Common Trees of Britain

We might all say we love trees, but could we recognise what species we are admiring? Have trees in your garden, but do not know what they are? Well, to stop you barking up the wrong tree, here are some of the most common trees found in the UK, some of which have grown here gracefully for 400 million years:

Common Lime

This is a typical tall, broad-leaved tree with dense roots that stand close to the ground. It is one of the most common trees lining our streets and park areas. During the summer, they offer great colour and have delightfully scented flowers that bees love. The tree has broad, heart-shaped leaves.

Common Hazel

It was once thought that these trees held magical powers, living up to 80 years and reaching a height of 40 feet. Yellow catkins grow before they shed and replace their feathery leaves. Small female flowers with red tips grow into groups of up to four brown beans in a spiky green case.

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Field Maple

You might be surprised to learn that the UK does have a native maple tree and the gum can be used to make delicious maple syrup. It can be found in hedges and has a typical five clustering of olive coloured leaves with a scaly bark and light and thin twigs.

English Oak

Otherwise known as oak pedunculate because the stems or peduncles produce fruit or seeds. This oak is most commonly found in the UK and has a wide trunk, big, crooked branches and a broad crown. The tree’s female variety produces a flowering bloom on a vertical shaft, while the male shows hanging catkins.

Common Beech

Typically forms in a large dome, it looks magnificent when the bright-green blooms appear in May. Because of the size of the canopy, plants that like to live in the shade can grow in its shadow. In the autumn is when the tree really comes into its own, when the leaves shine bright orange and then a red / brown colour. If you are having problems with large trees on your property, contact a Tree Surgeon Essex at a site like https://www.benchmarklandscapeltd.co.uk/

Scots Pine

Scotland used to be covered by a beautiful pine forest but unfortunately, only 50,000 hectares of trees can now be found. Scots Pine can live up to 700 years and grow an impressive 115 feet. The needles display a blue-green tinge. Female flowers of this tree eventually became a fir tree.

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English Elm

Such a beautiful tree used to be associated with sadness and death, perhaps because the branches suddenly fall without warning. It was once a common sight but was badly destroyed by Dutch Elm disease outbreaks in the sixties. The leaves of the English Elm have a round-tip and flowers appear as tassels at the end of winter. In pollination, tassels turn into fruits called samaras, then carried away by the wind.

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