Sawtooth Oak

This sawtooth oak, Quercus acutissima is growing in one of my favorite parts of the park -- the area behind the Met by the magnolias I've discussed in the past. There's almost always such a nice mix of activity here; people strolling from the Met or picnicking on the lawn near the Alexander Hamilton statue, runners making their way along the loop or dads walking their son or daughter home from a little league game on the nearby ballfields.


And I do love this oak, subtly standing sentry on all this activity. Which is why I was so dismayed to learn that invasive.org has listed it as a problem plant. Apparently, it has begun to spread from ornamental plantings into forests along the east coast. That fact will keep me from planting this tree in the future, but it won't stop me from blogging a little bit more about it.



Sawtooth oak, as you can see from the photo above, is an apt name for a tree with such leaves. Small, hairlike spines along the leaf margin look much like the blade of a saw. Their glossy, strappy shape create a unique canopy, too.



Below, immature acorns have started to form. They will not fall for another 18 months or so.

Lonicera japonica

Coming back from the Astoria Beer Garden (the old one, not the new one), I encountered this fragrant honeysuckle thriving on an iron fence.


I have a soft spot for this plant, Lonicera japonica, primarily because I remember it from when I was a kid and, for a few years, was living on the Jersey shore. Our house abutted a salt marsh and was in a yet-t0-be-totally-developed area. We had an empty lot between our house and the neighbors' and a large honeysuckle had taken up residence there, growing on top of itself in massive heaps.

I'm not sure who told me, but I knew that you could pull out the stigma and, if your hand was steady enough, taste the droplet of nectar that came with it. It's incredibly, dizzyingly sweet. Of course the flowers, which slowly change from white to gold, have a wonderfully heady fragrance, too.


And yes: this plant is indeed quite invasive. You certainly would not want to plant it in an area where it can invade woodlands (or empty lots for that matter). But I don't think it's too sinful to enjoy a nostalgic moment in Astoria, when this particular specimen is unlikely to cause any larger environmental damage.

***

Then again, maybe not. After a bit more reading on invasive.org, I read that the original Lonicera japonica was brought to the North American continent via Queens. Oops.

Lonicera is named for a 16th century botanist, Adam Lonitzer.