White Oak (Quercus alba) is a slow-growing giant that can reach 300 years. The acorns are popular with wildlife and it has a deep red fall color.

23. ‘Pacific Sunset’ Maple (Acer platanoides x truncatum ‘Pacific Sunset’) is a cross between Norway maple and Shantung maple. It has better fall color than the Norway maple and should stay smaller at maturity.

24. American Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) has shaggy bark and will tolerate some shade. It has a papery, ornamental fruit. It is medium-sized at maturity and has attractive catkins when it flowers in early spring. Fall color is variable but tends to be yellow-gold.

25. Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) is in the red oak group and is slow-growing and drought tolerant. Its leaf sinuses tend to be almost circular. It is an Ohio native and its best growth occurs on acidic soils.

26. Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica ‘Patmore’) has a compound leaf. Green ash is more adaptable than white ash but reaches a similar size (60’). Seedless cultivars are available. Its semi-circle shaped leaf scar and gold fall color distinguish it from white ash.

27. Goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata) is native to Southeast Asia. It has a compound leaf with scalloped-edged leaflets. Flowers are small and borne in large yellow panicles in late June. The seedpods look like small Chinese lanterns but are papery and not persistent in the landscape. The seedpods can become pink. It has a broad irregular growth habit and can reach 40.’

28. Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa ‘Sterling’) is a native of southeastern Europe and western Asia. Few plants grow well under its dense foliage. It has broad, asymmetrical heart-shaped leaves with silvery undersides; the leaves turn golden in fall. Spring flowers are fragrant and attract honeybees. Its shape is pyramidal when young and a broad oval in maturity. It can exceed 60’ in height and is resistant to the Japanese beetle.

29. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) has the three-lobed leaf typical of maples. It has small red flowers in early spring and bright red fall color. Numerous cultivars are available. Some are sensitive to alkaline soils.

30. Japanese Pagodatree (Sophora japonica) or Scholar tree has a compound leaf with small oval leaflets. Young twigs tend to be green and the tree bears white flowers in August. It has been introduced into Japan where it often is planted around Buddhist temples for its showy flowers, hence the common name.

31. Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is a relatively fast-growing oak native to the eastern U.S. It grows to 80’ tall. It usually has red fall color. The bark tends to be darker gray than that of the white oaks.

32. Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) or Bicolor Oak, is native to Ohio and grows quite large. It often retains its leaves into winter and smaller limbs have attractive exfoliating bark. Leaves are not as deeply lobed as white oaks. It is one of the best oaks for wet sites. This tree was planted in memory of a neighbor in 1995.

33. River Birch (Betula nigra) is native to Ohio and the only ornamental birch recommended for Ohio, as it is not susceptible to bronze birch borer. It reaches 50’ in height. The bark exfoliates as in other birches but is peach in color. It is sold as a single or multi-stemmed plant.

34. Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) grows quickly to 30-40 feet. The tree bears white flowers in the spring; the summer leaves are dark glossy green and turn dark red in the fall. It is tolerant of all but wet or very poor soils. Many cultivars are available; the popular ‘Bradford’ is not recommended due to its lack of structural integrity and weak branch attachments.

35. Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has silvery green needles that are attached individually to the branches. It has a shape similar to spruce but the cones have ornamental bracts that make them distinctive. Despite its name, it is not a true fir; its cones point downward from the twig rather than upward as in true firs. This tree is native to the western U.S. where it can become quite large.

36. Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) can become massive with age. It is a native oak with thick bark that is fire resistant. Its range extends to the edge of the prairies. Its large acorns are popular with wildlife. The leaves have a distinct deeply cut sinus in the middle of the blade.

37. Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’) is a compact tree in the lilac family. It blooms in late May or early June with panicles of cream-colored flowers in a typical lilac shape. It does not tolerate shade. It is often used as a small tree for planting under power lines.

38. Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) is a large deciduous conifer related closely to pond cypress but not to dawn redwood. It is native from the Gulf Coast up to southern Illinois and will tolerate very wet conditions but doesn’t require them. It has dark orange fall color.

39. Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is the state tree of Ohio. It is most frequently found growing in forests along creek banks. It leafs out in early spring with palmately compound leaves. White flowers produce distinct buckeye nuts that are covered by a spiny husk until they are ripe. It grows 30’-40’ tall and usually defoliates by September.

40. Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria) is native to Ohio but the leaf is distinctive in that it is unlobed. Early pioneers used its narrow split wood to make shingles for their cabins. It reaches 70’ in height and on some trees leaves will be retained well into winter, making a pleasant rustling sound in the wind.

41. Red Horsechestnut (Aesculus X carnea) is a hybrid of Red Buckeye and European Horsechestnut. It has a palmately compound leaf and a fruit like the Ohio Buckeye, but this tree has pink flowers. It grows to 35' in height.

42. Honeylocust (Gleditsia tricanthos var. inermis) is a fast-growing wetland native. Its compound leaves have very small leaflets that turn yellow in the fall. Its seedpods can be up to 10” long. Numerous seedless cultivars are available. Cultivars are all thornless while native trees have large thorns up and down the trunks.

43. Lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is an Asian elm with ornamental bark and small serrated leaves. Its fall color ranges from purplish to yellow. It reaches 40’ to 50’ tall and is highly resistant to Dutch elm disease.

44. European (Black) Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is a European tree that is a nitrogen fixing legume. The catkins and conelike fruit provide great texture in spring and fall. It tends to be tolerant of poor soils, including those that are wet and infertile.

45. European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is a slow-growing tree that can become quite large. It has a serrated leaf similar to that of hophornbeam and American hornbeam. It is usually seen in this country as the upright cultivar that is visible at the northeast corner of the shuffleboard courts.

46. English Oak (Quercus robur) is a European member of the oak family. The leaves have small rounded lobes, and it produces large acorns. The tree will become large like most oaks. It is also available as an upright cultivar.

47. Colorado Spruce (Picea pungens) is a large western native which comes in various shades of green and blue-green. It makes a good screening plant, but does not tolerate shade.

48. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is a slow-growing native of China that has a unique fan-shaped leaf. It tends to be fairly open in form. It also is available as an upright cultivar. Most cultivars are male; female trees bear foul-smelling fruit. The fall color is a crisp yellow, and leaves drop almost in unison.

49. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a large-growing native that has an unusual star-shaped leaf and excellent red/purple/yellow fall color. It has an oval form with great branch structure. The spiny, persistent fruits, however, are a drawback. A new seedless cultivar called ‘Rotundiloba’ is on the market.

50. Corneliancherry Dogwood (Cornus mas) is a small tree that has yellow flowers in early spring. It can be pruned to be either a large shrub or a small tree. It is quite tolerant of wet soils. The red fruits produced in late summer are edible (if you’re really hungry).

51. White Fir (Abies concolor) has soft needles which are individually attached to the twigs. The needles are usually silvery-green in color. It is a bit slower-growing than the Colorado spruce but makes a magnificent specimen. The cones of this and other firs point up rather than down as in the spruces.

52. Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentuckia) is a medium-sized native tree with smooth light gray bark similar to beech. Its compound leaf is reminiscent of ash. The tree bears long panicles of white flowers in late May to early June. Its heartwood is vivid yellow.

53. Amur Maple (Acer ginnala) is a small Asian maple that grows as wide as it is tall. Its narrow leaves have brilliant red and orange fall color. The seeds can also be colorful. It was introduced as an ornamental to the U.S. in about 1860.

54. Turkish Hazelnut or Filbert (Corylus colurna) has a pyramidal growth habit and reaches 50’ to 60’ in height. The nuts are very popular with wildlife. Its corky bark is a distinguishing characteristic. Traditionally, filbert wood was used for “divining rods” and “witching rods” which supposedly helped locate buried treasure, water, and valuable minerals and ores.

55. Amur Maackia (Maackia amurensis) is a small tree with a compound leaf that flowers in late spring. It resembles yellowwood but is smaller. It is an uncommon member of the legume family.

56. European Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Riversii’) is a slow-growing native of Europe. It can reach 90’ to 100’ tall. European Beech is available in many cultivars including weeping, cutleaf, and forms that have varying shades of copper to red leaves, such as ‘Riversii’. The bark stays smooth and light gray throughout the life of the tree.

57. Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is a slow growing tree, rarely exceeding 50’ in height. It has thick dark green leaves and the bark is dark gray and blocky in texture which becomes more pronounced with maturity. The fruit is very astringent until ripe. Originally, golf “woods” were made from this tree.

58. In the Crabapple Grove (Malus sp.) , each flowering crab is a different cultivar. The City tests the various cultivars to see which would make satisfactory street trees for the community. Flowers, fruit, form, and disease resistance are highly variable within the species.

59. Crimean Linden (Tilia x euchlora) is a hybrid linden with smaller leaves and fragrant flowers. The fruit and fall color are similar to other lindens. Its glossy green foliage turns yellow in the fall. The golden yellow twigs add winter interest when the leaves drop.

60. Persian Parrotia (Parrotia persica) is an unusual small tree with smooth bark, glossy foliage, and dark red flowers in early spring. It is a member of thewitchhazel family. It has very good fall color, ranging from vivid yellow and burnt orange to deep, pure scarlet.

Updated 4/08

Parks & Forestry Division
Parks & Recreation Department
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
Phone: 614-583-5340