Tulip Poplar ( liriodendron tulipifera ):
Tall and straight , one can often find pure stands of hundreds of mature tulip poplar in Loudoun woods . The tallest tree on this list , they can exceed 150 feet . The Loudoun champion , more than 320 years old , has a circumference of more than 25 feet ! It would take five average folks , with arms spread , touching finger to finger , to circle this tree . With their yellow buds early in the spring , poplars are common in disturbed areas and are often one of the first to appear ( along with locust and olive ) when a Loudoun farm field is allowed to “ go back to nature .” The tree earns the name “ tulip ” in two ways : first the leaf is shaped like the profile of a tulip flower , and second , the flowers on the tulip poplar actually resemble tulips . It is a spectacular sight to see a single large tulip tree in the spring , covered in thousands of “ tulips .” When seen in its full glory , it is an easy tree to identify and a hard one to forget .
Black Cherry ( prunus serotina ):
One of the most common trees in Loudoun woods , with showy white flowers in the spring , the cherry fruit on the black cherry is prized by residents of Loudoun ’ s woods ( particularly birds , fox , bear , raccoons , and squirrels ) but also used to flavor rum , vodka and other spirits , and can even be eaten raw . Although less common , sweet cherry trees can also be found in Loudoun woods , and those cherries are delicious eaten right off the tree ( if you can get them before the birds do ). Cherry wood is prized by furniture makers and for musical instruments , and the bark is sometimes used in cough syrup . Like walnut , cherry is so common in Loudoun woods that many use it for firewood . Taking their place in the overstory , black cherries can grow to 100 feet or more , and the state champion is a massive 19 feet in circumference . With all the horses in Loudoun , it is worth mentioning that parts of several tree species — including wilted black cherry leaves — can be poisonous to horses and other mammals .
Spicebush ( lindera benzoin ):
Forming pure , dense stands , spicebush is the smallest of the trees on this list , but one of the most important as a food source . Our woods have many acres where spicebush dominates the understory . Often no more than 10 feet tall , the multi-stemmed spicebush is hard to miss in the spring with its abundant yellow flowers , often the first tree to bloom in Loudoun ’ s springtime woods . Looking over a stand of spicebush in April , the forest itself seems to have a yellow hue . Spicebush draws its name from the pleasant lemony fragrance produced by crushing its leaves , twigs or fruits . Dried spicebush parts are used in teas and for medicinal purposes . In the fall , spicebush put on a heavy crop of red berries much beloved by animals , especially birds readying for the fall migration .
Pawpaw ( asimina triloba ):
The most unusually tree on our list , pawpaws inhabit the shady understory , and are abundant along the shorelines of Loudoun ’ s waterways , such as the Potomac River and Goose Creek . Pawpaws usually grow to no more than 25 feet tall , and are often just a few inches in diameter . What pawpaw lack in size they make up for with their famous fruit . The greenish pawpaw fruit is a delicious , small pear-sized fruit that matures in late summer . If you can find a pawpaw ripe on the tree before the critters eat it , you are in for a treat — a taste that some describe as a cross between a banana and a mango . Another feature that makes papaws easy to identify : they grow in patches . One year a spot on the forest floor is empty , but come back just a few years later , and a patch of 50 or more pawpaws is growing fast , tightly bunched together . “ Where , oh where , is pretty little Susie ,” a traditional folk song , gives the answer : “ Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch .”
These are just a few of the many dozens of species of trees and woody plants that make Loudoun ’ s woods full of wonder and a wonderful place to wander . As Henry David Thoreau said : “ I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees .” Where will you walk this week ?
Ben Lenhart lives with his family and lots of animals on an old farm west of Hillsboro , Virginia . He learned his lifelong love of trees from his father , who grew up on a small farm in Ohio and knew every tree on the farm . When not wandering the woods , Ben is an attorney in Washington DC , teaches Constitutional Law at Georgetown , and writes on Constitutional issues . He is also active in efforts to protect Loudoun ’ s rural lands .
wander I fall • winter 2021 29