Need some help here guys

[BostonBull]

I have no pics of the bark, I am hoping this twig, leaves, and buds will do it for you. Tree was growing in a forest setting, 3'-4' DBH, 80'+ tall, 80'-100' spread. Smoothish grey bark with small platelets. STRONG wood! I shimmied up a smaller specimen close by to get the twig, tried to rip a 4' water sprout off and couldn't! Tried to rip this twig off and took a lot of twisting/pulling/swearing. The wood of these twigs is super stringy like an Elm/Hickory/etc. The leaves scream Tilia, but I'm not believing it.

 

[BostonBull]

Twig shot #2

 

[BostonBull]

Leaves with my hand as a reference

 

[BostonBull]

Buds

 

[TreeCo]

Mulberry

 

[BostonBull]

The bark looked similar to this. BIG tree. Didnt strike me as mulberry, and the wood was very strong and stringy.

 

[robinia]

looks like basswood. Tilia americana

..except the buds aren't red

 

[MattyD]

Kind of reminded me as a celtis spp. at first

 

[nuthin_special]

How could that not be tilia americana? Twigs tend to be stringy although the wood is soft. Betcha $10. Nice countertop.

 

[RGus]

That is for sure a tilia. The buds look like the head of a shark, upside down in the picture, but those are no doubt tilia buds.

 

[BostonBull]

I can better pics of the buds. If its Tilia its Silver or European, the bark is nothing like americana or cordata.

Some other folks who have seen these pics say Populus deltoides....?

 

[BostonBull]

Took some shots today.

The whole tree ( as much as I could get in the photo)

 

[BostonBull]

Closeup of the bark

 

[BostonBull]

Leaves

 

[BostonBull]

Closeup of the buds

 

[robinia]

These can't possibly be the same tree!?!

http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/images/upload/242392-img_6668%28Custom%29.jpg

http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/images/upload/242610-img_6671%28Custom%29.jpg

 

[robinia]

The first few shots you posted sure looked like T. americana, as well as the most recent (blurry) closeup of the buds: http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/images/upload/242611-img_6673%28Custom%29.jpg

Everything else looks like a different tree altogether. I'm almost wondering about a huge Magnolia acuminata?

 

[BostonBull]

No?

the two trees were growing side by side. Leaves looked very similar, and bark was dead ringer.

The last pic of the closeup of the buds was from the original tree.

What 2 species do I have then? Most importantly, whats the big tree?

Ill go back with climbing gear and get shot of the buds this weekend on the big tree.

 

[MattyD]

Robinia, Im with you. Was thinking Cucumber magnolia as well

 

[nuthin_special]

I think that you are playing camera tricks. Your pictures totally look like they're from different trees.

Have you used wood cells to ID species before? There's a great book called "identifying wood" by Hoadley that may help with an unsure ID.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=1nG6Zd_q...p;q&f=false

I can't help you anyway, i'm so far north that we only have 12 tree species.