Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Lee Slikkers on March 01, 2011, 10:13:28 pm
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I was out for a hike this afternoon and during my wanderings I ran across an odd one. I can't say I've ever seen this type of tree before, the bark was fairly smooth (pics don't really show that very well) but here are a couple snap shots. Any ideas?
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW2DP4kXhVI/AAAAAAAAAoA/et0EtkdBqEg/s800/CIMG0539.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW2Dhv6QCQI/AAAAAAAAAoE/G8cwUQVBDXw/s800/CIMG0540.JPG)
Thanks!
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my first guess is maybe some type of maple ???
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Hmm, not used to trees without leaves.
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half grown hard maple
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half grown hard maple
that sounds right, i have some similar in my yard that are maple, so i'm guessing thats what this is
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Hmm, not used to trees without leaves.
Yeah, I'm not as good at identifying trees by just bark as I'd like to be...
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half grown hard maple
I'm not familiar with "hard" Maple...different than Red Maple or Sugar Maple, correct? It's not a Sugar Maple, got LOADS of those on my property so those are easy for me to identify.
thanks
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half grown hard maple
I'm not familiar with "hard" Maple...different than Red Maple or Sugar Maple, correct? It's not a Sugar Maple, got LOADS of those on my property so those are easy for me to identify.
thanks
i personally didn't mean hard maple as a specific type, just a hardwood type of maple, in contrast to some of the soft weak maples
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Another wild stab in the dark ;D. First thought's were Chinaberry, second thought was some kind of maple and i'm leaning hard in that direction, hmmm ::).
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"my first guess is maybe some type of maple"
Was my first thought as well.
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I see sassafras in the background and this tree looks to be red oak.Maple grows all around me sugar and soft maple, And a tree that large would have a roughfer bark and silver tree limbs higher up. Just my opinion . Denny
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We have some tight barked cottonwoods around these parts,and that sure does favor it.
What is that big tree in the background in the first pic?
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I am leaning towards a smooth bark hickory, but I am stumped..
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Timo, I was wondering about that tree myself, thought it might be a cypress. Also, like cowboy thought of a Chinaberry. Then I looked up where Lee was from and relized it's too cold up there. My guess would be a hickory if it's not a maple. Will they grow that far north?
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Well, I'm feeling more stumped and confused than I did when I stumbled on it ???
I don't think Chinaberry grows this far north...never heard of it anyway.
I don't think it's Cottonwood as I typically know that when I see it...but I guess it's possible.
That is a Sassafrass in the top pic on the left side...I see a cherry peaking through the upper right of that pic too.
Red Oak, hmmm...
To be honest I don't know...just spent the last 2 hours looking at every tree book I own and searched hundreds of Google images of all the trees you folks mentioned but it really didn't look like any of those. The pics really make the furrows and ridges of the bark look deeper than they really are, it almost had a "smooth" feel to it when I touched it...kinda Beach-y but I know it isn't a Beach.
Gonna have to go for another walk tomorrow with the camera again...take some more pics of the "crown" shape and also to see if I can find/reach and smaller branches in an attempt to find some type of bud, etc. It got pretty tall pretty quick with no real understory to speak of...
Thanks guys...I really appreciate the effort, I just hate being stumped :(
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yup, still cogitating.....
I am wondering if it might not be a "Bitternut Hickory"...
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the more i think about it, the more i am sure its some form of maple, there are some i have seen with alot of small cracks in the bark like that, if you see any large maple leaves near it, take a pic ;D
thanks
noel
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"hard" maple also called sugar or rock maple. With this tree it is smooth barked as a sapling and as it get older the bark will make deep ridges that appear to be pealing from the tree. I'm at work today but as soon as I get home I'll take some pics of sugar maple and post them. If it is Sugar maple it will make good bows.
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"hard" maple also called sugar or rock maple. With this tree it is smooth barked as a sapling and as it get older the bark will make deep ridges that appear to be pealing from the tree. I'm at work today but as soon as I get home I'll take some pics of sugar maple and post them. If it is Sugar maple it will make good bows.
i have some maple on a property i own that is only a sapling right now, it is green, leaves around 8 across and has markings similar but smaller to the picture, do you know what it could be?
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The bark does look like an older striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) but usually they grow straight and not that big (they go to 10'' diam tops. Does the younger bark in the upper branches have a green tint to it? If so i'd say striped maple.
Get a picture of the winter buds if you can, it's hte best bet for identifying trees if they dont have flowers or leaves.
Hope it helps!
Matt
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This is a Maple at my wife's office
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Bark looks like a big ol' serviceberry (Amelanchier.) Get a pic of the twigs/buds and we can tell you for sure. bark can be really variable from tree to tree, but the buds aren't.
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Bark looks like a big ol' serviceberry (Amelanchier.) Get a pic of the twigs/buds and we can tell you for sure. bark can be really variable from tree to tree, but the buds aren't.
has the classic twisted bark of Amelanchier arborea
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bud pics might help
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I'll vote for serviceberry!
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Looks like maple... Not sure what type.
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OK, just back in from a hike with the camera...here are 9 pics, some of the tree, trunk, branches up high with a few dried curled leaves and a couple of the only buds/twigs I could reach. I think part of the challenge with the bark is that while it looks to have deep ripples in the bark it is actually smooth. That darker void type areas are basically a pattern on the bark.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7AXvE4QoI/AAAAAAAAAo8/BBP9zP5wi1k/s912/CIMG0541.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7BMUdwovI/AAAAAAAAApE/jOpAnjCDWos/s912/CIMG0542.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7BzmTLRGI/AAAAAAAAApI/nZeF0-1QMjk/s912/CIMG0543.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7CSq8JJAI/AAAAAAAAApM/HP4rbRruu_s/s912/CIMG0544.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7C9ETcOTI/AAAAAAAAApQ/lEAmv_3uMBs/s800/CIMG0545.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7E86ypIaI/AAAAAAAAApk/8MiXLnkUNP4/s912/CIMG0548.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7FqKvoKTI/AAAAAAAAApo/d2mqxMQFNtg/s912/CIMG0549.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_neJ--vb8EaA/TW7F3gtMQsI/AAAAAAAAAps/xkklLtZGWHg/s912/CIMG0550.JPG)
I'm not sure these will help much but I hope so...
Thanks!
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Anyone?
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almost certain its maple, i think i have seen some around my area, not exactly sure of type of maple
good luck finding out
noel
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MAPLE
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Hard to tell but it looks kinda like pignut hickory to me.
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not maple....it's not got opposite venation
buds arent big enough for hickory
Twisted bark and elongated bud, similar to American beech (Fagus grandifolia), but not as long.
Amelanchia arborea it is...downy serviceberry, unless perhaps there are other similar species of Amelanchia in that area.
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I think it is a Striped Maple aka Moose Maple...
appears to be a soft and fairly useless species of maple
Thanks~
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Hey Lee,
That's definitely not maple for, as stated above, the leaves (and buds) are alternate on the twigs instead of opposite.
Don't know what it is though ??? could still be good bow wood...
good luck
MAtt
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Just told yall what it was ;D....actually Steve did, but I gave the scientific jargin to back it up :P
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The Western variety of serviseberry(aka saskatoon) makes pretty good bows from what I've seen. I don't know about the Eastern variety. I have a pole and a few short staves from local trees but haven't tried it yet.
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Thanks Steve, Justin and all who helped out. I concur that this is "Downy Serviceberry" so mystery solved.
Pat, I am curious if this variety of Serviceberry would be a suitable bow wood too...may have to do some more research.
Thanks~
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It wouldnt have jumped out at me with just the bark photo if Hillbilly hasnt mentioned it. We dont see many serviceberry down here, more in the mountains than here. I was thinking a hickory at first. When Steve mentioned service berry, the spiral pattern bark really jumped out, then the buds are a give away, nothing like a hickory. Twigs are slender, nothing like a hickory, and the venation is opposite.....not a maple.
The buds of a service berry are elongated and bark is twisted. Good little tips to keep in the dichotomis key in your head.
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Yeah, thanks for that Justin...this is an area I want to grow and improve on, I need to do a bunch more in depth reading/study to lay a good foundation in this area. To be honest, I've never seen or noticed this tree or species anywhere I've been in the woods around here in MI so it was a real stumper for me. this tree (and it's a good sized one) is on a back lot that my uncle owns, I may beg a pass for my chainsaw as I know he doesn't even walk that section of woods and likely wouldn't mind me taking it if I had a good use for it...we'll see.
Thanks again to you and all the others...this Forum kicks butt! >:D
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Serviceberry often grows like a barber's pole and can make a complete revolution--or even slightly more--within a 6' section. The bark on your tree is showing the same spiraling growth pattern in a lot of places. If you do get to cut it, do yourself a favor and spend some time trying to find a section where the bark is running straight.
That is one mature serviceberry! I've hunted in mid-Michigan for years and have not noticed very many that approach the size of your tree. Best of luck to you on getting a bow out of it!
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Serviceberry often grows like a barber's pole and can make a complete revolution--or even slightly more--within a 6' section. The bark on your tree is showing the same spiraling growth pattern in a lot of places. If you do get to cut it, do yourself a favor and spend some time trying to find a section where the bark is running straight.
That is one mature serviceberry! I've hunted in mid-Michigan for years and have not noticed very many that approach the size of your tree. Best of luck to you on getting a bow out of it!
Thanks Hojo...is there too much twist to justify cutting it down?
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Lee-
If you can find a bow-length section that appears to have grown straight, I say harvest it.
Study the bark on your tree. In the pic that shows your hand with the ring on your finger, the area just to the left of your hand looks like it has A LOT of twist. However, further up that limb, after it turns abruptly upward, what is shown in the pic looks pretty good. That is the section I'd study first.
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Thanks Hojo...I think I'll take another hike with the tape measure in my pocket. Now that I know it can make a decent bow I'll pay a bit more attention to the grain/twist details. Many thanks~
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Lee, the Audubon Field Guide to Trees is a good carry with you ID book. It shows leaves, twigs and buds, flowers, fruit and bark and with good discriptive text. There are other more specific books but this book will get you well down the road.
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Textbook of dendrology is a good one.
I don't support anything audobon puts out. They're after your hunting and fishing rights, check out the issues at cape hatteras national seashore and who's behind it.
Nice guides, I will admit,and pocket sized for the field, but the
Textbook of Dendrology tells about the wood as well.
Heck I own one, but that was before I knew what kind of leftist sportsmans rights snatchers they are.
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We've got some cottonwood that look like that as well. You'll know it for sure when the fuzz flies!!!
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Lee, the Audubon Field Guide to Trees is a good carry with you ID book. It shows leaves, twigs and buds, flowers, fruit and bark and with good descriptive text. There are other more specific books but this book will get you well down the road.
Thanks Pat, I don't have the Audubon Field Guide to Trees, I do have two others in that series...North American Wildflowers (Eastern Region) & North American Reptiles & Amphibians, these all have a plastic/vinyl type cover. My Grandmother also recently gave my two boys another smaller version of these guides entitled The Audubon Society Pocket Guides - Familiar Trees of North America (Eastern Region) & Familiar Flowers of North America (Eastern Region). These are a nice handy sized book...I slip them into a quart sized zip-lock baggy and keep them in my small pack (where I keep a small tree saw, pruning shears, tape measure, long fixed blade knife, etc. This pack goes with me on all my "tree hikes" when I'm on the hunt for bow wood or arrow shafts.
However, if I didn't already own these (gifts from family) I would be firmly in Justin's camp. I am extremely anti-Audubon...being a Falconer I'm sure you can imagine the struggles we have dealing with them and unfortunately they have a huge influence here in MI on our DNR & Michigan United Conservation Club and actually help to set policy on a number of nature/outdoor related issues. We lost our Dove Hunting rights because of them and they've tried hard to make Falconry illegal as well...
I just went digging through our book shelves and noticed I also own a copy of National Geographic's - Field Guide to the Trees of North American, The Essential Identification Guide for Novice and Expert. This book actually appears to have a Novice's 101 type approach showing bark, fruits, cones, twigs, buds, leaves, etc...but the pictorial portions of this guide are illustrations not photographs but I think I will toss it in a zip-lock and into my pack as well.
Thanks again guys...I appreciate the dialogue and assistance on this ID.
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I didn't know that about Audubon. I have the whole series and use tem often. I actually have many books for plant ID. For accurate IDing illustrations are better than photos. Illustrations show way nore details. Photos are pretty but sometines matching a plant(tree) to a pic isn't as easy.