Trees and Shrubs tour 5/21

Location: UW campus
Weather: sunny
Time: 2:00 PM

Today I was led on a tour of trees and shrubs around campus. The coolest thing that I learned was that the leaves of the Ginkgo tree help memory and concentration. The ginkgo tree is native to China, and has very distinct leaves that look like little fans. I also learned that the leaves of the madrone can be used for cramps and stomach aches. Among the other trees we saw was a horsechestnut growing near the compost on UW farm, and a Giant Sequoia near Anderson Hall. The horsechestnut was introduced, but sequoias are native. The sequoia has very strange sponge-like reddish-brown, stringy, very thick bark that is good at preventing fire. Sequoias are the largest tree on Earth, and are among the oldest. I found it interesting that a lot of the trees around campus were planted in the 30's and did not grow there naturally, even though they are native to the area.

Species List:
Ginkgo tree(Ginkgo biloba)
Madrone (Arbutus)
horsechestnut (Aesculus)
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron)

Posted on May 28, 2012 07:35 PM by lmcthe01