Section 4
15. Yellow Poinciana
Scientific name: Peltophorum dubium
Provenance: Caribbean, tropical South America
Conservation status: Least Concern
Keep walking on the path and make a right at the next intersection. You will see the towering yellow poinciana on your right as you walk along the looping path. Found in seasonally dry tropics, yellow poinciana grows rapidly and is often one of the first species to grow in a new, barren landscape (a pioneer species). Its pinkish to red-brown wood is popularly used for cabinetry and furniture. The trunk stands straight and supports high branches with showstopping, fragrant flowers during the summer. Note the compound symmetry of the leaves. Yellow poinciana is commonly planted in parks and open spaces, but is notorious for its shallow roots uplifting and breaking sidewalks.
16. Coast Redwood
Scientific name: Sequoia sempervirens
Provenance: Southwest Oregon to western California
Conservation status: Endangered
Continue on the looping path. Look behind the drinking fountains on your right. Coast redwood is one of California’s two state trees, with this tree notably populating Redwood National Park. The Arboretum has different cultivars of this species: ‘Aptos Blue,’ ‘Emily Brown,’ ‘Los Altos,’ ‘Santa Cruz,’ and ‘Soquel.’ Coast redwood requires a consistent source of water, usually from precipitation and fog, which is present in Northern but not Southern California. The bark is very thick and affords coast redwoods lifesaving protection from wildfires. Coast redwoods reproduce asexually by basal shoots, being stems that grow from the base of the tree. A specimen can live to be more than 1,000 years old, and the record for the tallest tree belongs to a coast redwood. The canopies of coast redwoods are considered to harbor incredibly diverse ecosystems for animals and other plants.
17. Arid-Climate Orchard in Crescent Farm
Keep going on the path; the Arid-Climate Orchard is past the Crescent Farm sign. Looking around the arid-climate orchard, you will find drought tolerant fruit trees such as black mulberry, fig, goji berry, jujube, kei apple, loquat, macadamia nut, pomegranate, and strawberry guava. When we speak of these trees as being drought tolerant, that entails deep watering of the orchard only twice a month with bubblers or micro-spray nozzles.
18. Magnolia
Scientific name: Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’
Provenance: Horticulture
Go right at the Crescent Farm sign. There will be two grassy area entrances; the Magnolia Elizabeth is after the second grassy area entrance on the right. The ‘Elizabeth’ variety of the Magnolia tree is a product of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s breeding and introduction program. The variety was created in 1956 by Dr. Evamaria Sperber, who hybridized cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata) and Yulan magnolia (Magnolia denudata). A benefactor of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Elizabeth Van Brunt, was honored by having this cultivar named after her. It is the first magnolia bred to have yellow, specifically lemon-chiffon colored, flowers.
19. Ginkgo
Scientific name: Ginkgo biloba
Provenance: China
Conservation status: Endangered
Continue on the path from the Magnolia Elizabeth; make a left at the path juncture. The Ginkgo tree will be on your left in front of the Coach Barn. Ginkgo is referred to as a “living fossil;” the species is known to have existed since the time of the dinosaurs for more than 200 million years. In terms of longevity, a ginkgo aged 3,500 years old has been recorded. The tree is the only species in its genus, only genus in its family, only family in its order, and only order in its subclass. As a gymnosperm, it has its seeds exposed for reproduction. Ginkgo’s two-lobed leaves are thought to resemble the leaves of the maidenhair fern, hence the tree also being known as the maidenhair tree.