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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Mystery tree

This tree, growing in the median (a barren, neglected strip for which I have Plans) of East Houston Street, remains unidentified. Now that it has flowers, I am hoping that someone can tell me what it is. Here is a link to last year's post about it, in case the leaves and bark help. It' not a favourite of mine: I find its branches ugly and something about its bark makes me twitch; though its solid yellow fall colour is arresting and current flowers so unassuming as to be quite touching.


6 comments:

  1. I'm going with White Ash. Yes, thats my final answer. The tipping id thing is the bark, very coarse, the leaf scar just under the young leaf in the top photo, and the suckering I saw in one of your other photos. Most ID photos show smooth edge leaves, but some serrate. What we need is the fall fruit, although some cultivars do not. Anyway, final answer -White Ash.

    http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Fraxinus+americana

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  2. Oh, yeah and the reddish tinge to the young flowers. Green ash seems to be more yellow-green.

    final.

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  3. Beence. Yes, I seem to have a thing for FedEx and US trucks! x

    Well yes! the leaves up close, except for the seration, and the flowers seems to clinch it. I've never noticed the bloody fruit. Mission.

    The other thing that threw me with the Ash was the street trees' shape: They are the roundest street tree in the city!

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  4. Good to see these close up. The Ash trees on my street have flowered recently and I was curious what was going on up there. I recognize the look of the bark.

    One thing about the trees here on my street, the limbs seem to break easily and threaten to come crashing down. I had quite a scare once. Another time I got to see the flower cluster buds just a they were starting to develop and they looked like those vestigial toes you see on cats. Very weird.

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