The Arboretum
The Arboretum > Gardens and Plants
state champions
Historic Native Trees
Painter Plants
Painter Plants
In March of 1681, just 17 days after King Charles II gave William Penn his colony, Quaker Thomas Minshall purchased a sizeable tract of land from Penn. One hundred and fifty years later, Thomas Minshall’s sixth-generation descendants, Minshall and Jacob Painter, began systematically planting trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants on their ancestral farm, sowing the seeds for what was to become Tyler Arboretum.
At one time, the Painter brothers’ collection of plants numbered more than 1,100 specimens, planted in tidy rows that radiated out from the farmhouse. Today, 20 of these Painter Plants are alive, five of which are state champions. Additionally, five native trees from the Painter brothers’ era or earlier survive.
Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani)
State Champion
When young, cedar of Lebanon trees have an upright pyramidal shape, but this magnificent specimen exhibits the typical mature form with a flat top and broadly spreading branches that create a uniquely spherical outline. Evidence remains of the large branch lost in a 2001 ice storm. Metal cables between branches provide support for the heavy branches.
Leatherleaft Mahonia (Mahonia bealei)
The coarse evergreen foliage of this shrub creates bold textural interest in the garden. Racemes of small, fragrant yellow flowers appear in very early spring and are followed by blue to black grape-like fruit clusters that ripen in summer. Tyler’s large specimen probably grew from an original plant whose low branches formed roots and new shoots as they lay on the soil downhill.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
The ginkgo is the world's oldest living species of tree whose fossil records date back 150 million years when dinosaurs roamed the earth. This multi-trunked specimen has a massive trunk, measuring just over 21 feet in circumference. The fan-shaped leaves turn bright yellow in the fall and often seemingly drop overnight when temperatures dip below freezing. Female trees produce seeds with a foul-smelling fleshy seed coat; luckily the Painter brothers planted a male.
Yulan Magnolia (Magnolia denudata)
State Champion
Native to central and eastern China, the Yulan magnolia has been cultivated in Buddhist temple gardens since 600 AD. It is one of the parents of the more common pink saucer magnolia. The beautiful white fragrant flowers emerge in April and are often at risk of browning from late spring frosts. Note the tree’s hollow trunk, which can provide shelter for wildlife.
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
A native tree found in the northeastern deciduous forests, the sugar maple is prized for its sweet sap, which can be collected in February and March for maple sugar production. Birds, insects, and mammals also enjoy the nutritious sap that drips from broken branches. Sugar maples are famed for their brilliant yellow, orange, and red autumn color.
Cucumbertree Magnolia (Manolia acuminata)
Magnolias are members of one of the most ancient groups of flowering plants, going back 70 million years. This species is the tallest of our native deciduous magnolias, reaching up to 80 feet. In summer or fall, look for cylindrical, bumpy fruit pods at the end of the branches; when green, they resemble small cucumbers, for which the tree is named.
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Historic Native Tree
As signs of decline became apparent, this tree was severely cut back to encourage new growth that could be used for propagation. (A small red maple nearby is one of the products of that effort.) Fungus and insects are contributing to the decay of this historic specimen, returning the nutrients of the tree back to the earth. Tiny red flowers still emerge in very early spring, and fall brings the bright red foliage, for which the tree is named.
Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera)
Blown down by Hurricane Hazel in 1954, the fallen osage-orange is the one tree at the Arboretum that visitors are permitted to climb. Because the hard wood contains a naturally-occurring chemical that is toxic to fungi, it has resisted decay. Native to the Ozark Mountains, the resilient wood was used by the Osage Indians to make bows. Female trees bear a yellow-green fruit that resembles a large bumpy orange, for which the tree is named.
Bald-cypress (Taxodium distichum)
If you are looking up at this tree in the winter, you will see bare branches; at other times, you will observe soft feathery needles. This is one of a handful of conifers that sheds their leaves in the fall. Native to southern wetlands, it thrives in moist areas and standing water.
River Birch (Betula nigra)
Our native river birch thrives in moist, boggy soil, but will also grow well in average conditions. its shaggy, exfoliating bark becomes darker and more deeply furrowed with advanced age; when young, it often reveals creamy pink and salmon hues.
Switchcane Bamboo (Arundinaria gigantea ssp. tecta)
This is the only bamboo native to the U.S. It once covered thousands of acres of southeastern bottomlands. Farms have replaced these canebrakes and switchcane is now considerably diminished in the wild. The subspecies tecta is a shorter form, growing only six to eight feet.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
The sweetgum has been valued since pioneer days when people would peel the bark and scrape off the resin-like solid to produce chewing gum and medicine. Its five-pointed star-shaped leaves are fragrant when crushed. In fall, they turn yellow, orange, red, and purple.
Bald-cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Tyler’s second historic bald-cypress, growing much closer to the water, is surrounded by the characteristic knarled woody “knees” that sprout up from the roots. These knees can grow up to five feet in height, but do not appear until a tree is at least 50 years old. Scientists are not sure of their purpose, but believe the knees may help stabilize the trees in the boggy soil they prefer.
Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
These deciduous shrubs attract hummingbirds and butterflies to spiky, white, bottlebrush-like flower plumes that bloom in summer. Bottlebrush buckeyes are clonal – spreading from underground root suckers. This massive colony started from two shrubs planted by the Painter brothers.
Common Pear (Pyrus communis)
This pear was one of the first trees planted by the Painter brothers along the fence line of their new arboretum. Over time it has grown quite tall as it competed with surrounding trees for light. It flowers in spring and continues to produces small two-inch pears.
American Linden (Tilia americana)
The American linden is a medium to large tree native to northeastern North America. In summer, it produces an abundance of sweetly-fragrant, nectar-rich flowers from which a valuable honey is made. Also known as basswood, it is highly valued by woodcarvers for its light and easily-worked wood.
Fraser Magnolia (Magnolia fraseri)
The fraser magnolia, native to the cool, moist valleys of the southern Appalachian region, was discovered by John Bartram in 1775. Creamy white flowers emerge in May. A sprout of the original Painter Plant, this tree first flowered in 1976.
Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava)
Like the bottlebrush buckeye, this native tree produces leaves composed of five segments. In May, it produces tall panicles of yellow flowers. Contained within smooth husks, the seeds resemble a buck’s eye.
Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Historic Native Tree
A common native of our woodlands, tuliptrees acquired their name from their early spring flowers, which resemble tulips. They are one of the fastest growing and tallest hardwoods, often reaching heights well over 100 feet. Despite being struck by lightening in 1990, this specimen continues to thrive. The trunk diameter is just over 5 feet.
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
State Champion
While sequoias are known for their massive, straight trunks, the uncharacteristic double trunk in the upper portion of Tyler’s specimen is the result of a Christmas tree thief who topped the sequoia in 1895, 39 years after it was planted. Native to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, sequoias can grow up to 300 feet.
White Oaks (Quercus alba)
Historic Native Trees
This pair of white oaks illustrates the characteristic massive, wide-reaching form of specimens grown in open conditions. Rarely found in nurseries, white oaks are easy to grow from planted acorns. The diameter of the larger tree is over five feet.
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)
Historic Native Tree
Native to the eastern U.S., the swamp white oak thrives in lowlands. The leaves are green above and whitish below with rounded tips like the white oak. This specimen has large roots angling back to hold the tree to the stream bank.
Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra spp. laricio)
State Champion
This spectacular specimen is a subspecies of the Austrian pine. Its telephone pole-like straightness and two-toned bark make it a striking tree. Native to eastern Europe, Corsican pines are fast growing and can grow up to 100 feet. Subject to disease and other pests, the age of this specimen far surpasses expectations.
River Birch (Betula nigra)
Often multi-trunked, river birch is attractive in the landscape with its unusual peeling bark. As Tyler’s specimen illustrates, they are large trees at maturity, growing up to 90 feet. The holes and hollows of this specimen provide shelter for squirrels, owls, and raccoons.
Oriental Spruce (Picea orientalis)
State Champion
Native to Asia Minor, the Oriental spruce has the shortest needles of all the spruces. Unlike other spruce grown in our area, the Oriental spruce is trouble free and has a narrow upright form, making it a good choice for smaller landscapes. Tyler’s specimen measures over 100 feet tall.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
The sweetgum, native to moist floodplains, is a relative of the witchhazel. It is well known for its infamous spiny “gumballs,” or syncarps, which contain tiny seeds. The fruit remains on the tree over a long period, providing easy winter identification and an important food source for chickadees and other birds.
