You are hereby cordially invited to an informal, but important, ceremony: the induction of two volunteers to the arboretum catalogue. Join us, won't you?
These smooth sumacs (
Rhus glabra) are growing near the long-established clump of sumac on the slope near Mickle Hall. Based on their vigorous growth and the locations of the young trees, we presume that they are shoots from the root system of the established plants. During the past two months, several sumac shoots have popped up in this area. The stunning fall foliage of this species makes it a desirable plant, so these specimens have been encouraged. Out of the half-dozen independent volunteers, the two individuals pictured below were selected primarily for their location: they are far enough away from the other trees to prevent over-crowding.
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| This hill slopes down from Mickle Hall. Hunter's Tree (red maple) and memorial bench are pictured center. The modest thicket of smooth sumacs is pictured behind and to the left of the bench. One smooth sumac volunteer is pictured on the far left of the frame, and the other volunteer is pictured on the far right. In a couple of years, this spot in the arboretum should give us an impressive show of red fall foliage. |
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| This grouping of smooth sumacs was discussed last fall on the blog. Check out the post here. |
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| There are more than 10 smooth sumac shoots in this clump. Most of the shoots are spindly and leaning, perhaps due to over-crowding and competition. |
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| This volunteer was staked two months ago. It has survived the mowers, trimmers and dry summer weather. |
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| The compound leaves are numerous. |
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| The central trunk of this small, new tree is already more than a foot tall. |
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| Our second volunteer is about a month old. It was staked two weeks ago. In years to come, we expect this little tree to help shade the sidewalk that runs down from Mickle Hall. |
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| The little tree measures about a foot tall. |
