Three bois d'arc trees were planted on campus today. All are about a year old, and the tallest is approximately a
foot high. You can read about the earlier stage of this project here, where we describe the collection and germination process.
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| We have three pots of bois d'arc (Maclura pomifera). Each pot has one main sapling, and there are several smaller saplings in each pot that will need to be trimmed back routinely until their roots die. We had such a high germination rate that we are now having to cut back seedlings that we do not have space for. |
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| Our tallest sapling measures a foot high. |
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| We already see new leaves on these young trees. You can also see a couple of thorns along the stem. |
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| We planted all three trees on the slope between the Student Union
Building and Rotary Hall. They were sited along the southern side of the
drainage channel. There is typically a small amount of water
in this channel, year-round, so we are confident that the bois d'arc
trees will find this to be one of the likeliest locations in the
arboretum for their future success. Naturally, they will require
frequent supplemental watering during their first summer, as they are
not yet established. |
A cottonwood (Populus deltoides) has thrived nearby. These trees ought to be great friends and get along
splendidly, but there is surprisingly very little reference on the
internet to them growing together. This must be due to the restricted
natural range of the bois d'arc, which historically prevented it from
colonizing all those areas suited to it. Self-described "desert rat"
Gary Nored mentions on his blog that creekbeds in west Texas, along the US-Mexico border, are habitats
for cottonwood and bois d'arc. Locally, we see mature bois d'arc and cottonwood growing together along the Clyde Fant Parkway. So, our bois d'arc saplings ought to do just fine.
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| In
this photo, we are looking down the same slope, into the arboretum. A
cottonwood is pictured at the far right edge of the frame. Our saplings are
already planted, but they do not stand out in the landscape because of
their small size. However, they are carefully marked with protective
posts, and they will most likely grow quickly, making themselves more
conspicuous. |
