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Identifying a very fragrant tree

16 years ago

Okay, so my wife and I have been enjoying a very fragrant tree on our local greenbelt and now we want to know what it is. It has white, small, hanging flowers. Small, 2-3" pods and the leaves are very symmetrical with each leaf being oval and about 1" across.

The tree is VERY sweet smelling... any ideas? I've looked at honey locusts and lindens and neither are a fit.

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Comments (3)

knottshawk
Original Author
16 years ago
Nevermind.... it looks to be a black locust. Is this a good one to plant?

What are some fragrant, long-blooming trees? We live in a smelly neighborhood and would like to cover up the bad smells :)
pineresin
16 years ago
Not a good tree for gardens - invasive, suckering roots sending up thorny suckers all over the place, and brittle branches. True the flowers are nicely scented, but they only last for a couple of weeks.

To deal with smells, the best thing to do is find the source of the smell, and take action to stop it from continuing. If a leaky sewer, get it repaired; if a factory, report in to the pollution control inspectorate. If it really isn't stoppable, then look for trees and shrubs with scented foliage, as they will provide scent year-round, not just for a short flowering season. Pines, Spruces, Firs, Thujas, and similar. But I suspect you'll need some large areas planted to be at all effective.

Resin
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I think this may be the tree being talked about. We live in Omaha (zone 5b) and when we were helping a friend landscape at their new home, we dug up one of the offshoots by the trunk and planted it in our yard. The tree is already providing full shade in the yard (04/17/16) while the other trees in the neighborhood are just budding leaves. The leaves start to grow quickly followed by the flowers. The leaves start out green then quickly turn a deep burgundy as soon as it stops flowering. The tree bears no fruit. The flowers have an overwhelming scent similar to southern jasmine. The scent is so strong that it becomes unbearable at times. It is right outside our bedroom window so we sometimes have to close the window on nice nights because, while the smell is beautiful and intoxicating, it is unbearable in large amounts! This overpowering scent isn't in an allergy kind of way, it is more like if you sat in a small closet and lit 10 of your favorite incense sticks then stayed in there for two weeks with 10 sticks constantly burning! I would love to know the name of it but my research has produced little results. It is similar to the 'summer glow bird cherry fruit' tree but it doesn't produce any fruit. (Edited) I've tried to post a photo but it isn't showing up yet. The tree I'm talking about is none of the ones mentioned in the posts here. My tree is is not ornamental yet it doesn't get more than around 40' tall.
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chrismich250
16 years ago
look up 'fringe tree'. There are native ones and Chinese ones. The Toledo Botanical gardens has a wonderful specimen.

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