Tree in Texas

John_KAYS · Mar 6, 2023

I live in PA and was sent this picture of a tree in Texas. Can someone ID it for me? Thanks.

Sorry. This is the only pic I got.

oldoakman · Mar 6, 2023

Looks like it might be a cottonwood, but I'm not in Texas either.

Rusticus · Mar 6, 2023

Perhaps a box elder.

Where *in Texas?

Shadowscape · Mar 6, 2023

Come on people! There can't be more than a half dozen trees in the whole state. Someone should know this one.
Judging by the bark, trunk and crown I'm thinking in the oak family. But what the hell do I know, I'm from Minnesota.

ATH · Mar 6, 2023

I'm going with basswood.

A) I don't know that the bark picture could be much worse...it is going to be very atypical at a major transition like that.
B) TX is a big state...north, south, at elevation, lowland, etc...?

Here is my thought process that got me to Tilia:

My first reaction was sugar maple (though TX is getting pretty far south for that). The bark right in the middle of the pic looks a little like that.

Scroll down on the pic a bit and the bark is too woven for Acer. Maybe some sort of Ulmus (that is my second choice now). Maybe something in the Carya genus (pecan?) (and still not ruling that out).

Scroll up a bit. That REALLY looks like basswood bark. (circled in red)

It is hard to see much with the twigs, but what is there shows a little zigzag and the buds look to be laying flat with a larger-than-elm terminal bud. Green circle is best shot of twigs...maybe just to the right of the red circle there are a couple twigs that also convince me.

I thought perhaps that was too far south for Basswood, but USFS map says it is not...

I'm maybe 52% confident in my guess. 27% is for Ulmus. 21% for "something else". Not to be contentious, but I'm pretty confident that is not Boxelder (no opposite buds - a few made me look twice, but I think they are overlapping twigs) and not likely Cottonwood (would have larger terminal buds and twigs would be more stout). I'd save a very small portion of that 21% for an oak.

Neill · Mar 6, 2023

Should we start a new thread- trees from much too close? Lol I like your process @ATH
I’m guessing scrub oak, because someone told me there was a lot of them in Texas once but I really don’t know either.

Njdelaney · Mar 6, 2023

@ATH I had all the exact same thoughts. My thought order was Maple, then Elm then I saw that part that looked like Basswood. I'm going to throw in another possibility as a large Mulberry. The bark looks too grey but it could be the lighting.

Shadowscape · Mar 6, 2023

Rusticus said:
Perhaps a box elder.

Where is Texas?

That big area down south full of cows where old people go when they can't get a driver's license in their state anymore.

ATH · Mar 6, 2023

Neill said:
Should we start a new thread- trees from much too close? ...

That could be as tough as the far away trees.

People ask for a good book or resource showing bark. I tell them that I don't know that it is possible. You are either too close to see bigger patterns or to far to see any detail. You'd need a big color high quality centerfold for each tree. (A maybe a song to go with it...."Acer is the Centerfold")

Njdelaney · Mar 6, 2023

Each tree would need 10 pages of bark variations. New bark, young bark, main stem bark, old tree bark, high up in the tips bark, wound wood bark, inexplicably unusual variation bark, etc etc. That would be a fun project to take on but it would never be finished.

Rusticus · Mar 6, 2023

Shadowscape said:
That big area down south full of cows where old people go when they can't get a driver's license in their state anymore.

Easy now...I meant to say where IN Texas. There's not many places better than Texas. That's why they call it God's country you know.

John_KAYS · Mar 6, 2023

El Paso.

Here is another picture. The tree was obviously topped at least twice so the growth is all messed up.

Dan Cobb · Mar 6, 2023

I have a little device in my pocket which can access the collective knowledge of all mankind, but I'd rather use it to ask a question.

(Okay, so tree identification isn't necessarily straightforward, but I do shake my head at people who ask questions online that they could easily answer for themselves if they spent a few minutes on Google.)

Reminds me of a friend who texts me asking a question (cure time??) about some product we bought when remodeling his bathroom. I replied that the information is on the label, why are you asking me? Reply: "I didn't want to have to walk to the bathroom to look at the container." SMH.

OasisTree · Mar 6, 2023

John_KAYS said:
El Paso.

Here is another picture. The tree was obviously topped at least twice so the growth is all messed up.

My guess would be some variety of Elm. That is a very common tree in dry areas, and they do well. The gray tint of the bark matches, and also the the fact that it has been topped and obviously has taken that very well. They are fairly weak, so if they dont get mechanically topped it is not uncommon for them to get topped by weather events.

ATH · Mar 6, 2023

Dan Cobb said:
I have a little device in my pocket which can access the collective knowledge of all mankind, but I'd rather use it to ask a question.

(Okay, so tree identification isn't necessarily straightforward, but I do shake my head at people who ask questions online that they could easily answer for themselves if they spent a few minutes on Google.)

Reminds me of a friend who texts me asking a question (cure time??) about some product we bought when remodeling his bathroom. I replied that the information is on the label, why are you asking me? Reply: "I didn't want to have to walk to the bathroom to look at the container." SMH.

that is where you reply by using the website, Let Me Google That For You:

For example, cure time for bathroom paint.

John_KAYS · Mar 6, 2023

My first guess was somewhere between a Siberian Elm and some sort of nut. I could see going with a Basswood as a pretty good match. What’s funny is when I received this picture to ID I took my phone out and googled it. I still couldn’t match it with anything I quite liked, so I thought I’d ask Treebuzz. I love the “trees from much too close” thread idea!!!

Thanks all…it’s an odd one, especially not being in leaf…and not having great pictures of pertinent features.

oldoakman · Mar 7, 2023

I am going to regroup and say Mulberry. My sister in law in California had one that was contractor planted in her front yard that had the same type location and treatment. Topped several times. Who knows it IS Texas anyway.

Tom Dunlap · Mar 8, 2023

Dan Cobb said:
I have a little device in my pocket which can access the collective knowledge of all mankind, but I'd rather use it to ask a question.

(Okay, so tree identification isn't necessarily straightforward, but I do shake my head at people who ask questions online that they could easily answer for themselves if they spent a few minutes on Google.)

Reminds me of a friend who texts me asking a question (cure time??) about some product we bought when remodeling his bathroom. I replied that the information is on the label, why are you asking me? Reply: "I didn't want to have to walk to the bathroom to look at the container." SMH.

@Dan Cobb

Tone down the snark

If you feel the need to go on so much, type, don’t use voice and don’t make it public.

It’s not polite nor professional to go on like that

Dan Cobb · Mar 9, 2023

Tom Dunlap said:
@Dan Cobb

Tone down the snark

If you feel the need to go on so much, type, don’t use voice and don’t make it public.

It’s not polite nor professional to go on like that

OMG, I feel publicly shamed. My intent was good natured; observations on things I find amusing.

I have no idea why you think I use voice. I never use it.

I can keep my opinions to myself in the future.