Let's start with trees that are used for medicinal or culinary purposes.

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* 1. I am a small, shrubby tree with a beautiful vase-like form and pretty fall foliage. I have unique flowers (usually yellow) that bloom in late winter and have been described by some as "spider-like." Astringent is extracted from my leaves and bark to make a widely used, over-the-counter topical treatment for many skin ailments, such as rashes and acne, because it eases inflammation and soothes sensitive skin. Who am I?

Tree used to create astringent
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* 2. My bark has a chemical called salicin that can be used to ease pain and reduce inflammation. In fact, this is where the drug aspirin comes from. I am usually found growing close to water and have lovely weeping branches with long, narrow leaves. Who am I?

Tree that creates salicin for pain and inflammation
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* 3. Gumbo file powder is made from my dried, ground-up leaves. For many centuries people have used my roots and bark to create a root beer-like tonic, and my leaves are used to make a tea that treats many ailments, from skin sores to bronchitis to hypertension. My leaves can be three distinctly different shapes. Who am I?

Used for culinary and medicinal applications
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Now let's focus now on some myths about trees.

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* 4. Tree roots break sewer and water lines.

Tree roots with eroded soil around it
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* 5. Trenching in the soil just a little bit next to a tree won't hurt it.

A deep trench is dug close to a tree
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* 6. Tree topping is BAD for trees, even for your crape myrtles.

A crape myrtle that has been topped
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* 7. Planting a tree deep will keep the roots growing deep.

A shovel digging a hole for a young tree
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* 8. Painting the wounds on a tree after pruning DOES NOT stop rot.

Some spray painting over a cut on a tree
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Let's turn our attention to Charlotte's invasive trees.

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* 9. I am native to China and can quickly out-compete native vegetation because I am fast-growing, can survive in harsh conditions, and the female trees of my species can produce up to 300,000 wind-disseminated seeds in one year! My flowers are greenish to pale yellow and are borne in clusters at the ends of my branches. My compound leaves look like sumac or walnut and some say my leaves smell like rancid peanut butter when crushed. Who am I?

Tree that s native to China and grows very fast
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* 10. I used to be planted everywhere you look and was considered a beautiful specimen tree due to my white spring blooms and red-burgundy foliage. I cannot be pollinated by trees of my own species, but can be pollinated by other similar species, and consequentially produce lots of fruits that birds like to spread far and wide. When these fruit-born seeds germinate, the saplings that emerge are thorny and prolific. They can take over an area and choke out the native vegetation. Who am I?

A previously ubiquitous tree that has fallen out of favor to the point there s a bounty on them.
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* 11. I am a deciduous tree native to China, with heart-shaped leaves resembling a cottonwood. I have yellowish spike-shaped flowers from April to June that turn into three-lobed fruits that open to reveal seeds resembling popcorn. Birds and water can disperse my seeds, but I also can colonize by prolific surface root sprouts. Who am I?

A tree native to China that is invasive in the Carolinas
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Charlotte has plenty of trees that pollinators love. Can you guess what they are?

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* 12. I can be short in stature but a powerhouse nectar source for pollinators in early spring. My blooms are usually purplish-pink and are formed on my twigs before my heart-shaped leaves emerge. My fruit is a legume, so I am a member of the bean family. Who am I?

Short tree with rich source of nectar
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* 13. My early blooms provide much-needed nectar for the earliest emerging pollinator species. The resulting fruits I produce are called samaras and have an enclosed seed at one end and a long, thin "wing" at the other. Some people refer to my seeds as whirlybirds because the "wing" makes them spin when they fall from the tree. My leaves turn red early in the fall and you can see me planted (sometimes too often) in urban settings around North Carolina. Who am I?

A pretty red flower from a local tree
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* 14. I'm another member of the bean family, and I have beautiful and fragrant white flowers hanging in five-inch-long clusters that appear in late spring. My leaves turn yellow in the fall and are compound, meaning they are divided into small "leaflets" along each leaf stalk. My wood is a bit yellow-colored and is prized for its strength and resistance to rot. Who am I?

Member of the bean family whose leaves turn yellow in the fall
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Lastly, let's test your knowledge of Charlotte's sneaky trees. We'll present you with a close-up of their leaves. Can you name that tree? No hints, but be careful! It might be harder than you think!

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* 15. Who am I?

Close-up of a tree branch with thin pine-like leaves
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* 16. Who am I?

Close-up of tree leaves that are multi-lobed with sharp points
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* 17. Who am I?

Close-up of leaves that are oval and tapered
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* 18. Who am I?

Closeup of tree branch with thin tapered leaves
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