M. Révillon, honorary mayor of Bois-Colombes and Vice-President delegated to Environment and Non-School Heritage of the Department of Hauts-de-Seine, presented M. Crosnier Leconte, mayor of Bois-Colombes, with seeds from three remarkable trees. This initiative is part of the valorization of the department's arboreal heritage.
The awarding of the “Remarkable Tree of France” label is formalized through agreements between the association A.R.B.R.E.S. and the Department. The municipality received seeds from three exceptional specimens: a weeping blue cedar from Châtenay-Malabry, a fastigiate hornbeam, and a tulip tree from the arboretum of Sceaux.
The weeping blue cedar from Châtenay-Malabry, planted in 1895, impresses with its dimensions: approximately 700m² of branches and a trunk circumference of over 5 meters. This tree is unique for its weeping form, a characteristic never before observed in Atlas cedars. It received the “Remarkable Tree of France” label in 2001 and the jury prize in the “Tree of the Year” competition in 2015.
The fastigiate hornbeam from the arboretum of Sceaux, planted in 1895, is now 155 years old, exceeding its maximum estimated natural lifespan of 150 years. The longevity of a species cannot always be precisely known, especially for species exploited by humans.
The arboretum of Sceaux also houses two exceptional tulip trees. The first is a mystery, with a swollen, "elephant's foot" base and twisted branches, differing greatly from the slender port of other tulip trees. The second tulip tree is the tallest in the arboretum at 40 meters, despite being damaged by a storm in 1999. Its monumental crown once had two main branches forming a large fork.
Tulip trees are considered, along with magnolias, as an ancient family of trees that appeared relatively early on Earth. Their name comes from their flowers, which resemble tulips, although they are botanically closer to magnolias.
