Tree of the day

[Don P]

I was going to guess a Winter Haven plum ???

[caveman]

I was thinking it is a Chickasaw Plum as it appears very similar to the ones I have seen north of here and resembles the fact sheet that VT had.  The bark is deeper fissured than the one on VT.

[caveman]

Today's tree of
The day. I do not think we have used it yet. 

 

 

 

   

[reelman65]

I am learning a lot from this thread. very interesting.

[WDH]

I think that I have got this one.  Leaves are a bit larger than I am used to. 

[caveman]

There are only two of these that I allow to grow in my yard, both were planted in a pot by my Papa (maternal grandfather) the year before he died (25 years ago next month).  The leaves pictured were shade leaves.  

 This is the wood from one we let stand dead for a while prior to sawing.


 

[Texas Ranger]

not a clue, but tend toward an oak

[firefighter ontheside]

I was thinking swamp laurel oak.

[caveman]

Yep, its an oak.  Laurel Oak (Quercus laurifolia).  They share a lot of the undesirable characteristics of Water Oaks but some seem to grow taller and live a little longer.  The bark is very similar to that of the water oak as is the wood.  It is in the red oak group.

[Southside]

Those are some serious growth rings.  

[caveman]

 
This particular example is a multi-stemmed bush but they can be single trunked an reach 40'.
 Most of the ones around here bloom around Father's Day.  Last week while driving through Georgia they were in full bloom.  They are relatively easy to propagate by air layering or stem cuttings.  Notice that the leaves are alternate but the occur in pairs. 

One of my students missed this one several years ago on the state nursery and landscape contest (it did not have leaves) and the team lost by one specimen.  Another missed fire ants and the other two missed super easy stuff too.  If you ever need to find aphids these would be a good place to start looking for them.

Brandon sawed some and made some cheese boards that he showed several of us at Jake's last project.  The pruned off branches make good walking sticks and pointers.  Before whips became the driving tool of choice most of my show hog exhibitors used them to present their hogs at the fairs.

I hope this is adequate for tree of the day for 12/19.

[Woodpecker52]

It makes a beautiful tree if left alone by the branch pruners!!!!!

[Ljohnsaw]

We have mostly red, pink and purple ones out here.  Not a lot of white. I have one right off the edge of my deck trying to make it a real tree but it keeps throwing a LOT of branches out.  Right now it is about 25' tall.

[WDH]

I love the texture of the bark.  Very distinctive.

On the laurel oak, note that the base of the petiole has a yellowish color, as well as the midrib.  This is diagnostic for laurel oak.  

[firefighter ontheside]

Always reminds me of the very thin pancakes my wife makes.  Mine is just starting to bloom now.  They bloom for a long time.  I think a few years ago mine bloomed late and was in bloom all the way til the first frost.  Forum member gfadvm(Andy) is very proud of his.  He showed me his in OK that he's trained to grow into a nice tree.

[btulloh]

They're in full bloom here.  I don't have any white ones, but there are lot's around the area.  On of my favorite ornamentals in the yard.

[Southside]

It's murder what they do to some of those, just plain murder. 

[btulloh]

It's murder what they do to some of those, just plain murder.

So true.  I don't understand that method of pruning.

[btulloh]

Some - maybe all - of the white ones are named after a famous town on the Mississippi River (in Mississippi no less) that was a major paddle wheeler stop.

[nativewolf]

It's murder what they do to some of those, just plain murder.

So true.  I don't understand that method of pruning.

It should be pruned to form  vase, no interior branching, if it grows back toward the center of the shrub-cut it off as low as you can.  After it reaches the desired height it has to be maintained there by pruning the top every year.  Cut off seed heads every year right after flowering.  It wants to be pruned, you can't hurt it.  What you don't want to do is cut it flat like a hedge and let suckers come into the interior.  As a landscape foreman we would sometimes spend hours fixing other companies neglect from them just being pruned on the top.  Like  vase, sides lower than top, spreading, beautiful, elegant.

I personally don't grow them as they are not native (from Japan/Korea/china I guess )and I've moved to only native species (even if I grow cultivars or slightly out of range things, they are all native to the US).  

[Don P]

40' tall?, you're creping me out.

[ESFted]

Natchez used to be the standard in this color, but there are at least ten others now.

[caveman]

Today's tree was Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica - crapemyrtle).  In addition to different colored flowers, I have seen some that have very small leaves compared to the ones normally see.  This difference is not due to sun or shade differences.

Tomorrow  morning we should have another tree of the day.

[caveman]

Today's tree of the day.


 

 

 It was advised to me by my dad many years ago to not ask questions that you do not already know the answers.  I am not 100 percent sure what the species is of today's sample.  Hopefully someone will be able to definitively key this one out.  This tree is in NC but I think it may have been planted south of its natural range.

[LeeB]

I think not only south, but also an ocean away.