Early bloomer

Male flowers look a lot like those of a male pussy willow.
Grows well in the same type of habitat.
Blooms the same time too.
Not a pussy willow . . .

Guy S.

GEE!

Guy's gaming the group.

And the group's not gaming back, yet!
I know you and some of the other real plant nuts probably know it, but I'm waiting for some of the newbies to try to impress us. I took this photo yesterday.
(Hint: see page 244 of some unnamed tree book . . . )

Guy S.

How about Magnolia soulangiana Page 243

That page will work too, but wrong book!
This is a North American native - guess again . . .

After some research, where else but google, I can non-confidently say that the only mention of anything resembling a male catkin of the pussy willow kind was a real obscure reference to the tightly rolled leaf of the downy serviceberry: Amelanchier arborea. Obviously not a male flower. I did not, as you can tell, have the ultimate reference close to hand, but I did cram more useless information and a few nuggets in the already overloaded space between my ears. Ken
:

Myrica gale

Resin

Other than the above, don't you all know today is April Fools Day. Ha Ha

DonnaS

I know what it is, I know what it is, I know what it is, and it's not an April fool's joke, either...

I won't say what the plant is just yet, to give others a fair chance to guess...

The book says that this plant will *almost* grow well in my zone and does well in northern Illinois...

Mike

Leitneria floridana

Way to go Big L!

If Deipnosophist would let me have mine (he's hogging them), I might be able to post a photo of this interesting plant blooming in KY.

Well of course I knew exactly what it was but wanted to give the less knowledgeable ones a chance. LOL I can't believe I went to the wrong book first and not his!

Yeah, L got it right, and knowing Mike I think he probably did also.
Great plant in the right place, especially if you have room to let it clone.

And Donna, I would NEVER April fool you! You can always TRUST me!!!
Hee-hee-hee . . .

Guy S.

If I could have found my book packed away with the hurricane refugees I could have told you. But, Starhill, let's don't be fooling people. Remember the Moss Hanging Day episode.

Okay Guy, I believe you!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I really want to know which book you were refering to. One of yours?? I have many shelves of books, far more that I take time to study.

Donna

Moss hanging indeed.

LOL< I never said I wouldn't April Fool YOU -- just Donna!

Donna, finding the right book was part of the riddle. I cannot divulge ALL the secrets!

Guy S.

;I can find Leitneria floridana in my books, and does say hardy to zone 5, but when I see floridana I wonder. Anyway no picture to match yours, which is a really neat picture.

Donna

You have to get THE tree book.

You guys are all mean. How can i get THE book if I don't know what it is???????????

Donna

This one

LL. Is that a Weeping Willow of some kind, trained or grafted into a standard. Looks very interesting. Thanks

Donna

Oh yes and it is the most wonderful tree. Ask the Smarty Guys about it. It is an HHD

I thought Dirr's was THE tree book???

Dirr is the first book I looked at .. but not THE tree book.

Get thee to a nunnery!

Guy precedes dirrt, so he may/may not appreciate that Dirr is rated as THE tree book.

I'd rate Dirr's Manual as the premier text for learning about all kinds of horticultural/ornamental woody plants for the greater part of eastern North America. He thins out where his experiences thin out (as do most of us), so that would be up into Canada, down into Mexico, and probably the intermountain areas. But he includes some things that work OK there.

I'd rate Sternberg's Native Trees as something different: an exceptional text about it's title, that includes some information about plants allied to the subject. I have not read it cover to cover,but I am into the second edition. Guy delves much more deeply into this aspect of trees than does Dirr, and from a really different perspective. This is not a matter of better or worse, which even the most diehard nativist (indigenousist) restorationist must admit. You can love and only plant native species, but if you don't know anything horticulturally you are quite likely to fail, and often. You have to know how to grow plants, plant plants, and care for them if you are going to influence a restoration process (other than totally hands off after removing invasives).

OK, got a little OT there. For dear Ruth out in Tonasket, I don't know if either of these books are really well suited for her and her interests. I don't know her area at all (other than on a map), so I couldn't venture well what book to recommend for specifics other than one that might be centered on the intermountain west for relatively xeric conditions.

Guy's book is unique in the fact that he adds personal comments to his writing. It's not your standard "text book" type, unlike Guy.

Sorry Donna, this book does not cover the area west of the Rockies so it's not for you. But VV is on the money when he explains that the two books are very different.

I didn't mean to imply that my book is better than any other -- I just used it as a clue because I know many of you have it, and most other books don't show photos of odd native things like Leitneria.

By the way, someone started another thread with the exact same headline as this one. In case you haven't visited it (thinking it's a duplication), it's about a different mystery plant.

Guy S.

I thought I sent a post yesterday, must have forgotten to send. Was under same conditions as this morning, couldn't sleep after 5 hours, so was here in front of my monitor. I will blame not sending on lack of sleep.

Yes xeric conditions normally but so far this whole winter has been wetter than normal, and believe me I am not complaining. Rained quite a bit yesterday so mostly I spent my time in the gh.

I have Dirr's book and refer to it quite often. I also have a very old book, given to me by daughter in 1976, new. It is quite heavy, more than 4" thick, more than 12,000 items. So it stays in one location and I more to use it. Ha Ha

Donna

Now I am reading that Leitneria is the only one of its family worldwide. Gee that was an easy quiz for us "newbies"~~ could never have found it without the biggest hint in the world...Would Smarty Pants have known what this was without the hint? Just wondering.

If he did not, would he have told you? Then he would not be SP anymore.

LOL~~~~I think he will be honest and tell me the truth...I just bet he DID know.