Hi Jenny
I have noticed over the years that Ostrya has quite a noticeable  
feature in that its branches are almost always at right angles from  
the trunk. I have to say that the bark looks similar to Hop Hornbeam....
On 3-Apr-09, at 4:10 PM, JennyNYC wrote:

>
> 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
> >
>


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