Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Wednesday - July 06, 2011
From: Trabuco Canyon, CA
Region: California
Topic: Poisonous Plants, Trees
Title: Fast-growing tree for horse arena in Southern California
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I live in Trabuco Canyon, CA, and we just lost an old Sycamore in our horse arena. I would like to replace it with some thing that is fast growing, and will be able to withstand life around horses, our Santa Ana winds, and can do well in an extreme high fire danger area.ANSWER:
The quintessential fast-growing trees are: 1) Platanus racemosa (California sycamore) and here are photos and more information; and 2) Populus fremontii (Fremont cottonwood) and here are photos and more information. There is a male cultivar, 'Nimbus', that doesn't produce the "cotton". The sycamore is listed on the Fire-Wise Plant Material for Sonoma County list. Neither of these trees is evergreen.
These next two trees are fast-growing evergreens for your area: 1) Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. aspleniifolius (Fernleaf catalina ironwood) is fast-growing and evergreen. Here are photos and more information. 2) Pinus muricata (Bishop pine) and here are photos and more information.
Here is information about fire effects for three of the trees from the US Forest Service database:
Sycamore:
"Surface fires in the bottomland forests in which sycamore occurs readily
kill saplings and seedlings of all species. Larger trees are wounded by
fire; fire wounds act as vectors of disease, increasing rot and
decreasing plant vigor."
Cottonwood:
"Mature Fremont cottonwood trees are top-killed by moderate fire. The cambium layer is damaged by even low-severity surface fire. In California, a severe wildland fire completely consumed the understory vegetation of a Fremont cottonwood community. Fremont cottonwoods that were top-killed by the fire were sprouting vigorously from the root crowns."
Bishop Pine:
"Older trees have thick bark, which enables them to survive surface fire in woodlands and savannas."
Catalina ironwood was not included in the US Forest Service database.
You certainly don't want to plant your tree or trees and have the horses eat all the leaves, rub against the trunk and break it, or eat the bark. Here is advice from a nursery in Texas about protecting newly planted trees from livestock and wildlife.
It is also important that your tree is not harmful in any way to the horses. None of the above trees appears as toxic on the ASPCA Toxic and Non-toxic Plant List – Horses. Trees that should be avoided for horse enclosures are: Quercus spp. (oaks), Prunus spp. (cherries, chokecherries, peaches, apricots, plums, almonds), Acer spp. (maples) and Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa pine).
You can check the following toxic databases for plants that could be potentially harmful to horses:
Cornell University's Plants Poisonous to Livestock
Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
University of Pennsylvania's Poisonous Plants
More Trees Questions
More on oak problems in Carrollton TX
April 04, 2011 - Thank you for answering me, I will contact a specialist to see if we can determine the cause. but since writing you we have pulled down a small twig to see the leaf more closely, it is more of a reddi...
view the full question and answer
Want a source for Mexican redbud in Houston, TX
October 04, 2010 - I live in west Houston and would like to purchase and plant a Mexican redbud in my yard. I have Googled to find one and also searched the Growit site without success. Where can I find one in Texas? I ...
view the full question and answer
Native holly (ilex) for Austin area
May 28, 2006 - Hi--my brother and his family live in Austin, TX--their german shepard "Holly" just died (she was 13)--I was throwing around the idea of sending them a holly plant of some sort to have in honor of H...
view the full question and answer
Source for mulberry trees from Bryan TX
February 24, 2013 - I am looking for suggestions for nurseries from which I could purchase Red Mulberry or Texas Mulberry Tree.
view the full question and answer
Hurricane resistant alternatives to crape myrtle
September 02, 2007 - Are there any native small to medium trees (15-25 ft) to use instead of crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia indica)? Crapemyrtles come in many colors and bend with hurricane winds instead of snapping or uproo...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |