Koelreuteria paniculata

Pride of India

Koelreuteria paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. Common names include goldenrain tree, Pride of India, China tree, or varnish tree.

Cercis siliquastrum

Judas Tree

There is a long-standing myth that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a tree of this species. This belief is related to the common name "Judas tree", which is possibly a corrupted derivation from the French common name, Arbre de Judée, meaning tree of Judea, referring to the hilly regions of that country where the tree used to be common

Cercis siliquastrum is a bushy, deciduous small tree. Leaves to 10cm in width, broadly heart-shaped. Flowers rosy-pink, pea-shaped, in clusters on the older wood. Fruit a conspicuous flattened purplish pod to 12cm in length

Juglans nigra

Black Walnut

Black walnut gets its name from both its dark timber and dark brown to black bark. All walnut trees (Juglans species) produce edible seeds (known commonly as nuts), but those of black walnut are notoriously difficult to extract from their husks; it is the common walnut, Juglans regia, that is cultivated commercially for its nuts.

Black walnut is allelopathic which means that it releases chemicals from roots and other tissues which harm other organisms and give the tree a competitive advantage; this is often undesirable as it can harm garden plants and grasses.

Black walnut is an important tree commercially, as the wood is a deep brown color and easily worked. The fruits, walnuts, are cultivated for their distinctive and desirable taste. Often, trees are grown for both lumber and walnuts simultaneously and many cultivars have been developed for improved quality nuts or wood. Black walnut is currently under pressure from the thousand cankers disease which is causing decline of walnuts in some areas.