Tatton Tree Trail:       7th August 2010       Leader:  Peter Gateley

After a wait in the car park and the stableyard for possible late-comers a select band of seven set off towards the gardens but not before looking at the specimens of castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis) used as centre-pieces for large planted tubs. This plant from the Mediterranean is the source not only of castor oil but also the deadly poison, ricin. Although superficially similar to the false castor-oil plant, (Fatsia japonica), it is not closely related to the ivies but in a family and genus of its own.

Once we all had our tickets for the gardens we walked through the pergola to a large square lawned area, on the right as a fine specimen of black walnut (Juglans nigra). The eastern black walnut can grow up to 40m and produces edible nuts, much used as food. Its long compound leaves are fairly unusual, generally lacking a terminal leaflet.

In the central bed is a small specimen of, the rice-paper plant (Tetrapanax papyrifer). This is a large shrub capable of growing to 10m height in favourable circumstances. Edible rice paper is made from the pith of this plant; paper is also made from rice starch but that paper is not edible, generally used for Chinese paintings.

Opposite the walnut is a specimen of Chinese spruce, (Picea likiangensis), also known as Lijian Spruce, a tree of high mountainous areas of China and Bhutan. It was first collected and brought to Europe by E. H. (or Chinese) Wilson.

Passing a tall screen of eccentrically clipped yews we arrived at a handsome grove of dawn redwood, (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), a deciduous conifer, with very neat ferny foliage with opposite leaflets of equal length. This tree was unknown to western science or horticulture until 1944, but three other members of this genus had previously been known from their fossilised remains, resulting in the name dawn redwood, considered as being from the dawn of time. Like other redwoods, this is a big tree, growing up to over 60m in height.

Through the redwood grove we came to elegant small trees of the Turkish hazel, (Corylus colurna), from south-eastern Europe and south-western Asia. It is the largest of the hazels and can grow up to 35m in height. It makes a good urban tree, thriving in less than ideal conditions. The nuts are edible but smaller than common hazel and thick shelled, so not a viable commercial proposition.

Next we looked at a range of exotic conifers, including, western hemlock, (Tsuga heterophylla), native to the west coast of North America (Alaska to northern California). It is a large tree, up to 70m, and has distinctive drooping tips to the branches and a dense cover of small flattened leaves. The leaves are dark green above with two white lines of stomata below. The leaves are irregular in length (heterophyllous) and we observed the distinctive occasional up-side-down one or two on each stem.

We passed Japanese redwood (Cryptomeria japonica), which is in fact found widely through eastern Asia. Large globular spiny cones were seen at the tips of branches. Next we studied a fir, the Korean fir (Abies koreana), with distinctive, upward pointing, dark blue cones. Unlike the spruce seen earlier it has no pegs at base of leaves, there is a slight scar but not a distinct peg. This is a small conifer, generally only reaching around 18m. Unlike spruces and pines, fir cones disintegrate to release the seeds.

We then looked at another hemlock, the mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana). It has a similar geographical range to western hemlock but thrives at higher altitudes here. The leaves are much more uniform in size than western hemlock, but are arranged more untidily on the branches, all around the twigs rather than in ranks.

To the left of this is an eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), native to the eastern side of North America. This tree has ranked leaves, but of more-or-less equal size and with smaller up-side-down leaflets along the centres of the stems. This is a long lived tree, over 500 years, but relatively low growing, usually reaching only about 35m.

We then found another deciduous conifer, the odd-looking golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis). It is not really closely related to the true larches, but has some similarities, including annual leaf loss, its name coming from the bright yellow coloration the leaves take on before falling. It can grow to 40m in its native China.

After passing the Japanese garden we crossed a bridge to fine specimen of swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum). This is another deciduous conifer (hence its alternative name of bald cypress) and it is native to wetter parts of south-eastern USA. A distinctive feature of specimens growing in wet areas is the production of ‘knees’ once thought to act as pneumatophores. The leaves are much less neatly arranged than in dawn redwood, leaflets are more variable in length and less consistently opposite.

Back to the Broad Walk we headed towards the monument and down path on the left by the large Turkey oak (Quercus cerris). There is a fine large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos) on the right-hand side. Unlike common lime this seldom has sprouts from the base of the trunk and we admired the ribbed and downy fruits.

We passed a huge American red oak (Quercus rubra) on our way to a specimen of the sapphire berry (Symplocos paniculata), from Japan and Korea. When fully ripe the fruit turns a metallic blue, but the green berries had only a hint of blue at their tips when we saw them. Maria Knowles reported that they had turned a more complete blue about a month later

A favourite of most of the members was the prickly castor-oil tree (Kalopanax septemlobum), like the rice-paper plant, this is related to ivy, but not to the true castor oil plant! The large panicles of flowers were very ivy-like and the lovely palmate leaves were mainly seven-lobed. The strong spines along the twigs, branches and even the main trunk make this quite an unusual tree, not conducive to climbing! !t comes from north-eastern Asia where it can grow up to 30m tall.

Passing out of the arboretum and across the lawns back to the stableyard we passed some specimens of silver lime (Tilia tormentosa) with some late flowers beautifully scenting a wide area around them.

We thoroughly enjoyed the wide range of trees to be seen at Tatton, that we saw so many was thanks to the time taken by Maria Knowles visiting the site beforehand with our leader for the day and pointing out (and identifying) all the prime specimens.

In the stables yard	Dawn Redwood	Dawn Redwood	Dawn Redwood	Golden Larch

Kalopanax septemlobum	Kalopanax septemlobum	Korean Fir cones	Mountain Hemlock	Rice-paper plant

Silver Lime	Swamp Cypress knees	Turkish Hazel