A stroll through the west side of town will present an amazing array of trees both familiar and less well-known. Use the City of Trees, Handside & Stanborough leaflet to guide you and to identify some of the most prominent trees. Details are also available from the website.
The examples below will be looking especially good in the autumn.
Japanese Pagoda Tree
(Styphnolobium japonicum)
A member of the pea family, its fruit can be seen from mid-September, as shown in the picture. This tree is at the entrance to the car park for the north side of Stanborough Lakes. It is said that the tree provides one of the fifty fundamental herbs of traditional Chinese medicine which is used to promote health in the circulatory system.
Indian Bean Tree
(Catalpa bignonioides)
This can be found at the southeast corner of Russellcroft Road and Handside Lane, with other examples in Russellcroft Road, Valley Road and three in Youngs Rise. The long slender fruit –the bean pods–grow to 20-40 cm long and stay attached to the tree throughout the winter. When they eventually drop off, they impale themselves in the verge and neighbouring gardens. (Tree spotters are advised not to look directly up!!)
Raywood Ash
(Fraxinus angustifolia ‘Raywood’)
A relatively non-descript green colour in summer belies the glorious deep red colour of this ash tree in autumn. Colour will probably be at its best in October. It is easy to see why its other common name is the claret ash. There are particularly good specimens in Turmore Dale There are also two mature specimens on the other side of the town in Ludwick Way
Kozo Paper Mulberry
(Broussonetia kazinoki)
This unusual, and very rare, tree has its origins in Japan and Korea where it harvested from the wild for use as a food, medicine and fibre for paper making. At this time of the year it has bright orange ‘sputnik’ like fruit. This tree is part of an interesting group between Stanborough Road and the boating lake.
Download City of Trees, Handside & Stanborough leaflet to guide from the website here:
Or pick up from bookshops in town.
