![]() ![]() website rates both US and UK Beech species as mildly allergenic, so the 6 rating is possibly too high or there are factors other than pollen.Ĭonsidered imperfectly insect-pollinated resulting in airborne pollen. Does not feature on Met Office UK pollen season chart at all. Ash Dieback disease killing huge percentage of trees in Britain at current time. Other non-native species may score lower too. Fraxinus excelsior scores 7, but female just 1. Known to cause allergies if allergy-sufferers live close to these trees Recommendation: White Popular ‘Nivea’ a female cultivar that avoids the pollen issue. Generally, an allergy to one Oak will mean an allergy to other species too.Īnnual pollarding can remove the issue, as male pollen flowers are formed on old wood. ![]() Further research required into degree of allergy between different Oak species. Pollen is abundant with potential to cause asthma. Allergenicity varies according to species.ĭeciduous Oak scores slightly lower than Evergreen Oak. Sheds lots of bright yellow, highly allergenic pollenĪllergenic tree too commonly used in landscapingīisexual trees. White Willow ( Salix alba), Weeping Willow ( Salix babylonica) & Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) are the worst offenders. Pollen also irritates eyes, nose, throat, causes headaches, itching and asthma.Īllergenicity varies according to Salix male species. MAIN BRITISH TREES ON OPALS SCALE OPALS SCALE A tree scoring a 10 is high on the OPALS scale, while a score of 1 is low. I have picked out some trees of interest to the UK from the book. While it occurs to me that the allergenicity of plants may vary due to differences in the US and the UK climates, Ogren’s detailed classification of plants seems useful to improve air quality. Male trees cause many allergies and asthma, especially when in close proximity to an allergy sufferer’s home without the barrier of non-allergenic hedges. There is widespread ignorance that male trees litter the air with pollen. He draws attention to city landscapers’ preference for male trees over messy female trees. I have recently read his book The Allergy-Fighting Garden, subtitled Stop Asthma and Allergies with Smart Landscaping. The Ogren Plant Allergy Scale or OPALS Scale is the creation of US horticulturalist and allergy researcher, Thomas Leo Ogren. Male flowers on Yew, Taxus baccata, has highly allergenic pollen © Karen Andrews ![]()
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