Bryn Mawr College Tree Tour
Bryn Mawr College Tree Tour
1
 The Scotch Elm tree is a massive
“shade” tree that can grow from eighty
to one hundred feet. This dark green
tree appears light underneath and
feels rough to the touch. The Scotch
Elm is a native of Western Asia and
Central Europe. This tree has been
known to live to five hundred years
old. The Scotch Elm is typically
planted in urban areas of Northern
America because it flourishes from
moist soil and high humidity.
 * Our Scotch Elm received the
Pennsylvania state champion title in
2007.
2

The Common Black Gum tree is medium
sized and has dark grey bark that becomes
furrowed and scaled as it grows older. The
Black Gum has very tiny greenish-white
flowers that become apparent in the
months of May and June. The Black Gum
is used as an ornamental tree in parks and
gardens and can be found mostly in
eastern North America. This tree acts as a
food source for migrating birds that come
in the fall. The birds are attracted to its
bright color and they feed from the trees’
fruit. This tree is also very important to
wildlife because as the limbs of the Black
Gum deteriorate, the holes make great
homes for animals like squirrels and
raccoons.
3
 The American Holly is a medium sized
evergreen tree that bares light grey
bark. The American Holly is usually an
ornamental plant that is known to be a
popular Christmas decoration. This tree
has dense, dark, green leaves and it
blooms small white flowers. Typically
only the female Holly trees have the
signature red berries. American Holly
resonates in English literature to
symbolize merry and cheer. The first
record of scientific observation of the
Holly Tree dates all the way back to 1744.
4
 A medium to large deciduous
coniferous tree which is very
tolerant to cold temperatures as
low as -58 degrees fairenheit.
5
 Horse Chestnut is a woody plant
which grows up to 50' - 75' feet in
height. It has an oval, rounded shape
and can tolerate in many different
types of soils. Horse Chestnut’s flower
is white and has a yellow and red tint
at their base; it is beautiful tree to
plant in a large open spaces. It grows
well under full sun, partial shade.
This tree is very old, and was there
when Wyndham was built.
 This specimen was planted after
building additions were added to
Wyndham in 1890s making it about
120 years old.
6

The Sweet Gum tree is at tree widely known for
it's beauty and colorful leaves throughout the
seasons. It is characterized by distinctive starshaped leaves with five to seven lobes. They
range from green in the summer, to yellow, red,
purple, and orange in the fall. They are also an
extremely tall tree -- growing to up to 100 feet
when fully mature. The fruit of a Sweet Gum tree
is small, spiny, and circular, and are sometimes
referred to as "gumballs". Interestingly enough,
the sweet gum tree receives it's name due to it's
brownish-yellow sap, that can sometimes be
used as a chewing gum. The Sweet Gum tree is
located on the Erdman Walkway, right in front of
the Helfarian House.
7
 A large coniferous tree very
common to low-nutrient black
water areas of Southeastern
United States. Sixteen Bald
Cypress were planted along
the entrance drive to Erdman
in the mid 1960s.
8
 The Blue Spruce or Colorado
Blue Spruce is a medium-sized
evergreen tree. This species
reaches heights from 65-115 feet
at maturity and are often used
for Christmas trees. Their
needles are silvery blue to a dull,
bluish gray and emit a resinous
odor when crushed. They are
slow-growing trees and may
reach ages of 600-800 years!
9
 The Norway Spruce is an evergreen
conifer that prefers cool, moist
environments. It grows quickly, and
can reach up to 80 feet in height. It
has dark green needles that point
down along the twigs, making it
easier to grasp. As the tree ages, the
dense, little branches hang straight
down for several feet and are called
skirts.
10
 The Sycamore tree is an easily
distinguished tree by its tendency to
mottled bark that flakes off in great
chunks. This is due to the growing
trunk stretching and splitting its bark
that lacks elasticity. Sycamores can
reach up to 98-130 feet high with
diameters between 4.9-6.6 feet. The
tree’s fruit is a small, woody ball that
ripens in October and persists
through winter.
11
 The Willow Oak is a deciduous tree
native to the eastern United States. It is a
tree that has both willow and oak
characteristics – it is part of the red oak
family, growing very tall (from 40-60
feet), yet also has willow-like leaves,
which are light to bright green in the
summer, and yellowy gold and brown in
the fall. Willow oaks are fast-growing,
long-lived trees that provide food for
many animals, from ducks and deer to
red-headed woodpeckers and flying
squirrels. It is considered to be a very
“handsome” tree, and is sometimes
considered to be one of the most
beautiful trees planted in Washington
D.C., which is a city known for it’s
beautiful foliage. On campus, this tree is
located near Cartref.
12

The Weeping Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis
'Pendula') is a slow growing ornamental
evergreen that forms a dense and graceful
mound and a rather shallow root system –
more wide than tall (10-15 feet in height
and 30 feet in width) – whose overlapping
pendulous branches may conceal a rather
contorted trunk. It is a tree constituted of
multiple layers, with horizontal branches,
each of which is covered with smaller
weeping branches. These smaller branches
are encased in lustrous short dark green
needles and small cones which depend
upon the short stalks. Having the ability to
tolerate a large amount of shade,
particularly when they are young, these
trees thrive in moist, well-drained soil
from anything from full sun to full shade.
Helfarian’s hemlock forms a cascade of
green providing refuge for squirrels and
birds during the winter snows.
13
 A pine tree native of
Mediterranean forests. Now used
globally as an ornamental tree
because it can thrive in wide
ranges of soils.
14
 This tree is recognizable through its
firmly lobed but finely cut leaves,
which give it a delicate fern-like
appearance. These lacy leaves turn a
beautiful gold in the fall. This Cut
Leaf Beech is the class tree of the
Bryn Mawr Class of 1958.
15

Honey Locust trees are particularly ideal for
the College setting. These hardy trees can
adapt to many different soil conditions and
allow enough light to favor growth below,
while their fragrant seed pods are consumed
by many different kinds of wildlife. Though
these trees are also known to tolerate a great
deal of pollution, Honey Locusts can thrive
without the presence of such here, as Bryn
Mawr provides one of the most
environmentally-friendly spaces among other
colleges.
16

The Japanese maple is well known for its showy
display of the entire spectrum of spring to fall
coloration. It is a smaller tree, growing to be
about 15-25 feet tall. Japanese Maples are native
to Japan, Korea, and China, and introduced
into the United States in the 1800’s. In Japan,
this tree is sometimes referred to as “momiji”.
This term has a dual meaning; Baby’s hand,
which is fitting because the leaves of a Japanese
maple spread out symmetrically from a central
point like the fingers on the palm of a hand,
and also “becomes crimson leaves”, because of
the beautiful coloration exhibited by the leaves.
Its scientific name, Atropurpureum, actually
means dark purple. Still, they are prized as
much for their bright orange and red fall foliage
as for their versatility – it thrives in welldrained soil in the Southeast and in warmer
areas of New England, and can be grown as
bonsai, shrubs, or full-size trees depending on
the situation.
17
 White Oak trees are magnificent broad
topped oaks that are native to eastern
North America. Capable of achieving
considerable loft and girth up to 85 ft,
the White oaks are majestic and can live
for up to 600 years. It blooms once in
May, when the leaves are 1/3 grown, and
produces yellow staminate flowers
about 2-3 inches long. White oak trees
are excellent shade providers due to
their far reaching branches that lay
nearly parallel to the ground. During
end of spring, students enjoy doing
homework while lying out under the
trees. The white oak is also the official
tree for the class of 1960 and 1905.
18
 Also known as common red oak,
is widespread in the East and
grows on a variety of soils and
topography, often forming pure
stands. Moderate to fast growing,
this tree is one of the more
important lumber species of red
oak and is an easily transplanted,
popular shade tree with good
form and dense foliage.
19

The stately pendant Linden Tree (Tilia
petiolaris), an ornamental shade tree, has a
dense canopy of broad dark green leaves,
slightly heart-shaped, with evenly spaced teeth
around the edges. Each leaf’s underside is
covered with small white downy hairs which
cause a silvery sheen, especially in summer
breezes. Sadly, most students miss this tree’s
tour-de-force. In late June-early July, clusters of
small yellow-white flowers bloom and their
honey suckle aroma spreads from Thomas to
Taylor and beyond. Swarms of honeybees
(before their drastic 2006 decline) would flock
to the silver linden, becoming intoxicated by its
nectar.

This tree, planted in the college’s central
ceremonial core annually witnesses May Day
festivities and other college events.
20

The Scholar Tree is a medium sized deciduous
tree (10-20m tall) native to China and Korea. It
develops into a round canopy with lustrous leaves
that stay green even when they begin to fall in
autumn. The yellowish-white flower blooms are
bright and showy in the late summer time which
indicates that it is between 10-15 years old. Along
with its blooms, it produces a green elongated
pod-like fruit. It is particularly fond of open,
sunny locations and is very tolerant in most
conditions including drought and the pests. The
Scholar tree, also known as the Pagoda tree gets
its name from tradition of being planted around
Buddhist temples.

In folklore, it is said that a cowherd once built a
home out of this species of tree. Within a month
his entire family was suddenly found dead. It was
therefore believed that demons are drawn to this
tree and it is therefore not appropriate to use its
wood to build homes. In addition, in the wild,
other species of tree rarely grow near it.
21
 The Kwanzan Tree is a species of
cherry tree native to Japan, Korea
and China. It is known for the
cherry blossoms it grows in the
spring that are used in many
festivals. The Kwanzan tree can
reach up to 12 meters in height
and the double flowers are a
beautiful pink. In 1912, Tokyo
gave a Kwanza tree as a gift to the
city of Washington.
22
 The American Beech is a species of
beech native to eastern North
America. It is a deciduous tree growing
to 20–35m tall during its lifetime. The
tree is monoecious, with flowers of
both sexes on the same tree. The fruit
is a small, sharply-angled nut which
serves as a source of food for
numerous animals. The American
Beech is an important tree in forestry
because of its very hard wood.
23
 The Weeping Beech is a deciduous
tree that blooms in the Spring. Its
scientific name is Fagus Sylvatica
‘Pendula’. In 1847, Samuel Parsons
brought the first Weeping Beech tree
to the United States from Europe. It
was his son Samuel Parsons Jr. who
introduced it to the Bryn Mawr
Campus. In order to commemorate the
Weeping Beech tree, it was made the
class tree of the class of 1938.
24
 The Copper Beech tree is a slow growing
deciduous tree , also known as the Bloodleaved Tree. Its leaves can range in color
from purple to copper and flowers in the
spring. It usually grows to about 50 feet
tall and can be 50 feet wide. The Copper
Beech is native to Europe. In 2007 the
Copper Beech tree was nominated by
Greg Nichols to be a Champion Tree of
Pennsylvania and was awarded the title of
Champion Tree that same year. This tree
had a height of 66.1 feet in 2007. It is also
the class tree of the class of 1913.
 * Ranks #3 in the Pennsylvania state
champion listing.
25
 The Burr Oak tree’s scientific name
is Quercus macrocarpa. This type of
tree grows acorns and Catkins
flowers. Although this tree grows
slowly, it usually reaches a height of
70-80 feet. Its root system is very
complex and can often spread
downward twice the height of the
tree.
26
 Mazzard Cherry trees are deciduous ,
having leaves turn red, orange, and pink
in the fall before they fall. They bear both
fruit (cherries) and flowers in the
springtime, coinciding with the festivities
of Bryn Mawr’s May Day tradition. It is
one of the many varieties of cherry trees
found on Bryn Mawr’s campus. This
particular Mazzard Cherry is more than
200 years old. Many Bryn Mawr students
enjoy climbing this tree on warm days
due to its low branches and the view
overlooking the Labyrinth and the
playing fields.

* Ranks #2 in the Pennsylvania state
champion listing 2010.
27
 The Amur Corktree originates in Asia,
but is now very popular elsewhere due
to its large size and ornate features.
This tree has thick, corklike bark and
bares large branches. Its twigs bud
small flowers and this tree can grow
up to 40 to 50 feet. Aside from
budding small flowers, the female
corktree can grow clusters of black
berries. One unique fact about the
Amur Corktree is that it is so adaptive
to different soils that it can also adapt
to pollution and droughts.
 * This specimen was given the title of
Pennsylvania state champion in 2007.
28
 This vibrantly colored evergreen has
the scientific name of Chamaecyparis
pisifera which translates to pea bearing
low-growing Cypress, which refers to
its small cones. If it gets enough sun,
the Japanese Falsecypress will retain
its bright golden color all year. It is
often planted to add year-round color
to a garden and it is also used for
timber.
29
 The Hinoki Cypress Tree is a bright
green tree that can reach anywhere
from 80-115 feet tall. Its scientific
name is Chamaecyparis optusa. This
is one of the most valuable timber
trees in Japan, and is often used
during construction.
30

The Weeping Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis
'Pendula') is a slow growing ornamental
evergreen that forms a dense and graceful
mound and a rather shallow root system –
more wide than tall (10-15 feet in height and
30 feet in width) – whose overlapping
pendulous branches may conceal a rather
contorted trunk. It is a tree constituted of
multiple layers, with horizontal branches,
each of which is covered with smaller
weeping branches. These smaller branches
are encased in lustrous short dark green
needles and small cones which depend upon
the short stalks. Having the ability to tolerate
a large amount of shade, particularly when
they are young, these trees thrive in moist,
well-drained soil from anything from full sun
to full shade. Helfarian’s hemlock forms a
cascade of green providing refuge for
squirrels and birds during the winter snows.
31
 The Sourwood is considered as
an ornamental and shade tree.
Its leaves are rich green and turn
yellow, red, and purple in the
fall. In the early summer, the
Sourwood blooms white
fragrant flowers. This tree grows
to be 25’-30’ feet in height and
has a spread of about 20’ at full
maturity. The Sourwood tree is
the class tree of Bryn Mawr
College’s graduating class of
1973.
32
 The Weeping Higan Cherry tree
grows to be 20 to 30 feet tall and
spreads 15 to 25 feet. Its leaves are
green throughout the summer and
into the fall the leaves turn from
green to a bright yellow before
leaving the tree bare in the winter.
In the spring, there is nothing like a
full bloomed Weeping Higan
Cherry—its leaves are light pink,
almost white. This tree is the class
tree of Bryn Mawr College’s
graduating class of 1936 and 1937.
33
 Higan Cherry trees bloom twice a
year, in the fall and in the spring.
The intensity of the blooms
depends on the weather in the
fall: a warm fall will produce more
blooms in the fall, while a cold fall
will produce more flowers in the
spring. This particular type of
cherry tree also booms in the
shade. Bryn Mawr is well known
for its cherry trees, and in 2000
donated two to the Japan America
Society to commemorate two
alumnae who worked in Japan,
Elizabeth Grey Vining and Umeko
Tsuda.
34
 Species are large deciduous
trees, reaching typically 80-120
feet tall, with oblique-cordate
leaves 2-8 inches across, and
are found through the north
temperate regions.
 * This specimen was ranked
Pennsylvania state champion in
2007 and was donated to the
college by the Bryn Mawr Class
of 1900.
35
 Native to Japan, Star Magnolias are
slow growing deciduous trees that
range between 15’-20’ feet in height. It
is a flowering tree that produces showy
fragrant white flowers. These flowers
are 3-4” in diameter and bloom every
spring. The tree does the best in the full
sun, which produces the best flowers.
They bloom best in full sun with partial
shade and in acidic, moist, clay soils
and it is under these conditions that
the spring season brings large, bold
white beautiful flowers.
 This particular Star Magnolia tree,
located next to Pembroke West, was
planted as the class tree of the class of
1968.
36
 The Chinese Stewartia trees are native to
Japan, Korea and Southeastern U.S. It
blooms once a year in the summer. They
are slower growing trees that are
deciduous trees and only grow
approximately 10 meters in height. It
produces fragrant cup-shaped white
flowers with yellow anthers, which are
1.5-2 inches diameter. On young plants,
its beautiful reddish bark flakes off in
long, shiny sheets to reveal smooth
lighter patches beneath. During the fall
season the Chinese Stewartia helps to
create the beautiful colorful foliage with
its large array of colorful leaves. During
the flowering spring season, they carry
bold, green leaves with a dazzling scene
of large white flowers.
37

Said to have inhabited earth up to 150 million
years ago, the Fastigiate Ginko group is the
only surviving group of the ancient plants. It is
a good urban tree due to its ability to tolerate
drought, heat, and poor soils. It grows very
slowly at first, but then grows at a moderate
rate, especially when supplied adequate
amounts of water and fertilizer. As deciduous
conifers, Fastigiate Ginko trees grow between
30 and 50 feet in height and have very distinct
leaves shaped like fans with diverging veins.
There are both female and male Fastigiate
Ginko Trees. The female trees are highly
undesired in the fall season because it
produces a foul odor when the seeds and leaves
fall, while the male trees bear golden, yellow
leaves in the fall that create admirable scenery.
The seeds are leaves are used in medicine
throughout the world.
38
 The Katsura is an elegant, non-
native tree. Specimens were first
brought here from either China or
Japan sometime around 1865 by
Thomas Hogg Jr.1 The tree grows
to medium height with a multitrunk shape that is pleasingly
asymmetrical, but at least our two
trees (one by Goodhart, one on
the Merion Avenue side of
Rockefeller) are not at all
unbalanced or precarious looking.
Its roots are near the surface.
39

The Blue Atlas Cedar is a distinctive
evergreen native to western North Africa,
characterized by silvery blue to bluishgreen needles. It can grow to be very tall,
from about 40-60 feet. The bark is gray
and smooth, but develops a plate-like
pattern as the tree matures. Its wood is
very oily and scented, giving it a very
pleasant and aromatic smell, which also
functions as a natural insect deterrent.
They thrive in full sun in moist soil, and
they are tolerant of urban pollution up to
a point. Cones usually take around two
years to fully mature.

There are two Blue Atlas Cedars planted
outside Rock Arch, one bordering each
side of the path. The site originally had
Elm trees planted by the class of 1908,
but were later replaced by the cedars by
the class of 1973.
40

The Japonese Cryptomeria is also called the
Japanese cedar, despite being a member of
the cypress family. It is a slow-growing
evergreen that changes shape as it matures;
younger trees are commonly slender
pyramids, but older trees more often have
irregular crowns. It is one of a few conifers
that sprout from cut stumps. The tree, native
to Japan as the name implies, can be
identified by its very short needles that spiral
along the branches, pointing toward the end
of the stems, which hang and droop toward
the ground, and the similarly drooping bark,
which peels off in long strips. Cryptomeria
japonica is the only species in its genus that
coexisted with dinosaurs!

It grows very fast, up to 25 feet in just 10 short
years. In it¹s native habitat it can grow to be
180 feet tall. It is often used for bonsai, and
also harvested for timber.
41

The Red Pine gets its name from the color of
the armor-like plates of its bark, and can also
be identified by its slender, brittle needles
(they snap when bent), which are between 46.5 inches long, and bundled in groups of two.
The species is widely used in reforestation, and
a healthy, mature tree can be 80 feet tall.
Although the bark at the bottom of the tree is
brownish grey, it turns a bright red-orange
towards the top, giving it its name. There is
low genetic and morphologic variation
amongst this species, which indicates that it
came near extinction in its recent evolutionary
history. Even though the tree is native to North
America and it is the state tree of Minnesota, it
is also sometimes referred to as the Norway
Pine. Early European explorers may have
confused the tree with the Norway Spruce
(Picea abies), also a very tall evergreen.
42

The Maidenhair tree – also known
as the ginkgo – is one of the
oldest species of tree. The earliest
leaf fossils date back to 270
million years ago. In 1998, the
species was listed as "endangered"
by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The tree is referred to as a "living
fossil" because it has no close
relatives and is the only species in
its genus. The ginkgo is known for
its fan shaped leaves and pungent
smelling fruit, but since all of
Bryn Mawr's ginkgos all male,
none of our trees drop fruit. This
counters Haverford – whose
ginkgos are all female.
Credits
Photography
Michael Press
Presentation
Ed Harman
Stephanie Kim
Ashley Ohara
Credits
Student & Faculty Descriptions
• Sophia Abbott
• Jessica Arbon
• Amanda Beardall
• Mary Biggs
• Jeremy Blatchley
• Grace Chung
• Stephanie Clarke
• Ashleigh Davila
• Michael Dirr
• Genesis Feliz
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eleanor Frye
Megan Gallagher
Jae Hyun Ha
Nancy Halli
Kathy De La Hoz
Elizabeth LeMay
Charlotte McConaghy
Sammy Silbert
Ellen Stroud
Amelia Lee Zhi Yi
Source Credits
• dnr.state.oh.us, “Norway
Spruce,”ODNR Division Of Forestry,
Ohio Trees
• Jane Pepper, “Trees that will adorn •
your lawn,” The Philadelphia
Inquirer Jan. 7 1990 and Main Line
Times, April 13, 2000Bryn Mawr
College General Campus Plan 1894, •
1907 by Frederick Law Olmsted
• http://lib.oh.us/tree/fact%20pages/
corktree_amur/corktree_amur.html •
• http://mdc.mo.gov/discovernature/field-guide/amur-corktree
• http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/
plantoftheweek/articles/katsura_tre •
e_11-2-07.html
• hiddenspringstreefarm.com,
“Colorado Blue Spruce,” Hidden
Springs Tree Farm, LLC.)
• "Ginkgo Biloba 'Fastigiata'" Missouri
Botanical Garden. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.mobot.org/gardening
help/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=Z
980>
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants,
5th editiongnpc.org/sycamore.htm,
“Sycamore,” Great Plains Nature
Center Database
Photographic Guide to More than
500 Trees of North America and
Europe (New York, 1978)
"Stewartia." Portland Nursery and
Garden Center. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.portlandnursery.com/
plants/trees/stewartia.shtml>.
"Tree Details—The Tree Guide at
Arborday.org." Buy Trees and Learn
About Trees - Visit Our Online
Nursery. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.arborday.org/treeguid
e/TreeDetail.cfm?ID=166>.)