MinervaFlora November Update

Recently on the Minerva Park Facebook page, two of our trees were dubbed "the Kissing Trees" - apologies to the namer as I don’t remember who it was. This month, I thought it would be fun to do an article on these two trees.  They seem to be much noticed by those who walk the Green Space path.

The Kissing Trees are the 2 largest trees that grow in the circle of path just south of Quiet Brook Vale pond (the pond by the tunnel). They sit on either side of KiIbourne Run.  To the west is the American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). It is a large (60-120’), fast-growing, eastern and central North American native tree. Its distinctive bark is mottled and smooth and peels to reveal its inner white bark, though it can look ordinarily furrowed when younger or at the base of a mature tree. The tree usually stands out as white, gnarly, and large with big (4-10”), papery leaves with 3-5 lobes, which are not very attractive in fall color. Its fruit is a tight 1-1 1/2” ball of seeds, that disintegrate in fall.

The long-lived (200+ years) sycamore thrives in moist soils with full sun to part shade. The seeds are eaten by birds and mammals, and the mature trees often have hollows in the trunk which provide shelter for cavity nesters. The sycamore is a host to various insects and some bees feed on its pollen and nectar. Note: the London plane tree is often mistaken for the sycamore and is actually a hybrid of the Sycamore and the Oriental plane tree.

On the west side of Kilbourne Run is the locust tree - a Honey Locust Tree (Gleditsia triacanthos). This tree is also native to central North America. It is known by its large, sharp thorns, and sweet-smelling seed pods. It grows to 30-50’ at a medium-fast rate. The leaves are compound leaves with many leaflets on the leaf. The fruit is a flat, curved, leathery pod, 6-18” long. Inside the pod along with many seeds is a sweet, sticky pulp, thus its name. It is adaptable to many soils, but prefers moist soil. In addition, it does well in an urban setting. It does prefer sunny spots. This is a nitrogen fixing plant and the pods are favored by many mammals. The tree often holds the pods until February, so they make for great late winter food. This locust is a host for many moth and butterfly species and its flowers are an important source of nectar for bees. Fun fact: the thorns were used during the civil war to pin uniforms.