Tree of the Week: Chittamwood (Bumelia lanuginosa)

Our litterbug tree of the week is the chittamwood (Bumelia lanuginosa). The fruits of this individual are littering the sidewalk this week.

 

There are two chittamwood trees in the arboretum catalogue, but only one grows next to a sidewalk. You can see summer-time photos of this tree and read about its history on a previous blog post, found here. This specimen is located near the Fitness Center, growing diagonally from another litterbug, a Nuttall oak, which is also dropping its fruits this week. Two peas in a pod, I suppose; at least they can compete with each other.

The small, round, black fruits are numerous this year. When squashed, they temporarily stain the sidewalk. Some might find this to be a nuisance.

 

The diameter of each fruit is more than a quarter of an inch. This measurement differs significantly from the description found in the Texas A&M horticulture catalogue. According to Texas A&M, the chittamwood trees in Texas produce "one-inch-long, oval, blue-black berries" (Aggie Horticulture).

There are still plenty of fruits on the branches! The online literature claims that wildlife (squirrels) enjoy these fruits. This helps explain the volunteer seedlings found throughout the arboretum.