Noteworthy Trees of Cape May County is a compendium of local tree lore, circa 1947. Luckily for us, this obscure little volume is available on the web.
Some of the noteworthy trees, like the “largest living sassafrass” of Rio Grande, are probably long gone.
Largest living Sassafras (a record now held by a tree in Kentucky).
But many more remain to be re-found and enjoyed. One of the noteworthy trees I am personally acquainted with is the Bald Cypress of Sluice Creek. Cypress are a southern swamp tree not native to New Jersey, but this old tree in the middle of swamp had naturalists guessing about its provenance.
Witmer Stone gave the cypress some consideration in his book Plants of Southern New Jersey in 1910. He reported that it had been there as long as any locals could remember and tentatively concluded that it was a wild pioneer from the south. The author of Noteworthy Trees did further detective work and reported his suspicions that the tree was planted by a local merchant who spent time in southern swamps.
The tree is still there today, tall and broad, perched now at the edge of the salt marsh.
Sluice Creek Cypress – the tallest tree in the woods.
Noteworthy indeed!
At the edge of the salt marsh
What other noteworthy trees remain to be re-found in the still-vast swamp forests of Cape May County?