Eastern Pennsylvania Flowering Trees
- Eastern redbud is a flowering tree often planted in eastern Pennsylvania.redbud branch image by Carbonbrain from Fotolia.com
The Pocono Mountains and deep valleys of eastern Pennsylvania provide the ideal habitat for a large number of flowering hardwood trees. Unlike evergreens, such as pines or hemlocks, which are classified as gymnosperms and do not produce true flowers, all hardwood trees do. In the springtime, as you drive or travel across eastern Pennsylvania, you will likely encounter the blossoms of trees such as black locust, horse chestnut or red maple. - Black locust, (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a native flowering hardwood tree which grows across most of North America. Sometimes called false acacia, the drooping clusters of creamy-white flowers have a heady fragrance reminiscent of orange blossoms. The honey from black locust is very light in color and extremely sweet. A mature specimen can easily reach a height of 80 feet. Black locust is a fast growing species that will thrive in sandy or rocky soils, as well as moist loams, making it an ideal candidate for the many soil types found in eastern Pennsylvania.
- The small reddish male and female blossoms of the red maple (Acer rubrum) appear on the bare twigs and branches of this hardwood before the tree leafs out in the mid-spring. Red maples grow across all of eastern North America. Like the black locust, the red maple is a native American species that also grows well in a wide variety of soil types. In addition to its red springtime flowers, a red maple is an excellent shade tree, too. A mature specimen will sometimes grow as tall as 90 feet.
- There is no mistaking the erect-standing flower stalks of the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). Every stalk is composed of 20 to 40 individual florets, each sporting a yellow or pinkish center. Horse chestnuts prefer growing in moist rich soils. Frequently planted as both street trees and shade trees, horse chestnuts are a common sight across much of the northeastern United States. After the blossoms are pollinated, each will form a spiny burr containing one or two shiny brown seeds. The horse chestnut is a member of the buckeye family and usually reaches a mature height of about 60 feet.
- Few flowering trees possess the eye-catching appeal of the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). While much smaller when compared to a horse chestnut or black locust, what the tree lacks in height, it more than compensates for with its lavish display of pinkish-purple flowers. Eastern redbud, sometimes called the "Judas tree," grows across the entire eastern half of the U.S. A mature specimen will sometimes achieve a maximum height of about 40 feet. Like the red maple, the trees also produce their flowers before leafing out.
