2. Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea), Native.

In order to keep this beautiful scarlet oak at a size and shape appropriate for the space available in this lot, it has had some questionable pruning and shaping in the early years, which accounts for its unusual shape. Believe it or not, this shaping could have occurred as much as 200 years ago as this is clearly a very old tree. That age makes this red oak but a middle-aged tree, since they can easily live to be several hundred years old with the oldest known red oaks coming in at 500! The 58 or so oak species of North America can be divided broadly into the red oak and white oak groups, each with many species. Each group has its own flagship species, the white oak and the red oak, which many people are familiar with but many people may not know about the two groups. The beauty before you is a scarlet oak, one of the members of the red oak group. All the white oaks have leaves with rounded lobes with no points on the leaf tips, whereas the red oak group’s leaves have pointy tips, even if you have to look hard for the little points sometimes. If there is a leaf on the sidewalk, pick it up and confirm that you see the pointy tips! Acorn production is another notable difference between the two groups with trees in the white oak group producing sweeter acorns and doing so each and every year. Red oak trees produce acorns higher in tannins, so they are more bitter and these acorns are only produced every other year because they take longer to mature. A large, mature oak tree of either group can produce up to 10,000 acorns in a bumper crop year!

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.419565, -77.425101

4. American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Native

The Latin name of this tree is so mellifluous, it just rolls off your tongue like honey, so don’t be afraid to try it! The Latin species name is pronounced “Styro-SI-flua, with a short i sound. If you can reach one of its beautiful star-shaped leaves, crush it and give it a sniff—its wonderfully spicy scent is not surprising since it is a close relative of witch hazel, a botanical family with potent chemicals often used medicinally. The gummy sap was used by some native peoples for its sweet smell. They mixed it with herbs and stuffed the goo into reeds and then lit it like incense. The flavorful, resinous gum was also used like chewing gum. In the southern United States, it is second only to oak for its hardwood production. Look down at your feet for its seed balls. Unless it is a landscaping cultivar of sweetgum, which are bred to be sterile, you can usually find the distinctive prickly balls under a sweetgum tree year-round.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39°25'04.7"N 77°25'31.4"W

6. Weeping Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendulum’), Non-native

A lovely, non-native tree, but non-invasive, the katsura tree has been cultivated for years due to the 4-season interest it adds to the landscape. In the spring, its foliage emerges with a hint of purple, the summer foliage is lush and lovely and in the fall, it has a buttery yellow color and emits a subtle, brown sugar scent as you walk by. In the winter, especially for this weeping specimen, it has a lovely shape and pretty bark. According to ancient Chinese and Japanese folklore, a man on the moon was being punished and was assigned by the gods to cut down the giant katsura tree that grows there, but because of the tree’s magic, it could not be cut down, so the man on the moon is trapped there forever and the shadow of the giant tree is visible to this day as the big shadowy area on the surface!

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.417273, -77.424572

8. English Elm (Ulmus procera), Non-native

Located on the Frederick High School campus, this special tree should only be visited after school hours and during summer break. Not only is this behemoth tree the Frederick County champion English elm, but also number two in the state on the Maryland Big Trees website! Check it out on mdbigtrees.com. There are many champion trees in Frederick county that are publicly accessible. For example--visit Gambrill Mill at the Monocacy Battlefield National Park, Rosehill Manor and Ballenger Creek Park, to name just a few. Estimates vary, but it is quite safe to say this tree is well over 200 years old. It is highly likely that English settlers brought the little seedling tree over from England since English elms do not produce viable seeds. Instead, they reproduce by root suckering at the base of the tree and the little baby tree would have been dug up and nurtured during its journey all the way across the Atlantic Ocean some time in the late 1700’s or very early 1800’s. Give that ol’ gal a hug because she’s had quite a history. Not only was she a Witness Tree to the turmoil of the Civil War, but beginning in 1939, as a stout and wise one-hundred-year-old, she began to silently witness thousands of Frederick High School students becoming healthy young adults and moving on to do great things. Oh! The things she has seen!

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.4166, -77.425798

10. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Non-native

Ginkgo trees have a fascinating story. Native to China and traditionally grown on Chinese and Japanese temple grounds, for many years they were unknown to the Western scientific community before the East opened up to the West. Ginkgo biloba evolved about 270 million years ago and is considered a living fossil, all its relatives being long since extinct. It’s not even a flowering plant, being more closely related to conifers such as pines, which are much more ancient than flowering plants such as grasses, roses and maples trees. Ginkgos have been used medicinally for thousands of years in Asian traditional medicine for everything from improving brain function to heart health. This home, along with all of those in the 100 block of College Terrace, was built in 1939 and the ginkgo tree was planted that same year making 2019 its 80 th birthday! When it was built, this was the very edge of the city of Frederick, with nothing beyond but farms. Baker Park did not yet exist. According to the owners, the leaves are voluminous, so they usually have to clear them with snow shovels, which is effective because the leaves are small. The leaves don't always come down at once, but if there is a super cold snap, it creates the conditions where most of the bright yellow fall leaves can fall within 24 hours. This lovely phenomenon happens occasionally but not every year.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39°25'02.3"N 77°25'19.5"W

12. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), Native

A gorgeous giant of a native tree, black walnuts are easy to spot from far away with their furrowed, black bark and the stout twig pattern. Both these features make them easily recognized in the winter when their beautiful, black bones make a distinctive presentation. I like to call these three Baker Park trees “The Three Sisters” and I hope you get to see them in the winter when I feel they are at their most beautiful. Black walnut was often used in the Colonial Era as an indicator species. Landowners would send out scouts to see if black walnut was growing on a prospective land purchase. If it was, this would indicate the land was fertile and worth a higher purchase price. The mild-tasting walnuts you buy in the store are English walnuts unless specifically labeled black walnuts, which have a much stronger flavor.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.415158,-77.42198

14. London Plane (Platanus X acerifolia), Non-native

Most people who know a bit about trees would identify this as a sycamore tree, not realizing it is a sycamore hybrid very commonly planted in urban environments all over the world because of its tolerance for atmospheric pollution and compacted soil. A London plane tree is a hybrid between a native sycamore and an Asian plane tree. Many of our downtown trees that look like sycamores are actually London planes. To tell the difference, observe the leaves, bark and seed balls. The leaves of London planes are more deeply lobed and shiny on top than native sycamores. Also, look at the sycamore ball, which contains the seeds. In a native sycamore tree, each ball has its own stem, but in the London plane, many of the seed balls have two hanging along a single stem like beads on a string. Sycamore trees also typically have bright white bark at the top and London plane trees have a color more creamy or grayish. These trees are extraordinarily long-lived and grow to enormous sizes, the largest in Europe being close to 36 feet in circumference and well over 200 years old. The largest specimen in the US is in the Grotto of the University of Notre Dame in Southbend, Indiana at about 19 feet around so it would take four people holding hands to hug that tree! Just give Frederick’s London plane trees some time…

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.415583,-77.420778

16. Weeping European Beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'), Non-native

Weeping European beech does not grow quite as enormous as our native American beech, which is beloved for its lovely fall copper foliage and its smooth, elephantine bark, this cultivar was created in England in 1836. It has a lovely, weeping habit that produces such dense vegetation that one often can’t see the trunk of the tree in summer. In winter, they look almost dinosaur-like with their twisted trunks and limbs. Like all beeches, they often reproduce vegetatively when their roots send up shoots some distance from the trunk to produce new trees; but because of the weeping habit, these cultivars can also do so when their limbs root to the ground anywhere they are touching. If you are of a certain age, you may recall Beechnut gum, which was actually a trademark name, and the gum was NOT flavored with the triangular nutlets the tree produces. However, beechnuts ARE much favored by the local, non-gum-chewing wildlife and are a critically important forest food source.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39°24'55.5"N 77°25'04.9"W

18. White Oak (Quercus alba), Native

One of our most common and most beautiful native trees, the white oak provides critical food sources and habitat for many native animal species. Not only that, but it’s also economically important for everything from furniture and flooring to bourbon barrels. Once mature, its graceful but stocky form is striking in its almost witchy appearance, the type of natural beauty inspiring for artists and poets alike. Look up at into the crown of this white oak and you’ll see where it gets its name—the whitish gray bark is much lighter than that of most trees. Notice how the bark flakes vertically as you go high up into the crown, looking almost “platy”. People often confuse mature white oaks with shagbark hickory, which also flakes, but does so horizontally, giving it an even shaggier appearance all the way up and down the tree trunk. All oaks are broadly divided into either the white oak group or the red oak group. All members of the white oak group have leaves with rounded lobes, whereas red oak leaves have at least some pointy tips. If there is a leaf on the sidewalk, pick it up and carry it with you because later in the walk, you will see a red oak and you can compare the leaves to see the rounded versus pointed nature of the leaves. White oak acorns are sweeter to than red oak acorns and preferred by wildlife, but for humans, you must go through a leaching process before eating any acorns. The Native Americans knew how to safely use white oak acorns and they were a very important food source.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.4168333,-77.4176331

20. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Non-native

Ginkgo trees are incredibly unique trees with a fascinating story, as the other entry for this species discusses (College Terrace). This particular tree is a former National Champion tree, being the largest specimen in North America identified at the time. Authorities have since found a bigger tree, but it remains the Frederick County Champion! See it on the mdbigtrees.com website. This home is called the Hannah House and was built in 1750. Having an extra lot next to a home is very unusual in downtown Frederick, but it provided a perfect spot for one of the early owners to plant this historic ginkgo. One of the early owners of Hannah House was Dr. Hedges, who drove around Frederick in his horse and buggy caring for the locals. His wife would keep his food warm in the radiator that had a little door in it, which was a clever, unusual and therefore, well-known feature of this house. The home was then owned by the Etchison family (of Etchison’s Funeral Home) and their daughter, Hannah, was a much-loved teacher at TJ High School. The home is named for her.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.416917,-77.411556

22. Dogwood (Cornus florida), Native,

& Weeping Cherry (Prunus pendula), Non-native

Most of us are familiar with the charming little dogwood tree, rarely reaching a height of greater than 25 feet, and sporting its unique beauty in all seasons. The first tree in this line of three is a dogwood. The moniker, “dogwood,” is derived from its original name, dagwood, so-named because the slender twigs and branches were often used for daggers and skewers. Its inner bark was used by some Native Americans in sacred pipes, and its blooming was a sign it was time to plant corn. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were hugely fond of this native tree, and planted them on their estates, not only because of their beautiful spring blooms, but also because later in the summer, the berries provide food for wildlife, and the leaves host many species of butterflies and moths. Year-round, its interesting bark is distinctive, and adds winter interest to the landscape. Many towns host spring dogwood festivals where you can take a leisurely drive, just drinking in the beauty of this easy-to-grow native tree.

Lutheran Evangelical Church yard at 26 2^nd Street. The tree in the center of this row of three ornamental beauties is a weeping cherry tree. Like all cherry trees, the weeping cherry is in the Prunus genus, which is part of the rose family! Any plant in the rose family is easily recognizable by its blossoms, which usually have five petals and many, many stamens with fat yellow anthers. Looking like a furry donut in the center of these flowers, these stamens are the male flower part and the swellings on the ends of the “hairs” are the anthers, where pollen is produced. Other members of the rose family include blackberries and their kin, apple, plum, pear, almond and peach trees, strawberries and also common “weeds” like cinquefoil.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39°24'59.3"N 77°24'34.1"W

24. Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata), Non-native

Once you learn to identify zelkova trees, you will begin to see them everywhere! They are very popular commercial landscape trees, lining streets, parking lots and other public areas because of their lovely shape, resistance to pests and their fast growth rate. The distinctive, vase shape and peeling bark that reveals orange under-bark makes them recognizable in all seasons so observe in this specimen how the very straight, main branches arise from the central trunk in a distinctive upward pattern, barely angled off the parallel to the trunk. No other tree looks like this and it is especially obvious in the winter when the bones of any tree are revealed. Japanese zelkova has many of the positive attributes of Bradford pears without the tendency to become invasive nor the weak wood, both making Bradfords such ecological and landscaping nightmares. Zelkova trees are closely related to elm trees but without the susceptibility to Dutch elm disease.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.416417,-77.407444

26. Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata), Non-native

Like its cousin, hackberry, the sugarberry tree is in the Cannabaceae family, along with hops and hemp. Unlike the hackberry, though, the sugarberries are sweet enough to be palatable to humans and native tribes sometimes mixed them with bear fat and nuts to make something equivalent to trail mix. Look down at your feet and note there is very little else growing around this tree. This is because it makes “alleopathic” chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plant life, just as black walnut, forsythia and azaleas do. It is unusual to find a sugarberry tree this far north, much less one of this size and health, so there must be a magical combination of conditions occurring in this particular spot. This tree is the state champion sugarberry tree of Maryland—check it out on the mdbigtrees.com website!

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39.417333,-77.405639

28. Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), Native

The naturally occurring and native form of this beautiful and almost tropical-looking tree has exotic clusters of giant thorns on its trunk and limbs. These thorns can be up to eight inches long sometimes and iron-hard so they were probably excellent protection from Pleistocene megafauna such as the giant ground sloth that roamed North American millions of years ago. As a matter of fact, these thorns were used by people in the past as pins and by early carpenters as nails! However, the trees here in Shab Row have no thorns, as is true for nearly all the honey locust trees you will find planted in the pavement wells of parking lots and in parks. That’s because we have developed thornless cultivars that are more practical for urban landscapes. This one is probably ‘Summer Shade’ or ‘Shademaster.’ They are very hardy and resistant to environmental stress such as salt and pollution, so they make excellent landscape trees in malls, parks and street wells. Note the dark bark that is smooth when young and then has curling plates as the tree ages. The seed pods look like giant, flat beans (honey locust trees are in the legume family) and are pendulant and curling. The pods contain the seeds and are also filled with a sweet pulp that gives these trees their name—honey locust! These characteristics make them attractive to wildlife, upon which the species depends to open the pods and spread the seeds. They also make good fodder for livestock, but people have enjoyed this sweet pulp for centuries for both traditional medicine and food.

This tree can be found at coordinates: 39°24'55.6"N 77°24'18.5"W