Maintaining Tree/Turfgrass Associations

<body stylesrc="http://karent/extfor/_private/styles.htm" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#336699" alink="#FF9900">  <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tr> <td align="center"><font face="Arial"><img src="../publications/forlf25/header.jpg" alt="Fall Color in the Carolinas" width="600" height="313"></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><font size="2" face="Arial"><img src="../publications/forlf25/pixel_transparent.gif" width="20" height="20"><br> </font> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td width="475" valign="bottom" align="left"><a href="http://www.clemson.edu/extension" target="_top"><img src="../publications/forlf24/extwordmark.gif" alt="Clemson Extension" border="0" width="200" height="47"></a></td> <td width="50%" valign="top" align="right"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Forestry Leaflet 25<br> Posted November 1997</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Every fall, many people look forward to the colorful display of trees changing color. Although everyone looks for a "peak" when the colors are at their best, there is a long season for enjoying the colors. From the last week in September through the middle of November, you can find bright red, yellow, and scarlet foliage somewhere in the Carolinas. Folklore has attributed this colorful display to visits from Jack Frost, but a series of chemical processes in the leaves create the palette of colors which we see. These processes are triggered by the shorter periods of daylight as fall approaches, and by the cooler temperatures. The weather of the preceding summer usually has minimal effects on the type of fall colors we have. The only "bad" weather for fall color is an early frost, which can shorten the season.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Anyone making travel plans to see the fall colors can begin visiting the higher elevations of the Carolinas in late September. By early October most mountain roads are crowded with cars. Motel rooms become scarce during October, so you need to call ahead if you can. If your travel schedule can be flexible, watch the weather reports for an approaching cold front. After these pass through our area, the haze is cleared away and visibility is ideal. So if you can, keep a bag packed and watch the weather reports for your best leaf-watching trips. And if you have to plan ahead, anytime in October can be a treat as the color changes spread from the mountains to the coast.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Here is a listing of some native South Carolina trees and shrubs especially noted for their colorful autumn foliage. Some of them are also attractive for the color of their fruit. The common and scientific names are listed followed by heights usually attained at maturity, designated as follows: small trees or shrubs are less than 50 feet tall at maturity; medium trees are 50 feet to 100 feet; and large trees are over 100 feet. Most of these plants, especially the trees, attain maturity only after many years. Colors indicated are of autumn foliage; fruits are mentioned only if conspicuous.<br> <img src="../publications/forlf25/pixel_transparent.gif" width="20" height="20"><br> </font></p> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="594" bordercolor="#008000"> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="4" width="600"><font size="6" face="Arial"><strong>Trees</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" width="125"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Common Name</strong></font></td> <td align="center" width="150"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Scientific Name</strong></font></td> <td align="center" width="125"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Size</strong></font></td> <td align="center" width="200"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Color</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="4" width="600"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Reds</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="125"><font size="1" face="Arial">Blackgum</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Black Cherry</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Flowering Dogwood</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Downy Serviceberry</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Hornbeam/Ironwood</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Red or Swamp Maple</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Northern Red Oak</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Scarlet Oak</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">White Oak</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Persimmon</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Sassafras</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Sourwood</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Sweetgum</font></td> <td width="150"><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Nyssa sylvatica</em></font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Prunus serotina</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Cornus florida</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Amelanchier canadensis</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Carpinus caroliniana</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Acer rubrum</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Quercus rubra</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Quercus coccinea</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Quercus alba</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Diospyros virginiana</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Sassafras albidum</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Oxydendrum arborium</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Liquidambar styraciflua</em></font></td> <td width="125"><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small to medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small to medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Large</font></td> <td width="200"><font size="1" face="Arial">Brilliant orange to scarlet</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Orange to pink</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Scarlet, bright red fruit in fall</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow to red</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Orange to red</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Pink to bright red</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Red</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Brilliant scarlet</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Red to purple</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Orange to red</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Orange to scarlet</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Brilliant scarlet</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow to scarlet/maroon, variable</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="4"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Yellows</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial">American Beech</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">River Birch</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Shagbark Hickory</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Pignut Hickory</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Red Mulberry</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Eastern Redbud</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Serviceberry</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Sycamore</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow-poplar</font></td> <td><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Fagus grandifolia</em></font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Betula nigra</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Carya ovata</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Carya glabra</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Morus rubra</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Cercis canadensis</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Amelanchier arboria</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Platanus occidentalis</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Liriodendron tulipifera</em></font></td> <td><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Medium</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Small</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Large</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Large</font></td> <td><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow to golden bronze</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Golden brown</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow</font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial"><img src="../publications/forlf25/pixel_transparent.gif" width="20" height="20"></font></p> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="594" bordercolor="#008000"> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3" width="600"><font size="6" face="Arial"><strong>Shrubs</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" width="150"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Common Name</strong></font></td> <td align="center" width="200"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Scientific Name</strong></font></td> <td align="center" width="250"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Color</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="150"><font size="1" face="Arial">Black Haw</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Fringetree</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Spice Bush</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Shining Sumac</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Smooth Sumac</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Summersweet</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Eastern Wahoo</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Witch-hazel</font></td> <td width="200"><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Viburnum prunifolium</em></font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Chionanthus virginicus</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Lindera benzoin</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Rhus copallina</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Rhus glabra</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Clethra alnifolia</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Euonymus atropurpurius</em></font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial"><em>Hamamelis virginiana</em></font></td> <td width="250"><font size="1" face="Arial">Shining red</font> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Bright yellow</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Golden yellow with red fruit in fall</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Scarlet with crimson fruit in fall</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Bright red with scarlet fruit in fall</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow to orange</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Light yellow with purple fruit in fall</font></p> <p><font size="1" face="Arial">Yellow with yellow flowers in early fall</font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><font size="2" face="Arial"><img src="../publications/forlf25/pixel_transparent.gif" width="20" height="20"><br> </font><img src="../publications/forlf25/sweetgum.jpg" alt="sweetgum" align="right" border="2" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="200" height="300"><font size="5" face="Arial"><b>Questions and Answers<br> About Autumn Leaf Coloration</b></font> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Do all parts of the world enjoy the beautiful autumn leaf colors that we take for granted in the Carolinas?</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">No, there are only a few areas of the world where this yearly display occurs. In the Northern Hemisphere, the colored leaves are seen only in Eastern North America, England, Western Europe, China, and parts of Japan. Only three small areas in the Southern Hemisphere show the flaming autumn leaves.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>What causes the colors?</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Certain naturally occurring pigments cause the colors. As days become shorter and nights cooler in the autumn, the replacement of the green chlorophyll in the leaves slows. Pigments called carotenoids, responsible for brilliant yellow to brown colors (as in hickories) are then exposed. As the leaves become older, tannins accumulate in the leaves of some species such as beech, giving bronze tones. In other species, such as dogwood and sweetgum, the anthocyanin pigments develop, causing colors ranging from red through maroon to purple This latter chemical is particularly prevalent under conditions which use an accumulation of sugars in the leaves. Intermediate colors, such as orange tones, may occur when leaves<b> </b>contain a mixture of two or more of the pigments. The specific pigments and mixtures are largely a species characteristic.</font></p> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="376"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Does frost cause the colors to form? Why do we have more brilliant colors some years than others?</strong></font> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Actually, heavy early frost prevents good color development by causing the leaves to fall early in the season. Colors appear due to (1) reduction in the amount of chlorophyll (green) pigments and (2) the formation of anthocyanins (red) and carotenoids (yellow) in leaves, which is favored by cool weather.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">The best color development seems to take place when a dry summer is followed by crisp, cool (not cold) autumn nights. Weather patterns during the fall have the greatest impact, both in controlling color change and in enhancing our view of the colors. Clear, sunlit days show colors off to their best advantage, especially in the early morning or late in the afternoon when the sunlight passing through the leaves seems almost to make them "glow."<br> <img src="../publications/forlf25/pixel_transparent.gif" width="20" height="20"></font></td> <td align="right" valign="top" width="224"><img src="../publications/forlf25/sugarmaple.jpg" alt="sugar maple" align="right" border="2" hspace="0" width="200" height="287"></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tr> <td width="320"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong><img src="../publications/forlf25/bradford.jpg" alt="Bradford pear" align="left" border="2" hspace="0" width="296" height="235"></strong></font></td> <td valign="top" width="280"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Why do the leaves finally fall off?</strong></font> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">An abscission layer, a double corky layer, forms at the base of the leaf petiole where it joins the twig. This cuts off movement into and out of the leaf, causing it to drop off at the abscission layer, leaving a sealed scar.</font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial"><img src="../publications/forlf25/pixel_transparent.gif" width="20" height="20"><br> <a href="mailto:snodine@clemson.edu" target="_top">Stephen K Nodine</a>, Former Extension Forester<br> <a href="mailto:amiller@clemson.edu">Ansel Miller</a>, Professor of Forest Resources<br> </font><a target="_top" href="../people/nelson/index.htm"><font size="2" face="Arial">Larry R. Nelson</font></a><font size="2" face="Arial">, Extension Forester and Associate Professor<br> Thanks to Dr. Davis McGregor for background material.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.clemson.edu/for" target="_top"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Department of Forest Resources</strong></font></a></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div>  </body>