Wild Planet Trust Arboretum - Our Special Trees
At Paignton Zoo we have many rare and beautiful trees, unfortunately they often go overlooked. Here are some that our gardens team think are special and deserve more attention.
Paignton Zoo founder Herbert Whitley by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Herbert Whitley
...our founder Herbert Whitley set up Paignton Zoo in 1923 and many of the trees still standing here today are from that time or before.
Drone photograph of Paington Zoo from above by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Paignton Zoo's Trees
On a site as green as Wild Planet Trust sites Paignton Zoo and Primley Park it's easy to overlook the trees that have endured for almost over a century...
Cherry tree in the ostrich paoddock by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Cherry Tree
Situated in the ostrich enclosure at Paignton Zoo you will find a cherry tree. This particular specimen has been highlighted to be one of the largest of its kind. These trees are particularly good for wild insects and bees.
Cherry tree blossom at the ostrich paddock by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Cherry Tree
The spring blossom is often the best early source of nectar the berries are sort after by birds who disperse the seeds within and fallen fruit provides food for local wildlife such as badgers and mice.
Cherry blossoms by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
It’s easy to take the cherry blossom for granted but underneath the human perceived beauty is a biodiversity hub.
Eucalyptus at Paignton Zoo by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Eucalyptus Tree
Long used by native Australians for spiritual cleansing, the eucalyptus trees on site at Paignton Zoo are a relatively new addition to the arboretum. This wonderful species of tree can be identified by its blue-grey bark that peels off to reveal the yellow layer beneath.
Close up of eucalyptus bark by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Eucalyptus Tree
Eucalyptus has antibacterial properties. You’ll often find that eucalyptus oil can be found in everyday products like mouthwashes and toothpastes. The oil is also used to clear congestion and colds.
Eucalyptus flower by Ethal ArdvarkWild Planet Trust
As a flowering tree or shrub, the eucalyptus attracts bees and other pollinating insects making them a great source of nectar.
Ginko tree - Maiden hair tree by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Ginkgo Biloba or Maidenhair tree
Ginkgo biloba, also called the maidenhair tree, has its origins in China. These trees are large and deep rooted normally reaching 20-35 metres in height. The ginkgo leaf in summer is, as you can imagine, green but in autumn they turn bright yellow.
Shot from beneath a ginko tree by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Ginkgo Biloba
Given its long history and its cultivation this species has seen many human uses. Ginkgo nuts are often served on special occasions like the new year and at weddings. The seeds are used in both Chinese and Japanese cuisines.
The unique shape of the ginko leaf by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
The traditional medicinal use of ginkgo extracts can be traced back to the 11th century. These medicinal uses are purported to have an effect on dementia, peripheral vascular disease, vascular dementia, tinnitus, and age-related macular degeneration.
Japanese Maple Tree by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Japanese Maple
These beautiful small trees have over 1,000 varieties and cultivars including hybrids. Typically, these trees grow between 30-60 cm per year.
Japanese Maple Leaves from Below by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Japanese Maple
Surprisingly, the flowers of this tree don’t attract insects. However they are appealing to songbirds, quail and grouse. In Osaka, fried maple leaves are said to have been eaten as a snack for over 1,000 years.
London Plane
These trees can live for several hundred years. The bark ranges in colour from olive green to grey and has a camouflage-like pattern. At Paignton Zoo you can see these trees in our Monkey Heights exhibit.
London Plane Leaves Against Blue Sky by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
The London plane is valued for its ability to adapt to urban conditions including its resistance to pollution. It is therefore widely planted as a street tree in large cities, particularly London, England.
Lucombe Oak in Primley Park by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Lucombe oak
While working as head gardener, William Lucombe founded the first commercial plant nursery in South West England in 1720. He marketed many of the plants collected by his employer, Thomas Ball of Mamhead Park. Lucombe bred his eponymous oak at his nursery in 1762 in St Thomas, Exeter.
Lucombe Oak Branches by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Lucombe oak
The Lucombe oak was discovered when Lucombe noticed that one of the saplings, produced from a Turkey oak acorn he had planted, kept its leaves in winter. He observed that these features occurred where both parent species (Turkey and Cork oaks) grew together.
Trunk of the Lucombe Oak by Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
True Lucombe oaks are clones of the original 1762 tree. In Primley Park, a Wild Planet Trust site opposite Paignton Zoo, you can see a Lucombe oak in all its majesty. It is thought that this tree predates Herbert Whitley and the inception of Paignton Zoo.
Monkey Puzzle at Paignton Zoo by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Monkey Puzzle Tree
This tree is native to Chile. It grows to a height of 45–50 metres. It can live for more than 700 years and was alive 200 million years ago, rubbing shoulders with the dinosaurs. It's thought that the spiky branches would be too painful for a monkey to climb, hence the name.
Monkey Puzzle Branches Against Blue Sky by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Monkey Puzzle tree
The wood was widely used to make: railway sleepers to access coal fields, and steel works. Later the timber was used for general carpentry, ladders, skis, pianos, oars, and even aeroplanes. In the UK, the monkey puzzle became an archetypal Victorian park tree.
Monkey Puzzle Pine Cone by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Monkey Puzzle in Chile
In Chile the tree is called the Pehuén and is sacred to the local Pehuenche. It is home to the slender-billed parakeet and over 70 types of indigenous insects. In 1976 they were declared 'natural monuments' and their felling strictly prohibited. They are on the IUCN threatened species list.
Looking up the Trunk of a Redwood by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Redwoods
These are the tallest trees on the planet. They can grow to over 90 metres tall. Typically the root system is only 2-4 metres deep, but extends outwards up to 30 metres. The tallest redwood, a coast redwood, is over 116 metres tall. Discovered in 2006 it was named Hyperion.
Redwoods on Paignton Zoo Path by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Redwoods
A redwood can’t grow to be the tallest tree on earth alone. It needs the support and protection of other trees in the forest to grow tall, the oldest living coast redwood has been alive for at least 2,200 years.
Redwood Canopy by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Hundreds of plants including ferns, moss, lichen, huckleberries, and even other full-sized trees have been found living in the canopies of redwoods. These plants provide food for wildlife living in the redwood’s soil mats including insects and amphibians.
Paignton Zoo Wollemi Pine by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Wollemi Pine, Australian native
The amazing wollemi pine dates back to the time of the dinosaurs. This living fossil was thought to be extinct for two million years until a small population was discovered in Australia. One of the wollemi pine’s closest living relatives is the monkey puzzle tree.
Wollemi Pine is Critically Endangered by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
Wollemi Pine
The wollemi pine is classified as critically endangered and is on the IUCN Red List. There are fewer than 100 trees remaining in Wollemi National Park, Australia. On 16 January 2020, firefighters saved the last wild wollemi pines, from the Gospers Mountain fire near Sydney.
Wollemi Pine Cone by Oliver Newton - Browne, Wild Planet TrustWild Planet Trust
To save this species, the trees have been propagated and planted in botanic gardens around the world. You can see the wollemi pine and all these trees at Paignton Zoo.
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