Hickory, red maple and blackgum put on a color show in Leon County
Nothing signals the arrival of autumn more than a crisp nip in the air and the landscape painted a riot of color. There are many trees in our area that put on an impressive display of color in the fall. All the ones mentioned in this article deserve consideration for use in your yard.
But before embarking on a discussion of specific trees, let’s take a quick botany primer on why nature’s annual show happens.
Leaf color contains various pigments of natural substances: chlorophyll, which provides the green color; carotenoid, the yellow, orange and brown colors (think corn or carrots); and anthocyanin, the reds, crimsons and purples (think apples, cranberries, or cherries). The chlorophyll and carotenoids are in the leaf cells all year, but the trees only produce anthocyanin in the fall.
When fall arrives, the chlorophyll breaks down because of changes in temperature and length of daylight as the leaves stop their food making process. As the green fades, the yellows and oranges become visible. They combine with the bright reds and purples produced by the tree’s sugars.
In addition to the decreasing days’ temperature and sunlight, the year’s climate also plays a role in how brightly our landscape puts on its display of nature’s palette. Generally, a warm, wet spring, favorable summer weather, and a warm, sunny fall produces the most brilliant fall colors.
Hickories are a wonderful under-utilized native tree for fall color.
Two commonly found hickories in Leon County are the pignut hickory (Carya glabra) and the mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa). They are in the walnut family. Both have pinnately compound and alterative leaves. Ranging in size from 50 to over 100 feet in height and a trunk diameter of one to five feet, their crown can reach a spread of 20 to 35 feet. Hickories are long lived, often reaching 250 to 500 years. Hickories put on a dazzling show with the foliage turning a brilliant yellow to a golden bronze before falling.
Another beautiful native shade tree is the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua).
It is easily recognizable by its glossy green five-pointed leaves and its hard spike-shaped fruits. It reaches a height of 50 to 75 feet or more, with a crown spread of 40 to 50 feet. The trunk ranges from two to three feet in diameter. The fruit of the sweetgum is eaten by a variety of wildlife ranging from gold finches to small mammals. It too is long lived, sometimes making it to 400 years. In the autumn, sweetgums display dramatic long-lasting colors ranging from yellow, orange, red, and purple.
Red maple (Acer rubrum) and Florida maple (Acer saccharum, subsp. floridanum), also called the Florida sugar maple, are two native trees that bring year-round visual interest culminating in eye catching fall color.
The red maple is usually a medium sized tree, averaging 40 to 50 feet, occasionally reaching to 120 feet. It commonly has three, sometimes five lobed opposite leaves. It can live from 50 to 150 years. It produces fruit attractive to wildlife, including squirrels. Red maples display vibrant reds and brilliant deep scarlet colors in the fall.
The Florida maple generally grows to 30 to 60 feet, but occasionally exceeding 100 feet. It too is thought of as mid-story tree. The fall brings forth an array of colors ranging from yellows, oranges, and reds.
Black gum, also called sour gum or black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), is a medium sized deciduous native tree usually reaching 30 to 50 feet in height. At maturity, its width is in the range of 25 to 35 feet. The leaves can be quite variable in both size and shape. They are generally alternate, simple, and oblong to oval. The fruit is useful to wildlife, including bees.
Black gum is sometimes considered one of the best and most consistent native trees for fall color, displaying wide-ranging hues of gorgeous oranges, yellow, bright reds to intense scarlet, to purple.
Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a much beloved ornamental understory tree known to many for its beautiful spring display of white flowers (actually bracts). But dogwood does double duty, being among the first trees to show their fall colors. Its rich, red-brown to deep wine/maroon autumn tones combine with scarlet red berries to put on a stunning fall display.
The berries serve as an important food source for dozens of species of birds. Dogwoods are a short lived, deciduous tree that reaches 20 to 40 feet and often as wide as it is tall.
A lovely native tree for fall color is the Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum).
It is unique to this article in that it is a conifer. Leaves are about one-third to three-fourths of an inch in length, arranged in feather-like fashion. Bald cypress will grow well in most yards where it reaches 50 to 70 feet in height. It can grow to 120 feet in the wild and live up to 600 years. The oldest known specimen is over 1,600 years in age. The lacy needles turn a kaleidoscope of colors, ranging from russet-reddish, fiery orange, brown, tan, and cinnamon.
The trees mentioned in this article are but a few of those with exceptional fall color. There are many others such as the Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), turning brilliant red to orange, the turkey oak (Quercus laevis), whose leaves turn red-brown, the winged sumac (Rhus copallium), a member of the cashew family that turns brilliant orange-red, and Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana), with iridescent, magenta berries with leaves that turn an attractive yellow.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention at least one non-native tree for superior fall color.
This would be the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). This slow growing, small tree comes in many different varieties. The leaves are generally palm shaped or lacey, with five, seven, or nine pointed lobes. When fall arrives, they put on a spectacular show of colors ranging from rich fiery reds, brilliant oranges, golden buttery yellows and golds, to deep purples and bronzes.
So, get out and enjoy the cooler weather and nature’s display of colors by walking or driving around town; or better yet, make it out to one of our beautiful parks.
Keith D. Post is a Master Gardener volunteer with UF/IFAS Extension Leon County. For gardening questions, email the extension office at AskAMasterGardener@ifas.ufl.edu.