Populus nigra - Black poplar

Populus nigra - Black poplar

I found Populus nigra in Longford park, this specimen is better known as populus nigra var italica - lombardy poplar. It has a defined outline and grows upright like a tower. It is always male and makes good windbreakers.

Deeply rigid bark with protruding bosses.

The leaves sprout as bright green glossy diamond shapes but becomes heart shaped later on.

They grow on long tough stalks.

Tilia x europea - Common Lime

Tilia x europea - Common Lime

I found the common lime in longford park, its capable of reaching heights of 25 meters. It is a hybrid tree crossed small leaved and large leaved limes.

Bosses appear on the trunk.

Long ridges and cracks appear as it turns into adulthood.

The leaves grow from 6-10 cm long with whitish hairs underneath.

Fruits emerge as small bead like pods that grow in clusters of 4.

Acer pseudoplatanus - Sycamore

Acer pseudoplatanus - Sycamore

Sycamore is a common maple in Britain. It form a humungous dome. I found this example in Longford park.

The leaves grow up to 15cm and turn dark green after Spring.

The starts smooth and grey but becomes cracked and flakey when mature.

Tall robust trunk.

Flowers hang in long clusters and start to appear in April.

Buxus sempervirens - Box

Buxus sempervirens - Box

Box is a familiar garden hedge plant and is commonly used in Royal gardens. Normally grows as a bush but can be found as a tree which can reach 6-10 meters. It is native throughout Europe.

When mature the bark is brown and cracked.

It has glossy dark evergreen leaves that grow opposite each other on a squarish stem, they are usually curled and roll under.

Prunus spinosa - Blackthorn

Prunus spinosa - Blackthorn

Blackthorn rarely forms a tree and is more common in a hawthorn hedge, native to Europe. It prefers any type of soil apart from wet, acidic soils.

The leaves are small, about 1-2 inches long, they are oval shaped and have very fine toothed edges.

Known for its dark thorny shoots.

Small irregular stump of a trunk.

The flowers burst into life during Spring, this year they are taking a little while longer to emerge.

Sambucus nigra - Elder

Sambucus nigra - Elder

A shrub or a small tree reaching heights of 10 meters. Elder grows on acidic soil and at a rapid rate, it is common throughout Europe.

Mature trunks are brown, on younger ones it has a creamy grey colour with well marked pores.

The wood is soft, piffy and white inside the twigs

Typically pinnate leaves, often 2-3 pairs of leaflets and grow opposite each other on either side of the stem.

Oval shaped, sometimes rounder and has toothed edges

The flowers are minuscule and appear in June, they give rather off-putting smells.

Acer campestre - Field Maple

Acer campestre - Field Maple

The Field maple grows to 10-15 meters high and can be grown as a hedgerow shrub. I found this example in mersey valley in a wood.

Stems are red.

The leaf are lobed similar to a sycamores but much more rounder, they have a distinctly darker green colour and will get darker as it continues to grow.

The bark is fissured and grey-brown when mature although this is a young specimen you can point out where the fissures will break.

The twigs are grey and when they are young they are slightly hairy.

Prunus avium - Wild Cherry

Prunus avium - Wild Cherry

 Wild cherry or gean grows throughout Europe reaching heights of 20 meters. Naturally it can be spotted growing in beech woods.

Cylindrical trunk, shiny, purple-grey with a bumpy texture, grows in rings and is stripped horizontally.

Flowers grow on long stalks, are cup shaped and bloom in small clusters. The blossoming starts in April.

 Flowers still in a bud shape burst through into life.

 The leaves appear in April roughly at the same time as the flowers, they start off with a bronze colour eventually turning green and hang from their base, they are simple entire leaves with a pointy tip and toothed edges.

Branches are curved and knobbly.