This is a new cultivar on the market selected by the huge nursery of J. Frank Schmidt & Son in Oregon. It was selected for having a good symmetrical broad pyramidal habit with a straight dominant central leader and good about 90 degree branch attachments to the trunk. It has dark green leaves and they develop a good red fall color. It has a good heat resistance. I just came upon a young specimen of this cultivar in a large park in Media in southeast Pennsylvania; otherwise, I did not know of it beforehand.

I am perfectly fine with there being cultivars of shade trees, but I am concerned that if they are all just cultivars (clones from asexual reproduction) and not a good number also of local genotypes from sexual reproduction, that some new disease or insect pest may come forth, especially from somewhere else in the world, and that the lack of genetic variety would lead to more disaster. The desire for so much uniformity can be so bad.

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This beautiful tree was introduced by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. in Boring, OR.

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