Historic Tree Grove: Wright Brothers Sweetgum

Sweetgum 
The American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is native to the eastern and southern U.S.,  as well as mountainous areas of Mexico and Central America.  and is a popular ornamental tree in those areas. It can grow to 100 feet tall, though is unlikely to reach those heights this far south in its range (zones 5 - 9). In the fall, the star-shaped leaves take on beautiful gold and orange hues and remain on the tree after many others have lost their foliage.

Wright Brothers Sweet Gum
The Wright Brothers Sweetgum comes from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This is the site where Wilbur and Orville Wright the first flight of a powered, controlled, heavier-than-air airplane on December 17, 1903. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees are native the Southeast U.S. They have brilliant foliage in the fall, and interesting spiked seed pods.

Wright Brothers
Wilbur and Orville spent their youth in Dayton, Ohio, where they attended high school but never officially graduated. Beginning in 1892, they ran a bicycle shop (Wright Cycle Exchange) and even began manufacturing their own cycles. By the turn of the century, their attention shifted to the idea of controlled powered flight, and they began experimenting in earnest at Kitty Hawk with gliders in 1900. They created a wind tunnel to help them refine their efforts, and over the next few years they tinkered with many facets of the aircraft, using proceeds from the bicycle shop to fund their projects.

Wright Brothers in 1910, Copyright Cole & Co. -
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, via Wikipedia

In 1903, Orville was the first to fly their successful craft, going 120 feet in 12 seconds. By 1908, they were making public demonstrations and encouraging the military to make use of their inventions. Airplanes were now well-recognized, and world travel would never be the same.

The original Wright Brothers' Flyer from 1903, now displayed in the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.

Tampa was the site of the first scheduled commercial airline flight in 1914, for the Tampa Airboat Line. The flight was piloted by aviator Tony Jannus and flew from St. Petersburg to Tampa, in a wooden aircraft that flew barely 5 feet above the water. The trip took about 22 minutes (dramatically faster than driving or a ferry), and cost $10. This particular flight route lasted until 1915.

Air Garden

Our Air Garden is composed of plants that do not need to be rooted in soil to survive, a class of plants known as epiphytes. A variety of bromeliads have been added, as well as a selection of native tillandsia plants. Many of these are found in the bicycle planter, a nod to the Wright Brothers' early endeavors. Some of the plants found in this garden include:

• Bartram's Airplant (Tillandsia bartramii)*
• Needle-leaf Airplant (Tillandsia setacea)*
• Northern Needle-leaf (Tillandsia balbisiana)*
• Giant Airplant (Tillandsia fasciculata)*
• Potbelly Airplant (Tillandsia paucifolia)*
• Fuzzywuzzy Airplant (Tillandsia pruinosa)*
• Spreading Airplant (Tillandsia utriculata)*
• Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)*
• Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata)*
• Red Torch Bromeliad (Billbergia pyramidalis)
• Painted Fingernail Bromeliad (Neoregelia spectabilis)

*These plants are native to Florida. Learn more about native epiphytes by clicking here.

Several non-epiphytes are found in this garden as well. The Ohio Spiderwort is in honor of the Wright Brothers' home state. The African Iris and Plumbago are foundation plantings that pre-date the establishment of the garden.

• Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescania ohioensis)*
• African Iris (Dietes vegeta)
• Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata)

Wright Brothers Art and Artists

Bench art supplied by Tampa artist, Kristen Montgomery.