This splendid example of an open-grown oak has the largest trunk of any tree on the Institute grounds, over 18 feet in circumference. Our tree was probably on the original Olmsted plan. The sugar maple is best known for providing maple syrup, but it also provides shade, lumber and glorious fall color. Probably by Olmsted. A Eurasian tree, the turkey oak is fairly rare in Connecticut.
Acorns are large, with bristly cups.
Leaves remain green into late fall. Bark is black and rough. This is the best known variety of the European beech, first discovered about 1680 in Switzerland. While the leaves are shaped just like the species, various shades of purple and dark red exist. The nuts are small and triangular, and are a source of food for birds and squirrels.