Delcova Trees (Hypo Nature)

Delcovas are hypothetical trees. These are very special and important trees. They are planted for their superbloom in the spring, and edible fruit. Animals use these trees for shelter, People like these trees for windbreak, barriers, and the smaller trees, as a supersized hedge. Devil-thorn Delcova is the hedging champion, as it grows large enough to block out city views giving privacy, thick enough to block out car lights, and for their sharp thorns, that'll make sure nobody walks through the tree.

### Taxonomy

The Delcova Genus- Delcova. Family- Rosaceae

## Edibility and Toxicity

Delcovas are highly favored by a long list of animals. Leaves, fruit, and flowers are generally edible by all on the list. Generally, there are very few, if any, creatures that may find Delcovas toxic. Tomato Delcovas however, have a slightly higher toxicity, and can cause only minor poisoning in some animals like cows, deer, and people, but the animal will recover.

### Edible to

1. Humans
2. Caterpillars
3. Dogs
4. Cats
5. Birds
6. Squirrels
7. Deer
8. Moose
9. Bears
10. Skunks
11. Raccoons
12. Horses
13. Cows
14. Pigs

## Medicinal Properties

Delcovas aren’t just beautiful, but are also very much medically important. The leaves, fruit, flowers, bark, and its roots all contain Delcovione, a toxin that is actually quite helpful. Delcovione is a powerful toxin, known for its medical attributes, as the toxin is lethal towards viruses and diseases. The toxin however is not dangerous to people or animals. Delcovione is being administered as a treatment for Covid19 around the us and the world. This is also causing Delcovas to be planted almost everywhere. Many cleaners contain Delcovione.

## Silhouettes

The side picture shows the shape. form, and massive size of two Delcovas, the Ever-Red and Black Rhombus More Silhouettes coming soon.

   Delcovas are massive trees, much larger than many we mormally see. When completed, there will be a gallery here, of all the Delcovas' silhouettes. Trees that are evergreen or that keeps leaves all year will have foliage in the silhouette. Deciduous trees will not. There will be 3-5 trees on a picture, which will show the shape and size of the tree, color of the foliage, leaf, flower, and fruit.

## Growth and Location

Delcovas are native to much of the US, from Florida to Canada, west to Texas over to Colorado and northeast Utah. Depending on where you live, Delcovas could be taller, bigger, longer blooming, or faster growing. Someone here in Connecticut would see a 100-150' tall common delcova, while someone seeing the same tree in Florida or Texas, would only get a 30-60' tree. Why?? Well the answer lies in the climate. Delcova tree sizes depend greatly on climate. Delcovas do most of their growing in cold and cool weather. Delcovas need a distinct cold season to properly bud, grow, flower, and fruit; which all occurs when weather is under 65. In a southern state,It doesn't get very cold, or do winters last long. Delcovas would have very little time to grow, flower and fruit, so most trees down south grow very little, and focus on making seeds. In the north, Our winters are cold and long, giving delcovas tons of time to do everything it needs. In October, Delcovas begin flowering and buds that formed in the spring will erupt. Delcovas will grow until December, (In CT, however some Delcovas will grow through winter) That's three months at the end of the year, then in February, Delcovas bloom and grow until April. That'd be a full 6 months to grow in a warm temperate region. Delcovas in Florida bloom and grow from November to March., which is 2-3 months shorter than CT.

## Seasonal Fun Facts

FOR SPRING- Delcovas first give off spring blooms when temperatures rise over 40o during the day. This in Connecticut usually starts in February. Delcovas will bloom until June. Fruit takes on average 12-18 days to mature, and are usually eaten with 5 days of maturity. Squirrels, countless birds, turkey and chickens, other rodents, deer, and bears tend to love the fruits.

FOR SUMMER- Leaves from previous year will begin falling in June, when temperatures reach over 85o. They do this to regulate their water and energy. All of last year's leaves will fall in June and end in July. Delcovas do not bloom during the hot summer months. They end bloom in the end of May towards early to mid June. Most Delcovas end bloom around June 14th. Trees planted in water tend to bloom longer than ones in dry soil.

- Keep Delcovas well watered in summer, especially during droughts. These beautiful and valuable trees are not drought tolerant. They can die or become very unhealthy in severe drought.

- If rain is very consistent, as well as sun, Delcovas will be able to put out another season‘s growth. Delcovas if they grow again, could flower and produce another round of fruit. With the heat, the flowering and fruiting wouldn’t be as significant. Cool summers may yield more flowering and fruiting.

-Rainy and cool summers- If your summer is wetter than usual, Delcovas will not negatively be effected by the overabundance of water. Delcovas are actually acclimated to grow in wet, boggy, or standing water, so your Delcova will actually grow even better and faster. Cool and rainy summers will cause delcovas to delay leaf drop that summer, or not drop much at all. If Delcovas don't have to drop leaves in summer, they won't. The tree will have double the leaves they normally would this winter, and even more in Spring.

FOR FALL- Delcovas do not seasonally drop leaves in the fall. They keep all leaves until next summer. Some species begin a second flowering spree from September till November.

FOR HURRICANE SEASON- Delcovas have some very strong wood and big trunks. Delcovas can survive a tropical storm and C1s very well, usually without dropping any branches. Most healthy delcovas can stand tall through a C3 no problem.

FOR WINTER- In the winter, these trees retain leaves, but in cold zones (Colder than Zone 4), leaves drop in the winter, not the summer. Here in zone 6, Delcovas retain all their leaves. Trees have very strong wood, and do not typically drop branches, even under the weight of a lot of snow. Flowers in February are not affected from cold weather.

## Superblooms

Superblooms are occasional occurrences when Delcovas explode in color in March or April. A fair amount of rain, consistant cool temperatures, and an abunance of polinators, Delovas could bloom with more flowers. If last year was a successful year in polinating, it could also be way for Delcovas to send out extra blooms this year.

Delcovas bloom from February till early June. First flowers usually appear when temperatures consistantly reach into the 40s. Bloom time peak occurs in March through early May, or when temps are consistantly in the 50s-60s. In June, the blooms will stop coming. These flowers will turn into ripe fruit by early July.

## Allergies

Many people are often troubled this time of year with pollen allergies. Pollen is a tree and plant’s male reproduction organ that is lightweight and flies around in the wind. Pollen will land on and fertilize a female flower, that has “eggs” that will grow into seeds. Delcovas are not allergin trees. You see, Delcovas have perfect flowers. They have both male and female parts in the same flower. So pollen does not leave the tree. If it does, it’s so heavy it will fall right to the ground, in small amounts. The flowers are self pollinating, but with the help of bees, flies, mosquitoes and other bugs, the flowers can be pollenated that way too. Are Delcovas likely to trigger pollen allergies? In a short answer, No, Delcovas are highly unlikely to trigger Hay Fever. (Seasonal pollen allergies)

## Uses

Delcovas are prized trees. They have several uses, that will be listed below.

### A. Food—

Delcovas produce sweet fruit. The fruit is edible to every animal. Birds, squirrels, rabbits, mice, deer, and many other animals love the fruit. These animals are common sights near mature Delcovas.

### A1. Quick to bare

Delcovas bloom and bare fruit THEIR FIRST YEAR!! If Delcovas grow the normal 3-6’ per year, you will get fruit the first year, during the fall only. Trees will bloom in September, and fruit will appear days later. If trees grow slower, it may take 2-3 years to mature.

### B. Street Tree—

Delcovas make some of the best street trees around. Delcovas have deep root systems, which grow much deeper than the road they’re planted on. The wood is very strong, so these trees are able to stand against hurricanes. The average Delcova can stand up to a category 3 hurricane without loosing branches or fall over.

### C- Disease and Pest Resistant

Delcovas are highly disease and pest resistant. As a favored meal for caterpillars and deer, many would think that these trees would have many problems. Delcovas naturally will grow several times a year, in which they can grow new leaves and branchlets if defoliated by caterpillars. Unlike the oak trees, Delcovas have survived all three Gypsy Moth Caterpillar infestations from 2016,17,and 18. that’s three years of high stress. As far as deer goes, as deer chew off the young greenery at the end of branches, theses leaves and branchlets grow back very quick. Some species have adapted to have have a poisonous sap to deer and other mammals. This includes the Tomato Delcovas.

### D- Hedging-

The small to large shrubby thorny Delcovas are valued as hedging champions. The devil-thorn Delcova is the highest priced, and most valuable of all the hedging bushes. This can be done with any of the shrubby Delcovas. They naturally grow very compact, dense crowns of evergreen or tardily deciduous leaves. This blocks out city sights and noises, car and neighbor lights, neighbors, and more. Especially the thorny and spiny Delcovas, you'll get top notch privacy. Nobody will ever dare enter the thorns of those vicious thorny Delcovas. You’ll never get trespassing peoples ever again!

### E- Nature Retreat

Delcovas are known for their stunning natural value to the wildlife around you. Birds, squirrels, other rodents, and many other small mammals make homes in Delcovas. Quick food access and disguise make these trees perfect. The dense foliage makes it impossible to find these animals. The flowers in the spring attract millions of bees, bugs, moths, and butterflies. The sight of this and all the already animals here have earned the Delcovas the title of the trees of life.

### F- Easy Grafting

It is so easy to graft those fruit trees into Delcovas. As long as you graft a young tree, your success is guaranteed. Dont cut the trunk, but cut the branches. Add your scions to those stubs. It has been seen that fruit trees that are non evergreen have become evergreen when pared on a Delcova. They’ve even grafted maples onto Delcovas. It still worked! It worked with- apples, pears, (all the fruiting trees) elms, maples, magnolia, and some oak trees.

### F1- Ways to Properly Graft

Grafting Delcovas is easy if you do it right. The most successful way is drill grafting. This is when you drill a small hole in the trunk or branches. Then add a small branch cutting and apply grafting tape. These cuttings typically will begin growth in the winter, spring, or fall. ———Another way to graft is to trim immature or newly mature branches. Only graft on small or young branches. For the best luck, do grafting when trees are still young. This way both species will become large, and be a more successful graft. Simply cut off a small branch. Pull back the bark with a clean knife. Then add the scions into the cambium layer of the bark. Use grafting tape to seal off the graft. The scions and the branch will quickly begin to grow in the next growing season. Graft during the winter. Tape can be removed at the end of the following growing season. Because Delcovas can grow potentially three or four times in a single year, the scions and branch cuttings will begin to grow as a Delcova naturally would, and become pretty big pretty quickly. You’ll likely get fruit within a year or two.

### G- Summer Leaf Drop-

Theres no worries when it comes to raking leaves in the fall. A large number of Delcovas are evergreen and drop old leaves in the summer. This time of year, you can mow the leaves down as you mow your lawn. When the leaves fall and get mowed into small pieces, this can help the health of your lawn. Delcova leaves naturally have necessary nutrients that have proven to make grass healthier. The nutrients pass into the ground when the leaves break down, which is relatively quick.

### H- Increased property value!

Having Delcovas on property will increase home value by quite a bit from the attributes above!

### 4-leaf Delcova \*EG

(Delcova Quadrasendron) Large Tree

(Delcova Quattuorfolium)

## GENUS

GENUS DELCOVA

A genus of fairly large trees and shrubs native of North America

* -Leaves vary in shape and size- many are simple-untoothed, some compound. Many evergreen. Dropping old leaves in summer. Most of the trees have a spicy scent to them. Others may have a sweet smell to them. The scent is strongest in the Tomato Delcova, which the scent can be smelt in the wind.
* When young, Delcovas can grow, they can grow 4-6’ of new growth per year. The heaviest new growth totaled seven feet. They grow very weedy their first 3-4 years. Growth rate dramatically slows down with age. Meanwhile, the smaller Delcovas grow much slower, usually less than a foot per year.
* Flowers- Varying shapes. Some are like roses, peonies, others like dandelions, and others as catkins. Primarily starts blooming  February - June, but some flowers may bloom in summer or fall. Trees may bloom on warm days in February or even January. In Winter, if several days are over 40, these trees will start to flower. Most flowers are a few inches long. Some flowers may grow to the size of a lilac, or bigger! Individual flowers may be in bloom for up to a week. Flowers fall off after then, and a fine fruit grows from the flower's origin. All of the flowers are highly fragrent, and can be smelt from up to several meters away. Many homeowners can smell the flowers from inside thier homes.
* Fruit- Edible multicolored fruits that resemble jelly beans, maturing spring through fall with external seeds. Persistent until eaten. Seeds fall to ground, but almost never germinate.(13% do.)

* Bark is usually smooth but some may develop ridges, making the bark look like Norway maple. Bark can be gray, red, or sometimes even purple, depending on the species and age.
* Sap- A syrupy sap. Sap is reddish color, and is very edible. Tastes and looks like Sweet and Sour Sauce. Other trees like Pepperwood and Tomato have a white milky sap, which is actually poisonous.

* Twigs- usually narrow. Green when young, turning to mature color quick.
* Sizes vary by species but most will reach 70-80’.  Some of them are more shrubby and may reach 20’. The big trees can naturally grow up to 150' tall, but the tallest and biggest trees have grown to be 200' tall. That's about 4 times the size of a tractor trailer truck!
* All Native to the US and Canada.

* They grow best in zones 2-10.
* A deep taproot develops when a tree is 10-12 years old. This taproot continues to grow until root reaches 60’ deep.

* None of the species are listed as invasive.
* Trees have been planted in England, and in Australia. Many people in Australia like to grow Delcovas for their scented leaves, fragrant flowers, tasty fruit, and beautiful form.

## Care

* - Watering- Delcovas are tollerant of moist soil, and flood plains. Most delcovas like it wet, so overwatering is not an issue. Water them often in hot weather and during droughts. Delcovas are not drought tollerant.
* Cutting- Do not cut a tree's trunk as the tree won't grow back. Unless your removing your tree, only trim branches. Its true, that sometimes bracches wont grow back either. Mature branches and trunks wont grow back. Do not trim after February. Delcovas are budding, flowering and leafing out. When cut in the growing season, trees may start to "bleed". Bleeding usually stops after a few days.
* Delcovas are not in need of alot of care. They will grow fairly well without being cared for.

## Propagation-

The most successful propagation is by hardwood, semi hardwood, and softwood cuttings. (80-90%) Once planted, over the course of several weeks, roots rapidly start growing. Root growth usually begins within several days. The quickest branch that grew roots only took 4-8 days to begin creating root stubs. Once established, and roots have formed, the roots will grow fairly fast, potentially adding several centimeters a day. That's about 5-9 feet a year, since Delcovas can grow year-round. That branch may only take 3-7 years to grow enough roots to become an established mature tree. Twig clippings will grow enough roots that year. Its recommended to grow young clippings in the fall or early spring, when its not too hot. Keep the clipping in moist or wet soil for at least 2 days, and the clipping will start to grow roots. Usually works on branches up to 15’ long with good support. The largest propagated tree branch was 37’ long when split in a storm. Now the homeowners have 2 new shade trees! A 40' tall tree branch fell in Hurricane Sandy in 2012, in Connecticut, how has grown nearly 16 feet since planting. The branch now has a very big established root system. The branch sprouted branches along the entire trunk, and has is getting fuller and bigger each year.

The newest trees are coming from Hurricane Isaias which came through New England on August 4th 2020. Many people as well as city and state workers in New York and southern New England planted more than 500 branches and over a thousand twigs from Delcovas that fell down or branches that broke off this August. As of early September, these twigs and branches are growing buds and buds are now erupting to grow. Many of these branches are starting to flower as well.

-Grafting- Can be done to any species, usually works quite well more info below. 60-80%

-Seeds- the least successful propagation, as seeds usually are all eaten, or simply don’t germinate, this propagation is not recommended. At most, only about 25% of seeds may germinate per year.

### Transplanting

Delcovas are easy to transplant. Especially when young. All the way until 3-7 years old, the roots are shallow, and can be easy to uproot. After then, the tree will develop much deeper roots. You'll have to use a shovel to transplant older seedlings. They will do well as houseplants, but will need to transferred outside before they get too big.

## HOW TO GRAFT DELCOVAS!

1. Never cut the trunk. Tree will not grow back. Instead cut branches. If a tree has split trunks, you can cut those, and tree should still grow, but even this may be risky.
2. Place scion into a cut into cambium layer. It’s best to insert at least 3.
3. Place Grafting Tape over the graft for about 6-8 weeks. Tree will heal in this time, and will grow in spring along with grafts.
4. Do grafting in Winter or Spring. Delcovas start growing in February.
5. The grafts will usually grow as fast as the Delcova itself. The grafts will grow on the hosts roots, so the Delcova will support them.
6. Keep the tree watered and in good shape the first year.

## Susceptible to-

### Parasites-

-SPANISH MOSS

-MISTLETOE

### Diseases

SUDDEN OAK DEATH (Calif)

- Dutch Elm Disease

### Pests

#### -SAP-SUCKERS

These creatures climb the tree and peirce a tiny hole. They have a small tube like mouth, where they can suck sap into their bodies. They are naturally flat, but they swell and be fat when they fill up on sap. They are the tree equivelant to bed bugs, ticks, and fleas. When they infest a tree, a tree may loose alot of sap, and some of these bugs may carry disease. Its best to spray trees down to protect them. Sap sucker oubreaks may last several years, but very few trees die.

#### - DEER

Deer commonly feed on branches close to the ground. They can defoliate these low branches, but these trees can easily grow new branches back in a matter af days to weeks. This muching actually stimulates new growth. These branches rarely die back or have problems. Leaf stems fall off and the buds there erupt with new growth. Its true though, if deer feed on this delicate new wood or leaves before the wood hardens and form buds, the branch at that point may die. if they dont, and new buds form, THEN deer eat the leaves, the buds will just erupt again with new growth. Some branches however may die after multiple times. Deer eat fruits and leaves.

### - WOOLY APHIDS

Wooley Aphids aren't typically a problem, but they are numorous in April through June. Some leaves turn brown, but leaves will fall off without harming the trees.

### -BEETLES

Beetles do not harm Delcovas. Beetles are attracted to Delcovas from their sweet sap, fragrent leaves and flowers and edible fruit. Beetles as well as other bugs can appear in the thousands by a mature 100 foot Delcova tree in the spring and summer. Beetles eat the leaves and fruit of Delcovas, but dont cause damage to the tree. Common beetles found near Delcovas are Grapevine Beetles, Asiatic Garden Beetles, and many other brown beetles.

#### - CATERPILLARS -

—— Gypsy, Forest Tent, Eastern Tent, Hickory Tussock, Polyphemus, Woolly Bears, Fall Webworm

##### Gypsy

Gypsy Moth Caterpillars eat the leaves of Delcovas in April-June. They are also a common tree that eggs are laid on by adults. Delcovas are most likely to be defoliated by Gypsys, but the trees almost always recover in a few weeks. Leaf stems fall off, and new buds erupt after the caterpillars pupate in late June.

##### Forest Tent, Eastern Tent

These catepillars do feed on Delcovas. However their damage potential is very low, and almost never affect a tree. They feed and are attracted to Delcovas for their leaves.

##### Hickory Tussock

Hickory Tussock Caterpillars feed on Delcovas in the summer and fall. These guys may defoliate a branch or two, but nothing anything serious. Hickory tussocks usually will pupate underneith the branches of a mature Delcova away from preditors and from rain. These caterpillars feed on Delcovas later because of their evergreen foliage.

##### Polyphemus and Luna Moths

Both species are observed on Delcovas, but are fairly uncommon. They usually feed on Beeches and Delcovas, but no damage really ever occurs.

##### Wooley Bears

Wooley Bears can be seen in Delcovas in the summer and fall months feeding on leaves. Wooley Bears also prefer to lay their eggs on Delcovas. In the winter, they can sometimes be found on Delcova trees feeding on warm days. They sometimes hide in close branches, where branches are close together or where the branches meet. They are also commonly found in rotted or hollow branches.

##### Fall Webworm

Fall webworm are common in late summer and fall, and can appear in the hundreds or thousands in Delcovas. They however do minimal damage, and all trees survive.

##### Saddleback

Saddleback Caterpillars are uncommon, but do feed on Delcova leaves in the summer.