Monday, June 5, 2017

Abies concolor

Abies concolor
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Abies concolor
Common Name: White Fir, Silver Fir, Colorado Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Conical and branched to base, upper branches tend to point upward whereas lower branches are horizontal or directed down.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-50'
Leaves: Needles curve outwards and upwards on branches, flattened, light green to green to bluish, glaucous on both sides and more or less giving a bluish cast. In heavy shade, needles may show a "flatter" distribution.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Cones erect, stalked, 8-13 cm long, pale green with a purplish bloom, finally brown.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun. Best in deep, rich, moist, well-drained soil, poor on heavy clay. Withstands heat, drought, and cold. Does not tolerate pollution. Hardy to USDA Zone 3.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: concolor: uniform color, refers to both needle surfaces.
Google images of Abies concolor

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Betula jacquemontii

Betula jacquemontii
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Betula jacquemontii
Common Name: Whitebarked Himalayan Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Pyramidal, upward branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-50'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 5-7.5 cm long, rounded or slightly cuneate (wedge-shaped with straight sides) at base, margin double serrated, dark green above, glandular below, pubescent on veins, 7-9 vein pairs.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: White "paper" bark on trunk and often on young branches.
Culture: Light to part shade, especially afternoon shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: bronze birch borer
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: jacquemontii: after Victor Jacquemont, French naturalist.
Google images of Betula jacquemontii

Betula papyrifera

Betula papyrifera
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Betula papyrifera
Common Name: Paperbark Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Loosely pyramidal to rounded.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-50'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, 5-12 cm long, rounded or sometimes wedge shaped, glabrous above and pubescent on veins below, coarsely and usually doubly serrate, dull green in summer, yellow in fall.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: After several years, lateral branches show chalky-white paper-like bark, peels easily.
Culture: Sun. Hardy to USDA Zone 2.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Betula papyrifera

Betula glandulosa

Betula glandulosa
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Betula glandulosa
Common Name: Dwarf Birch; Scrub Birch; Bog Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous shrub
Habit: Shrubby, often spreading
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 10'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, rounded to broadly elliptic, rather leathery, margin crenate-serrate or serrate, glabrous beneath, short petiole.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Fruit catkins 1.5-2 cm long, erect, wings of the nutlets narrower than the body.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Twigs with large resinous glands. Bark dark brown.
Culture: Hardy to USDA Zone 3.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: glandulosa: bearing gland
Google images of Betula glandulosa

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Calocedrus decurrens

Calocedrus decurrens
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Calocedrus decurrens
Common Name: Incense Cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Stiff or narrowly columnar in youth, regular in outline, branchlets flattened, terminating in dense, fan-like sprays, wedge-shaped joints.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 70-110'
Leaves: Leaves in 4's closely pressed, a "fluted wine-glass" pattern formed by each outside (lateral) pair of leaves, lustrous dark green throughout the year (little or no winter browning), emitting an aromatic odor when crushed.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male cones small (3 mm), yellow, female cones cylindrical, 2-2.5 cm long, composed of 6 paired, flattened, and pointed scales ("duck-beaks"), ripening in early autumn.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Bark light or reddish brown.
Culture: Sun or partial shade. Prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soils, but shows adaptability to different soil types. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: calocedrus: from the Greek, kalos, beautiful, and kedros, cedar. decurrens: extending down
Google images of Calocedrus decurrens

Cedrus deodara

Cedrus deodara
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Cedrus deodara
Common Name: Deodar Cedar
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Broadly pyramidal with gracefully pendulous branches, drooping central leader, spreading and flat-topped with age. Long branches bearing scattered leaves, and spur-like stems with whorled needles.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-70'
Leaves: Needles 15-20 per whorl, or singly on long shoots, light blue or grayish green, or even silvery, softer than C. atlantica).
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male (pollen) cones are upright, 5-7.5 cm long, usually numerous on lower branches, releasing clouds of yellow pollen in fall, then falling and covering the ground. Female (seed) cones are upright, solitary, or in pairs, ovoid, 7.5-10 cm long, require 2 years to mature.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun. Prefers well-drained and somewhat dry soil. Protect from sweeping winds. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (less hardy than C. atlantica).
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: deodara: from the Indian (East) name for the tree.
Google images of Cedrus deodara

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'
Common Name: Blue Atlas Cedar
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Stiff, erect leader, pyramidal in youth, with age assumes a flat-topped habit with ascending or horizontal branches. Branch tips tend not to droop.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-60'
Leaves: Bluish-green needles clustered on spurs, or alternate on leading twigs, somewhat stiff.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male (pollen) cones are about 5 cm long, erect. They release clouds of yellow pollen in the fall. Female (seed) cones are barrel-shaped, upright, 5-7.5 cm long, and require 2 years to mature.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or partial shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (not hardy for much of the US).
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'