The Identification Thread....perhaps?

[Woocash]

i spotted this tree out behind the ol' woodpile at my parents place and thought it could be a decent candidate for collection next year. i was thinking it might be a beech but am not certain - any idea what it is?

My ID app says wild serviceberry, Amelanchier Arborea. Make sense anyone?

 

[Woocash]

Do I have to request an id to reply to someone?

Sorry, I know you’re trying you say something but just I can’t understand you without pictures of unknown plantlife...

 

[Woocash]

Bark. Might be key.

It got a bit deer/rabbit eaten as far as I can recall, but I’ll see what I can do. It’s only a tiddler yet really.

 

[Woocash]

Likely you got the genus correct, I don't know about x prunifolia, but in North America, Crataegus are famous for making natural hybrids. A photo of the thorns would help.

All species of Crataegus are good as bonsai.

Yes I’m not surprised, but we’ve only got two species here so hybrids are not too common. There is a thorn in the first picture I posted, but I’ll try and get some more.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My ID app says wild serviceberry, Amelanchier Arborea. Make sense anyone?

Amelanchier is native to Minnesota, the OPs home state. Leaves are apple-like, but different enough. Bark is usually a give away. Amelanchier have smooth bark, much like beech or hornbeam, just a touch of brown in the shade of gray. So the bark looks brown when wet, gray when dry.

Amelanchier are a tree that should be used more for bonsai. The leaves reduce well. They flower before leaves like plum or culinary apricot. They flower a good 2 weeks before flowering crab. They are incredibly winter hardy. Even in Minnesota, you do not need temperature protection, if the roots were not disturb after the end of July. Your first year after collection you might want to protect it. Amelanchier are zone 4 or zone 3 hardy. Flowers are usually snow white, maybe always white. I don't recall any other color. Fruit is small, and pleasant to eat.

Only flaw, they are small trees or tall shrubs, it is difficult to get trunks over 2 inches diameter. (5 cm diameter). Best for medium to small bonsai.

 

[Mikecheck123]

A friend sent me what he said were Eastern cottonwood seeds. But these are what emerged. Does that look like a cottonwood to you?



Here's what I planted.

 

[Kanorin]

Took some fruits and a cutting from a neat tree in the park. It has some of both oval and three-lobed leaves. Crabapple?

 

[Forsoothe!]

Took some fruits and a cutting from a neat tree in the park. It has some of both oval and three-lobed leaves. Crabapple?

Gotta look inside the fruit. What do the seeds look like?

 

[Woocash]

Took some fruits and a cutting from a neat tree in the park. It has some of both oval and three-lobed leaves. Crabapple?

Yea I collected some very similar last summer and the fruit had almost no flesh and 2 or three big pips each. I stratified and planted in January and they didn’t germinate until just two did in may, but are doing really well now. Mine are crabapple. Yours look the same but Forsoothe is right.

 

[Kanorin]

About 3-5 seeds per fruit, white when you slice through the seed

 

[Woocash]

About 3-5 seeds per fruit, white when you slice through the seed

Yea I’m no expert on decorative fruit trees, but they look like apple pips to me. Definitely not prunus which was my other thought. Leaves are right for malus, and a nice colour too.

 

[Forsoothe!]

The character of the shape is important. Wash them off and give us a picture showing all the features. Measure them if you can accurately.

 

[Stan Kengai]

Took some fruits and a cutting from a neat tree in the park. It has some of both oval and three-lobed leaves. Crabapple?

100% crabapple.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

A friend sent me what he said were Eastern cottonwood seeds. But these are what emerged. Does that look like a cottonwood to you?

View attachment 324189

Here's what I planted.

View attachment 324190

The seed you show, looks more or less like cottonwood. (which is not particularly good as a bonsai subject) but the seedling that popped up is definitely not a cottonwood. However, I would not expect cottonwood to sprout without winter cold stratification. So if you planted the seed in August. Leave the pot outside for the winter.. In spring there is a fair chance cottonwood seedlings will sprout. If you do not want to put the seed outside, put the pot with the seeds in it in your refrigerator for 3 months. Seed of most north temperate trees need a 2 to 3 month cold winter period before sprouting will happen. This is called stratification. You can leave the pots with seeds outdoors for the winter or stratify your seed in the refrigerator.

 

[Mikecheck123]

The seed you show, looks more or less like cottonwood. (which is not particularly good as a bonsai subject) but the seedling that popped up is definitely not a cottonwood. However, I would not expect cottonwood to sprout without winter cold stratification. So if you planted the seed in August. Leave the pot outside for the winter.. In spring there is a fair chance cottonwood seedlings will sprout. If you do not want to put the seed outside, put the pot with the seeds in it in your refrigerator for 3 months. Seed of most north temperate trees need a 2 to 3 month cold winter period before sprouting will happen. This is called stratification. You can leave the pots with seeds outdoors for the winter or stratify your seed in the refrigerator.

Thanks. I can assure you that cottonwoods are a better subject than the thing that sprouted....

What's weird is that I have several seed beds all next to each other. And this thing emerged only in that one, and all over the place. So it must be some kind of hanger-on weed seed that was sticking to the bundle that I planted (which does seem like cottonwood to me as well).

 

[Shibui]

Took some fruits and a cutting from a neat tree in the park. It has some of both oval and three-lobed leaves. Crabapple?

Looks like crab apple from here.

 

[Vali]

I bought these tagged as zelkovas. Are they really that? The leaves are very small, about 1 cm. Thanks a lot

 

[leatherback]

I bought these tagged as zelkovas. Are they really that? The leaves are very small, about 1 cm. Thanks a lot

Yes. These really are elms, Ulmus parvifolia

 

[Vali]

Yes. These really are elms, Ulmus parvifolia

Isn't ulmus parvifolia a different species, the chinese elm?

 

[leatherback]

Isn't ulmus parvifolia a different species, the chinese elm?

Isn't that what I said, it is an elm?