winter clean up

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

I took advantage of an unusually warm weekend (60 degrees!) to do a little survey and clean up in the woods. I ran across some odd fruit in the woods. The first one turns out to be the fruit of Liriodendron tulipifera (pics 1&2). I had never seen it before, but it was a dead give away which tree they came from since the ground under my tulip tree was littered with them. But I can't tell where the 2nd one is coming from (pics 3&4). I presume one of you woody-philes will be able to help me out?

I also ran across my long-forgotten Chimonanthus praecox, not really hardy here, but has survived 10+ years. I never remember to go looking for it's bloom this time of year. So today, I found it in full blooming splendor, but I can't imagine a sorrier looking bloom (pic 5). And it's supposed to be fragrant, but I had my nose glued to the bloom and couldn't detect any hint of scent. I think it is another painful reminder to us zone pushers that plants may survive outside their zone, but they're often not happy to be here.

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Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

Oh yes, your #1 & #2 are the telltale aggregate of samaras of Liriodendron tulipifera. I was just busting that out for an ID over on the Plant ID forum.

Your #3 and #4 are one of my favorite plant parts. I'm going to leave it for others to chew over before providing its identity.

For those who know me: I am willing to send a prize of One Dozen of my wife's delectable Chocolate Truffles to whomever IDs the plant from whence these parts come. Weerobin may also be able to vouch for the truffles, but is not eligible for the prize since the plant is in his yard and that's an unfair advantage.

I have these plant parts gracing the Valley as holiday decorations, since they essentially never decay - and always bring the "what's that" question. I also used them as part of classwork when I was back in school earning my degree in Landscape Architecture back in the '90s. There was one tree on campus, and fall inevitably brought a small cascade of these.

I've seen fine specimens of this species at Swannanoa Palace, Durand-Eastman Park, and Monticello - in addition to the University of Kentucky campus.

See what you did there, Wee? Triggered fond memories o' youth...

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(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Is that ornamental fruit capsule from Toona sinensis?

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Or, probably more accurately Cedrela sinensis, lol! Just thought I'd get that in after giving an exceptional clue...whew!

Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

Toona sinensis is correct; Cedrela is now restricted to the New World species.

Checked on google images, and looks like you're right on the identification. I've never seen these before, the species doesn't do well in Britain's cold subarctic summers, and doesn't fruit (and is hardly ever planted, either).

Resin

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

If the species doesn't fruit, I wouldn't plant it either. If I'm honest, I'd have to take that back, there have been times I wished my Acer saccharum was sterile though. I'm a seed lover and those seed heads are spectacular.

Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

The only plant I know that's a fish homonym...

My π is of course correct. This tree would for all the world remind of you of Ailanthus altissima, except for the peeling-in-strips bark where Tree of Heaven will always be smooth. It creates colonies of stems, so if you know where some is growing - it wouldn't be hard to snitch some roots and sprout your own.

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Geesh, it also looks like Sumac. I'll be keeping my eye out for it, well for the one with the pink spring leaves (their supposed to taste better, less fishy).

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

After a bit of thought VV, you could send me a capsule with those irresistible, might-as-well-add-a-few-more-pounds Truffles...

Thanks Wee, you're the man!

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Wow, I had no idea these things were from my Toona. Makes me wonder - I've had terrible issues w/ Ailanthus altissima suckers/seedlings. Yanking them all the time. Given the similarity of Toona to Ailanthus, now I'm wondering if some of the suckers are from the Toona rather than Ailanthus. I read about some invasive capability of Toona though not nearly as bad as Ailanthus. I'll have to investigate more during the season. The suckers I'm pulling up have a very characteristic odor which I've always associated with Ailanthus. Since it's a related species, I wonder if Toona suckers stink too?
I also noticed the peeling bark which made me first think the tree was a shagbark hickory - but soon figured out that couldn't be right ...
Thanks Mipii & VV & Resin !

Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

C'mon, Wee - Toona sinensis is obviously a member of Meliaceae. How could anyone possibly confuse it with Ailanthus altissima which blatantly shouts "Simaroubaceae be my buds!"

Joking aside, I think this is a handsome tree that can provide a tropical look where a landscape might require that. It will likely "run" where conditions encourage that characteristic, but I doubt that there will be much seeding around especially as one moves northward. The very old plantings I noted above do not show anything other than additional stems moving outward from an initial center of planting.

Here are some pics of those plants - first from Monticello.

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Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

Here are images of Toona sinensis from October 2012 at Swannanoa Palace in Virginia, just a step off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Virginia. Not very far from Charlottesville, it was the summer home of James Dooley, who built his Maymont estate in Richmond in the early 20th century. Maymont is now a fine city park with an outstanding arboretum collection, while Swannanoa is in private hands, resting and waiting for a thoughtful rehabilitation.

If you haven't seen these properties, put them on your Virginia bucket list.

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Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

Finally, here is the grove at Durand Eastman Park in Rochester, NY from September 2008. This is another outstanding collection of plants tucked in and around a large park on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Amazing specimens are found here, if one only will see.

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Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

If you STILL can't tell your Toona from your TOH, check the pith...


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Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

Tempted to ask for a few Toona seeds to try myself, but I'd probably just be condemning them to a short life of miserable shivering and annual autumn frost dieback . . .

Resin

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Thanks for the Toona run VV, I sure wouldn't mind finding a chunk of that mahogany pith.

BTW, what a beautifully crafted, full set of pics for identification purposes. You should continue crafting that set into a 'sticky how-to' (although that would reduce the cranky opportunity). Some of us get just the slightest twinge of pleasure when somebody else is on the hot seat.

It's kind of like a graduation thing...

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Resin, I can't imagine Toona not growing well for you. You are in zone 9a after all ;)

Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

Aye, but there's zone 9a, and then there's zone 9a . . . they're a world apart! I'm in an oceanic climate, Heat Zone 0 (number of days above 30°C less than 0), whereas Toona needs a good baking hot continental summer with 2-3 months of 30°C weather ;-)

Resin

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

"Aye, but there's zone 9a, and then there's zone 9a . . . they're a world apart!"
LOL! I guess so!

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Well, we've certainly got the summer baking - which is probably why my Toona has thrived with complete neglect (oops, maybe I forgot I planted it 20yrs ago, until I found all those odd seed-pods last weekend). I've got a woodland full of those candelabra-looking seed pods. Maybe I'll try rediscovering it once it leafs out this summer. I don't recall ever seeing it flower, but as you know by now, I'm not the most attentive gardener.

Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a)

Mipii I am so impressed, I spent more time than I will admit trying to figure it out-I even did a google image search!
So, how did you do it?

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

First you have to figure out what 'they' call the seed head. Some are called drupes, some samaras, etc. Knowing the correct terminology is crucial to ask google the right question. It certainly helped being a total seed geek. Oh and everything else was put on hold, I had unhindered focus til I found the answer...

but the pièce de résistance was those fabulous Viburnum Valley Chocolates dangled in front of my nose.

Okay, I did a google image search

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

So I was reading up on my Toona (you'd think I'd have read about it before planting it 20 yrs ago...) and now I'm interested to see it on leaf-out. Supposed to be a spectacular glowing pink. Unfortunately I'll need my binoculars since the tree is stuck in the middle of my wooded hillside competing for what little light it can get at the top, which is of course the only place there will be any leaves to see. I guess it will also depend on whether it leafs out before it's neighbors do. We'll see.
The reason I thought it was related to Ailanthus (other than similar foliage) is that one of Toona's synonyms is Ailanthus flavescens. I'm easily duped.

Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a)

Hmmm, also a google image search, I felt like I scrolled through a lot of images, maybe I did not go far enough. Also here is a copy of the enlarged photo I used, when the original got me very few similar hits. Once it was enlarged it really helped (just not enough). I also tried using the phrase "seed pod" and this also seemed to help. Did you use a word or two?
Weerobin, I thought you were easily "druped" ! heehee.

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(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

If I had of known you were on the case Pistil, I wouldn't have tried nearly as hard. You're a wood stroller with lots of woods nearby, that used to be one of my favorite things to do. I still remember the photo of you and your sister heading into the woods with dogs and surprisingly enough, cats too in tow.

Wee the cultivar 'Flamingo' has the spectacular pink spring leaf color is what I understood. Apparently, 'Flamingo' is also much less aggressive at colonizing and is a more moderate size also. Regardless, you're pushing the green-eyed envy zone.

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Another nice weather weekend today. I ventured out to gaze upward at my newly appreciated Toona. Here is the silhouette of seed pods in situ. And the corresponding Toona groundcover at the base. I'll try to pay attention to the spring leaf-out.

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Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

And by the way, here are a couple early blooming plants blooming today, Hamamelis Jelena just starting to unfurl and a double white (can't remember the cultivar name) Prunus mume. The mume is so tall, had to use the max telephoto. Thank god for image-stabilizer - the image in the view finder was flying! I guess I'm also thankful for that other wonder of tech wizardry, the 'delete' button!

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(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Wee you've got a treasure trove of Toona seeds, they're a very ornamental seed capsule, your wife might want a vase full of those. I can't wait to see the leaf-out.

I think Jelena is my favorite Hamamelis, just look at the color of those blooms! Yeah, I'm pretty thankful for your tech wizardry too.

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

2 weeks later, my Jelena witch hazel is still blooming strong. We had a couple weeks of normal winter with lows in the single digits and some snowfall, but this weekend it's still going strong. 75 degrees today!!! But supposed to get cold again next week. A tease. 2nd pic is Sunburst, a yellow-flowering cultivar. My Prunus mume which was blooming 2 wks ago is still blooming, also handling the in-between hard freezes and snowfall with no problem. I love these late winter blooming plants! Last picture is a Cornus officinalis just getting ready to pop. Definitely getting spring fever ...

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(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Do you smell the blooms? I like the collars on that Cornus.

Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a)

OOOh. Sun! Blue sky! Flowers!

Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

I think Wee was walking around the Valley...

Except for the Prunus mume, I have all those blooming here - with several more Hamamelis taxa and a bunch more Cornus officinalis and its kissin' cousin Cornus mas.

Wasn't carrying the camera today - will try to document the color tomorrow.

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Let's hope the weather is so good tomorrow it lures you out for hours, that would be rather excellent.

Scott County, KY(Zone 5b)

Ah, the lure of weather warm enough to make you...check the gutters and downspouts.

Spring-like thunderstorms this morning here, rumbling by and drenching things well. Not photography weather, but time to contemplate current drainage patterns and decide where more Ilex verticillata might like to live.

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Eau Claire, WI(Zone 4a)

It sounds like Spring has sprung for many of you. We've been enjoying some above average temps the past few days, and also had a nice gentle rain on Friday. There's still a few inches of snow on the ground, but it's quickly disappearing and this bout of warm weather seems to brighten everyone's outlook. Heck, I heard that Donald Trump was recently caught being kind to a Hispanic person.

Ilex verticillata has a reputation for preferring moist-wet soil, but it seems to have good tolerance for more upland conditions. I'm probably repeating myself (a definite trend the older I get), but I've got a small number of wild-types growing here that have been through some very dry years with no assistance whatsoever. It's amazing how plants survive without human intervention. ;)

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Dang, my team suffers yet another blow...softened by the lay of the land shots with a spring rain and a fabulous steel roof. At least we got something.

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