Metasequoia glypostrobodies: Dawn Redwood

A conical deciduous conifer native to SW China. Known only from fossil records till 1941, now a popular garden tree. This line of Redwoods has been planted along Oxford Road next to the Aquatics Centre maybe as a failed attempt to screen the car park behind.

The trunk tapers and is buttressed at the base, becoming ridged in older trees. This along with the small tree pit has caused the pavement to rise up and crack underneath. The bark is a rich reddish brown, peeling in vertical strips.

They have 2.5cm long, flat needle like leaves, pale green at first becoming darker with age. They emerge early in spring, turning yellow, pink or red before falling in Autumn. Yellow and green clusters of flowers, male and female grow on separate clusters in Spring and produce rounded cones about 2.5cm across.

Sorbus aria: Common Whitebeam

A medium sized deciduous tree reaching up to 25m. It has a spreading or domed crown or can sometimes be no more than a shrub. This whitebeam is behind a wall along a cycle path in Fallowfield and is growing up a small bank. Native to the South of Britain but found in many hedgerows and woodland edges mainly prefering limestone and calcareous soils. Often planted in towns and along roadside due to a slight pollution tolerance. 

The branches are spreading and hairy when young becoming smooth with age. Buds grow up to 2cm long and are ovoid, green and tipped with hairs. 

The bark is smooth and grey when young but getting darker and developing fissures with age. The leaves are oval, 12cm long, toothed or shallowly lobed at margins and very hairy, especially on white underside. Produces white flowers in stalked clusters opening in May and bright red, ovoid fruits 1.5cm long in September.

Galanthus nivalis: Common Snowdrop

A familiar spring perennial that is possible native to the South of Britain but widely naturalised and abundant. They favour damp woodland but can be found in many fields and parks. This one is located in Plattfields Park where a small patch of scattered snowdrops have grown. 

The flowers are 15-25mm long with pure white outer segments but 3 inner segments that are white with a green patch. They are solitary, nodding flowers that appear January-March. They grow capsules for the seeds and the leaves are long, grey-green, narrow all basal.

Calluna Vulgaris: Heather

A dense evergreen undershrub abundant throughout the UK and in many moorlands and heaths is the dominant plant. It prefers acid soils and is not found in wettest terrain. Also frequently found in mature conifer woodlands.  Here it is being used as an ornamental shrub in a formal garden in Plattfields Park. They have 4-5mm long bell shaped flowers that are usually pink but sometimes white and come out August-September.

The Flowers attract bees and are a great source of nectar in the winter. The leaves are short, narrow, in 4 rows along the stem. They have small capsules that hold the seeds. 

Larix decidua: Common Larch

A deciduous conifer dropping its needles in winter. They form a distinctive, tall, narrow, conical shape if growing alone but often grown in straight rows in plantations. Native to the mountains in central and east Europe but long established in Britain as a timber species and occasionally as an ornamental tree in gardens like this one found in a formal garden in Plattfields Park in Fallowfield.

The branches are mostly horizontal but lower branches on older trees can be slightly drooping. 

The bark is rough, greyish brown in young trees becoming fissured with age. It can be used for tanning leather.

The needles grow up to 3cm long in tight bunches of up to 40. Fresh and green when first open becomeing darker with 2 pale bands before summer and changing red-yellow before falling in autumn. 

Male flowers small. yellow, soft cones, realising pollen in spring. Female cones red in spring, maturing and becoming woody, brown and ovoid. Cones ripen in first year but persist onto twigs after seeds released. The common Crossbill favours these seeds and has a bill adapted to parting the cone scales to get to the seeds.

Carpinus betulus: Hornbeam

This hornbeam is located near the lake in Plattfields Park. It is a large tree that can grow upto 30m tall. Native to Britain occurring in pure stands in some woodlands and hedgerows and widely planted as a specimen tree in parks. High tolerance to heavy clay soils and also widely coppiced.

The bark is silvery grey with deep fissures lower down and occasional dark bands. The bark often becomes gnarled and twisted forming interesting patterns. 

Branches are densely packed, ascending and twisted, creating a recognisable outline in winter holding greyish-brown, partly hairy twigs. 

Male catkins grow to 5cm long. They are yellowish green with red outer scales. The fruits occur in clusters of winged nutlets upto 14cm long usually consisting of 8 pairs of small hard cased nuts with a 3 pointed papery wing. The tough seeds provide food for the Hawfinch which is the only britsh bird able to crack into them.

Hornbeams can also be used as ornamental Shrubs as used here outside the Business School on All Saints Campus. It is being used aesthetically as a continuation of the benches. 

The leaves are oval and pointed with a rounded base, short petiole and double toothed margin. They have 15 pairs of veins and hairy on the underside. Leaves turn a beautiful yellow in autumn, turning orangey-brown before dropping. Trees planted in hedgerows will retain leaves long into winter.

Malus domestica: Cultivated Apple

A familiar orchard tree that produces numerous amounts of apples. This is a single specimen located in my back garden. It is a fairly small tree but they can grow up to 15m. Often found in gardens and orchards across the UK and can also be found in isolated places where apple cores have been discarded such as landfill sites.

The branches get tangled if not regularly pruned and often grow low down if not pruned. The twigs are downy and the leaves grow up to 13cm long in an elliptical shape but rounded at the base with a slightly pointed tip and toothed margin. Top of leaf slightly downy with a very downy underside. Flowers range from white to a pinky tinge often in small stalked clusters. 

Fruits normally larger than 5cm in diameter but come in a massive variety of sizes, colours ranging green-red and tastes as there are more than 2,000 types of cultivated apple that are particular to the UK. The bark is usually brown and fissured. The bole has odd features due to being left for many years before pruning bottom branches. Pruning every year will help the fruit productivity.