Rare tree specimens

[robint]

Happy new year to all

Whats the rarest, unusual non-indigenous specimen tree you have seen (and where if possible) growing in the UK. Of course we are all aware that, for several hundred years, England became a repository for tree and plant specimens from all over the world many of which have managed to adapt in the open, to our peculiar climate.

my examples

Holm Oak - fine old specimen growing outside the Cedar Hotel, Westbury Wilts.

Quercus ilex (Holm Oak): Information, Pictures & Cultivation Tips

Medlar Tree - seen in Gunnerbury Park Chiswick London W4. My aunt collected the fallen fruit and made medlar jelly

Mespilus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dragon tree - magnificent speciment in the square outside the Brit Embassy, Gibralter (doesnt count I suppose but it is a Brit colony still) buts its amazing to see this red sealing wax oozing out of bark fissures on the trunk

Dracaena draco - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa) - Large old specimen flourishing opposite Rochester Castle (Vine st)

Southern Catalpa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[davidbr]

I only tend to pay attention to naturalised, escaped casual or relic species, not street and park trees and arboretums - there's a big one in Gloucestershire, Westonbirt, which I believe has a lot of specimen trees from all over the world, including some extremely rare ones. I'd never heard of your third example (maybe it's not hardy in the UK?) but Medlar's established in the south and Holm Oak & Indian Bean Tree are frequent plantings.

The rarest tree I've found truly naturalised would probably be Sorbus decipiens, Sharp-toothed Whitebeam, a European species with three medium-sized trees growing in a quarry on the Avon Gorge - as far as I know that's the only current British site. We also have Sorbus croceocarpa, Sorbus latifolia and Sorbus hybrida established in and around Bristol, all European park trees. The most unusual species of all, I suppose, would be the Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) at Wheatfen in Norfolk, but that's an abandoned garden relic.

[robint]

I have seen one of these Loquat trees, though it was beside our swimming pool in Johannesburg, many years ago. The fruits were quite tasty and I even managed to grow a seedling from the fruit pip as I remember

I am surprised a tree like this would survive a frost in UK

[robint]

I found this piccie for Sorbus Decipiens

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by robint

I found this piccie for Sorbus Decipiens

These are my photos from the Avon Gorge site, they're not wonderful quality because they date from before I got myself a proper digital camera (they were taken with a mobile phone) and I didn't get around to re-visiting the site last summer. These are only saplings, really (the tallest of three was about twenty feet, and in July had no sign of fruit)

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by robint

I have seen one of these Loquat trees, though it was beside our swimming pool in Johannesburg, many years ago. The fruits were quite tasty and I even managed to grow a seedling from the fruit pip as I remember

I am surprised a tree like this would survive a frost in UK

According to the warden it's been there for at least forty years and was introduced to the site by Ted Ellis, the original warden. Wheatfen's a reserve in the Norfolk Broads that's well known for its Swallowtails and is also home to most of the plant specialities of the area, but Ted Ellis also introduced quite a few alien plants as either butterfly food or simply curiosities.

Yellow Ox-eye (Telekia speciosa), Broad-leaved Ragwort (Senecio fluviatilis), Sand Leek (Allium scorodoprasum), Greater Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella major), Lesser Knotweed (Persicaria campanulata) and Garden Onion (Allium cepa) are the most famous ones, they've been known from the site for years and years, but I also found Fang's Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster fangianus), Dragon Arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) and Five-leaf Akebia (Akebia quinata).

[robint]

Here is the Dragon tree Dracaena draco I saw in the Garrison square of Gibralter, it was huge and at least 300 years old

Year of Tree


Another unusual tree was the Monkey puzzle tree I saw in a front garden of a house on the Chiswick High Rd near the flyover - wonder if its still there?

Araucaria araucana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How does a native tree of Central Chile make its home in London?

There was also a huge Black Mulbery tree in the back garden of a friends home on Wellesly Rd Chiswick, enormous spreading boughs and very thick gnarled trunk. The house was built around 1880 but I should think the tree was much older.

[Hedera]

There is a huge Holm oak tree in Westbury Court Gardens in Gloucestershire which is probably the oldest in the country, maybe dating from before 1695 when the gardens were laid out. It would take several people to join hands round the trunk.

[Highland Damsel]

There is a rare Sorbus found only on Arran Sorbus arranensis (i think) a challenge for someone to find it in the wild there, i know some who have tried...

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by robint

Here is the Dragon tree Dracaena draco I saw in the Garrison square of Gibralter, it was huge and at least 300 years old

Year of Tree


Another unusual tree was the Monkey puzzle tree I saw in a front garden of a house on the Chiswick High Rd near the flyover - wonder if its still there?

Araucaria araucana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How does a native tree of Central Chile make its home in London?

There was also a huge Black Mulbery tree in the back garden of a friends home on Wellesly Rd Chiswick, enormous spreading boughs and very thick gnarled trunk. The house was built around 1880 but I should think the tree was much older.

The Dracaena is certainly a spectacular sight - it obviously isn't hardy under UK conditions, though. Monkey puzzle trees were very popular as curiosities in Victorian times, they are fully hardy and resilient to our climate. You quite often come across odd specimens in the wild (presumably deliberately introduced many years ago) - there's one in amongst scrub on Clifton Downs, Bristol (behind the Zoo), and another at Newborough Warren on Anglesey.

Black Mulberry does apparently self-seed sometimes into the wild, and if you live in Chiswick there's supposed to be a well-known specimen growing on the river wall by Chiswick Bridge. I intend to make a trip to take a look at it later in the year.