Hello Monster Tree Service Readers! As some of you will recall, I promised to list the deciduous trees that were native to Minnesota. As a review, the word deciduous is an adjective which means 1. Shedding the leaves annually, as do certain trees and shrubs, 2. Falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth, 3. Not permanent, transitory. (Thank you dictionary.com)
Now to the list! (Thank you Minnesota DNR)
- American basswood
- American elm
- American hornbeam (blue beech)
- American mountain ash
- Balsam Poplar (balm-of-Gilead)
- Bigtooth aspen (largetooth aspen, poplar, popple)
- Bitternut hickory
- Black ash
- Black cherry
- Black maple
- Black oak
- Black walnut
- Box elder
- Bur oak
- Butternut
- Chinkapin oak (yellow chestnut oak)
- Eastern cottonwood
- Eastern hophornbeam (ironwood)
- Green ash (red ash)
- Hackberry
- Honeylocust
- Kentucky coffeetree
- Mountain maple
- Northern mountain ash (showy mountain ash)
- Northern pin oak (Jack oak, Hill oak)
- Northern red oak
- Paper birch
- Pin cherry
- Quaking aspen (trembling aspen, poplar popple)
I think I will google some of these trees so I can see them. I recommend you do the same. A visual is always helpful. I’m going to check out the Kentucky coffeetree. I’ll be right back. This is what I learned. (Thank you Wikipedia. I obviously have access to and do consult with our arborists and our many, many books and manuals, but I also utilize the internet. Keeping it authentic with you, learning together).
The Kentucky coffeetree used to be the state tree of Kentucky….don’t know why they changed it to the tulip poplar. Maybe because when Kentucky was first settled, they roasted the ground seeds as a hot beverage similar to coffee. Needs must I guess. However, once they established communication with the sea-ports, they got their hands on the real stuff, and well, I guess they traded up. I don’t think anyone should try to find out what it tasted like however, because apparently the seeds have a poisonous toxicity. Man, what people will do for a cup of coffee. In hindsight, Starbucks was a no-brainer.