Empty thrones: somewhere out there royalty is just waiting to be recognized. Long live the king--wherever it is.They are out there. Some may live their entire lives without ever being seen by human eyes. Others may live among us, seen by thousands yet unrecognized, like royalty Adv. 1. like royalty - in a royal manner; "they were royally treated" like kings, royally dressed as paupers. They are the biggest trees of their kind but they cannot lay claim to their rightful throne until someone discovers, measures, and nominates them. Most of these true kings and queens of the forest are represented by lesser nobility, or even the occasional servant of the court who spends a few surreptitious SURREPTITIOUS. That which is done in a fraudulent stealthy manner. and gleeful glee·ful adj. Full of jubilant delight; joyful. glee  ful·ly adv.glee moments on the throne. The National Register of Big Trees The National Register of Big Trees is a list of the largest living specimens of each tree variety found in the continental United States. A tree on this list is often called a National Champion Tree. lists the biggest known trees and can rarely claim absolute knowledge of the absolute ruler of a given species. We honor these surrogates, just as we honor Olympian gold medalists in spite of the probability that there are faster and stronger people somewhere in the world whose potential remains hidden. But the current Register lists 94 species for which the throne is completely empty. No king. No queen. Not even a naughty page. Of course, before 1940, when AMERICAN FORESTS American Forests is a nonprofit conservation organization that promotes healthy forests and urban tree planting. The organization was established in 1875 as the American Forestry Association, by physician/horticulturist John Aston Warder and a group of like-minded citizens initiated the Big Tree Program, all thrones were empty. For the first several decades it was essentially left to nominators to choose which trees needed a champion. Most were native or naturalized nat·u·ral·ize v. nat·u·ral·ized, nat·u·ral·iz·ing, nat·u·ral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To grant full citizenship to (one of foreign birth). 2. To adopt (something foreign) into general use. species but quite a few ornamentals and hybrids were crowned. In 1980, after adopting Elbert Little Jr.'s Checklist of United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Trees as the authority for which species to include, AMERICAN FORESTS began to print a list of Species Without Champs in each installment of the Register. Over the next 20 years, nominators reduced the number of empty thrones by an average of eight per year, from 257 in 1980, to 93 in 2000. During that period, each successive Register saw a reduction in crownless species with highs of 28 found in 1984, 36 in 1994, and 44 in 2000. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But in 2002, for the first time in Register history, we gained empty thrones and shot up to 99. The 2004 Register established an all-time low of 85, but this year we're back up to 94. Actually, 12 empty thrones in 2004 were filled in 2006, but another 24 species were dethroned and left without a successor. Upon closer examination, 94 empty thrones isn't that bad. Twenty-four of these were occupied in 2004 but those champs have since either died (17), couldn't be found (2), had been misidentified (2), or were too small to be a tree (3). Crucially, none had potential successors waiting in the files of AMERICAN FORESTS for their chance at glory. Until the current Register came out (the one you are holding), big tree hunters didn't know to look for a replacement. So a small number of temporarily empty thrones are to be expected. With two years between published Registers, you might also expect the more unfamiliar or rare species to stay on the empty thrones list for a few rounds before a tree is nominated. Of the 94 empty thrones, 37 were once occupied. Most had a crowned tree within the last decade but a royal Pensacola hawthorn hawthorn, any species of the genus Crataegus of the family Rosaceae (rose family), shrubs and trees widely distributed in north temperate climates and especially common in E North America. was last recognized in 1982. The last Fallax pinyon pines king finished its reign in 1978; the guava's throne has been empty since 1971. Another nine empty thrones were formerly filled but not with true monarchs. The species they represented--like American snowbell snow·bell n. Any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Styrax, especially S. japonicus and S. obassia of eastern Asia, having bell-shaped white flowers. Also called storax. Noun 1. , Georgia holly, and Florida crossopetalum--infrequently attain the stature of trees. In the 1990s the philosophy at AMERICAN FORESTS was that any specimen, no matter how small, could be the champion if was the biggest one reported at that time. Later, after a number of twiggy things were crowned, it was decided that a specimen should meet accepted standards for being a tree--at least 9.5 inches in circumference and 13 feet tall. After all, this is not the National Register of Big Trees and Shrubs. This means that, out of 94 currently empty thrones, 57 species have never had a true champion, and 48 have never even had a nominee. Out of a possible 826 species and varieties in the Register, that's not too bad. But the goal has always been to have a full roster of big trees so here is some information to help you find a lost champion, and get yourself in the record books. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Let's start with the easy ones. These are the thrones of recently dead or disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. trees that had no backup wannabes Wannabes is an online interactive soap and game created for the BBC by Illumna Digital. Wannabes follows on from Jamie Kane, the BBC's previous foray into online interactive drama. The show/game consists of 14 10 minute episodes released twice a week. . Sometimes quite a few thrones are vacated because of a concentrated effort by state big tree coordinators to relocate their state's champs. They often find that some champs have died, some have lost points due to damage, or some have been mismeasured or misidentified. Empty thrones in 2006 include only a few familiar species like sweet crabapple, turkey oak, northern pin oak, and sweetgum. You are welcome to nominate a tree to replace them, but keep in mind the former champs scored 116, 218, 335, and 431 points, respectively. Other recently vacated thrones, with the previous champ's point totals: cajeput-tree (300), castorbean (49), Allegheny chinkapin Noun 1. chinkapin - small nut of either of two small chestnut trees of the southern United States; resembles a hazelnut chincapin, chinquapin edible nut - a hard-shelled seed consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell (155), Ozark chinkapin (124), littleleaf cyrilla (61), September elm (271), Lindheimer hackberry hackberry: see elm. (127), scrub hickory The Scrub Hickory (Carya floridana, syn. Hicoria floridana) is a tree native to the southeastern United States, where it is endemic in central Florida. (121), screwbean mesquite Noun 1. screwbean mesquite - shrub or small tree of southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico having spirally twisted pods Prosopis pubescens, screwbean, tornillo, screw bean (84), and water-elm (313). Your tree doesn't have to beat those numbers but, unless it's the only nominee, it must be close to have a chance at royal fame. The next category of empty thrones are species that may or may not be common; the trick is to find a specimen that is actually a tree. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. my field guides, these species rarely grow taller than 15 or 20 feet, but that's tall enough to be a champion. It is tempting, and allowed, to fill a throne with the first tree-sized specimen you happen upon. But as the Chinese philosopher Mencius said, "To give the throne to another man would be easy; to find a man who shall benefit the kingdom is difficult." Tree species that are usually shrubs are scattered across the country. Hunt for tree-sized laurel sumac Noun 1. laurel sumac - small aromatic evergreen shrub of California having paniculate leaves and whitish berries; in some classifications included in genus Rhus Malosma laurina, Rhus laurina , lemonade sumac, or greenbark ceanothus ce·a·no·thus n. Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Ceanothus, native mostly to western North America and having showy clusters of usually blue or whitish flowers. Also called redroot. in the chaparral of coastal southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The littleleaf sumac grows on dry slopes and plains from southeastern Arizona to central Texas. In south Texas, look for Texas forestiera. Any Geyer willow in western mountains, or any silky willow in the East, is a potential champ if more than 15 feet tall. Actually, most of the nine willows without champions are shrubs more often than trees; you'd be lucky to find specimens of any taller than 30 feet. Some Florida species reach just above tree size, some with telltale names like bitterbush and maidenbrush. Many champion trees are discovered casually by people who happen to know a big whatever-it-is when they see it. But others, like quite a few with empty thrones, require a special and targeted effort to find because their species is very rare, isolated, or found only in a small part of the country. The range of the seaside alder includes Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, and Georgia, but it occupies only a few small areas in those states and is found nowhere in between. The last champion Kenai birch grew 47 feet tall, but to fill its vacated throne you'll have to search in Alaska. The rare and critically imperiled Kelsey locust locust, in botany locust, in botany, any species of the genus Robinia, deciduous trees or shrubs of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) native to the United States and Mexico. , a small relative of black locust black locust: see locust. with narrow leaves and pink flowers, grows in the wild only in the western mountains of North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. . California is touted as one of the floristic hotspots of the world with more than 1,400 plant species, including at least 25 trees, found nowhere else in the world. The distinctive bristlecone fir, easily recognized by its very narrow spirelike crown, is restricted to the Santa Lucia Mountains The Santa Lucia Mountains or Santa Lucia Range is a mountain range in coastal California, running from Monterey southeast for 105 miles (170 km) to San Luis Obispo. The highest summit is Junipero Serra Peak, 5,862 ft (1,786 m), at south of Monterey. Try looking in the Cone Peak area, but keep in mind the former champ was more than 4 feet thick and 182 feet tall. To find the first-ever champion feltleaf ceanothus, take a boat out to Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, city, United States Santa Cruz (săn`tə kr  z), city (1990 pop. 49,040), seat of Santa Cruz co., W Calif., on the north shore of Monterey Bay; inc. 1866. or Santa Catalina Island San·ta Cat·a·li·na Island or Catalina IslandAn island off southern California in the southern Santa Barbara Islands. Discovered in 1542, it has been a noted resort center since the 1920s. . Go in February when they stand out in their coat of pale blue Adj. 1. pale blue - of a light shade of blue light-blue chromatic - being or having or characterized by hue flowers. Other Channel Island endemic species will be added to the Register soon (see page 10). North of the border, extreme southern California is also the only place to find the first national champion desert apricot and Mexican fremontia. However, a nomination for the latter species is best left to botanists This is a list of botanists who have articles, in alphabetical order by surname. See also the list of botanists by author abbreviation and . A
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Florida also has a large number of species found nowhere else in the U.S. In fact, the Sunshine State is the only place to look for about one-third of the species without a champion. Half of those are found only in the southern counties of Collier, Dade, and Monroe. The trick, and joy, is to learn how to identify subtropical sub·trop·i·cal adj. Of, relating to, or being the geographic areas adjacent to the Tropics. subtropical Adjective of the region lying between the tropics and temperate lands trees. Would you know a cocoplum, graytwig, guiana-plum, seven-year-apple, long-stalk stopper, or balsam balsam (bôl`səm), fragrant resin obtained from various trees. The true balsams are semisolid and insoluble in water, but they are soluble in alcohol and partly so in hydrocarbons. torchwood torch·wood n. 1. Any of several tropical American trees of the genus Amyris, especially A. balsamifera, having resinous wood that burns with a torchlike flame. 2. The wood of any of these trees. if you saw one? This leads us to our last category of empty throne species, the ones which are hard to identify. In a few cases, the problem lies in a lack of easily available information. The Fallax pinyon pine, listed in the Register as Pinus edulis Noun 1. Pinus edulis - small compact two-needled pinon of southwestern United States; important as a nut pine Rocky mountain pinon nut pine - any of several pinons bearing edible nutlike seeds var. fallax, a variety of two-leaf pinyon pine, has not had a champion since a 98-point tree wore the crown in 1978. It's not even mentioned in my field guides. But with some Internet sleuthing Sleuthing See also Crime Fighting. Alleyn, Inspector detective in Ngaio Marsh’s many mystery stories. [New Zealand Lit.: Harvey, 520] Archer, Lew tough solver of brutal crimes. [Am. Lit. I found out that it is now treated as a variety of singleleaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophyla), and that it is primarily found in Arizona, although its range spills over a bit into each of the neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. states. If you stay away from extreme western and northwestern Arizona, any big singleleaf pinyon pine you find in that state should be eligible to wear the Fallax pinyon pine crown. Nine of the empty thrones are willows: balsam, basket, dusky, geyer, littletree, northwest, river, satiny sat·in·y adj. Lustrous and smooth like satin. See Synonyms at sleek. Adj. 1. satiny - having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light; "glossy auburn hair"; "satiny gardenia petals"; "sleek black fur"; "silken , and silky. Only the balsam (28 points), dusky (87), and silky (97) have had former champions. Willows are usually found along streams and lakes, although they form upland thickets in the mountains and subarctic sub·arc·tic adj. Of or resembling regions just south of the Arctic Circle. subarctic Relating to the geographic area just south of the Arctic Circle. regions. They are readily identified as a group but the species sometimes fall into that field guide category of "notoriously difficult to distinguish." To do better than "Salix sp." you may need a good hand lens--or an expert botanist. If willow identification gives you a headache, you can either chew the bark (the original source of aspirin) or just be grateful you are not trying to identify a hawthorn. In North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , these are the most notorious of all trees. If field guides were like old maps, hawthorns would be placed near the edge with the warning: Here there be monsters "Here There Be Monsters" is the tenth episode of the USA Network original series the Dead Zone, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Synopsis Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) and Bruce (John L. ! You know you're in trouble when the number of species recognized by different authorities varies from 35 to over 1000! Even George Petrides, author of the Peterson Field Guides to eastern and western trees, throws up his hands and includes only four species. The implication is if your tree isn't one of those four, surrender at 'Crataegus sp.' Unless you're a skilled botanist, you'll probably have to find one to identify and nominate a barberry barberry (bär`bĕr'ē), common name for the family Berberidaceae, and specifically for the spiny barberries (Berberis species). The family includes perennial herbs and shrubs found in the Northern Hemisphere. , beautiful, Pensacola, Brainerd, Gregg, Harbison, Reverchon, threeflower, or (yikes yikes interj. Used to express mild fear or surprise. [Origin unknown.] !) willow hawthorn. For all but the first three, you'd be the first to fill their throne. Fortunately, most of the empty thrones are not hawthorns. And with a concentrated effort, we can reduce the Species Without Champs list to just the recent dethronees that lack an immediate successor. In J. R. R. Tolkein's Middle Earth, the people of Gondor waited a thousand years for the return of the king. The people of AMERICAN FORESTS await the return of 91 kings. But with your help, it won't be long until "the crownless again shall be king." Whit Bronaugh writes from Eugene, Oregon The city of Eugene is the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 60 miles (100 km) east of the Oregon Coast. . Story and photos by Whit Bronaugh RELATED ARTICLE: SPECIES WITHOUT A CHAMP HELP US FIND CHAMPS FOR THESE There are 94 trees included on AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees that do not currently have a champion rooted to the throne. Grab your tree ID book, this list, and maybe your favorite botanist and start hunting! Species with a * after their names have never had a champion. Look in the parentheses See parenthesis. parentheses - See left parenthesis, right parenthesis. for a list of states in which the species can be found. A # indicates a naturalized species.
Species Common Name Scientific Name
ALDER Seaside Alnus maritima (OK, MD, DE, GA)
ANISE-TREE Yellow Illicium parviflorum * (FL)
APPLE Sweet Crab Malus coronaria (NY, IN, MO, KS, TN,
AL, GA, SC, NC)
APRICOT Desert Prunus fremontii * (CA)
ARAUCARIA Cunningham Araucaria cunninghamii (HI)
BAYBERRY Evergreen Myrica heterophylla * (NJ, PA, DE)
BIRCH Kenai Betula papyrifera var. kenaica (AK)
BITTERBUSH Picramnia pentandra * (FL)
BURNINGBUSH Western Euonymus occidentalis * (WA, OR)
CAJEPUT-TREE Melaleuca quinquenervia # (FL)
CAMPHOR-TREE Cinnamomum camphora # (FL)
CAPER Limber Capparis flexuosa * (FL)
CASTORBEAN Ricinus communis (FL)
CEANOTHUS Feltleaf Ceanothus arboreus * (CA)
CEANOTHUS Greenbark Ceanothus spinosus * (CA)
CHINKAPIN Allegheny Castanea pumila (NJ, PA)
CHINKAPIN Ozark Castanea ozarkensis (MO, AR, OK)
COCOPLUM Chrysobalanus icaco * (FL)
COLUBRINA Coffee Colubrina arborescens * (FL)
COLUBRINA Cuba Colubrina cubensis * (FL)
CROSSOPETALUM Florida Crossopetalum rhacoma * (FL)
CYRILLA Littleleaf Cyrilla racemiflora var. parvifolia
(GA, FL)
DOWNY-MYRTLE Rhodomyrtus tomentosa # * (FL)
ELDER Velvet Sambucus velutina (CA, NV, AZ)
ELM September Ulmus serotina (KY, IL, TN, AL, GA, AR,
OK)
FLORIDA-PRIVET Forestiera segregata (FL)
FIDDLEWOOD Berlandier Citharexylum berlandieri * (TX)
FIR Bristlecone Abies bracteata (CO, ID, OR., CA)
FORESTIERA Texas Forestiera angustifolia * (TX)
FREMONTIA Mexican Fremontodendron mexicanum * (CA)
GRAYTWIG Schoepfia chrysophylloides (FL)
GUAVA Psidium guajava # (FL, CA)
GUIANA-PLUM Drypetes lateriflora (FL)
HACKBERRY Lindheimer Celtis lindheimeri (TX)
HAWTHORN Barberry Crataegus berberifolia * (IL, KS, TX,
MS, KY, MO, LA, AR)
HAWTHORN Beautiful Crataegus pulcherrima (FL)
HAWTHORN Brainerd Crataegus brainerdii * (MI, OH, PA)
HAWTHORN Gregg Crataegus greggiana * (TX)
HAWTHORN Harbison Crataegus harbisonii * (TN, AL, MS)
HAWTHORN Pensicola Crataegus lacrimata (FL)
HAWTHORN Reverchon Crataegus reverchonii * (MO, KS)
HAWTHORN Threeflower Crataegus triflora * (GA, AL, MS)
HAWTHORN Willow Crataegus saligna * (CO)
HICKORY Scrub Carya floridana (FL)
HOLLY Dune Ilex opaca var. arenicola * (FL)
HOLLY Georgia Ilex longpipes * (SC, GA, LA)
HOLLY Sarvis Ilex amelanchier * (NC, SC, GA, FL, LA)
HOLLY Tawnberry Ilex krugiana (FL)
LICARIA Florida Licaria triandra * (FL)
LOCUST Kelsey Robinia kelseyi * (NC, TN, KY)
MAIDENBRUSH Savia bahamensis * (FL)
MAIDENBRUSH Marlberry Ardisia escallonioides * (FL)
MESQUITE Screwbean Prosopis pubescens (TX, NM, AZ, UT, NV,
CA)
NECTANDRA Florida Nectandra coriacea * (FL)
OAK McDonald Quercus macdonaldii * (CA)
OAK Northern pin Quercus ellipsoidalis (MI, WI, MN)
OAK Turkey Quercus laevis (VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL,
MS LA)
PAWPAW Bigflower Asimina obovata * (NC, SC, GA, FL)
PEPPERTREE Brazil Schinus terebinthifolia # (TX, CA)
PINE Fallax pinyon Pinus edulis var. fallax (CO, UT)
PLUM Canada Prunus nigra (MI, MN, IA, IL, IN, OH,
WV, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, ME)
PRICKLY-ASH Biscayne Zanthoxylum coriaceum * (FL)
PRICKLY-PEAR Brazil Opuntia brasiliensis # * (FL)
PRIVET Chinese Ligustrum sinense # (NC, LA)
SAPIUM Jumping-bean Sapium biloculare * (AZ CA)
SEVEN-YEAR-APPLE Genipa clusiifolia (FL)
SNOWBELL American Styrax americanus * (VA, NC, SC, GA)
SNOWBELL Bigleaf Styrax grandifolius * (VA, FL, TX, KY)
SNOWBELL Sycamore-leaf Styrax platanifolius * (TX)
STOPPER Long-stalk Psidium longipes * (FL)
STOPPER Twinberry Myrcianthes fragrans var. fragrans *
(FL)
SUGAR-APPLE Annona squamosa # * (FL.)
SUMAC Kearney Rhus kearneyi * (CA)
SUMAC Laurel Rhus laurina * (CA)
SUMAC Lemonade Rhus integrifolia * (CA)
SUMAC Littleleaf Rhus microphylla * (TX, OK, NM, AZ)
SWEETGUM Liquidambar styraciflua # (NJ, MD, DE,
PA, VA, OH, IL, AK, TX, FL, WV)
TAMARISK Small-flower Tamarix paryiflora # (CA)
TORCHWOOD Balsam Amyris balsamifera * (FL)
TREE TOBACCO Nicotiana glauca (FL, TX, NM, AZ, CA)
TREMA West Indies Trema lamarckiana * (FL)
VAUQUELINIA Fewflower Vauquelinia pauciflora * (AZ)
WATER-ELM Planera aquatica (NC, SC, FL, GA, AL,
MS, LA, TX, OK, MO, IL, KY, TN)
WHITE-MANGROVE Laguncularia racemosa (FL)
WILLOW Balsam Salix pyrifolia (MN, WI, MI, NY, ME)
WILLOW Basket Salix viminalis * (MS, ME, CT, RI, VT))
WILLOW Dusky Salix melanopsis (WA, OR, UT, CA, WY)
WILLOW Geyer Salix geyerana * (MT, AZ, CO, WY)
WILLOW Littletree Salix arbxsusculoides * (AK)
WILLOW Northwest Salix sessilifolia * (WA, OR)
WILLOW River Salix fluviatilis * (ME, MN., SD, KS,
VA)
WILLOW Satiny Salix pellita * (MN, WI, MI, NY, ME,
VT, NH)
WILLOW Silky Salix sericea (AK, WA, OR, CA, ID, MT)
WINTERBERRY Smooth Ilex laevigata * (NY, ME, SC)
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