Champion trees
Find out more about some of Fulham Cemetery's most distinctive trees.
Note: identification of the trees was made by eye, and some may be misidentified. Contact us if you have more information.Cherry trees in Fulham Cemetery
Avenues of Japanese cherries were planted during the 1950s. (They are absent in a 1949 aerial photo, and already quite large in a 1966 photo.) This article about Collingwood "Cherry" Ingram, the English botanist credited for popularising the Japanese cherry in Britain, helps to explain why they were planted:
"Kanzan" Japanese cherry
Prunus serrulataDeveloped in the Edo period. Produces clusters of large, deep-pink double flowers. The name means "mountain border" in Japanese.
The southwest avenue of pink cherry blossoms has long been one of the cemetery's most distinctive features.
Japanese cherries do not get very old. This avenue was planted in the 1950s, and not many remain, most in poor health. There were probably at least 20 trees in the avenue, only 6 remain. They are already large trees in an aerial photo from 1966. The avenue appeared to go all the way down to the bottom of the cemetery.
There are also at least 3 Kanzan cherries elsewhere in the cemetery – see tree history or map.
This variety was very widely planted in Britain in the latter 20th century, leading some gardeners to regard it with a degree of snobbery.
New trees: 9 new "Kanzan" cherries have been planted in 2024.
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Note on 1st and 5th photos: Hawthorn trees completed this avenue. There is only a single dying hawthorn tree remaining at the north end of this avenue, but aerial photos and the local authority tree map suggests this was a line of 4 hawthorn trees on one side of the avenue, and 3 Tai Haku cherries on the other, planted at the same time.
Tai Haku "great white" Japanese cherry
Prunus serrulataThis variety has an interesting history. It was lost for over a 100 years in its native Japan, until a specimen was found growing in a British garden in 1923. Cuttings from this tree were subsequently used to re-introduce it into Japan.
It is the largest flowered cherry known with its bright white blossoms reaching up to 60mm across. The tree has a wide spreading habit – the ones in Fulham Cemetery are much wider than they are tall!
There appear to have been 2 Tai Haku avenues in the cemetery: north of the chapel, and the north central path. Only 2 trees remain between them, but you can count at least 8 stumps. They were probably planted at the same time as the "Kanzan" cherries, making them around 70 years old.
New trees: 5 new Tai Haku cherries have been planted in 2024.
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"Ukon" Japanese cherry
Prunus serrulataThere is only a single specimen of this cultivar with its unusual creamy-white, almost greenish blossoms. It grows right behind the large Cross of Sacrifice war memorial. Judging from aerial photos, it appears to have been planted in the 1980s (tree history).
Developed during the Edo period in Japan, where it is also called "turmeric" blossoms, for its light yellow colour.
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Medlar tree
Mespilus germanicaThe fruit of this tree has been cultivated since Roman times, but are a novelty in this day and age. Very popular in the Victorian period and before, being referred to in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The fruit require a period of bletting, a lovely word meaning in essence to be matured off the tree to the point of rotting. Then they can be made into sauces, jellies, tarts, pies, or medlar cheese. (I have not tried this myself.)
There were at least 5 medlar trees along the south path and southeast path (best seen in the 1992 photo). Only 1 tree remains today. Like the other flowering trees, they were planted in the 1950s.
Medlars do not usually get much older than 60 years, and rarely grow as large as this. There are not many medlar trees in London! Medlar fruit
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Crabapple trees
Malus halliana / Malus floribunda / Malus sylvestris / Malus trilobataAlso called the European wild apple, their scientific name Malus sylvestris means "forest apple". They were long thought to be the progenitor of the cultivated apple, but this has been shown to be primarily from the central Asian species. While not edible off the tree, crabapples are edible when cooked and rich in pectin, so are often made into jellies.
The south path and south central path were lined with crabapple trees, planted at the same time as the Japanese cherries in the 1950s, although most have been lost over the past 20 years and only 6 large trees remain. Their white blossoms still create a beautiful display in spring. They appear to be Malus halliana, Hall crabapple, an East Asian species. Native to China, they were introduced to Japan in the Edo period (1603-1868).
North of the chapel grew a beautiful lone Japanese crabapple, Malus floribunda, a bright beacon in spring with white blossoms forming from crimson buds. Planted at the same time as the cherry avenues, it sadly blew down in 2024. Both these varieties were introduced to Europe in the latter 1800s.
New trees: 4 new crabapple trees were planted in 2024: two European crabapple (malus sylvestris) in the south of the cemetery, and two Lebanese crabapple (malus trilobata) in the north of the cemetery.
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Pink flowering Japanese crabapple
Malus toringo 'Scarlett' / Malus SieboldiiA pink-flowering, dark-leaved cultivar of Malus sieboldii, commonly called Siebold's crab, after the German botanist and physician Philipp Franz von Siebold.
At least 8 of these showy trees grew along the southeastern path, planted at the same time as the Japanese cherry avenues in the 1950s – see 1992 photo. They are distinguished by their scarlet blossoms and dark red fruit. Only two trees remain, in poor health. (One is barely more than a stump.)
Philipp Franz von Siebold was a fascinating figure, worth reading more about. He was responsible for smuggling seeds of tea plants out of Japan in the 1830s, starting tea plantation in the Dutch colony of Java. Among the many Japanese plant species he introduced to Europe are varieties of magnolia, clematis, hydrangea, cherry, hosta, and Japanese knotweed.
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Pissard's cherry plum
Prunus cerasifera 'Pissardii'Unmistakable for their striking dark purple foliage, at least 3 of these plum trees were planted at at the same time as the cherry blossom avenues in the 1950s. In early spring they're covered with beautiful white blossoms. They sometimes bear edible fruit, but it's not known if that's the case for the trees in the cemetery.
Due to their age they are also in decline – all of them have lost limbs and one is just a stump with a single branch remaining.
Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ was named after Monsieur Pissard, the gardener to the Shah of Persia in the late 1800s, who propagated it from a single purple-leaved branch he discovered – a natural mutation. Pissard sent specimens of the tree to France, and from there, it spread throughout Europe and eventually to other parts of the world.
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Norway maple 'Schwedleri'
Acer platanoides 'Schwedleri'A cultivar of the Norway Maple, this large purple leaved tree grows right in the centre of the cemetery on the main avenue. In spring it's covered by yellow-green catkin-like flowers, good for pollinators. Its leaves emerge bright pinkish-red, turning mauvish grey-green in summer and purple in autumn. The fruit is a bright green seed with pale crimson wings.
It's still a fairly young tree, maybe 35-40 years old. You can see it as a small tree in the 1992 aerial photo.
There is another specimen of similar age and size (but pollarded) on the south side of the Munster Road avenue.
The cultivar is either "Crimson King" or "Schwedleri", but the local authority tree database has the latter.
Magnolia & climbing rose
Magnolia × soulangeanaThe magnolia blooms in spring and the rose in summer, creating a bright beacon in the north of the cemetery. It appears to be a "saucer magnolia" or Magnolia × soulangeana, which is a cross of the lily magnolia and the Yulan magnolia. It is one of the most commonly used magnolias in horticulture, widely planted in the British Isles, especially in the south of England. From aerial photos, it appears to have been planted during the 1970s or 80s.
The climbing rose – possibly Rambling Rector – is as large as the magnolia and is partially supported by an elder tree that grows within the magnolia. Underneath they form a secret green room for children to discover.
New trees: 2 new magnolia 'kobus' trees have been planted in 2024.
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Zelkova serrata
Also called Japanese elm or keyaki, this large tree with its distinctive saw-toothed leaves is in the north of the cemetery, with a mysterious plaque dedicated to one Spider Baker. A mini forest of new trees have grown up from its roots. From aerial photos, it appears to have been planted during the 1950s.
There is another, smaller, specimen not far from this one, in Section 2 near the central path, planted during the 1980s.
Keyaki wood is valued in Japan and used often for furniture, as well as being considered the ideal wood for the creation of taiko drums. The city of Sendai is called the "City of Trees" for the many zelkova trees lining its streets.
In Korea, Zelkova serrata has been considered a symbol of protection for villages since ancient times, and can still be found planted at central points in cities, towns and villages around the country. Some are over 1,000 years old.
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Horse chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanumThis giant specimen grows near the south border of the cemetery, and is visible in aerial photos as early as 1940 (see tree history). Horse chestnut trees are famed for their shiny "conkers" in autumn, and beautiful upright clusters of white flowers in spring. Unfortunately, since the early 2000s, all trees in London suffer from the horse chestnut leaf miner – an insect infestation that turns the leaves prematurely brown from mid-summer.
New trees: A new Indian horse chestnut has been planted in 2024. They don't get as big as this, and their leaves and conkers are also smaller (with no spines on the husk), but they have better resistance to the leaf borer.
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Ginkgo biloba
A single large ginkgo tree grows in the northeast of the cemetery, right at the bottom of Strode Road. From aerial photos, it appears to have been planted during the 1970s or 80s.
Also known as the maidenhair tree, it is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago, widely regarded as a living fossil. Originating from China, they have been cultivated in Europe for over 300 years.
They are frequently planted as street trees, being highly resistant to pollution and disease, and for their stunning yellow colour in autumn. Its leaves are also made into a dietary supplement, but there insufficient clinical evidence of its efficacy.
Only male trees are usually planted, as the fruit produced profusely by the female produce a very strong smell when they drop. The downside of the male trees is that their pollen is very allergenic. This one appears to be male.
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Lime tree avenue
TiliaA narrow avenue that runs the the length of the southern half of the cemetery, changing into an ash tree avenue near the top. The trees grow dense suckers from their base every year, regularly pruned by council contractors. The limes appear to date from the 1950s, and the ash trees from the 1980s.
Old maps of the cemetery show all paths lined by trees, which may have been limes, but this is speculation. (See photo from 1900.)
Lime trees, also called linden, produce vast amounts of fragrant flowers in early summer. Their smooth, knot-free wood is favoured by ornamental woodcarvers, such as the famous Grinling Gibbons.
The west boundary of the cemetery along Fulham Palace Road, and the south boundary, are also lined with lime trees.
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Maple
AcerThis tree at the very south of the cemetery might not look very special, but it is one of the oldest trees in the cemetery. Together with the horse chestnut described above, and another maple in the background of this photo, it is one of only 3 trees identifiable in the 1949 aerial photo, and even a 1940 photo. They are already quite large in those photos, so these trees could be approaching 100 years old.
We still need to identify the species, but it is probably either a sycamore or Norway maple.
New trees: A new Norway maple was planted in the north of the cemetery, near the border with Lillie Rec.
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