- South of Bain Ave. in the rear of the last courtyard
- Photo: © Michael Pereira
In the southern end of this courtyard is a Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), with a long straight trunk and canopy that reaches over 70 feet into the air. The Siberian elm is an exotic species, originating from northeastern Asia. Rarely grown as trees, Siberian elms were introduced to this country to be used as planting materials for hedges. As saplings they were planted tightly in rows and then trimmed with shears.
Many such hedges were planted as landscape features when the Bain was built. In time, the trees that made up these hedges produced seeds that were blown by the wind into the open soil of nearby flowerbeds. This tree likely grew from one of those seeds, but instead of being trimmed as a hedge it was left to assume its natural form.
An unintended benefit of this volunteer tree is that its large canopy shades the roof of the apartments below keeping them cool during the summer months reducing the need for costly air-conditioning.
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