A Caledonia tree that is rare, endangered and old
Barbara A. Martindale- For What It's Worth
Those crowds of people attending the magnificent Caledonia Fair during this past weekend didn't realize nearby a rare tree stands on a Caithness Street east property; they walked by without knowing.
Years ago, the tree was part of Caledonia history, but not so much in recent years. The tree was pointed out again with a call from David Pearl of Alliston. He was interested in how old the tree was at 156 Caithness St. E. and if there were any photographs from way back that might give a hint to its age. He thought it might be about 100 years old.
Known as the cucumber tree, its name refers to the unripe fruit, small in size, but shaped like a small cucumber. The fruit matures to a dark red colour, six to eight centemetres long.
Back when the Smith family lived on the property from 1952 to the 1980s, a history of the beautiful century home, published in 1967, stated, "William S. Dunnet owned the house from 1925 until it was taken over in 1938 by Senn and McKenzie who used it as funeral home, and added the solarium and planted many beautiful shrubs and flowers. The giant cucumber tree in the centre of the circular lawn is said to be one of only two or three in Ontario."
Did Mr. Dunnet plant the tree in the 1920s, or was it on the property before that?
Also known as a magnolia acuminata, the cucumber tree was designated an endangered species in 1984 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
It is now protected under the Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007, and the national Species at Risk Act.
Currently, it is endangered provincially and nationally.
According to one of many internet articles on the cucumber tree, there are about 200 trees in Canada and most of the sites where it grows have only a few mature reproductive individuals.
David Pearl says there are one or two in Paris, Ontario, one in Dundas, one in Alliston and in other locations he knows of. The maturity and healthiness of the Caithness St. E. cucumber tree is unique.
Cucumber trees are threatened by ice storms, tree cutting, clearing and low levels of genetic diversity in the saplings.
The second question from David Pearl was where would it have come from? Native primarily within the Pennsylvania and New York area, he said years ago when the Caithness St. E. native Carolinian cucumber tree was planted, it most likely would have been brought up from the U.S. Generally in those years, a person of means would transport it.
If anyone has a photograph of that area of Caithness St. E. dating back to late 1800s to the early 1900s and/or any other information about Caledonia's cucumber tree, email bmartindale@rogers.com.
