Commune of
Remarkable trees
THE CHESTNUT
TREE
of freedom
The horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a large, hardy tree (-23°C) that always impresses with its imposing stature and spreading habit, especially in spring, when its phenomenal flowering unfolds in erect, conical pannicules with cylindrical. Flower color varies somewhat by species, but is usually white or a beautiful bright pink.
It can live for more than 200 years, reach a height of 30 meters and withstand temperatures of more than minus twenty degrees.
Planted in 1848, rue Philippe, it has a circumference of 4.20 m, is 18 m high and has a wingspan of 24 m in length and 24 m in width. It was labeled "Remarkable Tree of France" in 2019.
It is called the Tree of Liberty.
THE BALD CYPRESS
TREE
of the fiftieth anniversary
Bald cypress or Louisiana cypress is a species of tree in the family Taxodiaceae native to the southeastern United States. It is a remarkable species for its adaptation to humid environments.
Tall in stature and with a pyramidal habit, the bald cypress tends to round out as it ages. The trunk is wide (it can reach 2 m in diameter) and is covered with a brown, even reddish bark, which peels off forming long thick strips. When young, its branches stand on the trunk. Older, they spread out to provide scope for the tree, which reaches between 10 and 15 meters wide.
The foliage is fine, tender green in summer, then tinges with red-copper tones. The leaves, flat and soft, fall in the fall. The flowers appear from March and remain until April.
We can distinguish the male flowers, small cones grouped in hanging panicles, from the female flowers, ovoid cones with woody scales when mature.
Taxodium Distichum owes its name "bald cypress" to the fact that its foliage is deciduous, which is rare in a conifer.
It can reach a height of 40-50 meters, its longevity is 300-500 years.
The town planted a bald cypress behind the mausoleum to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Val-de-Vesle following the merger of three towns (Courmelois, Thuisy and Wez).
It is baptized fiftieth anniversary tree.
THE OAK
FROM BURGUNDY
TREE
of the Centenary
Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), belonging to the fagaceae family, is also called, in some regions, “Lombard oak” or “Burgundy oak”.
It can reach 30 m in height and live 150 to 200 years.
It has an ovoid crown. Its trunk can measure up to 2 m in diameter! Its bark is dark gray and deeply hollowed out, revealing a salmon-pink color at the bottom of the crevices. Its deciduous leaves are 7 to 14 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide, with 6 to 12 triangular lobes on each side. It is a monoecious tree, with male flowers which are pendulous catkins and female flowers inconspicuous and often grouped in the axils of the leaves.
Its fruits are large acorns, 2-4 cm long and 2 cm wide, bicolor with an orange base going to green-brown at the tip. The bottom of its leaves, its buds and its cupules are bristling with pubescent filaments, hence its name.
It was planted in the town hall park on November 11, 2018, on the occasion of the centenary
of the armistice of the Great War.
It is called the centenary tree.
PEDUNCULATE OAK
"The Big Oak"
The pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) is the oak of our European forests, majestic and imposing. Its leaves, dark green, more or less deeply lobed, are easily recognizable. This beautiful tree needs space, it can only be considered in a park or a very large garden. The pedunculate oak produces acorns which are highly appreciated by animals.
At maturity, it can reach 35 m in height and 25 m in width.
With a fairly exceptional longevity, this oak can live up to 2000 years according to some estimates.
In Val-de-Vesle, we call it "Le Gros Chêne", it is located behind the cemetery, rue de l'Eglise (Wez district).
Without knowing its exact age, we can try to imagine the life of this beautiful tree. From the time of the first conflict
worldwide, it was surely a landmark for passing planes, with no other vegetation around.
