Loading...Loading...

Arboretum Index Pages Home

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

CATALPA, SOUTHERN (Catalpa bignonioides) A-5

Leaves are heart shaped, thick, dark green above, paler and hairy below, and are ill-scented when bruised. There is no autumnal color. Two-lipped flowers are white with yellow streaks and many brown spots on the throat. The flowers are borne in clusters and are very showy although short lived. The tree grows 30-60’ in height with an equal spread. The bark is light gray brown with scaly, flat ridges. Native: Georgia to Florida and Louisiana.

CEDAR, BLUE ATLAS (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’) O-7

This upright tree, 40-60’ tall, is one of the few African conifers. The bluish-gray needles appear in clusters of seven to ten on short, stout spurs. Cones are brown, 2 1/4-4” long and take two years to mature. The bark is gray. The ‘glauca’ needles have a waxy coating which limits water loss beneath the glaring sun at high altitudes. Native: Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco.

CEDAR, DEODAR (Cedrus deodara)I-7

This fast growing tree can reach a height of 40-70’. Its name means “timber of the gods.” The upper branches are openly spaced and gracefully pendulant. This cedar is the most popular landscape cedar. It can be pruned to grow as a spreading shrub. Cedars bear needles in tufted clusters. The cone scales fall from the tree and leave a spiked core behind. Native: Western Himalayas.

CHASTE TREE (Vitex negundo) L-14

The height of this plant varies. In winter where it is frozen to the ground, it will grow to 3-5’ for the season; however, when it isn’t damaged, the shrub will reach heights of 10-15’. It is loosely branched with an airy, vase-shaped look. The three to five palmate, compound leaves have a grayish-green cast in the summer and no significant fall color. The small, purple flowers form in 5-8” long panicles and are very effective in the July or August garden. These plants flower on new growth. If the spent flowers are removed, this shrub will continue blooming. Native: Wide-ranging from southeast Africa, Madagascar, eastern and southeastern Asia, and Philippines.

CHERRY, JAPANESE FLOWERING (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’) A-1,D-2,H-17,H-20

Kwanzan refers to a sacred mountain in China. This cherry is strong and cold hardy. The double flowers open a dark, rosy-pink color that fade in time. The young foliage is a dark bronzy red changing to a pleasing, peachy orange in the fall. It grows 20-40’ high. Native: China, Japan, and Europe.

CHERRY, NANKING (Prunus tomentosa) L-23

This is a spreading shrub that becomes open, irregular, and picturesque with age. It grows 6-10’ high and spreads to 15’. The bark is a shiny, reddish brown and exfoliates. Leaves are dark green and very woolly on the lower surface. The flowers are pinkish in the bud and change to white, fragrant blossoms. The fruit is scarlet, 1/3” across, and edible. Native: North and western China, and Japan.

CHERRY, WEEPING HIGAN (Prunus x subhirtella ‘Pendula Rosea’) A-3

Weeping Cherry is a beautiful ornamental tree with graceful branches that sweep to the ground. It is a fast grower and usually tops out at 10-12’ in height. The tree blooms in mid-season with a profusion of small, pale-pink blossoms. Native: Japan and China.

CHOKECHERRY, AMUR (Prunus maackii) C-7

A spreading, rounded tree that grows 30-35’ high. The green leaves are simple, alternate, and 2-4” long. The profusion of flowers occur in 2-3” long racemes in early to mid-May. Numerous small, 1/4”, dark-red fruits mature in August. This tree has beautiful, peeling, yellow-brown bark. Native: Manchuria and Korea.

CHOKECHERRY, COMMON (Prunus virginiana) L-22

This can be grown as a small, suckering tree 20-30’ tall or a large shrub with crooked branches. In late April to May, the white flowers bloom. They are 1/3-2/5” across and hang in 3-4” long clusters. The bitter fruit begins red, turns dark purple, and is used for making jelly, pies, and wine. Native: Newfoundland to Saskatchewan, down through the Midwestern United States.

CINQUEFOIL (Potentilla fruticosa) H-21

A very bushy, round shrub growing from 1-4’. The graceful, compound, silky, gray-green leaves come on early and change to a dark green as they mature. Flowers are bright buttercup yellow or white and last from June till frost. Native: Northern Hemisphere

COFFEETREE, KENTUCKY (Gymnocladus dioica) D-8

The picturesque winter silhouette looks like the basic skeleton of a tree without twigs. It grows from 60-75’ in height. Its bark is brown to gray with distinctive, abruptly bent scales. Leaves are subdivided into leaflets. This is a great example of a compound leaf. The new, spring foliage is pinkish and becomes deep green in summer, then turns yellow in autumn. The fruit is a woody, flat pod containing a sugary pulp and between six to nine seeds. The pods are found only on female trees. These seeds were used as a substitute for coffee in pioneer days. Native: Eastern and central United States.

COTONEASTER, CRANBERRY (Cotoneaster apiculatus) J-17,L-7

This low, wide-spreading shrub forms a dense mound with young shoots growing herringbone fashion from older branches. The dark, glossy-green leaves turn to reddish purple tones in fall. Flowers are small, neat, pinkish rosettes blooming in late May to June. Showy fruit are rounded pomes in cranberry red, holding through November. Native: Western China.

COTONEASTER, HEDGE (Cotoneaster lucidus) L-10

This erect, round-topped shrub grows 6-10’ high. This Cotoneaster has an upright branching habit and is often used as a hedge. The leaves are alternate, lustrous, and dark green in the summer, but change to beautiful yellow red combinations in fall. Flowers are pinkish white, small, and ineffective in mid to late May. The berry-like fruit has three or four nutlets and persists into winter. Native: Siberia and other parts of northern Asia.

COTONEASTER, ROCKSPRAY (Cotoneaster horizontalis) L-1,L-24

This is a nice ground cover plant. The leaves are glossy green in summer and change to reddish purple combinations in fall. The leaves hold until late November. Bees love the perfect, small, pink flowers. This bush, when grown against a wall, will grow up to 6-10’ high, but its usual habit is low-growing with horizontal branches. Native: Western China.

CRABAPPLE (Malus ‘Indian Magic’) O-10

This rounded crabapple grows 15-20’ and has dark-green leaves which can change to orange red in the fall. The red buds open to a rose red or deep pink single flower. The small, glossy-red to orange fruit are persistent.

CRABAPPLE (Malus ‘Professor Sprenger’) M-11

This crabapple is a densely spreading tree growing 20’ high and 20-25’ wide. Its single flowers have red to pink buds that open to white. The leaves are dark green turning yellow in autumn and the 1/2-5/8” fruit is orange red.

CRABAPPLE (Malus ‘Profusion’) J-10

A small crab with single, deep-red buds that open to purplish-red, then fade to purplish-pink flowers. The small, red fruit is 1/2” and persistent. This tree has a vase-shaped outline and grows to 25’. The new foliage is purple, fading to bronze purple green.

CRABAPPLE (Malus ‘Red Jade’) G-2,M-6

Very broad, long, slender weeping branches identify this 15-20’ tall hybrid. Leaves are bright green and flowers are small, white, and single. The fruiting is spectacular; however, it only appears every other year. Fruit fills all the branches with bunches of bright red, egg-shaped, 1/2” crabapples which last long into the winter. Birds like the fruit.

CRABAPPLE (Malus ‘Red Silver’) E-5

The red leaves are oval and pointed with toothed edges turning to reddish green. ‘Red Silver’ has single, china-rose colored flowers and purplish-red, small fruit. The tree reaches a height of 30’. This is a “Rosybloom” crabapple.

CRABAPPLE (Malus ‘Winter Gold’) E-6

Single, deep-reddish buds open white on this 20’ crabapple. The persistent, small fruit is yellow, occasionally with an orange to pink blush. The pointed leaves are often slightly lobed and bronze tinged when young. This is a cultivated variety.

CRABAPPLE, BECHTEL (Malus ioensis ‘Plena’) J-11

This crabapple grows openly into a rounded form 30’ high. The double, fragrant, 2” pink blossoms produce few green fruits. This cultivar is slightly susceptible to fireblight in Utah which poses no serious problem.

CRABAPPLE, FLOWERING (Malus sp.) G-6,H-8,M-1,N-8

This tree is called “crab” from a Norse word “skrab” which means a rough, scrubby tree. These deciduous trees grow between 15-25’ high. They range from low mounds to narrow, upright or weeping forms. The bark on older trees is shiny gray brown. The beautiful flowers are white to pink, carmine, or red to rose. The flowers can be single with five petals or double. Trees having rose to red flowers and reddish young leaves are classified as “Rosybloom.” The fruit varies from red to yellow green and can be any size up to 2”. Fruit larger than 2” are classified as apples. There are up to 700 types of crabapples in the world. The Murray Arboretum has fifteen types. Some have not been identified according to species or cultivar.

CRABAPPLE, JAPANESE FLOWERING (Malus floribunda) B-9,D-9

Floribunda means “producing many flowers.” This showy crabapple is very common. It has red buds that open to profuse pink flowers which fade to white. The fruit is yellow. This tree is an old favorite. It has a broad, rounded shape and is resistant to most diseases. This tree is believed to be a hybrid between two Japanese species because it has not been found growing in the wild.

Back to the Top of the Page