Step by Step: Highlights of the Tree Trail Tour

Tulip tree

1. Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba

A unique deciduous conifer of ancient lineage, according to fossil records. Nearly disease-free, it is adaptable to most soils, air-pollution tolerant, and has bright-yellow fall color.

2. Loblolly Pine Pinus taeda

One of the fastest growing of the Southern pines and their leading commercial timber, the Loblolly also figures prominently in the production of paper. Even though most useful for lumber and paper products, Loblolly Pine is popular for the visual screen it quickly produces.

3. Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia

This tree has small, dark-green, leathery leaves, and bark that peels away in tiny patches to form a mosaic of gray, green, orange and brown. A relative of American Elm, it is resistant to Dutch Elm disease and makes a good shade or specimen tree.

4. American Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis

A broad, pyramidal conifer reaching 50 feet in height. Its scale-like evergreen leaves are arranged on branchlets as flat, fan-shaped sprays, which give this tree its unique appearance. It is thought the name arborvitae, meaning 'tree of life,' was acquired in the 16th century when Native Americans gave explorers on the St. Lawrence River a concoction made from its leaves that cured their scurvy.