Landmark Baltimore cherry tree damaged by storm

Al Capone’s tree has pink blossoms, similar to these.

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The seventy-year-old cherry tree that famous gangster Al Capone gave to Union Memorial Hospital suffered major damage during the snowstorm on Saturday, February 6th.

The tree split in half under the stress of the storm and lost an important limb. This Baltimore landmark at the east 33rd street hospital was not vigorous to begin with, but after the snow clears the hospital will have an arborist assess the health of the tree.

In November 1939 Al Capone was released from Alcatraz prison after serving time for tax evasion. At that time he needed to be treated for syphilis, but the renowned Johns Hospital here in Baltimore would not take him. Instead, Capone ended up at Union Memorial. When his treatment was over, he donated two weeping cherry trees to the hospital. One is no longer standing due to a new wing, but the other is the tree damaged on Saturday. It is on the national registry of historic landmarks.

This particular tree is Prunus sub-hirtella, or the Higan cherry. These trees typically reach between 20 and 40 feet in height and have pink blossoms in the spring. It is native to Japan but can grow well in our climate. While the Union Memorial tree is not old compared to some, the Higan cherry is know to be short lived and susceptible to insects and disease.

The Capone tree may seem like it is in peril, the hospital took precautions to ensure that there will be descendants of the famous tree. An arborist propagated new trees from cuttings and the successful ones were planted on the grounds of Union Memorial Hospital.

The Baltimore Gardening Examiner is currently snowbound and can’t get out to photograph the Al Capone tree. But, a photograph of the damage accompanies a recent Baltimore Sun article.  The Noble Trees of Baltimore City page has a photo of it in full flower.