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Creekside Arboretum
The City of Gahanna's Creekside Arboretum is an Accredited Level I Arboretum, as recognized by the Morton Register of Arboreta. This recognition of professional standards and capabilities represents the advancement of goals specific to tree-focused public gardens, exemplifying standards of excellence in the arboretum community.
The Creekside Arboretum (located in Gahanna's Creekside Park, 117 Mill Street) includes 40+ different species of trees, identified with placards noting specific characteristics such as height, seed and leaf information, and fun facts. Visitors are encouraged to wander the arboretum, learning more about the history, natural beauty and benefits of the trees. The Arboretum offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate nature, while teaching us how to become better stewards for our environment.
See a list of species to be on the look out for as you visit the arboretum. Click on each to learn more.
Scientific Name: Tilia americana
- Cultivar: Redmond
- Mature Height: 60 to 80 feet
- Mature Spread: 30 to 60 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Pale yellow
- Flower: Fragrant, yellow clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Small, round nutlets attached to bract
- Fun Fact: 'Redmond' is a dense and pyramidal variety
Scientific Name: Fagus grandifolia
- Mature Height: 50 to 70 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Bronze
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Edible, hard, brown nut
- Fun Fact: Bark is light gray and resembles concrete
Scientific Name: Staphylea trifolia
- Mature Height: 10 to 15 feet
- Mature Spread: 10 to 15 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
- Soil Type: Alkaline, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: White, bell-shaped in clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Inflated, papery seed capsule
- Fun Fact: Naturally grow near water so seed capsules will fall and float downstream
Scientific Name: Ostrya virginiana agus
- Mature Height: 30 feet
- Mature Spread: 30 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Green, yellow, brown
- Flower: Male catkins
- Fruit/Nut: Hop-like that turn from green to brown
- Fun Fact: Member of the birch family
Scientific Name: Platanus occidentalis
- Mature Height: 75 to 100 feet
- Mature Spread: 80 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Alkaline, wet
- Fall Color: Bronze
- Flower: Small and red
- Fruit/Nut: Ball-like clusters
- Fun Fact: Bark is mottled gray, brown, and white
Scientific Name: Hamamelis virginiana
- Mature Height: 15 to 25 feet
- Mature Spread: 15 to 20 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: Stringy, 1-inch, yellow blooms
- Fruit/Nut: Green-brown seed capsules
- Fun Fact: Flowers bloom from October to December
Scientific Name: Amelanchier x grandiflora
- Cultivar: Robin Hill
- Mature Height: 20 to 25 feet
- Mature Spread: 12 to 15 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic
- Fall Color: Red to yellow
- Flower: White, 5-petaled
- Fruit/Nut: Edible, change from red to blue
- Fun Fact: 'Robin Hill' is an upright, rounded variety
Scientific Name: Taxodium distichum
- Mature Height: 50 to 70 feet
- Mature Spread: 25 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Tolerant of most conditions
- Fall Color: Prange to brown
- Flower: Male catkins
- Fruit/Nut: Round, green cones
- Fun Fact: Only produces cypress knees in wet areas
Scientific Name: Carya cordiformis
- Mature Height: 50 to 70 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Four-part nut
- Fun Fact: Buds resemble a yellow candle flame
Scientific Name: Prunus serotina
- Mature Height: 50 to 60 feet
- Mature Spread: 20 to 30 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to orange
- Flower: White drooping clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Dark, pea-sized cherries
- Fun Fact: Bark is rough and dark brown to gray
Scientific Name: Robinia pseudoacacia
- Mature Height: 30 to 50 feet
- Mature Spread: 20 to 35 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: White, hanging, showy clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Fat, brown pods
- Fun Fact: Notorious for having brittle wood
Scientific Name: Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum
- Mature Height: 60 to 75 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to orange
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Winged seeds in pairs
- Fun Fact: Leaves are drooped with hairy undersides
Scientific Name: Juglans nigra
- Mature Height: 50 to 75 feet
- Mature Spread: 30 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Alkaline, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Round, green husk containing edible nut
- Fun Fact: Produces juglone, a chemical that is toxic to many other plants
Scientific Name: Nyssa sylvatica
- Mature Height: 30 to 50 feet
- Mature Spread: 20 to 30 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Orange to red
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Small, dark fruit on female trees
- Fun Fact: One of the first trees to turn color in fall
Scientific Name: Acer negundo
- Mature Height: 30 to 50 feet
- Mature Spread: 30 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Light green to yellow
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Winged pairs of seeds on female trees
- Fun Fact: Can be tapped to make sugar
Scientific Name: Quercus macrocarpa
- Mature Height: 70 to 80 feet
- Mature Spread: 70 to 80 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Alkaline, dry, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to brown
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Large, 2 inch, heavily fringed acorns
- Fun Fact: One of the most stately looking shade trees
Scientific Name: Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Mature Height: 6 to 12 feet
- Mature Spread: 12 to 18 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to brown
- Flower: Fragrant, white, ball-like clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Hard, 1-inch spheres
- Fun Fact: Excellent native plant for pollinator
Scientific Name: Celtis occidentalis
- Mature Height: 40 to 60 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Alkaline, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Pea-sized, purple to brown drupes
- Fun Fact: Host plant for many butterfly species
Scientific Name: Ilex verticillata
- Mature Height: 6 to 10 feet
- Mature Spread: 6 to 10 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow-green
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Bright red drupes that last through winter
- Fun Fact: Both male and female plants are needed to produce fruit
Scientific Name: Cornus mas
- Mature Height: 20 to 25 feet
- Mature Spread: 15 to 20 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Alkaline, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Red to purple
- Flower: Small, yellow, clustered
- Fruit/Nut: Oval, bright red drupes
- Fun Fact: Native to Europe and Asia
Scientific Name: Populus deltoides
- Mature Height: 75 to 100 feet
- Mature Spread: 50 to 75 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to brown
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Dangling cluster of capsules that release white fluff and seeds
- Fun Fact: Extremely fast growing and weak wooded
Scientific Name: Cornus racemosa
- Mature Height: 10 to 15 feet
- Mature Spread: 10 to 15 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
- Soil Type: Dry or wet
- Fall Color: Red to purple
- Flower: White, flat clusters
- Fruit/Nut: White berries on red stalks
- Fun Fact: Good for mass plantings and shrub borders
Scientific Name: Quercus rubra
- Mature Height: 60 to 75 feet
- Mature Spread: 60 to 75 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Red
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Barrel-shaped, 1-inch acorn with flat cap
- Fun Fact: One of the fastest growing oaks
Scientific Name: Lindera benzoin
- Mature Height: 6 to 12 feet
- Mature Spread: 6 to 12 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: Bright yellow clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Bright red drupes on female plants
- Fun Fact: Great food and nectar source for wildlife
Scientific Name: Aesculus glabra
- Mature Height: 20 to 40 feet
- Mature Spread: 20 to 40 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to orange
- Flower: Yellow-green, 12-inch clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Buckeye inside prickly husk
- Fun Fact: State tree of Ohio
Scientific Name: Maclura pomifera
- Mature Height: 20 to 40 feet
- Mature Spread: 20 to 40 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Light green to yellow
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Yellow-green, 6-inch circular fruit
- Fun Fact: Commonly known as hedge apples
Scientific Name: Asimina triloba
- Mature Height: 15 to 20 feet
- Mature Spread: 15 to 20 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow-green to yellow
- Flower: Purple, cup-shaped, nodding
- Fruit/Nut: Large, edible, yellow-green fruit
- Fun Fact: Pollinated by flies
Scientific Name: Quercus palustris
- Mature Height: 60 to 70 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Acidic, wet
- Fall Color: Red
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Small, ½-inch acorn with flat cap
- Fun Fact: Low branches sweep down
Scientific Name: Acer rubrum
- Cultivar: Red Sunset
- Mature Height: 40 to 50 feet
- Mature Spread: 25 to 30 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Red
- Flower: Red petaled clusters
- Fruit/Nut: Winged seeds in pairs
- Fun Fact: 'Red Sunset' is a round-shaped variety
Scientific Name: Quercus acutissima
- Mature Height: 40 to 60 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 60 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to brown
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Oval, 1-inch acorns with prickly caps
- Fun Fact: Introduced from Asia
Scientific Names: Carya ovata
- Mature Height: 60 to 80 feet
- Mature Spread: 30 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Golden brown
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Edible nut with 4-part husk
- Fun Fact: The shaggy bark is habitat for roosting bats
Scientific Name: Carya laciniosa
- Mature Height: 75 to 100 feet
- Mature Spread: 50 to 75 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Wet
- Fall Color: Golden brown
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Edible nut with 5 to 6-part husk
- Fun Fact: Similar looking to shagbark hickories but naturally found in wetter conditions
Scientific Name: Acer saccharum
- Mature Height: 60 to 75 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow, orange, and red
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Winged seeds in pairs
- Fun Fact: Used to make maple syrup
Scientific Name: Quercus bicolor
- Mature Height: 50 to 60 feet
- Mature Spread: 50 to 60 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Gold to brown
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: 1-inch acorn half enclosed in a bumpy cap
- Fun Fact: Leaves are green on top and silver below
Scientific Name: Liquidambar styraciflua
- Mature Height: 60 to 75 feet
- Mature Spread: 40 to 75 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, wet, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow, red, and purple
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Green or brown, spiny spheres
- Fun Fact: Trees often show more than one fall color
Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera
- Mature Height: 70 to 90 feet
- Mature Spread: 35 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Golden yellow
- Flower: Yellow-green, 2-inch, tulip-like blooms
- Fruit/Nut: Cone-shaped, 2-inch seed clusters
- Fun Fact: Seeds persist through winter and stand upright on branches
Scientific Name: Salix babylonica
- Mature Height: 30 to 40 feet
- Mature Spread: 35 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, wet
- Fall Color: Light green to yellow
- Flower: Yellow on catkins
- Fruit/Nut: Brown, 1/4 -inch fruit
- Fun Fact: Branch cuttings can sprout into new trees
- Scientific Name: Morus alba
- Mature Height: 30 to 50 feet
- Mature Spread: 30 to 50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Flower: Insignificant
- Fruit/Nut: Edible berry ranging from white to purple
- Fun Fact: Native to China
Scientific Name: Aesculus flava
- Mature Height: 60 to 80 feet
- Mature Spread: 25 to 35 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Acidic, moist, well-drained
- Fall Color: Yellow to orange
- Flower: Upright clusters of yellow blooms
- Fruit/Nut: Buckeyes in a smooth husk
- Fun Fact: Buckeyes are poisonous to humans