McGlothlin-Street Hall

Abies firma A pair of momi firs.

Nameplates Many trees in the collection have identifying tags. These consist of a plastic nameplate adhered to a piece of treated wood, nailed directly into the tree. This technique allows the tags to "grow" with the tree rather than becoming covered with bark.

Pinus palustris longleaf pine

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Alaska cedar

Cunninghamia lanceolata Close-up showing cones of the China fir.

Ginkgo biloba The Ginkgo (at right) is the only tree species with a fan-shaped leaf.

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McGlothlin-Street Hall Slope Plantings

The sloping area between McGlothlin-Street Hall and the residence halls to the south features a variety of interesting tree specimens. At the west end, as you enter this space, notice the pair of momi firs (Abies firma), native to central and southern Japan. Their scientific name fittingly describes their firm, plastic-like leaves.

Other notable species in this area include Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), China fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata), and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris).

Mature longleaf pines can grow over 100 feet tall within 150 years and live up to 500 years. Before heavy logging in the 18th and 19th centuries, longleaf pine forests stretched across an estimated 90 million acres from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas. Today, only about three percent of that original stand remains.

Known for its soft, fresh-cut wood that is easy to work, longleaf pine contains a high concentration of resin that hardens over time. This timber was the preferred choice for building ships, warehouses, and many antebellum houses. The wide plank flooring commonly called “heart pine” in this region is usually made from longleaf pine.

If you’re curious why it’s called longleaf, compare its needles to those of the more common loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), which grows just to the east.