Steve, You're way ahead of me with branching patterns, but I don't know if Betula nigra bark would flake in that way. Wouldn't you be able to see a trace of the horizontal lenticels? Also, the tree may not be growing straight because of soil erosion. It's on a bit of an incline - which I didn't show very well since I didn't get the base of the trunk.
I added 3 pictures of the guy next door which I think is a big (to my inexperienced eyes!) Betula lenta. Can you tell from the photo? It could certainly be a river birch, though. http://picasaweb.google.com/JennifDudley/TreeIDHelp?feat=directlink Jenny On Apr 3, 3:44 pm, Steve Galehouse <[email protected]> wrote: > Jenny- > > After looking at your other photos more carefully--not focusing on the > bark--I think the tree in your photo is a river birch, Betula nigra. The > reasons I think it's not a hophornbeam are: > > 1-The branch attachment to the trunk. The tree in your photos displays sort > of a "saddle" at the point of attachment, which is a characteristic of > birches but not of Ostrya. Compare the attached photo to your photo #4. > > 2-Ostrya tends to be very vertical, straight, and single-stemmed; the > general habit of your tree is arching and leaning, with a couple of main > stems. > > Both species are found in similar habitats where native. River birch > approaches its northern native limit in the NYC area(as it does here in NE > Ohio), and the northern river birches look very different from the popular > cultivars such as Heritage birch and Dura-heat birch, both of which have > much lighter and more exfoliating bark. Either species can retain a few > shriveled leaves over the winter. > > Steve > > On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 8:48 AM, JennyNYC <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Thanks! It sounds unanimous. Please send on any pix of hophornbeam. > > Looking forward to one from Cleveland, Steve. > > > Jenny. > > > On Apr 3, 8:05 am, William Morse <[email protected]> wrote: > > > i agree as well. those 'not typical' traits you've pointed out are all > > > still within the variation found in the species. > > > > On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 7:35 AM, Will Fell <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Looks like a hop-hornbeam to me also. I've seen a some with flaky bark > > > > and some with tighter bark, but the leaves hanging on is not unusual > > > > for it. > > > > > On Apr 2, 11:29 pm, Steve Galehouse <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> Jenny- > > > > >> It looks sort of like hop-hornbeam, but not typical for the way it > > looks in > > > >> my area--the smaller trunk is more similar to what I've seen, the > > larger > > > >> more "flaky" (but hey, you're in NYC)! Tomorrow I'll take a pic and > > send on > > > >> to you what i think is typical(for Cleveland). > > > > >> Steve > > > > >> On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 10:13 PM, JennyNYC <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > >> > ENTS, > > > > >> > Can you help me identify this tree? I am thinking it's a hophornbeam > > > >> > (Ostrya virginiana), but do their leaves cling in winter? It's > > > >> > growing just above the Bronx River flood plain. I couldn't get a > > close > > > >> > look at the buds. > > > > >> >http://picasaweb.google.com/JennifDudley/TreeIDHelp?feat=directlink > > > > >> > Thanks! > > > >> > Jenny- Hide quoted text - > > > > >> - Show quoted text - > > > > Ostrya branching habit.jpg > 189KViewDownload --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
