Cylburn Arboretum

[tsharp]

NTS:
On 8/16/2015 I paid a visit to the Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore City. This 207 acre tract was formly the estate of Jesse Tyson who started building a mansion in 1863 and finished it in 1888. It is presently a part of the Baltimore City park system with the Cylburn Association assisting in the management. It is a venue for weddings, summer concerts, etc
Among its many collections are good examples of Magnolias, Maples and Conifers. The Horticultlist for the city worked here from 1958-1994 tending and expanding the collections.
It is on the United states Register of Historic Places.

Trees measured included a mixture of native and exotic species including the following:
Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra) 7.0' x 40.5'
Japanese Pagoda Tree (Styphnolobium japonica) 3.7' x 39.7'
Nikko Fir (Abies homolepis[/i) 4.4' x 51.5'
Momi Fir (Abies firma) 5.8' x 57.5'
Japanese Bush Spruce (Picea maximowiczii) 5.3' x 60.9'
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) 11.2' x 86.3'
Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) 8.2' x 74.5'
River Birch (Betula nigra) 5.6' x 56.7'

The trees measured were in open areas in proximity to the mansion. Probably of more interest is about seventy acres of mature piedmont forest. It has 3-4 miles of trails in this section which begs NTS members to check out the trees. Much of the area has a deer exclusion fence.
One nice surprise was an example of a Buart. I suspect this hybrid goes unrecognized by many. This is a cross between Butternut and Japaneese Walnut J. ailanthifolia x J. cinerea or Juglans x bixbyi Unfortunately I could not find a Butternut for comparison purposes.

[bbeduhn]

The "butternut" champion of Minnesota is a hybrid. It may well be a Buart. It is huge!

3-4 miles of mature piedmont forest trails gets the blood flowing.

[George Fieo]

Turner,

Druid Hill Park, which is part of the Baltimore Zoo, is definitely worth investigating. In my case it's worth a sleepover. It's been on my hit list for years. I believe there is a connector trail from the zoo to the arboretum. I believe the park is second to the Philadelphia Zoo as far as age goes but has an older native forest incorporated into it. May have a possible forest grown black oak champion for Maryland as far as I can tell from photos from the web but photos are deceiving. Some of the best trees may be in the animal enclosures themselves. Hope to get down there soon. Thanks for the report/inspiration.

George