Something a little more mundane than black panthers and odd snakes...

[Guest Jamie]

... how 'bout a tree I can't identify?

This'n:

I've looked at untold pics of trees on the 'net, trying to figure out what the damned thing is... It might be a Hickory of some kind, or maybe a black gum... or something else entirely.

All I know is that I can't find anything listed that is an exact match. I'm gonna have to cut it down, since it's right up against the house, but I'd really like to know what it is before I do.

Oh, and sorry about the crappy pics... our camera is old, and the light was fading, so they aren't as clear as I would've liked.

So, does anybody have a clue?

Thanks.

[Garufa]

Is it a Tree of Knowledge?

[Guest Bluemax]

Perhaps a tree of woe ( I have no idea what this is but it sounded good in Conan )

[Guest Jamie]

Is it a Tree of Knowledge?

I don't think so... Got a couple more of 'em around the house, and nobody here has gotten any brighter. :-\

I'm also pretty sure it's also not a "Tree of Heaven" ( Ailanthus altissima )...

[Guest Jamie]

Perhaps a tree of woe ( I have no idea what this is but it sounded good in Conan )

Well, woe be to it, 'cause I'm cuttin' it down, identified or not.

[Guest bkelm18]

If nothing else, you can try a dichotomous key. It may or may not be on this one if it's a non-native tree.

Using a Dichotomous key to identify unknown trees

[Garufa]

Well, whatever it is keep and season some of the wood in case it's good for BBQ'ing.

[Guest Jamie]

If nothing else, you can try a dichotomous key. It may or may not be on this one if it's a non-native tree.

Using a Dichotomous key to identify unknown trees

I went to a site similar to that and didn't have any luck. Could be 'cause I don't know enough about tree anatomy, or possibly that the tree is too young to produce fruit, etc.

As for it being native... all I know is that it and the others are all volunteers; I didn't plant 'em.

[Guest Jamie]

Well, whatever it is keep and season some of the wood in case it's good for BBQ'ing.

Probably gonna turn it into a few walking sticks, if the wood is any good at all.

Would rather not have to label 'em "Mystery sticks" though... Kind'a like to know what I'm making 'em out of.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Jamie

[Garufa]

Beech maybe?

[Guest Jamie]

Beech maybe?

That's what I thought, at first, but the leaves are smooth and heart-shaped... they aren't rough and have the ridges the beech does. ( Got a couple of Beech trees close by, I'll take pics tomorrow, so folks can see a comparison. )

This one's leaves are closer to a redbud.... but everything else is all wrong.

[Mike.357]

i think it is actually a weed. I call them stink weeds, and in a matter of a few years they can turn into something that size.

I am curious what a cut of the wood looks like. Stink weed trees will have a almost hollow core, maybe hollow is not right but there is something in the core that ain't like a tree.

[Guest Jamie]

Weed? It's one helluva weed then... 'cause it's more than 20 feet high, and 8 to 10 inches at the base.

It started sprouting about 11 or 12 years ago, and I just never cut it down. Now it's a freakin' mystery tree.

It also doesn't stink. Has no smell at all, that I'm aware of.

Starting to think I should just leave it alone....

[Mike.357]

I have a lot of them stink weed trees, easily get 20 feet high and can be broad at the base. They stink of you break the branches., hence stink weed.

On second thought it probably is not a stink weed tree, if it were you would be fighting them off like crazy. They multiply like bamboo and are damn near impossible to totally get rid of.

But the leaves and bark look very similar.

[Guest Jamie]

I have a lot of them stink weed trees, easily get 20 feet high and can be broad at the base. They stink of you break the branches., hence stink weed.

On second thought it probably is not a stink weed tree, if it were you would be fighting them off like crazy. They multiply like bamboo and are damn near impossible to totally get rid of.

But the leaves and bark look very similar.

Only got about 3 of 'em, and they're more than 20 feet apart... The others are still pretty small by comparison.

Oh, as for your "stink weed/tree"... sounds an awful lot like Black Locusts... which do stink, and look similar when very young.... But have a crap-load of thorns on the bark. They multiply like bamboo, and are all but impossible to kill as well.

[Mike.357]

I have some black locust trees but they don't seem to multiply like crazy, weird. The stink trees are like a cancer, I use Round Up on them and mow the crap outta them where they come up in the yard.

I quit fighting them off off the edge of my property, just stick to localized warfare now.

[Guest Jamie]

I tried killing a couple of Black Locust trees here for years, before I just gave up.

I used Roundup, salt... you name it, I tried it. They still sprouted up like wildfire.

Now that I know what they are, and can put 'em to use, they'll probably die for sure.

[Just2Honor]

In Fall/Winter, do the leaves turn pale brown but don't fall off until just before the new leaves grow in the Spring?

[Guest Jamie]

In Fall/Winter, do the leaves turn pale brown but don't fall off until just before the new leaves grow in the Spring?

Nope. And from what I recall, it also does a sort of pod/comb of flowers that eventually go to seed.

It loses it's leaves pretty early, and spends the whole winter being a scraggly mess... Seriously, there's not too many straight lines in it. It almost looks like a giant bird's nest. It's just a mass of tangled, crooked limbs and twigs.

I think I'm gonna have to leave this one alone 'til fall, and pay attention to what it does or does not do.....

Edited April 20, 2011 by Jamie

[Guest Jamie]

Oh, Mike... after thinking about it, I'm pretty sure your "stink trees" are Sumac.

Yeah, they grow like crazy, are near impossible to kill, and have a hollow core like bamboo.

Look familiar? :

Edited April 20, 2011 by Jamie

[Guest BEARMAN]

Yep those stink trees are actually Sumac trees. I've heard the old folks call 'em "heaven-be-gone" trees; because they grow straight and fast. Sumac leaves are like candy to the deer; they love 'em.

That tree you got Jamie, has me stumped as well (no pun intended).

[Guest Jamie]

That tree you got Jamie, has me stumped as well (no pun intended).

Y'know, I grew up in these woods... spent 48 years in 'em ( As of today, actually )... and this one is most aggravating.

If I don't know what it is, I can generally find out. But this one completely eludes me.

It's a sad state of affairs, I tell ya....

[Erik88]

For some reason I enjoy threads like these. I think I enjoyed biology class more than I expected.

and I have no idea what kind of tree that isl

[Guest Jamie]

I think I'm gonna call it a Hell Tree... 'Cause it's only obvious purpose in life seems to be to give me hell.

Glad you're enjoying the thread, Erik. I'll be shocked if a fight doesn't break out before it's over though.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Is it real fast-growing, tall and skinny?

Long ago we got a packet of seeds in a begging letter from some international charity. It was seeds for some kind of African tree that grows real fast and they wanted money to hand out a lot of tree seeds in Africa.

Me & daughter planted em out by the road and they shot up to challenge the power lines in just a few years, but never got more than maybe 6 inches diameter at the base. Finally cut em down because even pruning every year they kept trying to get in the power lines.

Those trees had smooth green bark kinda like in your picture.