American Hornbeam

[Kevin]

What is the meaning of masts?
[ QUOTE ]
It masts every 3 to 5 years, producing large amounts of seed.

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[120770]

Kevin, is it in relation to do with the abundance of seed that it produces every 3-5 years?

Will check the Oxford english dictionary for you aswell...

Scotty

 

[120770]

All I am getting is references to ships, must mean something in some form of relation though....

They did use Hoenbeam trunks in the making of masts in the old wooden sailing ships, aswell as using Sessile oak..

Scotty

 

[SirTreeRat]

In agriculture, a mast is a crop of fruit or nuts (wild or cultivated) that ripen at the same time

 

[Kevin]

Maybe in only has nuts every few years, I had a guy tell me the leaves on his ironwood were dripping sap and I thought that it might be related to that.

 

[Kevin]

[ QUOTE ]
American hornbeam begins to produce seeds at about
15 years and peaks at 25 to 50 years, probably
ceasing at about 75 years. Large seed crops are
produced at 3-5-year intervals.
Lincoln Moore
USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[trees4est]

Dripping sap would be unrelated to seed production. Any sucking insects?

 

[Kevin]

He said it was covered in ants.

 

[trees4est]

They're usually up there uh, eating the "honeydew", that is, the droppings of aphids, scales, whiteflies, etc. that are sucking on the plants. He should closely examine to see what's up there feeding.

 

[Kevin]

Ok, I'll have him scope it out for suckers, thanks.

 

[Alves]

[ QUOTE ]
What is the meaning of masts?
[ QUOTE ]
It masts every 3 to 5 years, producing large amounts of seed.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

Masts is just a name for tree seeds, samara, acorns, are all considered masts. A mast year is where all the trees of a particular species produce abundant amount of seed, something to do with sunspots or some crap they really dont know.