4. Black Tupelo (Center of the Ramble)
Of the 18,000 trees in Central Park, only 150 date back to its creation in 1857. One of those is the Black Tupelo that graces the center of the Ramble. To find it, enter at the Ramble’s northwest entrance and walk straight. The Tupelo Meadow will be on your right, about halfway across. In summer, when its leaves are green, it’s difficult to distinguish the tree’s shrub-like silhouette from its surroundings. In fall, however, tupelos turn bright red—you’ll be sure to see it.
At first glance, the 81.18 foot-tall tree appears lush and bushy. But walk around to the back, and you’ll see the three trunks and limbs completely exposed—like gnarly knuckles reaching toward the sky. These two faces are its most distinctive quality for us. Edward Sibley Barnard, co-author of an exhaustive map of the Park’s trees, is most enchanted by its age. “Old trees have a sacred element for me,” he says. “They created us. We’re all mammals that spent our time in the canopy.”