Willow, Poplar, Lime Trees and More…

The trees on this page are all members of the Rosids group of flowering plants, as are the trees in this gallery.

See also, our Rosids Gallery of Wildflowers.

Willow Family

Willow

Willows

A large number of Willows can be found in the conservation area by the lake, close to the Parkside field – an area referred to as the Willow Plantation. Willows are water-loving trees, so grow well here, fed by water for a natural spring.

The area was planted in the 1980s. The species planted came from Attenborough Nature Reserve and include:

  • White Willow / Salix alba;
  • Purple Osier / Salix purpurea;
  • Almond Willow / Salix triandra;
  • Common Osier / Salix viminalis.

Willows have narrow, elongated leaves that are usually pointed at the tips and have a finely serrated edge.

Crack Willow

Crack Willow
Lake

Salix fragilis.

The Crack Willow has a distinctive growth habit, with thick, sturdy branches that grow upright and form a rounded crown. The bark is dark grey or brown and deeply furrowed, and the leaves are long and narrow with a glossy green colour on the upper surface and a lighter green on the lower surface. The leaves have pointed tips and are typically 3-6 inches long.

Golden Weeping Willow

Weeping WIllow
Lake

Salix X sepulcralis ‘Chrysocoma’.

The Golden Weeping Willow gets its name from how its branches droop down towards the ground, giving the tree a weeping appearance. In the spring, Weeping Willows produce small, yellow flowers that hang in clusters from the branches.

Poplar’s

Balsam Spire Poplar

Western Balsam Poplar
Harrow / Cambridge Road

Populus ‘Balsam Spire’.

The Balsam Spire Poplar is a hybrid from the Western Balsam Poplar, also known as the Black Cottonwood, which is a large deciduous tree. It can grow up to 60 meters tall and has a fast-growing, aggressive root system.

The leaves are elliptical with a crenate margin and an acute tip. 

Lombardy Poplar

Lombardy Poplar
Parkside

Populus nigra ‘Italica’.

The Lombardy Poplar is a Black Poplar cultivar known for its fast growth rate and narrow, columnar shape. Its leaves are triangular with a serrated margin, and its bark is dark grey and deeply furrowed.

White Poplar

White Poplar
Lake towards Parkside

Populus alba.

The White Poplar is also native to Europe and Asia, and it is known for its distinctive white bark that becomes rough and cracked with age. Its leaves are heart-shaped and deeply lobed.

Black Poplar

Black Poplas
Parkside

Populus nigra.

The Black Poplar’s bark is dark grey and deeply furrowed, and its leaves are roughly triangular with a serrated margin.

Most (if not all) of the Black Poplars in the park are hybrids of some form.

Lime Trees

Lime Tree

Lime Tree

Tilia x europaea.

Lime trees are a species of deciduous tree that is native to Europe and Asia. They are known for their attractive, heart-shaped leaves, fragrant flowers, and attractive, peeling bark.

Epicormic shoots growing from the tree’s base are common and regularly trimmed by volunteers.

The leaves measure up to 10cm in length.

Small-leaved Lime

Small-leaved Lime

Tilia cordata.

The small, heart-shaped leaves of the small-leaved lime tree measure 5-7cm in length and are dark green on the upper surface and paler underneath

Broad-leaved Lime

Broad-leaved Lime
Park Run Start

Tilia platyphyllos.

The leaves of the broad-leaved lime tree are large, heart-shaped, and measure up to 15cm in length.

Crimean Lime

Crimean Lime
War memorial by the reed bed.

Tilia x euchlora.

Also called the Corsican Lime.

It has dark green glossy leaves which help keep it free of aphids.

Other

Sweet Gum

Sweet Gum
Formal Garden

Liquidambar styraciflua.

Also known as Liquidamber.

The leaves of the Sweetgum Tree are star-shaped, with five to seven pointed lobes

Tulip Tree

Tulip Tree
Formal Garden

Liriodendron tulipifera.

Tulip Tree leaves of the tulip tree are distinct and have a unique shape resembling tulip flowers, hence the name. They are large, lobed, and bright green in colour, turning yellow in the fall.  They produce showy, cup-shaped flowers that resemble tulips, hence the name “tulip tree.” The flowers are greenish-yellow with orange markings and bloom in late spring or early summer. 

False Acacia

False Acacia
Formal Garden

Robinia pseudoacacia.

The False Acacia is also known as a Locust Tree.

It has compound leaves with many small leaflets and produces fragrant white or pink flowers in the spring.

Persian Ironwood

Persian Ironwood
Formal Garden

Parrotia persica.

The bark of the Persian Ironwood is a smooth grey colour, with patches of cream, green, and brown that peel off in thin flakes as the tree ages. The leaves are oval in shape, with serrated edges, and turn a brilliant mix of yellow, orange, and red in the autumn.

Magnolia

Magnolia
Formal Garden

Magnolia.

Magnolias are large, deciduous trees that can grow up to 30 meters tall. They have large, fragrant flowers that can be white, pink, or purple. The leaves are oval-shaped and glossy green.

Judas Tree

Judas Tree
Formal Garden

Cercis siliquastrum.

A Judas tree is a small, deciduous tree that can grow up to 10 meters tall. It has pink or red flowers that bloom in spring, and its leaves turn yellow in autumn.

Laburnum

Laburnum
Stable Block

Laburnum anagyroides.

Laburnum tree is a small, deciduous tree, growing up to 10 meters tall. It has bright yellow flowers in spring, which hang in clusters. The leaves are dark green, pinnate, and up to 20 centimetres long. The bark is smooth and grey.

London Plane

London Plane
Park Yard

Platanus x hispanica.

The London Plane is probably a hybrid, between the Oriental Plane and the American Sycamore, first created in Spain or southern France in about 1650.

Large maple-like leaves, spherical fruits on ‘strings’ hanging all winter, yellow/brown patchy bark.

Photographs used in the Tree Galleries were taken in Wollaton Park and are reproduced with the original artist’s permission. 

Copyright © for each picture remains with the original artist, who is duly acknowledged for their contribution.

Contributors include Colin Robbins, Wendy Martin, and Chris Golightly.

Tree descriptions were generated with the assistance of Google Bard.