This fantasy Firmiana sets the mood for some very interesting Starhill Forest cultivars to follow . . .
The creamy white bark of our selection of Platanus xacerifolia (syn. P. ×hispanica) 'Old Bones'
'Old Bones' retains its bone-white bark clear to the ground
The ortet of 'Old Bones', seen here at the head of a row planted with typical Platanus xacerifolia
The Cannonball Tree - A thornless female cultivar of Maclura pomifera (Osage-orange) selected at Starhill Forest
'Cannonball' Osage-Orange, showing the nice form of this selection
The picturesque, horizontally layered form of the original ortet tree of Maclura pomifera 'Cannonball' highlighted by snow
'Cannonball' Osage-orange fruit at right, weighing 3 pounds (1.35KG)each -- normal Osage-orange fruit at left -- and a jonathan apple at center (for scale)
"Beta", a large, mostly thornless male Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera) with erect, elm-like habit, is one of our last trees to break dormancy here each spring, allowing ample sunlight to warm our home during the cool weather
"Beta", a nearly thornless, upright male Maclura tree that shades our home
Maclura pomifera "Beta" showing its fall color next to the library
Belgian nurseryman Dirk Benoit with a graft of our oak selection Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid' -- Dirk is the primary wholesale source in Europe for Starhill Forest cultivars
'New Madrid' is our northern-hardy selection of Nuttall's oak (Quercus nuttallii - syn. Q. texana) with leaves that open deep purple in Spring (seen here) and turn brilliant red in fall.
The colorful spring foliage of our oak seedling selection Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid' remains purple from budbreak early in April until the end of May, then turns dark green in summer and brilliant scarlet in autumn
A young specimen of Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid' in our nursery shows its spring foliage, still colorful at the end of May
Backlit spring foliage of our oak seedling selection Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid'
Fall color on Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid
More fall color on Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid
A young sapling of Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid' in the south oak area, still holding color in November
Propagation of Quercus nuttallii (syn. Q. texana) 'New Madrid' showing various grow stages (new growth is red, eventually maturing to green in June)
The original (ortet) tree of Quercus velutina 'OakRidge walker', our cutleaf black oak selection from Sangamon County, Illinois is now being propagated in Europe
The ortet tree of Quercus velutina 'OakRidge Walker' showing fall color
Deeply dissected foliage of Quercus velutina 'OakRidge Walker'
Spring foliage of a grafted tree of Quercus velutina 'OakRidge Walker'
Our vigorous selection of Syringa pekinensis (selected for form and bark from a batch of superior seed-grown plants), not yet named, growing here among Forsythia x intermedia
A small graft of Quercus xdeamii 'Champion Seedless', our new SEEDLESS oak cultivar!
The great trunk of the National Champion Quercus xdeamii, progenitor of our seedless cultivar 'Champion Seedless' oak
A foliage and flower detail from the ortet of 'Champion Seedless' Deam oak
Quercus macrocarpa 'Rough Rider' is a vigorous, straight-trunked bur oak with the heavy, corky bark more typically seen on some stunted specimens
The perfect, excurrent form of 'Rough Rider' bur oak shows in winter
The appealing bark of Quercus macrocarpa 'Rough Rider', which originated from seed here at Starhill Forest
Quercus macrocarpa 'Rough Rider' bark detail
The corky twigs on Quercus macrocarpa 'Rough Rider' are highly resistant to damage from the periodical cicadas that rip so many other trees
Two white oak cultivars selected by Guy & Edie, now being grown in Europe
Quercus alba 'Gatton Grave' has deep, forked lobes
A group from the Illinois Native Plant Society inspecting the ortet tree of Quercus alba 'Gatton Grave'
Collecting scionwood from the ortet tree of Quercus alba 'Gatton Grave' -- the large, deeply dissected leaves can be seen at left
The deeply linear-lobed, blue-tinted foliage of Quercus alba 'Lincoln', a cultivar we gave to our old friend Dick van Hoey Smith for naming and introduction in Europe.
Another beautiful laceleaf selection of white oak (Quercus alba) showing forked, nearrow lobes, from the old slave cemetery at Brush Creek Church near Monroe City, Missouri
The ortet tree of Quercus alba 'Brush Creek'
Fallen leaves of Brush Creek display their deeply cut outline over snow
Picturesque habit of Quercus alba 'Brush Creek'
One of our Larix laricina trees develops rich purple cones -- we may try to work with a nursery to propagate this ornamental tree
Aesculus glabra 'April Wine' originated here as a spontaneous seedling with purple foliage in spring that changes to normal green in summer. We are watching this buckeye selection to see if it will maintain this tendency as it matures
The early spring foliage of Aesculus glabra 'April Wine'
Q xreifii var. warei 'Windcandle' - One of several new oak cultivars being introduced by Starhill Forest
The sinuous growth form of Quercus xreifii var. warei 'Windcandle' is visible in this early spring view
Three fastigiate oaks -- Quercus robur 'Fastigiata' at left-center (grown from the giant tree at Castle Dave, Belgium); Quercus xreifii var. warei 'Regal Prince' at center background (one of Earl Cully's selections); and one of our own cultivars, Quercus xreifii var. warei 'Windcandle' (showing fall color) at right
Our hybrid oak selection Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire' showing its colors in early spring
Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire' is an unusual fastigiate hybrid oak selection that gives colorful spring foliage (shown here) and some fall color as well
The colorful spring foliage of our hybrid oak selection Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire'
Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire' changing to green at the end of May -- just the growing tips remain red
The red tips of Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire' continue as long as the tree is actively growing
Backlit spring foliage of Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire'
Quercus xreilff var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire' showing late fall color in 2007, generally a poor color year for most other trees due to summer stress
Quercus xreifii var. xwarei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire' in the car headlights at dusk in late November
Typical fall color on Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire'
Fall color detail on Quercus xreifii var. warei × Q. alba 'Chimney Fire'
Chimney Fire oak is strongly marcescent (as shown in this late-March photo) and provides screening and wildlife cover all winter
Quercus xreifii var. warei x Q. alba 'Birthday Candle' -- one of the fastigiate oaks in our collection with notable form and fall color
Another view of the same Quercus xreifii var. warei x Q. alba 'Birthday Candle' specimen
The marcescent Quercus xreifii var. warei x Q. alba 'Birthday Candle' still holding every leaf, with a remaining warm hint of color, in late February
Birthday Candle oak is strongly marcescent (as shown in this late-March photo) and provides screening and wildlife cover all winter
Four fastigiate oaks: Quercus xreifii var. warei x Q. alba 'Birthday Candle' (left), coloring late in the season, with Q. xreifii var. warei 'Windcandle' at center after its fall color has faded -- Q. xreifii var. warei 'Regal Prince' (smaller tree to right of 'Windcandle') has nice summer foliage but develops no significant fall color, and the pistillate parent Q. robur 'Fastigiata' at right rear is still green
A seven-year growth series for the Taco Oak (Quercus xbebbiana 'Taco'), a vigorous hybrid oak cultivar being introduced into cultivation (initially in Germany and Belgium). Use the light pole at the right of each image to compare scale
Update -- the Taco oak in June, 2004 -- find the light pole!
'Taco II', an F2 selection from the original Taco Oak which shows more promising fall color. We are watching this tree to see if it will perform as well as its parent
Fall color on a Quercus xsaulii 'Montalba' (montana x alba), a hybrid oak with excellent form and long-lasting color
Quercus xsaulii 'Montalba' was our first F1 hybrid oak cultivar selection – as someone with a similar sounding name might say, it looks marvelous!
We selected this unnamed goldenrain (Koelreuteria paniculata) in the 1960s for its compact growth habit and dense flower clusters
Our Koelreuteria paniculata in fall, showing its compact form and fall color
Ripening fruit pods in late summer on the Koelreuteria paniculata
'Prince of Darkness', our selection of a deep purple F1 back-cross hybrid beech that combines the very darkest of spring and summer foliage with the resiliency imparted by Asian beech (Fagus xmoesiaca x F. sylvatica 'Atropurpurea')
The young ortet tree of 'Prince of Darkness' seen in late May
Prince of Darkness turns from purple to dark green in late summer, then to a bronze fall color, just beginning here
Fall color on Prince of Darkness hybrid beech
'Pathfinder', the last surviving Trail Tree in Illinois (dated to 1730) the year it fell – we grafted it from fallen twigs that spring. Grow this Quercus alba in homage to arboreal and Amer-Indian history
The ortet tree of our exciting newest selection, Quercus macrocarpa 'Big John', shows its fastigiate form. We believe this is a sterile (seedless) tree and we will be watching it for confirmation of this.
Quercus macrocarpa 'Big John' in summer foliage.
'Lincoln Trail', a nicely formed compact female mulberry (Morus alba) we're watching as a possible introduction - the tree is only about 12 feet tall and fruits minimally.
The same mulberry in summer as seen from the other side.
Our dwarf selection Pinus strobus 'Phoenix' originated from a broom at the top of a white pine purchased from Phoenix Nursery in Bloomington, Illinois during the Civil War and planted near what would become Lincoln's Tomb. The broom began to form following a lightning strike, thus it seemed to arise from fire. The original broom was broken out by a tornado shortly after we obtained scionwwood.
Starhill Forest Arboretum Manager Alana McKean with Pinus strobus 'Phoenix', our broom selection from a historic tree near Lincoln's Tomb.
A close view showing the dwarfing lammas growth pattern and miniature cones and needles of Phoenix pine.
F1 Quercus petraea 'Muscoviensis' x Q. robur 'Fastigiata' with erect form and bright red new growth tips - we have this one on our watch list
A close view of Quercus petraea 'Muscoviensis' x Q. robur 'Fastigiata' beginning a second growth flush in June
Brilliant fall color on a spontaneous F1 hybrid of Quercus nigra (Female parent) × Q. coccinea, grown from seed collected from the Kentucky champion Q. nigra tree - we are naming this selection 'Fire Water'. The fast-growing tree colors late and lasts long, as would be expected from its parentage
A close view of the vibrant, glossy foliage of 'Fire Water'
A new selection of Acer miyabei we are naming 'Butterball'-- very compact growth with brilliant, dependable autumn color
The same Acer miyabei 'Butterball' late in the fall season
View up into the crown of Acer miyabei 'Butterball'
