Tree Identification (not exactly gardening is it)
 

Is there a better group for this question?

I have been trying to ID a tree that I have in my yard. Please help if you can.

* It is in the upper 3rd of Georgia east of Atlanta.
* 50 feet tall
* bark looks like Sweet Gum (but is not)
* leaves a
** untoothed simple (5 to 6 inches long)
** dark green in summer
** turn dark red in august (seems early)
** begin falling in late august (nearly bare by Nov)

* Does not drop limbs regularly
* seemingly uncommon as there are no others around

I have looked on lots of tree and leaf ID websites but have not found it yet.

Any ideas?

Thanks, TD

On 10 Sep 2004 05:52:14 -0700, wrote:

Is there a better group for this question?

I have been trying to ID a tree that I have in my yard. Please help if you can.

* It is in the upper 3rd of Georgia east of Atlanta.
* 50 feet tall
* bark looks like Sweet Gum (but is not)
* leaves a
** untoothed simple (5 to 6 inches long)
** dark green in summer
** turn dark red in august (seems early)
** begin falling in late august (nearly bare by Nov)

* Does not drop limbs regularly
* seemingly uncommon as there are no others around

I have looked on lots of tree and leaf ID websites but have not found it yet.

Any ideas?

Thanks, TD

This is just a wild guess, so don't get your hopes up :-), but your description
might fit the Sourwood tree, Oxydendron arboreum. Google will turn up lots of
hits, but here's one to start with:
http://www.cdr3.com/sourwood/

If my guess is wrong, it probably would help if you could describe the tree's
flowers (and the bloom season) and fruit.

Is there a better group for this question?

I have been trying to ID a tree that I have in my yard.

Can you post a picture on a Web site? Try sci.bio.botany, but be warned, if you
haven't Googled or consulted a field guide, you may get some rude answers. My
first suggestion would be to buy yourself a field guide to North American
trees, Eastern edition. They are not expensive.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Sourwood would be my first guess, too, but the flowers are so distinctive
and held so long that I can't imagine the poster would omit that detail.

pam - gardengal


wrote in message
...
On 10 Sep 2004 05:52:14 -0700, wrote:

Is there a better group for this question?

I have been trying to ID a tree that I have in my yard. Please help if
you can.

* It is in the upper 3rd of Georgia east of Atlanta.
* 50 feet tall
* bark looks like Sweet Gum (but is not)
* leaves a
** untoothed simple (5 to 6 inches long)
** dark green in summer
** turn dark red in august (seems early)
** begin falling in late august (nearly bare by Nov)

* Does not drop limbs regularly
* seemingly uncommon as there are no others around

I have looked on lots of tree and leaf ID websites but have not found it
yet.

Any ideas?

Thanks, TD

This is just a wild guess, so don't get your hopes up :-), but your
description
might fit the Sourwood tree, Oxydendron arboreum. Google will turn up lots
of
hits, but here's one to start with:
http://www.cdr3.com/sourwood/

If my guess is wrong, it probably would help if you could describe the
tree's
flowers (and the bloom season) and fruit.

Oooo, that is very close! This is only our second fall with the tree
and I don't remember any flowers as described on the web. However,
the pictures of the big ones are a dead ringer for the one that I
have.

I'll take a second look in the AM. Thanks for getting back so soon.

TD




wrote in message . ..
On 10 Sep 2004 05:52:14 -0700, wrote:

Is there a better group for this question?

I have been trying to ID a tree that I have in my yard. Please help if you can.

* It is in the upper 3rd of Georgia east of Atlanta.
* 50 feet tall
* bark looks like Sweet Gum (but is not)
* leaves a
** untoothed simple (5 to 6 inches long)
** dark green in summer
** turn dark red in august (seems early)
** begin falling in late august (nearly bare by Nov)

* Does not drop limbs regularly
* seemingly uncommon as there are no others around

I have looked on lots of tree and leaf ID websites but have not found it yet.

Any ideas?

Thanks, TD

This is just a wild guess, so don't get your hopes up :-), but your description
might fit the Sourwood tree, Oxydendron arboreum. Google will turn up lots of
hits, but here's one to start with:
http://www.cdr3.com/sourwood/

If my guess is wrong, it probably would help if you could describe the tree's
flowers (and the bloom season) and fruit.

If its 50 feet tall it sounds more like a black gum, Nyssa sylvatica. That is
rather large for a sourwood.

Toad

wrote in message
...
On 10 Sep 2004 05:52:14 -0700, wrote:

* 50 feet tall
* bark looks like Sweet Gum (but is not)
* leaves a
** untoothed simple (5 to 6 inches long)
** dark green in summer
** turn dark red in august (seems early)
** begin falling in late august (nearly bare by Nov)

This is just a wild guess, so don't get your hopes up :-), but your
description
might fit the Sourwood tree, Oxydendron arboreum.

But at 50', may rather a Sourgum (Blackgum, Tupelo) tree? The above
description fits. Do some of the branches grow almost perpendicular to the
trunk, straight out?
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/c...sylvatica.html

Rachel,

That one is very close. Especially the leaves which get brown
splotches within a few days of turning red.

The limbs however do not grow perpendicular to the trunk. Most major
limbs appear to be at less than 45%.

The link that maxsilverstar sent earlier
(http://www.cdr3.com/sourwood/) has a dead ringer for the shape. It
is the 7th picture from the top. Very gnarly and imperfect. Nothing
like any of the full round ornamental pics I've seen.

Thanks all for the help.

TD



"Rachel" wrote in message link.net...
wrote in message
...
On 10 Sep 2004 05:52:14 -0700, wrote:

* 50 feet tall
* bark looks like Sweet Gum (but is not)
* leaves a
** untoothed simple (5 to 6 inches long)
** dark green in summer
** turn dark red in august (seems early)
** begin falling in late august (nearly bare by Nov)

This is just a wild guess, so don't get your hopes up :-), but your
description
might fit the Sourwood tree, Oxydendron arboreum.

But at 50', may rather a Sourgum (Blackgum, Tupelo) tree? The above
description fits. Do some of the branches grow almost perpendicular to the
trunk, straight out?
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/c...sylvatica.html