Last week I introduced some of the common larger trees that you would be likely to see around Langford. So this week, in the second part of the winter tree and shrub ID blog, we will look at the smaller trees and shrubs that grow on site.
So what is the difference between a tree and a shrub I hear you ask? Generally, a tree has usually only one leading trunk from which all other smaller branches originate (of course there are exceptions due to, for example, past management such as coppicing, which will produce multiple stems, but these will still be from one original trunk). A shrub however, usually grows naturally with multiple stems coming up from the base of the plant.
One of my favorite small trees that can be found on the woodland edge and public footpath is the field maple, or Acer campestre. It has little chestnut brown/red buds, paired at the ends of the twigs and lightly fissured bark. It grows to around 25m and produces pairs of ‘keys’ much like the sycamore (to which it is related), except the field maple’s keys form a straight line, instead of being at right angles as in the sycamore.
Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, is perhaps the most common tree you will see in hedgerows. As it is usually kept under management, it is unusual to see this species grow to it’s full height of 15m. The buds form as singles and are quite a bright red colour, with lightly fissured bark and characteristic spines.
Like the hawthorn, the hazel, or Corylus avellana, has too been subject to much management, especially in the past as coppice wood. It is a small tree, growing only to around 6m. It has large chestnut buds, growing singly and a rather smooth or very lightly roughened bark. Look for the catkins on the winter twigs that enlarge in spring before the leaf buds break.
One of our more colourful shrubs, dogwood, or Cornus sanguinea, can be found along the public footpath. The young growth twigs on this species are bright red, an excellent diagnostic feature in the winter months. The buds are long and pointed and are rather flattened against the twigs and are dark brown in colour. It can grow up to 4m.
Perhaps the most common shrub you will see at Langford is blackthorn, Prunus spinosa. The buds are small and dark brown/reddish coloured, the bark is smooth to slightly roughened as it ages and the spines are long (longer than hawthorn). It characteristically grows as a shrub with multiple stems emanating from ground level. It grows to 4m and produces suckers, which can be seen as smaller, younger shrubs growing around the parent plant.
And finally (another of my favorites!), the guelder rose, or Viburnum opulus. Not a rose, as it’s name suggests, but a member of the honeysuckle family. The buds are paired along the twigs and are a rich chestnut/red in colour, whilst the bark is smooth or lightly roughened. It grows to 4m and is usually multi-stemmed and rather spreading. Look for it on the woodland edge.
And just to prove that there are some easier trees to ID in the winter – here is a large holly, or Ilex aquifolium tree growing on the edge of the woodland, near the corner with Cottage Lane.