Do you know your Christmas Trees? (part 2)

Fir at Cannon Hill Park
possibly Abies grandis

Winter 'evergreens', a suitable and seasonal distraction in terms of identification, providing a rather more challenging activity than the now fallen broad leaves, although having said that, a tree with no leaves is just as challenging when only buds and bark are at play. Also, the language of evergreens is somewhat different to that of broadleaves, in both biological terminology and description, providing a continual monologue through the year, with a voice that changes less hysterically than its broadleaf distant relatives. The other challenging difficulty of course is the weather, standing with a field guide and key on a cold day is not everyone's idea of fun.

The subject trees related to in this passage are mainly those found locally either at the Cannon Hill Park Tree Trail or at the Highbury Park Pinetum and Highbury Estate. 

All of the trees have been introduced with various planting schemes over the past 80 years or so, and most of them are much younger.

Only the Scots Pines and Yews are native to the British Isles, all others have a history of introduction, many arriving for the first time, brought here by collectors in the mid-late 19th Century.

The Highbury Park Pinetum was planted in 1993 by the Townswomen's Guild, and there lies another story, but 30 years later, we have a collection of trees, collectively known as a 'Pinetum', as all belong to the family 'Pinaceae', well, most of them. It's not an easy story to tell or grasp but here goes-

Surviving trees at the Highbury Park Pinetum,
surveyed in 2020 by Ellen Pisolkar

A list of the original 1993 plantings can be found on the nearby Park noticeboard. Not all of the trees have survived the past 40 years, thus providing an absorbing activity, armed with a field guide to identify the survivors. Thankfully the list of trees is accompanied by an onsite map which provides aid to the vicinity of a particular tree.

We have carried out the 'Do You Know Your Christmas Trees' event several times over the past 12 years, with mixed results depending largely on weather conditions .

A little desktop research may be useful before visiting the site, at least to try and grasp the differences between the various families and genera.

The two main families present in the Pinetum are, Cupressaceae and Pinaceae, with the presence of a few trees from the family Taxodiaceae.

For an academic classification reference follow the link-

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Conifer

Tree families to be found at Highbury Park and Cannon Hill Park -

1 Fir (Abies)

2 Cedar (Cedars)

3 Spruce (Picea)

4 Pine (Pinus)

5 RedCedar (Thuja) (None in the Pinetum, but present on the Estate)

6 Larch (Larix)

7. Cypress (Cupressus)

8. Hemlock (Tsuga)

Tree shapes

Fir (Abies) at Cannon Hill Park

Cedar (Cedrus) at Cannon Hill Park

Pines (Pinus) at Cannon Hill Park

Cones - 

A variety of cones

if evident, cones provide the best identification feature, but in some cases, during mid-winter, cones may be seemingly absent in full form, especially those from Fir and Cedar trees. Look a little closer at the base of the tree for other evidence, such as the disintegrated scales from the cone.

Leaves, Needles, Fern-like, Scale-like

Scale like leaves

Underside of Fir needles

 

Some trees have both fern-like and needle-like leaves

A  silver fir sp. at Cannon Hill

A 60-70 foot tree with foliage well out of reach, identification, therefore not easy  - 

Characteristics immediate = 

• Straight trunk
• Lowest foliage at 40-50 feet 
• Sheen on foliage

Characteristics beneath canopy

• fallen foliage
• disintegrated female cones
• possible male cones

foliage at 40-50 feet

A variety of winter finds

scale of disintegrated fir cone

Fir foliage found
beneath canopy

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) Highbury Estate
A recent introduction to the British Isles when Chamberlain completed Highbury around 1880

Cupressus at Cannon Hill Park
Cupressus or 'true' Cypress are a much variegated collection of conifers, relatively easy to hybridise I suspect, but quite accommodating regarding identification. .

Handbook of Firs and Pines 1886

    A not very useful handbook by today's standards, but full of the language of coniferous evergreens.

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Conifer