Trees on the Yale Nature Walk

This American Beech tree is nestled next to Sloane Physics Laboratory, where it lies along a well-traveled part of Science Hill. If you were standing beneath it, you might notice the Yuttle driving by each day as students make their way to class. The tree is known for its smooth, light gray bark and its wide canopy of dark green leaves. It also produces small nuts called beechnuts, which provide food for animals such as squirrels, deer, and birds. In the fall, its leaves turn a golden brown, and many remain on the branches through winter, a trait called marcescence. In early spring, the tree develops both male and female flowers; the male flowers appear as drooping catkins that release pollen to fertilize the smaller female flowers. Because it has both types of flowers on the same tree, the American Beech is classified as monoecious.

The sweetgum is a native tree of the eastern United States, characteristic of riparian areas, swamp margins, and moist lowlands. Its genus name, "Liquidambar" (Latin for "liquid amber") refers to the aromatic resin that flows from the bark when cut. This resin, sometimes called American storax, has a long history of medicinal and cultural use. Indigenous peoples, including the Cherokee and Choctaw, applied it as a salve for wounds and skin irritations, brewed it as an infusion to calm the nerves, and hardened it for use as a chewing gum. A close relative, the Oriental sweetgum ("Liquidambar orientalis") of Turkey and the Caucasus, produces the storied "Balm of Gilead," a medicinal resin referenced in the Bible. In autumn, sweetgum is among the most visually distinguished trees of the eastern landscape, with a single specimen capable of displaying yellow, orange, red, and purple simultaneously. Its symmetrical, conical form and glossy, star-shaped leaves make it a valued ornamental in parks and along streets throughout its range. The tree's characteristic spiky fruit clusters, produced in abundance each season, are among its most recognizable features, remaining visible on the ground long after the leaves have fallen.

This Black Locust Tree is found across Prospect Street from Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, and just up the hill from Ingalls Ice Rink. If you were a squirrel that lived in this tree, you would be able to see students walking to their laboratory classes in the morning and fans coming to cheer for the Yale hockey team in the evening. At lunchtime, you might even be able to smell the delicious scents of Thai and Mexican food from the food trucks by the intersection of Sachem and Prospect. At almost 70 feet tall, this particular Black Locust tree would give you an excellent bird's-eye view of campus. Despite its size, the Black Locust is actually a member of the pea family, Fabaceae. Black Locust trees produce fragrant flowers and pea pod-shaped fruits. While they are flexible with regards to soil type, and can grow in a variety of locations, Black Locust trees do require plentiful sunlight and open ground. Black Locust trees can be found throughout all of the United States except Alaska and Hawaii, as well as parts of Canada, Asia, Europe, and southern Africa. However, their normal range is limited to the southeastern United States. Black Locusts are valued for the honey produced from their flowers as well as its durable wood. However, this tree can become invasive due to its ability to produce large quantities of seeds and reproduce via root suckers.