Clemson Arboretum and Botanical Garden

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Clemson University is known for their Tigers on the gridiron but they've earned their stripes in the forests of South Carolina as well. Clemson is the site for the SC Botanical Garden and Arboretum. The gardens are less formal than most. Formal gardens give way to natural forest and an arboretum. The garden has distinct habitats of South Carolina. The forested section is labeled by forest type and contains industrial remains, including an open topped stone oven. The arboretum sprawls over open areas and then gives way to forest.

It didn't take long to find a new record hybrid oak. Quite a few exotics exceed current numbers as well. I finally got to see a coast redwood or three. The post/white broke the record and held it for just a few hours. 14-16 new heights (pending ID) were established but several species were making their first appearances on the list. Sawtooth oak and coast redwood are 90'+ record breakers for the Eastern US.

coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens
93.3' 90.8' 66.2'
28.43m 27.67m 20.17m

Japanese redwood Cryptomeria japonica
75.8' 74.5'
23.10m 22.70m

Lawson cypress Chamaecyparis lawsonia
49.0' 14.93m

Arizona cypress Cupressus arizonica
59.0' 17.98m

Eastern redcedar Juniperis virginiana
64.5' 63.3'
19.66m 19.29m

Juniperis spp blue foliage, similar to J. virginiana
60.6' 18.47m

pond cypress Taxodium ascendens
74.0' 22.55m

Siebold hemlock Tsuga sieboldi
44.0' 13.41m

Momi fir Abies firma
69.2' 21.09m

Alcock spruce Picea alcoquiana
23.4' 19.6'
7.13m 5.97m

weeping Atlas cedar Cedrus atlantica pendula
23.2' 7.07m

dwarf dawn redwood 'little lace' Metasequoia glyptostroboides
5.8' 1.76m

sawtooth oak Quercus altissima
92.4' 75.5'
28.16m 23.01m

blackjack oak Quercus marilandica
57.1' 17.40m

post oak Quercus stellata
83.1' 25.32m

scarlet oak Quercus coccinea
108.7' 33.13m

Konara oak Quercus glandulifera
33.2' 10.12m

post/white hybrid Quercus x fernowii stellata/alba
69.2' 21.09m

smooth barked ash Fraxinus spp
61.8' 18.83m

hornbeam (assumed European) Carpinus betulus
60.3' 18.38m

river birch Betula nigra
71.3' 21.73m

paperbark maple Acer griseum
41.1' 12.52m

Japanese maple Acer palmatum
42.9' 13.07m

Kobus magnolia Magnolia kobus 'super stove'
30.5' 9.29m

white bark magnolia Magnolia obovata
51.1' 15.57m

woodsman magnolia Magnolia x brooklynensis
22.8' 6.95m

tung tree Vernicia fordii
25.1' 7.65m

sweetbay Magnolia virginiana
67.4' 20.54m

European mountain-ash Sorbus aucuparia
36.7' 11.18m

glossy privet Ligustrum lucidum
49.4' 15.05m

Japanese crape myrtle Lagerstroemia fauriei
54.8' 16.70m

Chinese emmenopterys Emmenopterys henryi
28.2' 8.59m

Kanjiro camellia Camellia heimalis
13.2' 4.02m

slash pine Pinus elliotti
105.0' 102.0' 94.4'
32.00m 31.09m 28.77m