Cone scales

Edited to say ...Still Working on this one! Thanks!

I'm trying to figure out which tree these may have come from? There are tons of scales and pine like needles over there. I'm wondering if it can be used for mulch? I know they would make great campfire starters;0)

This message was edited Nov 12, 2006 3:44 AM

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This is the tree I believe they come from. You find tiny ones coming everywhere!

Looks like a Cedrus species -- if so, it would have to be a planted tree because they are not native to the US. There are three commonly planted true cedars in your part of the world -- Cedrus atlantica from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, Cedrus libani and its variety stenocoma from Lebanon and Turkey, and Cedrus deodora from Asia. All are beautiful, long-lived trees.

Guy S.

Yes these were all planted on the property, none native to our area or maybe even the US. I'm hoping to get out to his new place to meet him and ask about the trees and plants. He taught Horticulture in a New York University for years. His specialty was orchids....so I'm told:)

Yep, cedar; the foliage looks most like Cedrus deodara (Deodar Cedar, from the Himalaya). The scales can be used as mulch, though you might get more cedar seedlings coming up if you do!

Resin

Thanks! They do pull up easily enough though:))

You could always grow them on and sell them!

What a good idea! Could also sell seeds? Maybe I hav found a new business:))

I think there may be a Cedrus libani - Cedar of Lebanon there too.
This has a description of the cones I have been getting
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/lebanon_cedar.htm

This looks like what I have..............
http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/dcedar.html

But, so does this!
http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/lcedar.html

And I believe there is an Atlas Cedar.

I guess since I didn't get out to talk to the man who planted them, I'll have to go take more pics and study them a bit closer.

Here is a picture of the top of the cones after being dried in the oven. Aren't they wonderful!?

Looks to me like all three types of cedar are over there, wonderful! There are 5 trees total..

I thought these trees didn't reproduce successfully in America?

I don't know about trees and reproduction. I went over to look more closely at the cones but wasn't able to really see anything.
I know that the trees on the lot next door are not native trees. The man who use to live there got them from around the world, just as he did his orchids.
My husband has been in the logging business all his adult life, the trees over there baffled him. The bark and the needles didn't match up. One of the neighbors that has been in the area all his life filled us in. He just didn't know the specifics. He knew that there is a rare tree, I believe it to be one of the deciduous trees.
There is a Bristlecone Pine, I'm guessing pinus arastata. There is such a variety, it makes me so sad to see it all go to waste. The landlord comes in, whacks off branches and no one takes care of them. Alot of smaller trees are dying.

Somermoone:

See if you can get growin or someone like that to take a roadtrip down (or up) your way for a field day to ID these special trees.

His blue roadster probably needs to air its cylinders out once in a while.

I'm going to take my ladder over there today as there is no rain. I can see the cones on one but they are too high to reach. I can take camera too. Actually the one in front has lower branches, I think I can climb it without breaking branches. Although the owner will probably cut them down anyway. The people that were there just moved out. I'm waiting for activity to see if he will let me clean up the yard and play with plants and trees. My family thinks I'm crazy...I'm loving it!

If I don't post again, it means I fell from the tree because at 46 I think your not suppose to be climbing trees. I grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, the forest was my backyard and playground. I had 3 younger brothers...

And do all you can to convince the new owners to keep the trees! Tell them they are rare and special.

Resin

Smoone:

I'm just about your age; I have 3 older and 5 younger brothers; and if someone told me I couldn't climb trees anymore (due to age or anything else), well, them'd be fightin' words.

And I'm really jealous of your Olympic Peninsula origins...

Hi somermoone, as a kid my mother and I collected cones that turned into roses like yours. A few years ago I went hunting for that tree. After quite a long hunt, the only tree that produces cone tips that can be dried into roses is Cedrus libani. I used the book, Trees of Vancouver, and hunted comparing Cedar cones in Vancouver. I have a basket of cone roses that I use for Christmas display. I was just thinking of going for another collection this year. I wouldn't use the cone debris for mulch as the cone tips are pointed and slowly decompose. I've been poked by one of the tips. I do visit Bellingham one a month or so and I get so bored shopping with DH so plant ID would be more my thing.

I didn't fall from the tree. I didn't get beyond the first couple branches. They were too brittle on bottom. I didn't need to fall and break a body part on one of the busiest streets in BHam. I did find a mop handle to pull down a couple branches to get some cones.
I tried to find tags as a lot of items are still tagged but very old, brittle and most times faded. There are some nice metal labels but not at the trees. Maybe that could be my goal, to identify them, tag them.
If I got permission fromthe owner I could get someone from Western WA U to come take a look. From what I've heard the owner could care less about what kind of trees they are unless he can make a dime.
VV~I'm sure you and I could still climb better than anyone way younger than us as they don't do that sort of thing much any more. That's what we did for play and entertainment. We would spend all day in the woods, I don't know how my Mom did it not worring to death. Plus, no cell phones if you weren't home on time!
Funny how I have hated gardening all these years when I spent so much time outdoors. We picked cones, fern and cascara bark for $$$$. Later DH and I picked Chanterelle mushrooms for $$$. I remember getting turned around (I still say lost, he says, not, we're here aren't we?) DH had to climb a tall tree to get his direction. We were young....Maybe that's why I'm loving playing in all the trees now.
For 4-H we had to learn all about this stuff, I didn't care. My main projects were sewing, home canning and cooking. I'd rather be baking these cones than pies or bread, less fattening!

Give me a call. Maybe we could go looking for more of these trees...yeah!!!
I just went over and collected more. Do you have picks of yours? I'd love to see them! I'm trying to think of a way to use them in DS's wedding. Do you have some of these trees up there? I could come go cone hunting with you!
K~

somermoone, my mother would attach the green florist wire using the glue that comes with a glue gun. Then you can wire the cone wherever you want. You can also spraypaint them gold, silver, etc to go with the arrangement. There are only a few trees in Vancouver, the easiest to get to are at Queen Elizabeth Park near the pitch & putt, next to the off-leash dog run. Right off the main road past the Cedrus libani, the road winds around to parking amongst the ugly Prunus with a view of the Wingnuts (Pterocarya fraxinifolia).

Queen Elizabeth trees

full tree

Yep those are my flowers::)) I want to see them with a gold glitter or spray painted ivory. I think they would pretty for DS's wedding in May. His bride to be likes the "stick" theme. Sticks should be great in May with all the flowering branches. Hopefully I will be able to go next door. I'd really like some pussywillow, haven't seen any around here. Probably just haven't looked.
Those trees are so pretty. The ones next door would be if they were kept up. They are all so close too.
K~
Thanks for all the info and help everyone!

Growin's photos are of Deodar Cedar, note the horizontally ridged cone scales (flatter on Atlas / Cyprus / Lebanon / Turkish Cedar).

Resin, the pics are not Deodar Cedar. The needles, growth and colour are slightly different. It is Cedrus lebani and planted as such by the parks department many years ago. Not far from this tree is a Deodar Cedar. The rest of the cedars do have the cone tips but they don't make good cone roses. Cedrus atlantica has fat cones that are too wide and don't open in the oven, C. deodara are too heavy and wide with resin and I haven't looked at C. brevifolia. I spent almost a year identifying which cedar produced the roses and C. libani is it.

Here's a couple pictures. The basket and branches with short clumped needles are from a local park. I found them today and was so excited! I risked my life for these cones::)) One woman's treasure is another woman's danger! I was collecting these off the ground because the 50+ mile an hour winds were tossing cones everywhere! My family would have been so ticked if I would have died picking up cones. Don't worry I don't bungy jump, ride 4 wheelers or do any extreme sports:)

Here are some pics......

Cones from trees at park.

Flower cones and branches from next door.

Aren't all these dried into roses? But they are different branches, different size cones and seem to flower differently???
I guess I'm getting confused. Please help me::))
K~


This message was edited Nov 15, 2006 10:29 PM

I went over and took pictures today.
One thing I noticed this time that I haven't any other time is that three of the trees have more than on trunk. Two have one.
Her are the multi-trunks...I know there must be an official name, someone will be smart for me. LOL

They are one at the bottom

cone from these trees