Your Favorite Bark

At the conclusion of the long-winded Parrotia Pruning thread, Vv proposed a comparison of plants that we thought had nice bark. I thought it was a fine idea and would like to resurrect it in a new thread. I'd bet the Northwesterners have some great Madrone shots or who knows what else since they can grow about anything out there. My first entry (perhaps not my favorite): A fine Ulmus parvifolia from the Rowe Arboretum. Thanks Decumbent for the seed! Got it planted and cooling this weekend.

Regards,
Ernie

There are a number of plants that don't do terribly well here that you can grow better. ie. Albizia - it barely holds on here.

Here's Platanus x acerifolia I took last week.

Growin- That picture looks like the trunk could come to life and start walking around. Tolkien-esque.

Oh look, it's grabbing my truck. Run!

Japanese Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia fauriei)

Close up- Japanese Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia fauriei)

I like this one - Broussonetia papyrifera

Nice Lagerstroemia Equil!

That's neat birch bark! We've only got River Birch around here. I took the photo of the Japanese Crepe Myrtle in North Carolina. It's hard to see but there is a little pocket of water in the second photograph. In that little pocket, there was a water bug. Haven't a clue where it came from but it was in there happy as a lark.

Growin- I also like the Sycamore bark. I really enjoy driving through Indiana in winter and admiring these plants as they light up the bottomland forest. I didn't remember Broussonetia had such cool bark. Not bad for a mulberry!

Equil- the crapemyrtle is great!

Fairly well known for it's bark is Pinus densiflora 'Umbraculifera' This picture was taken at the Morton Arboretum laying on the ground, using a wide angle lens so it distorts how tall it looks. Then I cosmetologistically "helped" it by desaturating everything but the trunks and stems.

Regards,
Ernie

Hard to say, there's so many that are nice. Least favourite is dog bark, though.

Resin

"Woof" - Resin - "Woof!"

Cool pic malusman!

Ernie,
While I agree bark is beautiful...
Stewartia pseudocamellia

This message was edited Nov 15, 2006 3:43 PM

I really liken my lichen!

And the only reason we keep this crabby old crab apple around is we are too cheap to feed the dog. kt wife of Trun

I ran into this one at the Arboretum in Seattle last week. I don't remember its name.

found it at Grand Canyon , a pine I think.

Stewartia monadelphia?

Scott

Duh Uhhhhh Yeah sumthin like that aint it. I learn every day on Daves. Now I can lable the picture with the name.

Resin- LOL, I'm not fond of yappers either. Break down and show us some of that stuff you grow across the pond. I bought my 30cm ruler last night and will be taking photos of the P. x schwerinii cones tonight if VV doesn't pontificate too much on the phone.

Kt- Lichens qualify and those are great ones. Do you get a lot of moisture in Edgartown? I always knew that crabapples were good for something. Now we have proof!

Sally- Junipers and the Big Ditch: always a good mix. http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/southwest/GrandCanyonLipanPointJuniper.jpg

Sofer- Great Stewartia! I was at the Arboretum in Seattle 3.5 years ago and took some picutures of them as well. My closeups show some bright green under the brown/rust colored bark. Like you, I was a bit lax about keeping track of what I was shooting and then completely forgot by the time the drive back to IL ended.

A sentimental favorite of mine is Platanus x acerifolia 'Suttneri.' It sheds the brown bark at 3" or smaller diameter and stays a clean white. I'm not sure if it will start mottling but up to 24" is has shown no sign of it. Anybody know if it does resume the mottling or has it stayed white the entire lifespan?

Regards,
Ernie

.......Does anyone recognize this rarely seen species? I consider the bark quite distinctive!....

conifer50

...and the "whole" tree!

Usually a lurker here but my vote for best bark is persimmon

conifer, could that be Juglans nigra?

My favorite bark? Schipperke! :-)

growin........good guess, but incorrect ID........Juglans nigra is quite common....we're looking for a "rare tree."......very few people have seen the species in question growing in the "wild"

This message was edited Nov 15, 2006 10:31 PM

Hmmm....looks like bark of our native ash trees, so I will throw out two natives from down south, Pumpkin or Carolina Ash?

Would edible nuts and compound leaves help in disclosing the ID?

conifer50

Butternut?

Halesia caroliniana (a very, very big one) or H. monticola?

Scott

This message was edited Nov 15, 2006 11:02 PM

Kevin got it!!!!!...Scott, my last clue eliminated silverbells!.....goodnight all!.

conifer50

Do ya feel like someone's watching you?

Shades of Decumbent!

growin- my kids don't believe that last one. What kind of tree is that? Swear to them that was not a man made effect, please.

I doubt the tree I added is "man made" in any way. A friend took the picture on the Canadian prairies. I'll ask him where he took the pic and any other details. I believe it's a birch, if not an aspen. He just notices these things - photographer. Check out his tomatoe & potatoe...and there's my truck as a new pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23484541@N00/

It's an aspen - the bark pattern is wrong for birch

Resin

sallyg, the Aspen in the photo above is at the Petro Canada station in Canmore, Alberta next to the McDonalds. I can only think this tree may have been "limbed up" for landscape purposes.

Another nice bark . . .

Cinnamomum zeylanicum

'specially with apples ;-)

Resin

growin, thanks for the info.
I think you could make that part of a personality test- see how many people think of eyes and how many say 'it's a tree"