List of Endangered Trees in Niagara Falls, Ontario
- Ontario's endangered trees are vulnerable to habitat loss.sunset,nobleton,ontario,canada image by Mr. D from Fotolia.com
Canada's woodlands comprise 15 percent of the Earth's remaining forests. That resource remains vulnerable to habitat loss that arises from the degradation, destruction and fragmentation by highways or other development of previously untouched lands. Habitat loss affects Ontario's rare trees the hardest because there are so few to reproduce new seedlings. If development alters a rare tree's primary habitat, that species could be lost. - Native to southern Ontario, the towering Kentucky Coffeetree is a threatened, rare species, according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). COSEWIC ranks it "very rare," meaning that there can only be between five and 20 of them gathered in each occurrence. In a group, they can be remarkable, reaching up to 80 feet tall and 50 feet wide with giant three-foot-long leaves with approximately 70 leaflets spread between three and seven branches from a central stalk. Kentucky Coffeetrees' age can be apparent. Young trees grow irregularly and are thin. As they age, they thicken and become symmetrical. They are also deciduous, losing those enormous leaves each winter. Kentucky Coffeetrees belong to a tree subfamily of the legume family. Mature female trees produce leathery pods that range between 4 and 7 inches in length with small dark seeds that look like coffee beans. Because they do not fruit when young and because the females will produce an abundance of pods every second or third year, reproduction can be haphazard. Ontario's Kentucky Coffeetrees take root in deep, rich soils with other broadleaf trees.
- Ranked "very rare" and "threatened" by the COSEWIC, the Cucumber Magnolia is one of eight deciduous Magnolia genera native to North America and the only native to Canada. Cucumber Magnolias are legally protected under the Endangerment Species Act. They grow exclusively in Ontario's Niagara area, north of Lake Erie. Cucumber Magnolia along Lake Erie can be up to 80 feet tall. The further away from the water, the shorter they grow. The tree's name comes from its fruit, a green cone-like fleshy follicle that resembles a cucumber until it matures when it turns red and splits along the middle. The tree crown can look like a pyramid, with its thickest section in the middle. Lower branches can droop. All its leaves are slightly hairy on the underside. Amid them are the Cucumber Magnolia's conspicuous and bright yellow blooms. They can range from 2 to 3 inches, close at night and last only a few days. The Cucumber Maganolias that remain thrive in moist to wet soil with other broadleaf trees. It prefers to be out in the open, not in the shade.
- The Pawpaw tree's edible fruit distinguishes it in Ontario woodlands near Lake Erie. A cross between a mango and banana, the pawpaw fruit averages between 5 and 16 oz. and measures between 3 to 6 inches. The fruit has a custard-like texture and can be eaten off the tree or prepared in desserts. That fruit sometimes motivates Canadians to plant the pawpaw, ranked "rare to uncommon," meaning there are between 20 and 100 trees standing together where they occur. At least two pawpaws must be close to one another for either to cross-pollinate and produce fruit. The narrow, conical trees can grow up to 12 feet tall. Its dark green drooping leaves that can dangle up to 12 inches combined with its fruit makes the pawpaw seem better suited for a tropical locale. It doesn't need the heat and humidity but does thrive in full sun by Lake Erie. The pawpaw loses all its leaves each winter.
