Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Puckaway on February 08, 2016, 09:07:29 pm
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Can anyone Id these shafts I just cut? They were growing in a swampy area. They had little hairs toward the tops where they got thin, and had little pods on the ends of the branches that resembled mini pine cones. Arrowwood viburnum? Its not red osier, which grows nearby.
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I don't think it's arrow viburnum.........
DBar
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Tag alder? Scratch the bark and see if it turns orange.
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the bark looks like cascara in this part of the world. Can you get a picture of the hairs / cones? Cascara bark is used as a laxative you can tell pretty fast if its cascara if ya eat some >:D..LOL "no I"m not suggesting to eat it without knowing what you have" Ed
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That looks like Cascara bark to me but I've only seen it on the staves I have.
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They have the look of ash from around in in Missoura.
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Can you get pics of the cones and possibly the leaf buds?
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Hazel?
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My next guess was hazel.. I'm in WI. It grew in a cluster of similar sized shoots like osier. Its not tag
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I took pics on my phone of the bush, and branches, but they won't load on here. I don't know if I can change the size..
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Upload them to imgur or postimage
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They look a lot like willow to me. I cut a bunch of that last year and it grew around red osier. I should have just cut the red osier because it didn't make good shafts. If there is scaring when you peel the bark, then I would definitely say it is willow. Hard to tell for sure with just those pictures though. I live in Minnesota and I cut mine along the Mississippi River.
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some look like hazel some not. Especially the thicker one. Are you sure all those shafts are the same species?
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Yup. They all came from the same bunch growing in an area about the size of a compact tractor tire.
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It could still be two different plants growing close together though. The bottom and third from bottom look like they don't quite fit in.
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Mr. Mullet, when its stave size, the cascara we have here gets a white and gray patchy look kinda like an alder. the young ones are more like what he has.
Puck: Does this look like them, these are from a hazel nut bush. Ed
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Those shafts sure look like chokecherry, which makes a really good arrow.
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Could they be high bush blueberries?
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Elm saplings? I'm looking at the bark pattern on the more textured ones. Were they growing from the site of an old stump? That could explain the tight cluster.
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they look like sticks to me as I can not tell one from the other. straighten then and shoot them if they will spine out correctly, what you got to loose? if they will not spine correctly you got some mighty fine kindling.
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Sticks this size look like hundreds of other sticks like this. Without other identifying options it is only a guess as to what they are. You'll never know if they are worthy shafting unless you know for sure what they are...or you try them to see. Even if you try them you should still try to find out their true identity. Take pics of the plant as it sits and pics of the buds and twigs. Then, and only then will you know what they are.
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I agree with Pat, at that size and age it could be a number of things. Wait until spring/summer and maybe some leaves or buds will help. At that stage it resembles many young shoots.
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Winter twigs and buds and overall view of the shrub can be helpful with identifying plants and if you take pics now you may have good shafting drying already. Spring and summer can make easier ID but that's not always the case. You can positively ID this plant with winter buds alone.
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I'll go back with my camera next time. I've got to cut some red osier anyhow
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DIFFENTLY HAZZEL I have them around me and I made couple dozzen arrows through the years.
Hazel makes a ex lent arrows fairly heavy easy to bend. Almost a shoot as it is grows kinda shoot.