I ride my mountain bike out at Lake Grapevine a lot. I've seen some beatiful tree's out there this year including Eve's Necklace, Hercules Club/toothace tree, Cedar Elm, Texas Red Bud, and now something new I havent seen before. This tree looked like a pear of some kind. It had the little olive colored fruits like a bradford pear does. Only this guy is much more upright, slender, and had a better branching structure. Its also in bloom right now which was kind of strange with it being fall. The flowers were white and looked a lot like Mexican Plum. I was thinking this might be Mexican Plum because the branches had some thorns on them. Not the burly thorns that Mesquite and Honey Locust have. These almost looked like broken branches. But the leaves and fruits keep taking me back to a pear tree. The leaves did not look like my aristocrat pear or my neighbors bradford pear. They were smaller, rounder, lighter green, not waxy at all, and had a bit of a tooth at the apex. There were no purple fruit either, but the birds may have eaten them all. The size was typical for an understory tree, it was about 20' tall and had probably a 3-5" caliper trunk. I saw more than one and these were at least 3 miles in, so they were not on the forest edge, and hopefully not invasive. I did see some nandinia right around the corner from it growing wild though. I'm hoping to find an alternative to my aristocrat pear and was hoping this might be a candidate.
I also saw some awesome Texas/Shumard red oaks that seemed to be doing well in the drought we are having. But not one single acorn anywhere. When do red oaks produce acorns?
Texas Tree ID needed (paging Frostweed)
Wow Toby! that is a tall order, I am flattered that you thought to ask me, but I will have to do some research.
It may well be that someone knows those things without looking them up, and if so, please tell us about it.
It surely looks like you have a lot of fun on you explorations, I wish I had time to do that, maybe one of these days. Isin't it neat to out and explore?
Josephine.
Well I should have brought the dang camera. That would really help the ID process. I just looked at the mexican plum files and its an exact match, except for the fruit and the leaf. The leaf didnt seem veined and was a very light green, unlike the bradford pears. I'm guessing its some kind of invasive Callery pear. I noticed a few on the way to work that were blooming as well. Would very lean and sandy soils effect leaf size and color? I've noticed the Eve's Necklace that are wild there do not have glossy leaves either like my specimen at home.
There is also a purple wildflower that was in bloom that was a real screamer. It looked a lot like Liatris or purple prairie clover.
I will bring the camera tomorrow and take some pictures.
Toby, could you attach a shovel to your mountain bike and snag me a Hercules Club on one of your forays? :-) I've had no luck thus far in getting any of my HC cuttings to root, and the nurseries in this area look at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language when I ask if they have any in stock.
I look forward to the pictures. Prairie/Sand Verbena was very pretty earlier this year (it's purple) but I'm not sure if it's still in bloom. If it is, perhaps it could be your mystery flower.
Carla
Carla,
If I can find a Hercules Club small enough to dig up, I'll send you one. If you are ever near La Grange, you are welcome to stop by and dig up a larger one.
Veronica
Which tree are you calling Hercules Club ~ Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum clava-hercules) or Devils Walking Stick (Aralia Spinosa)? We have the prickly ash or toothache tree here...
Toby, could this be the tree you are talking about? Chokecherry, prunus virginiana.
http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Detail.asp?Symbol=PRVI
There are many kinds of native plums and cherries, but without someone actually seeing it and then knowing what it is it is very hard.
As to the fall bloom it must be a freak thing with the rain after such a long drought.
The only trees that I can think of that bloom in the fall and winter while having fruit on them are Citrus trees.
Josephine.
Podster, I'm talking about Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum clava-hercules). It's a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail. I have one in my small suburban backyard (it was here when I moved in 12 years ago, have no idea how it got there) and would dearly love to have another. In the springtime, it is absolutely covered in butterflies, bees, wasps, flies.
Bettydee, I'd gladly pay the Express Shipping on any Hercules Club you can spare.
Carla
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/62606/index.html
Is this the one you are talking about?
Yup, that's the one. Isn't he a handsome small tree? And trust me, those thorns are every bit as sharp as they look.
Carla
That sounds cool that all the flutterbys and stuff love it. I've seen it offered before but didn't want to deal with it because of the thorns.
Is the one you have planted near a stream or runoff? I thought they needed a lot of water?
My Hercules Club came with the house, and is planted on the south-west facing corner by the house. It was trained into a tree when I moved in (ie, one long truck ending in an umbrella-like canopy). It's now ~20 feet high, with the canopy starting ~7 feet. I have never given my tree any supplemental watering, though it does get the occasional drink when I water the lawn or the foundation.
In the springtime, it is covered with teeny tiny flowers and puts off a lovely lemony-lime smell. Years ago my nextdoor neighbor offered to cut it down, due to the thorns. I said " No way!" Even though I wasn't into gardening or butterflies back then, I just loved its interesting bark structure. The thorns aren't too bad if you know to handle the branches very very very carefully.
Carla
Well that is cool... At least if it is trimmed into a tree shape you don't have to bother with the branches as much. That would be a lot better than having a bush that might need cleaned up or around...
Frostweed, I dont think thats it. I brought my camera with me and i'll have pics posted this evening. The fruit looks exactly like a bradford/aristocrat/callery pear. Little green olives. But the branching structure is a lot different.
About the hercules club, the specimen I frequent does not have half the spines as the one on file. It actually looks tame. For those who want one, if it has seeds right now, how would I spot them? I'd be happy to grab some as long as I dont have to climb it.
Loonie1 ~ That's the tree I find most interesting. Haven't noticed the attraction to the blooms but the old folks in this area call it the toothache or tickle tongue tree. They used to peel the bark off a branch and chew on the bark. It numbs the mouth and makes a toothache feel better temporarily.
Waiting to see what kind of a tree Tobydmv has found too...
Film at 11!
Tootache Tree Trunk
Eves Necklace leaves and pods
Unknown wild flower #1
The mystery tree #1
Mystery tree flower and fruit
foliage
u/k wildflower 2
A second mystery tree (one with berries) and a cool pink grass seed. This tree looked a lot like a cedar elm, but way skinnier and taller. I want one. Think Bean Pole.
a forest of junk mimosas, the poppa tree was behind me and was easily 40' tall. I have never seen a mimosa this big. It literally blacked out the sky. This site is real close to a creek crossing and very green.
Fern Acacia, I think. I did not see any seeds or I would have nabbed some.
u/k wildflower 3, there is one location with 100's of them. I did not see one anywhere else.
bloom
fields of them
I think that unknown 3 is gay feather... if it is I want some please.....
The Wildflowers are Goldenrod and Gayfeather, very pretty Toby.
The mystery tree sure looks like a pear of some kind , and I don't know what the others are.
Tank you for putting up the pictures.
Josephine.
This message was edited Sep 29, 2006 9:24 PM
Eve's Necklace Seedpods
oh cool.... I actually knew one! Red letter day!