Spaces to Know: Exploring Campus Ecology

100 Years Young: Old Camphor Tree 

Upon entering the quad, an ancient camphor tree stands tall to greet you. The roughly 100-year-old tree was saved from flooding in Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province more than two decades ago. When the New Bund campus was being designed, the beautiful tree was selected to be positioned in a central location on the campus. Native to China, the majestic camphor provides sustenance for many smaller friends–birds enjoy its fruits, and the eye-catching blue bottle butterfly eats its leaves in its larval stage. An evergreen tree, its fragrant foliage provides shade and greenery year-round. Next time you’re sitting under the tree, examine its leaves- you’ll find two glands at the base of the stem. If you pinch them, you can enjoy the tree’s refreshing herbaceous fragrance. For some, the presence of such an old tree on a university campus brings to mind the Chinese saying 十年树木百年树人, which can be translated as “it takes ten years to grow a tree, and a hundred years to educate a person.” 

Alex Zou ’24, who joined the nature walk activity, says he especially enjoys hanging out near the tree on the quad. The natural features of the New Bund campus, he says, are “super important” to him, because “it relaxes me from the hard academic life.” Having spent most of his time at NYU Shanghai at the Century Avenue campus, Zou says the natural features make NYU Shanghai feel more like a campus than just a working building.  

_{Drawings distributed during the nature walk show different aspects of plants on campus}

Luck All Around: Trees Lining the Quad

The grassy lawn is a great place to relax with friends between classes, enjoy some sunshine, and maybe even find a lucky four leaf clover. Even more luck awaits if you turn your gaze upwards. Lining the edges of the grassy lawn are rows of zelkova serrata trees, which carry an auspicious meaning in Chinese culture. Nature guide Zhou Xinzhi says that the Mandarin character for the trees, 榉 jǔ, is a homonym for another character, 举 jǔ, which refers to success in imperial examinations of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Hansa Mirpuri ’24, who joined the nature walk, says learning about the zelkova serrata trees has made her walks on campus more enjoyable. “The trees symbolize good grades and prosperity,” she says. “It puts the trees in context of the campus environment and makes me appreciate them in a different way,” she says. If you’re feeling superstitious, hanging out by these trees before your next test couldn’t hurt. 

Weed or Cure?: Creeping Wood Sorrel

Now let your gaze fall downward again. Hidden among the grass just inside the West gate, you may find creeping wood sorrel, a small plant with tiny yellow flowers and leaves that resemble clover. While some gardeners may think of the plant as a weed, it has a wide range of uses. Creeping wood sorrel has a tart flavor and because it is high in vitamin C, it is often used in medicinal teas to clear away heat and dampness, detoxify, and reduce swelling. It can be used to treat digestive ailments like scurvy and other health issues. Look for creeping wood sorrel on sunny days, as its leaves and flowers tend to close up when it gets dark out. 

_{Nature guide Zhou Xinzhi showing off a leaf from a Chinese hackberry tree}

Bird and Butterfly Magnet: Chinese Hackberry Trees 

Chinese hackberry trees, or celtis sinensis, are large deciduous trees native to parts of China, Korea, and Japan,  and are a member of the hemp family. The tree flowers in spring and fruits develop in fall. It is highly adaptive to its environment, and birds and fruit bats transport its seeds from place to place. Observe the leaf of the hackberry tree- it is often asymmetrical with jagged edges. Hestina assimilis, or the red ring skirt butterfly, munch on hackberry leaves in their larval stage. Birds are attracted to the hackberry fruit. The roots, bark, and fruits of the hackberry tree are also used as ingredients in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine.

The Fruit of Nature’s Labor: Fruit Trees