Tree of the Week: The mayten

Good morning. It's a bright, clear and cool one in Bend, Ore., where I'm vacationing and sneaking in 15 minutes of blogging. Pieter Severynen's "Tree of the Week" is back, celebrating the unique urban forest of Los Angeles.

The mayten tree -– Maytenus boaria

Sometimes a garden design calls for a certain experience, such as the green curtains of hanging branches that come with a weeping willow, but the garden just isn’t big enough to accommodate a full-size willow. Luckily we have so many trees at our disposal here in the Southland that we can find smaller-scale substitutes to create the desired look of relaxation and informality. The mayten tree is one of them.

The mayten tree grows at a medium pace until it becomes an attractive round-headed to spreading tree. It easily reaches 30 feet tall by 15 feet wide or more. It looks like a dainty weeping willow, but unlike the willow, it is evergreen (a rare cold snap in the 20s would make it lose its leaves). The small, elliptical, 1- to 2-inch-long light green leaves have serrated edges and sit close together along the long pendulous branchlets that hang down from the branches. The tiny yellow green flowers are inconspicuous; seeds are small. Bark is dark gray and finely textured; the trunk does not become stout till the tree is middle aged. The roots are not invasive, but will sucker if damaged; it is best not to plant anything else close by. Deep and infrequent irrigation will encourage the roots to go deep and stay there. The Mayten tree produces a lot of (unwanted) side growth, especially when young, but this is easy to remove. "Green Showers" is a selected variety of uniform, cutting grown plants.

The name "mayten" comes from its Mapuche Indian name "mantun," while "boaria" refers to cattle, which seem to like the leaves for forage. The tree is native to waterways in arid regions of Chile, Argentina and Peru.

Thanks, Pieter.

Posted by Peter Viles

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com

Photo Credit: Pieter Severynen

Comments

[Mike B.]

Unfortunately, the mayten tree is a BAD recommendation. The very characteristics you extol make it a potentially invasive escaped exotic, like the tamarisk, which, if you are unaware, has become so thoroughly established along stream-courses in arid areas that it has in some places extirpated all other streamside tree species and caused stream flow to diminish or even vanish. This has caused the disappearance of most native bird species (as well as many other vertebrates and invertebrates) from these areas. These areas are important for resident and migratory animals. Thousands of man-hours are required annually just to control this nasty weed. "Gee, but it's pretty!" Grrr....

Sounds like the mayten could do the same: easy suckering, easily wind-blown seeds, native to riparian areas in arid zones in other countries, etc.

It's nice to feature trees of the week, but do a little investigating into the potential problems of these non-natives before giving recommendations based primarily on what they do in cultivation. The potential for damage in our already severely damaged ecosystems is just too great.

[SKP123]

"Unfortunately, the mayten tree is a BAD recommendation. "

I think pretty much all trees have a BAD side to them. There always will be. But I appreciate this blog for finding the beauty of every tree. It is up to the person who likes a tree here to do the research themselves in their unique garden situation. The Mayten would work great in my garden!