Garden City Park Arboretum - Details

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Americas and Asian/Oceanic Collection Tree Descriptions
Botanical Name Common Name Origin	Region	Description
Acer circinatum Vine Maple B.C. to northern California	Americas	The Vine Maple's natural range is the southern part of the Coastal B.C. mainland and to two small areas on Vancouver Island. Under good conditions it may grow into a tree of up to 30 feet. This tree provides an eye-catching, fire-engine red leaf colour in the fall, and can be a handsome addition to any landscape situation.
Acer glabrum Douglas Maple Southern B.C. to California	Americas	The Douglas Maple is typically a shrub to a small tree that reaches 10 metres tall. It is found on dry ridges and rocky areas from southern British Columbia (the Gulf Islands, southern Vancouver Island and especially east of the Coast/Cascade Mountains.) to California. Douglas Maples found in B.C. are believed to be a naturally occurring variety douglasii. Not a common tree in this area, it may find some landscape application in native plantings, and for its bright yellowish-orange to crimson fall foliage colour.
Acer macrophyllum Big-Leaf Maple Southeast Alaska to California	Americas	The leaf of the Big-Leaf Maple is unmistakable because of its size, sometimes 30 cm or more across; this leaf is the largest of any native tree in Canada as well as of any maple tree in the world. This tree may reach heights of 30 metres under the best conditions and is called the 'paddle tree' in many First Nations languages because the wood was used to make paddles. Apparently the sap can be used to make a passable maple syrup.
Araucaria aracana Monkey Puzzle Chile, Argentina	Americas	In local landscapes, the evergreen Monkey Puzzle tree is sometimes considered a novelty. It was popular in the 1920s and 1930s and so there are a number of large specimens within greater Vancouver. In its native Chile however, the Monkey Puzzle is an important coniferous timber tree. The trees are either male or female with male cones about 15 cm long and female trees bearing much larger, round cones that may reach up to 7 to 12 cm in diameter.
Arbutus menziesii Arbutus or Madrone B.C. to California to Baja California	Americas	The Arbutus is notable by being the only native broad-leafed evergreen in Canada. It is well known to those living in southwestern British Columbia, especially in areas of dry, sunny, rocky bluffs overlooking the ocean. Arbutus (or Madrone as it is commonly known from Washington to California) can reach up to 30 metres tall. Large specimens aren't often found in garden landscapes because of the great difficulty in transplanting it.
Betula papyrifera Paper Birch British Columbia and Washington	Americas	The Paper Birch is the most widely distributed of all North American birches, with a range that extends across the continent. It's a medium-sized tree, up to 25 metres in height by 70 cm in diameter. The Paper Birch has characteristics that make it a handsome ornamental tree. These attributes include bark that peels in white to copper-brown, papery strips, golden-yellow leaf colour in fall, and an attractive winter silhouette.
Calocedrus decurrens Incense Cedar Coastal Oregon to Baja, California	Americas	The evergreen Incense Cedar is native to Oregon and western Nevada to lower California. It is widely planted in many temperate regions, being fully hardy, although it has only been occasionally planted in our area. The type often found in cultivation is possibly 'Columnaris', a form likened to a 'telephone pole' due to its narrow columnar canopy. The wood of Incense Cedar is light, resistant to decay and fragrant. It has been used for pencils and general carpentry, boxes, and fence posts.
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Yellow Cedar Alaska to Oregon	Americas	The Yellow Cedar is a common tree native to this region. It is usually seen at middle to high elevations though since it does not grow naturally down to sea level. Mature trees (usually 20-40 metres) have a broadly buttressed and often fluted base, with a tapered trunk and conical crown of spreading and drooping branches bearing loosely hanging branchlets. The tip of the crown is often slender and bent over. The wood of Yellow Cedar is of excellent quality, and were used to make implements by virtually all the northwest coast peoples.
Cornus nuttallii Pacific Dogwood B.C. to Southern California	Americas	The Pacific Dogwood is well known as our official Provincial flower, although it is native to just southwestern British Columbia and Vancouver Island, and down to California and Idaho. It is a most attractive ornamental tree when if flower, although it is susceptible to a fungal disease that causes leaves to turn brown and drop during the summer. It grows best in sheltered, semi-woodland or shaded sites.
Malus fusca Western Crab Apple Alaska to central California	Americas	Is it a pear or an apple?; botanists seem unsure to which group this tree actually belongs, as it is somewhat intermediate between the two. Locally, this tree has some importance, since crabapples were a prominent part of the original vegetation of Richmond. In fact, "Crabapple Ridge" stretched the entire distance from Terra Nova to Garry Point, along western Lulu Island. The small clustered fruit is edible but tart, and is still an important food for coastal peoples.
Nothofagus antarctica Antarctic Beech Chile, Argentina	Americas	This tree is a member of an important genus of shrubs and trees with a discontinuous distribution between the Old World and the New. Antarctic Beech is native to Chile and Argentina where it may reach heights to 35 metres tall. It is uncommon here, but has been used for timber production in Britain.
Picea sitchensis Sitka Spruce Alaska to California	Americas	This native tree grows along the western coastal region of North America from Alaska to California. It is the largest of the spruces, commonly reaching heights of 40 to 50 metres, and occasionally even to 85 metres. The leaves of Sitka Spruce are distinctive, pointed, slender needles that are yellowish-green or grey-green in colour., and very sharp to the touch. The commercial importance of this tree is well known to British Columbians,being used for general construction, ship-building, plywood, and for pulp.
Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas Fir Western N. America	Americas	The tall, imposing Douglas Fir tree is one of the best known timber producing trees in the world. It can also be a great tree for the landscape, given the appropriate amount of space and room. This native tree reaches heights up to 90 metres, and is quite adaptable to a variety of conditions. Coastal groups utilized the Douglas Fir in many ways, for tools, and cooking and fishing implements , as well as for medicinal salves
Quercus garryana Garry Oak B.C. to California	Americas	The Garry Oak is our only native British Columbian oak. It is common on the Gulf Islands and the drier parts of southern Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, It is not in widespread use as an ornamental due to the difficulty of getting established, but old specimen's with its numerous twisted and gnarled branches are very picturesque.
Rhamnus purshianna Cascara Washington to California	Americas	Of the two Canadian species of Rhamnus, only Cascara becomes a tree. In the wild it may reach 12 metres height with a diameter of 75 cm. Wood of the Cascara is of little commercial value, but its bark is the source of a medicinal laxative. Cascara leaves are dark glossy green, egg-shaped, with about ten pairs of prominently furrowed, parallel veins.
Sequoiadendron giganteum Giant Redwood Western slopes of Sierra Nevada of California	Americas	The Giant Redwood is a native of the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, California, and is perhaps the massive tree of all. It reaches nearly 100 metres in height, and some individuals are thought to be over 3,500 years old! Sequoiadendron is commonly grown in this region, and even after only 70 to 80 years, there are some fairly large local specimen's. If you choose to grow a Giant Redwood, give it plenty of room.
Thuja plicata Western Red Cedar Alaska to California	Americas	The Western Red Cedar is well known as an important tree of commerce, but it is has also been used in landscape situations as specimen plantings or as hedging. Forest trees may reach heights of 45 to 60 metres. The wood of Red Cedar has long provided northwest coast Indian people with material to make a variety of items such as dugout canoes, house planks and posts, totem and mortuary poles, tools, and household and fishing implements.
Tsuga heterophylla Western Hemlock Alaska to California	Americas	Western Hemlock is one of the most important timber-producing species in western Canada. The wood is used for building construction and pulpwood. The tree also makes a fine ornamental tree with its horizontal and slightly drooping branches, and nodding leader. In the wild from Alaska south to California and Idaho, it may reach heights of 35 to 50 metres and diameters of 1.2 metres, with exceptional trees being even larger.
Acer capillipes Red Snake-Bark Maple Japan	Asia	One of several maples in a group known as the snake-bark maples, all of which have attractive, light green bark with narrow vertical stripes of white. This feature is apparent especially on the twigs, young limbs, and trunks of young trees. The Red Snake-Bark Maple, a native of Japan, is noted for its crimson foliage in autumn. It may grow to 10-12 metres tall.
Acer davidii Pere David's Maple China	Asia	Some consider the Pere David's Maple to be the most beautiful of the snake -bark maple trees. It is a small tree, perhaps growing to 10-15 metres tall. Its dark green leaves are usually unlobed, a characteristic that will help distinguish it from most of the other snake-bark maples which have lobed leaves.
Acer ginnala Amur Maple Manchuria, Japan	Asia	The Amur Maple is a very hardy and adaptable tree; it serves in many landscape situations. A native of Manchuria and Japan, it has glossy, rather un-maple-like leaves, either with three large lobes, or simply oblong. Its fall colouration of yellow, orange, and red is best seen in full sun situations.
Acer griseum Paperbark Maple China	Asia	The most notable feature of this tree --as its common name suggests--is its bright cinnamon to reddish brown bark that peels away in thin papery flakes. It can be a spectacular sight in a winter landscape. The Paperbark Maple is a small tree to 9 metres. Its compound leaves are tri-foliate, have coarse teeth, and are bluish green above and soft grey-green beneath.
Acer palmatum Japanese Maple Japan	Asia	The Japanese Maple has long been acknowledged as one of the most popular trees used within garden landscapes. It has even used on occasion as a street tree. In the wild, typical forms are usually multi-trunked, growing to about 8-10 metres tall, with small, five- to nine-lobed, green leaves that have fine teeth along their edges. Today, there are dozens of cultivars of Japanese Maple, differing in leaf form, leaf colour, and size.
Betula albo-sinensis Chinese White Birch China	Asia	The Chinese White Birch Is a valuable ornamental tree, noted for its attractive coppery pink bark that peels away in large sheets. Native to western China, this birch can reach 35 metres in height. It isn't yet common in this part of the world.
Cunninghamia lanceolata Chinese Fir China	Asia	The Chinese Fir is not often found in cultivated landscapes or gardens, but in its native China it is an important timber tree. Its soft appearance belies the fact that the flat, sickle-shaped needles are actually very prickly to the touch. Chinese Firs are not particularly hardy except in the milder parts of temperate regions. It may grow to 30 metres tall in the wild.
Davidia involucrata Dove Tree China	Asia	The Dove Tree is known for its spectacular flowering show of "doves" or "handkerchiefs" that clothe its branches in early summer. These are actually two large, creamy white bracts that surround the true flower. This tree is native to central and western China where it reaches 20 metres in height. It deserves to be more frequently used here in landscape design, but trees under 20 years of age flower sparsely.
Eucommia ulmoides Eucommia China	Asia	Eucommia, sometimes called the Hardy Rubber Tree, comes from China where it grows to 20 metres tall. It is unusual in that it is the only hardy temperate tree known to produce rubber latex. The bark has also been known to be used in Chinese medicinal practice.
Ginkgo biloba Maidenhair Tree China	Asia	The Ginkgo or Maidenhair Tree is certainly one of the most distinctive and recognizable trees that grows anywhere around. It is one of the oldest trees, existing on earth for 150 million years and was native in North America at one time. Now it is not known to exist in the wild, but has been cultivated in China for centuries. Male and female trees are separate but female trees are normally avoided since the outer flesh of the seed is foul smelling when it decomposes.
Hamamelis mollis Chinese Witch Hazel Western China	Asia	The Chinese Witch Hazel is a handsome shrub or small tree to 10 metres in height. It is one of our earliest trees to flower, with a profuse number of fragrant, yellow flowers appearing on bare branches from January to March. It is densely branched and has an open, vase-shaped habit. The dull dark green leaves are woolly and soft to the touch on their undersides.
Juglans regia Persian Walnut China, southeast Europe	Asia	The Persian Walnut is native not only to China, but also to lands reaching to southeast Europe (hence it's also known as the English Walnut). This is the tree that provides the thin-shelled nuts that we commonly eat. It has large, spreading branches that form an open crown, and may grow to 30 metres tall.
Koelreuteria paniculata Golden-Rain Tree China, Japan and Korea	Asia	The Golden-Rain Tree isn't a common sight in this region, primarily due to the fact that we are near the northern limit for its successful cultivation. Its common name refers to the rich yellow flowers that appear in large clusters in summer. It is a wide-spreading, medium-sized tree reaching 14 metres and is a native of China, Japan, and Korea.
Liriodendron chinensis Chinese Tulip Tree China	Asia	This relative of the North American Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is found in limited regions of central China. It is rarely seen in cultivation, but it can be distinguished from the North American species by its larger leaves with much deeper lobes. The Chinese Tulip Tree is much smaller that the North American species, reaching to about 15 metres tall in nature, and also has smaller and less showy flowers.
Magnolia heptapeta Yulan Magnolia China	Asia	The Yulan Magnolia is native to central China, where it grows to 18 metres, with wide spreading branches and a trunk up to 2.5 metres in circumference. Its flowers are large, pure white, bell-shaped with 9 fleshy tepals, and appear on bare branches in early spring, usually in late March in this region. Apparently this was one of the earliest cultivated garden magnolias from the Tang dynasty in China.
Magnolia kobus Kobus Magnolia Japan	Asia	The Kobus Magnolia is a large somewhat round-headed tree that grows up to 20-35 metres in its native Japan. It hasn't been used frequently in cultivated landscapes, perhaps due to the time it takes to flower from seed. Some take as long as 30 years to flower well, but the white flowers are nevertheless quite attractive. During hot summers, this tree may produce an abundance of fruit that resemble small, twisted cucumbers. These turn bright red in fall, and later split to reveal orange seeds.
Magnolia stellata Star Magnolia Japan	Asia	Normally this species grows as a much branched shrub to 5 metres tall and wide, but it can attain larger tree size on occasion. It is a tree that is adaptable to many landscape situations, especially in small gardens. Young specimen's flower freely, with masses of white flowers each having up to 12-18 tepals.
Metasequoia glyptostroboides Dawn Redwood China	Asia	The Dawn Redwood tree was long thought to be extinct until it was discovered growing in China in 1941. It was introduced into cultivation in 1948 from seed received at the Arnold Arboretum and is now widely grown in temperate regions. Metasequoia is unusual in that it is a conifer tree that is deciduous. Trees grow quickly, sometimes 1 metre per year for the first 10 years, then slowing down. Many trees planted in the late 1940's are now over 30 metres tall.
Paulownia tomentosa Foxglove Tree China	Asia	The Foxglove Tree is well known for its showy groups of fragrant, pale violet or rich purple foxglove-like flowers that appear in May, before the leaves emerge. Native to China, it has now naturalized in many areas of the southeastern United States. The leaves of the Foxglove tree are large, normally 12-30 cm, but up to 1 metre on suckering shoots. Its more widespread local use may be tempered by its habit of producing flower buds during the late summer and fall, which are then susceptible to winter frosts.
Pinus thunbergii Japanese Black Pine Japan	Asia	This pine is commonly grown in some parts of the world, but apparently not here. The Japanese Black Pine is notable for being one of the most salt-tolerant needle evergreens, and therefore is valuable for seashore landscapes and stablilizing sand dunes. It is also good as a bonsai plant.
Quercus acutissima Oriental Chestnut Oak Korea, Japan, and China	Asia	This native of Korea, Japan, and China grows to 20 metres tall. The dark green leaves have prominent bristle teeth along their edges (hence another common name, the Sawtooth Oak) which may persist well into winter. The Oriental Chestnut Oak doesn't occur very often here, but like many oaks it size and stature would be of great landscape value.
Sciadopitys verticillata Umbrella Pine Central Japan	Asia	This unique tree is not generally known outside of parks and botanical gardens. Its dark green needles spread in whorls from the tips of the branches, like an umbrella, hence the tree's common name. Native to central Japan, it may attain heights up to 30 metres, but is usually more modest in size in cultivation.
Stewartia psuedocamellia Japanese Stewartia Japan	Asia	The Japanese Stewartia deserves wider recognition in our area for its value as a landscape tree. It is notable for its large flowers (resembling a Camellia), fall foliage colours of orange and red, and for its mottled bark that peels off on older specimen's. A native of Japan, where it may reach heights of 15 metres.
Zelkova serrata Japanese Zelkova Japan	Asia	The Japanese Zelkova tree may reach 30 metres or more in the wild, and closely resembles the elms, to which it is related. In Japan, the Zelkova is an important timber resource, and often used as a bonsai subject. It has also come into use as a street and landscape tree, since it shows more resistance to Dutch elm disease.

Garden City Park Arboretum - Details

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