Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Semi-deciduous?

Decidious leaves remaining in winter on Sawtooth Oak














You've got your semi-evergreens and your semi-hardies, your tender perennials that everyone grows as annuals, but I've never heard the term semi-deciduous to describe a tree that hangs on to its leaves once fall has passed. It could fit some oaks quite well. I'm not sure what species the tree I passed on Eastern Parkway and pictured above is, but when I saw the tan leaves still hanging on the tree after our recent snowstorm, I thought it could be some kind of oak. The English Oak at Brooklyn Botanic remained one of the last green deciduous trees this fall and I can't imagine it's completely bare now. I know the leaves pictured above don't look much like many other oaks, but the species has a lot of variety. My guess is it's a Sawtooth Oak, but that's just a stab in the dark based on the spiky edges of the leaves and their persistance in winter. My mission in 2011: to see when these stubborn leaves finally give up the ghost and figure out what this tree I pass all the time is. One thing's for certain. I got further down the street faster before I started gardening.

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