Providence, Rhode Island City Forester Doug Still says that
in his tenure they've planted 29 musclewood as street
trees in both lawn strips and sidewalk cutouts. "We're
just getting started planting it," he says. "It can be hard to
source so when I see it become available in nurseries, I buy
as many as I can. I like it because it's another native tree
that we can add to our palette. What makes it unique for
me are the interesting-looking seeds—papery seed clusters
that draw attention for months from summer into fall."
Still says that there are maintenance considerations, however.
"Musclewood requires early structural pruning because of
its dense branching pattern," he says. He says that the tree
requires stewardship—weeding, mulch, and most especially,
watering—during the establishment period. "I've observed
that if it gets enough water in those critical first three years,
it takes off. Ours are looking great, and musclewood strikes
me as a good native plant alternative to many other trees."
Dried papery bracts with mature
nutlets ready for wildlife to eat. Nutlets forming, attached to new bract clusters.
38 CityTREES
