Barking Up the White Tree Trivia Quiz

Answer: Quaking Aspen

The white bark (pale green when young) is marked by black scars or patches. So named due to the long stems or petioles of the heart-shaped leaves with a fine toothed margin, quake or tremble in the slightest breeze. The Onondaga people gave it the name "nut-kie-e" meaning "noisy leaf". Since bark layers conduct photosynthesis, not the leaves, the tree is able to continue sugar production for energy while other deciduous (shedding leaves annually) trees are dormant in winter.

Quaking aspens are the most widely distributed trees in North America favoring colder climates of Canada and Alaska but can even grow as far South as Mexico due to their ability to adjust to typical northern and southern climates. Its cousin, the Eurasian aspen, has a more uneven or coarse edge and can be found in cooler regions of Europe and Asia.

Answer: Paper Birch

The paper birch is sometimes mistaken for the trembling aspen. They're similar in appearance, both having the white trunks spotted by "scars". The major difference is that the bark of mature paper birch can be peeled from the trunk in thin, paper-like sheets; Aspen bark doesn't peel. Paper birch leaves have an elongated shape. The paper birch is part of the "pioneer species" meaning it's one of the first trees to inhabit disturbed areas (areas damaged by landslides, fires, floods etc).

The tree is a favorite of yellow-bellied sapsuckers because of the high sugar content in its sap. Paper birch, native to North America, can also be found in temperate regions worldwide.

Answer: American Sycamore

American sycamores are also known as "ghost trees" because of their white branches in the upper part or crown left bare by the falling leaves, creating irregular shaped canopies. The bark of the sycamore is covered with a whitish and reddish-brown patched surface. Creamy patches represent newly formed bark, while reddish-brown patches represent old bark which does indeed resemble the typical camouflage pattern.

In terms of trunk diameter the American sycamore are among the widest ranging from three to eight feet with one 13 footer on record! They favor riverbanks and wetlands and are native to south eastern Canada through central and eastern United States. They have also adapted to the cooler regions in South America and Australia.

Answer: Ghost Gum

The ghost gums create quite a scene across the rocky slopes and red sand plains of Central Australia and the outback heartlands. It's no wonder they're favorite of photographers!

They can also be found in open woodland areas. The bark is smooth with a powder that comes off when rubbed. The vivid white bark acts as a natural sunscreen by day and, in the moonlight, the bark almost appears to glow. The tree has a visible swelling at the base of the trunk or root crown known as a "lignotuber" which aids in survival against a fire. Because a lignotuber is below the soil surface it's protected from damage and new buds will sprout. Since the leaves of the ghost gum hang downward they minimize evaporation and their waxy surface aids in restraining water loss.

The tree has a special significance in Dreaming. Aboriginal astronomy tells of the Southern Cross being a ghost gum with two sulphur-crested cockatoos trying to roost on its branches.

Answer: White Poplar

The white poplar is endemic to Eurasia but was one of the first trees introduced to North America.
It's easily recognizable owing to its grayish white bark with a well defined diamond pattern. The diamonds, known as lenticels, are actually raised pores that aid in the exchange of atmospheric gas and internal tissue. As the tree ages, the bark becomes rough and darker. The unusual leaves of the white poplar are green with white furry fibers which are thicker on the underside. White poplar that has been "outbred" with various species of aspen produce a hybrid known as the gray (grey) poplar with a grayish leaf coating. The crossbreed displays "hybrid vigor" or "heterosis" meaning its traits are enhanced, for example with taller and wider trunks than either of its parents.

Because of its compact, smooth texture the wood of the white poplar was easy to carve and used for sculpting as far back as the Middle Ages. Donatello's "Penitent Magdalene" is carved from white poplar and the "Mona Lisa" was painted on poplar panels.

Answer: Southern Magnolia

Fossil records show that magnolias have been around since the Cretaceous period and today's magnolias are some of the descendants of the earliest flowering trees! Magnolias lack individual petals and sepals indicative of most flowering plants and botanists use the term "tepals" to describe the flower parts. The southern magnolia's dark green leathery leaves surround white waxy blooms.

The symbolism of the Magnolia has long been associated with the South, hence the expression "coming from behind the magnolia curtain".
.

Answer: Dogwood

The white dogwood is highly valued as an ornamental tree because of its delicate white spring blooms surrounded by vivid green "petals" which are actually known as "bracts" The trees can grow in a variety of loamy soil. Dogwoods have proven to be a "tree for all seasons". After their springtime display of beautiful white blooms, the glossy green leaves dominate. In the autumn, clusters of three to six berries (called drupes) appear. Botanists have suggested that the vivid red berries are eyecatchers for avian travelers who stop for snack and continue on their way thus increasing biodiversity. In wintertime the bare bark, with a texture described as an alligator's back, is a stark contrast to the landscape.

In her book "Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation" Andrea Wulf details Washington's instructions to his estate manager at Mount Vernon to plant only native American trees. Previously, gardeners imitated the traditional European garden. Mount Vernon became the home to the first American ornamental garden in the country with white dogwoods prominently planted. Jefferson was so fond of the dogwoods in his Monticello home that he sent seeds to his friends in France.

Answer: Fringe Tree

The white fringe tree has been described as having a canopy of white pendant flowers, meaning they hang downward dangling along the stems. The blooms are in loose clusters known as panicles and can be as long as eight inches. The tree is a slow grower, only about six to ten inches a year but adaptable to different soil types and light conditions and they're known as one of the most "trouble-free" small trees.

The white fringe is, however, sensitive to "allelopathy" meaning inhibition of one plant to another due to chemicals released in the shared environment . The white fringe shouldn't be planted near walnut or hickory trees.

Answer: Albino Redwood

Albino redwoods are unable to produce chlorophyll because of the mutation, resulting in white or a pale yellowish white needles. They sprout next to healthy, non-albino, trees (parent tree) and graft or fasten their roots enabling them to receive the necessary photosynthesized nutrients. It may sound like they're just your everyday garden variety parasite but that doesn't seem to be the case at all!

Research has found that needles of the albino redwoods contain high levels of nickel and copper - in fact, higher levels than a normal, healthy redwood. Similar to the way kidneys or the liver filter toxins in humans, it would appear that albino redwoods are extracting pollution from the soil and storing it thus protecting other redwoods. Research on these fascinating trees is ongoing at the time of writing this quiz..

Answer: Downy Hawthorn

The flowers of the Downy Hawthorn are approximately an inch across and have five petals and are described as flat-topped. They bloom typically from March until June. They're sometimes called "The May Tree" because the blossoms are most prominent then. From May through September the haws (fruit) appear which ripen in October and November. Hawthorn berries are edible but rather tart and like apples, the seeds should not be eaten as they contain cyanide. The is trunk silvery and scaly and the crown can be wind-blasted or wind trained meaning it holds the shape of the prevailing wind.

The tree with its white blooms can grow quite thick and up to 25 feet high providing shelter and homes for various birds and mammals. The Downy Harthorn is slightly less thorny than its European, North African and Asian cousins (known as Common Hawthorns).

The Downy Hawthorn is native to North America and be found from North Dakota to Nova Scotia (and even more southwesterly to eastern Texas).