Devonshire Park, Keighley

Sunday 16th September 2018

Leader: Brian Byrne

Devonshire Park in Keighley is like a miniature arboretum, with a surprisingly diverse collection of shrubs and trees. We spent about four hours examining the specimens under the expert guidance of Brian, in largely overcast weather with the occasional shower alternating with brighter spells. There were many forms and varieties of familiar trees, along with a few more exotic ones.

First up was the Caucasian Ash, a sub-species of Narrow-leaved Ash. Elsewhere in the park, we saw the cultivar ‘Raywood’, widely planted for its spectacular autumn colour, and also the weeping form of the Caucasian Ash. It was unusual to see so many examples of Narrow-leaved Ash and not the more common Ash itself. Brian pointed out a particularly large specimen of Caucasian Ash, a contender for ‘champion’ status and so we measured its circumference (3.04m) and computed its diameter, which at over 96cm would appear to give it the national title!

A collection of small trees in a compact ring turned out to be Juneberry or Snowy Mespil. There was no mistaking the almost parallel-sided leaves, although this species is far more commonly seen as a compact shrub rather than a tree with distinct trunk. In the undergrowth nearby, lilac was forming a patch by suckering, while other shrubs seen on the northern side of the park included Cherry Laurel and Rhododendron.

Of the oaks, Pedunculate or English Oak was seen, including a fastigiate (very narrow, upwardly-tapering crown) example, along with the much rarer Red and Scarlet Oaks. Brian pointed out the difference between Hungarian and Caucasian Oaks, which have similar leaves, the Caucasian Oak having ‘whiskers’, rather like the Turkey Oak, which was also seen. Several mature examples of what appeared to be Orange Whitebeam were seen, along with quite a few large limes, probably hybrid derivatives of Silver Lime. Fortunately, there were abundant twigs as windfall and these were taken for further analysis.

False-acacia was found in a few spots, although the mature trees lacked the characteristic stipular spines; however one sucker, which had survived mowing, had abundant spines. A discussion ensued as to whether the spines were an anti-grazing adaptation and therefore absent ‘above head height’. Another suckering tree nearby was the variegated ‘Aurora’ cultivar of Balm-of-Gilead, a balsam-poplar with pleasantly scented buds.

We saw at least three examples of Maidenhair Tree or ‘Ginkgo biloba’. Brian informed us that one of these trees had been trained to grow up a wall at Ripley Castle, near Harrogate, and that this species is now known only in cultivation and has disappeared from the wild. The trees are either male or female, the latter tending not to be planted because of the unpleasant smell of the fruit.

Although we concentrated on the broad-leaved species, we did also note Giant Fir near the park entrance, Yew and Dawn Redwood, in a shady area on the north side of the park. This attractive tree struck me as having the perfect distribution of branches for climbing but we didn’t put that theory to the test.

At this time of year, fruits were much in evidence. Along with the familiar conkers of the Horse-chestnut, sweet chestnuts also lay on the ground, although this far north the chestnuts were emaciated and unsuitable for roasting. Several crab apples were seen, some of the larger ones eminently edible. One small tree proved unidentifiable until someone spotted a 2cm thorn and a solitary fruit, that of the broad-leaved cockspur thorn. Several more trees remained unidentified at the end of the visit, although with the amount of windfall lying around available for sampling, more species should be added to the list in due course after the ‘homework’ is done.