Pinus sylvestris; Scots Pine

A conical evergreen when young but grows vigorously and becomes much more open and flat topped with a long bole when mature. This was located in the formal Shakespeare garden in Platt Fields park. The male flowers are yellow and grow in clusters at the end of the previous years shoots. The female flowers at the tips of the new shoots.

It has needles in bunches of two up to 7cm long. The are usually twisted with a short point at the tip.

The branches are irregular and often have broken off, remaining, old branches lower down the bole.

The bark is a distinctive red or orange at the top of the bole and a more red or grey low down. The lower trunk is scaly whereas the top half is more papery.

Taxus baccata; Common Yew

This was found in the Shakespeare garden in Platt Fields park. They are broadly conical conifer with dense foliage. They can be in topiary. This is where it is clipped to form substantial, impenetrable and long lasting hedges like this one has, as it is a feature in this formal garden. They prefer more drier, lime-rich soils. Often planted in churchyards and some are found to be more than 1,000 years old. They are fairly resistant to harsh weather and atmospheric pollution in towns. Strong part of English history as the timber was used for making English Longbows.

The leaves are flattened, needle like and up to 4cm long and 3cm wide, narrowing to a sharp point.

The branches are level or ascending and have irregular, slightly pendulous twigs hanging from them.

Trunks of mature trees can be deeply twisted. The bark is reddish and peeling to expose a reddish brown underneath.

Fraxinus excelsior; Ash

A large deciduous tree with a straight trunk and a high, open, domed crown. They grow up to about 40m tall. It grows well in limestone uplands, but also thrives on heavy base-rich clays. Woodland trees have the best shape whereas in hedgerows seem to have stunted growth or are misshapen.

The branches are mostly ascending ending with flattened grey twigs tipped with sooty black buds at the tips. 

The leaves are pinnate and up to 35cm long with a flattened stem that may be hairy bearing 7-13 ovate-lanceolate and toothed leaflets, each up to about 12cm long. leaves are among the latest to open in spring of any native tree.

The bark is smooth and grey in younger trees but as it matures it gets vertical fissures and the true colour is normally obscured by large colonies of lichens.

Betula pendula; Silver Birch

This Silver Birch was found on the outskirts of a football pitch where a group of Silver Birch had grown close to each other and other trees. Often a slender, fast-growing deciduous tree with a narrow, tapering crown. As they get older they form a weeping habit especially if growing in a open, uncrowded situation. 

The leaves are up to 7cm long, triangular and pointed with large teeth separated by smaller teeth. Thin and smooth when mature.

The branches are ascending in young trees but twigs and shoots are pendulous, slender and smooth, mostly brown and pitted with many white resin glands.

The bark is a very pronounced silvery white colour but as the tree gets older it becomes deeply fissured and often flaking away from the trunk. A pattern of black diamonds is often seen on the trunks in older trees.

 

Quercus robur; English Oak

This Quercus was found along a pathway in Platt Fields and is a tall mature specimen.They can grow up to 36m tall. They prefer more heavier clay soils often found in woodlands especially in lowland areas as well as hilly areas. They are very old trees and live up to 700-800 years old. The branches often stick out at right angles and they often have dead branches on the top of the canopy.

 The leaves are deeply lobed and with two auricles at the base on very short stalks. The first set of leaves are normally eaten by insects and then the second load come through in about midsummer.

Male and female catkins are produced around the time the first set of leaves are coming in and the male ones die off after pollination by which time the leaves are fully open. Acorns then come through normally in groups of about 3.

The bark  is grey and gets thick and deeply fissured in mature trees.

Platanus x. Hispanica; the London Plane

They grow up to 44m tall. It is a cross between Oriental and American Planes. Often used in towns and cities such as London, hence the name, as it is very resistant to pollution due to the fact it has peeling bark. It is also very resilient to disease and a very strong sturdy tree. 

The leaves grow up to 24cm long and are mostly 5 lobed and palmate. The degree of lobing may differ greatly.

The buds are small dark coloured things that stick off the sticks. The flowers are up to 6cm long and are composed of 2-7 rounded, yellowish flower heads. They ripen into fruits that are 3cm and ball like that contain seeds.

The branches are often tangled and twisted.

The bark is greyish-brown and thin. It flakes away to leave yellowish circular patches. 

There was a large amount of Hedra helix creating ground cover at the base of this tree in All Saints park.

Hedera helix; Ivy

It is a climbing plant that can reach up to 30 meters tall. I found this ivy in Platt fields park and it has climbed up a fence and the surrounding trees as well as providing ground cover. 

It has aerial rootlets with matted pads that can stick strongly to help it grow upwards and stay attached to things.

The leaves grow to about 100mm long with a 20 mm petiole. They are alternate and cordate and slightly glossy. The fruit comes out in late winter and are purple, black colour and about 6-8mm in diameter. Birds often eat them as little other food is available in winter.

They are very shade tolerant but only stems in sunlight will produce fruit. The fruit has seeds inside which are then transported by birds.

These are the stems all crossing over forming ground cover. If a branch is broken off and placed somewhere else it can grow roots and continue growing separate to its main plant.