Trees gallery - in and around Thornton le Dale

Fagus sylvatica Fagus - Latin for beech; sylvatica -from Latin silvanus, of the forest; atro - dark; purpurea - purple atropurpurea

Copper Beech

Native across Europe, growing to a height of more than 40 m and develop a huge domed crown. The reddish brown, torpedo-shaped leaf buds form on short stalks and have a distinctive criss-cross pattern. Beech is monoeciousboth male and female flowers grow on the same tree . In April and May the tassel-like male catkins hang from long stalks at the end of twigs, while female flowers grow in pairs, surrounded by a cup. Beech woodland is shady and characterised by a dense carpet of fallen leaves and mast husks which prevent most woodland plants from growing. Only specialist shade-tolerant plants can survive beneath a beech canopy.

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Fraxinus excelsior Fraxinus - Latin for ash tree; excelsior - higher or taller

Common Ash

This is the larger of two large ash trees in Aunums Field, on the south west of the village, near what was the old Farmanby village. It seems to be fighting off ash dieback.

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Garrya elliptica garrya - after Nicholas Garry, Secretary of the Hudson's Bay Company, who aided botanist David Douglas;elliptica - from Greek meaning 'twice as long as broad' or 'oblong with rounded ends' describing the plant's distinctive ellipse-shaped leaves.

Silk tassel bush

An erect, bushy, evergreen shrub reaching 2–5 m, native to the coastal ranges of California and S Oregon. Dioecious flowers are concentrated in inflorescences which cascade downward. The pendant male catkins are much more showy than the shorter female versions, grey-green and up to 30 cm long.

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Hedera helixHedera - from Latin for ivy, linked to the Greek hédra, meaning to sit or seat, referring to the plant's ability to cling to surfaces; Helix - from Greek meaning spiral-shaped. This refers to the winding, trailing growth habit of the ivy stem.

Ivy

Ivy stems surrounding the trunk of a beech tree in the woods on Dog Kennel Lane. The finger-like hand in the middle, and the way the stems morph into each other adds a fascination to an otherwise mundane tree.

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Juglans regiaJuglans - from Latin Iuglans, which is a contraction of Jovis glans — literally translating to "nut of Jupiter," the supreme Roman deity; Regia - Latin for regal, royal, or kingly, referring to the high quality and superior nature of the nut, (or to Jupiter).

Walnut

This large walnut probably formed part of The Hall parklands many years ago. A fine tree, just off the path alongside the old Ha-Ha, leading from the car park to Dog Kennel Lane. The third photo is of a smaller version a couple of hundred yards away side, probably offspring.

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Laburnum Laburnum - the Latin name for the tree; anagyris - a similar genus, hence anagyroides is 'resembling anagyris' anagyroides

Golden chain tree

A deciduous small tree, native to the mountains of S Europe from France to the Balkans. All parts of the plant are poisonous, although mortality is very rare. The heart-wood may be used as a substitute for ebony or rosewood. It is very hard and a dark chocolate brown, with a butter-yellow sapwood.

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Liriodendron tulipifera from Greek Leirio - lily, referring to the lily-like flowers, and dendron tree; tulipifera - tulip like, referring to the leaves

Tulip tree

A little unusual to find this tall tree growing down Archway Lane in Thornton le Dale. I believe this is probably because the man who used to own the house and garden was Royston Valentine Roger, who started R V Roger nurseries in Pickering in 1913. The unusual 4-lobed leaves carpet the lane in autumn.

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Magnolia (soulangeana?)Magnolia - after French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638 - 1715); soulangeana - after Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774-1846), who established the hybrid at his Château de Fromont.

Saucer? magnolia

A large magnolia tree growing at Brook House, near the stream on Priestman's Lane. Possibly a saucer magnolia, but there are so many varieties of magnolia that without a definite confirmation it would be hard to pinpoint what this one is. The pink tinge and early flowering fits the description.

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Magnolia (stellata?)Magnolia - after French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638 - 1715); stellata - star shaped.

Star magnolia

A small star magnolia growing outside a terrace house just across the road from me on Roxby Road. Masses of flowers for a short period - in full bloom here but already some petals are tinged with brown.

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Morus nigra Morus Latin for mulberry; nigra - Latin for black, referencing the dark purple or black colour of the mulberry fruit.

Black mulberry

A deciduous tree growing to 12 m, originating in Mesopotamia and Persia, but cultivated across Europe and Asia. The richly flavoured fruit is a compound cluster of several small drupes that are dark purple, almost black when ripe, 2.5 cm in diameter.

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Photinia Photinia - from Greek photeinos meaning shining, glossy or bright, referring to the leaves; x fraseri - after Fraser Nurseries in Birmingham, Alabama, where the plant was discovered as a spontaneous hybrid around 1940; red robin - comparing the leaves to the bird. x fraseri Red Robin

Photinia red robin

A fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with vibrant, glossy crimson-red young leaves in spring, which mature into dark green. It boasts cream-white flower clusters in late spring. Often used as hedging and as specimen plants.

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Picea pungens Picea Latin pix meaning pitch or tar, referring to spruce resin; ; pungens Latin meaning sharply pointed, piercing, or prickly, escribes the tree's stiff, sharp, and often blue-tinged needles.

Blue spruce

A large conifer reaching 50 m in the wild, more often 18 m in cultivation. It has scaly grey-brown bark with a cinnamon-red undertone on its trunk. On older trees the bark becomes deeply furrowed and scaly. The narrow, needle-like, evergreen leaves are quite sharply pointed and may be dull green, blue, or pale white. Strobili pollen producing cones , develop throughout the crown, but are more common in the upper half. Purple-brown seed cones form at the top of the tree in May/June and release their mature seeds in the autumn of the same year, turning light brown as they mature.

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Picea sitchensis - pix, meaning pitch, referring to the tree's resin; sitchensis is a geographical reference to Sitka, Alaska, which in itself is named after a local Native American tribe.

Sitka spruce

Native to Sitka in SE Alaska, and W coast of Canada and USA. It can exceed 90 m in height. Its name is derived from the community of Sitka in southeast Alaska, where it is prevalent. It accounts for around half of UK commercial plantations. Cones have crinkled and toothed margins; needles are flattened when viewed in a cross section, and have a woody peg at the base of every needle.

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Pinus sylvestrisPinus is Latin for pine; sylvestris from silva - woodland or forest

Scots pine

Tall Scots pine are mixed in with beech in a strip of woodland alongside the beck, opposite the playing fields. A large beech snapped and fell in a storm in 2023, giving a little more light to the Scots pine. A large, evergreen tree to 25m, with the upper trunk and branches orange-brown, developing a picturesque, irregular outline with maturity. Twisted grey-green needles are borne in pairs. Cones are 5cm in length.

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Pinus sylvestris pinus - Latin for pine silva - woodland or forest, reflecting the tree's habitat.

Scots pine

An evergreen conifer native to northern Europe. Mature trees grow to 35m and can live for up to 700 years. The needle-like leaves are blue-green and slightly twisted, and grow in pairs on short side shoots. Scots pine is monoecious both male and female flowers grow on the same tree. Male flowers comprise clusters of yellow anthers at the base of shoots. Female flowers are small, red-purple and globular, and grow at the tips of new shoots. [Woodland Trust]

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Prunus serrulata prunus - Latin name for plum or cherry trees; serrulata meaning small saw or serrated, referring to its finely serrated leaf margins.

Japanese cherry

A.k.a. Oriental Cherry, or Hill Cherry. A small, deciduous tree, reaching up to 12 m with a spreading, vase-shaped canopy and smooth, chestnut-brown bark. Known for spectacular, dense, mid-spring blooms of white or pink flowers, it features ovate-lanceolate serrated leaves that are bronze when young, green in summer, and turn red/crimson in autumn.

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Pyrus salicifolia pyrus - Latin name for the pear tree salicifolia - derived from Salix (willow) and folia (leaf), referring to the tree's narrow, silver-grey, willow-like foliage. pendula

Willow-leaved weeping pear

A spreading, pendulous, deciduous cultivar, growing to 12 m, native to the Middle East. Large creamy-white spring blossom, highlighted with black-tipped stamens, is followed by small, pear-shaped, green fruit which is inedible, being hard and astringent.

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