Landscape tree, small yellow simple leaves on short spurs

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by wcutler, May 2, 2022.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    This group of trees with lemon-yellow-coloured new leaves in front of a downtown condo building was so striking on a fairly grey day. I wonder if I'm just not recognizing something very common, without any flowers or even flower buds to go on. I don't even know if this is a healthy spring colour, or if the leaves will turn green. Google street view was done in the winter: 811 Helmcken St - Google Maps.
    The leaves feel very soft, but they are not hairy.
    Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_171700.jpg Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_172008.jpg
    Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_171720.jpg Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_171737.jpg Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_171811.jpg Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_171829.jpg Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_172320.jpg
    Yellow-leaves-short-spurs_811HelmckenHowe_Cutler_20220502_171850.jpg
     
  2. Sulev

    Sulev Contributor

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    My first impression was Quercus, maybe Q. agrifolia, by shape and rolling of young leaves. But the color is strange.
    Really interesting find!
     
  3. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Superb tree...not a clue what it is.


    Surely Quercus agrifolia leaves are nothing like mystery tree...nor are they on spurs.

    Quercus agrifolia

    On UBC link above someone descibed it as like Holly with acorns!
     
  4. Sulev

    Sulev Contributor

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    There is no point to compare young leaves with old leaves. They have too different properties.
    I didn't say, that this IS a Quercus. That was just my first impression, based on the leaf shape and how young Q. robur leaves look like just after emerging - they are light yellowish green, with rolled edges and soft. Not at all like they will be later, when they have already acorns.

    A leaf of a Q. agrifolia has this shape:
    Plants of Southern California: Quercus agrifolia varieties
    Pretty similar to Wendy's sample (just by shape).
     
  5. Sulev

    Sulev Contributor

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  6. Sulev

    Sulev Contributor

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    Besides, frost bitten oak leaves in spring may turn whitish. These leaves on Wendy's photos don't look like frost bitten, but the color is very similar, what my oaks looked like a few years ago after hard frost.

    See this photo of frost damage on an Quercus agrifolia:
    Live Oak Freeze Damage
     
  7. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    These are magnolias. I had typed in my original posting that I thought the branching reminded me of magnolia, but I looked up Kobus magnolia, which looked like it had different leaves, and there were no petals around, except from a different magnolia, so I deleted that comment. But I saw a group with the same leaves this morning, which I remember are magnolias, next to the well-photographed 'Akebono' cherries at Burrard Station, usually in bloom when the cherries are, and I'm usually trying to keep them out of the cherry photos. I thought they were M. kobus, but I'll see what I can dig up.
     
  8. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    In 2009, Joseph Lin posted the magnolias as M. kobus: Downtown
    Here is a photo from 2015 - the magnolias are on the right edge, and I stood on the round platform at the bottom right to look at the leaves this morning.
    20150227_BurrardStation_Akebono_Cutler_160021.jpg

    I don't have a camera or anything valuable with me on my morning trips here, so I can't demonstrate yet that these leaves are the same.
     
  9. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Here are the leaves from this morning's find at Art Phillips Park, which is also Burrard (Skytrain) Station. These are supposed to be Magnolia kobus. I'm not certain that they're exactly the same, but I think they are pretty closely related.
    Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152516.jpg Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152540.jpg Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152559.jpg Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152938.jpg Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_153055.jpg
    Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152628.jpg Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152711.jpg Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152746.jpg
    Magnolia-kobus_ArtPhillipsPark_Cutler_20220504_152950.jpg

    Then I saw this small tree on my way home, at Barclay Heritage Square, a residential park owned by the city, so planted and maintained by the Parks Board. These leaves are smaller, but they look similar to me and have a similar arrangement. Again, I think they are not exactly the same but are closely related. I thought I could possibly find posted photos in which it shows up, but no such luck. The closest I could get is this: Barclay Manor - Google Maps
    Magnolia_BarclayHeritageSquare-1415Barclay_Cutler_20220504_160338.jpg Magnolia_BarclayHeritageSquare-1415Barclay_Cutler_20220504_160349.jpg Magnolia_BarclayHeritageSquare-1415Barclay_Cutler_20220504_160437.jpg Magnolia_BarclayHeritageSquare-1415Barclay_Cutler_20220504_160458.jpg
    Magnolia_BarclayHeritageSquare-1415Barclay_Cutler_20220504_160415.jpg
     
  10. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    For comparison, here is a block of Magnolia kobus street trees, so named in the city's database. I think these do look like the Burrard Station trees, are somewhat heftier than the trees in the original posting.
    Magnolia-kobus_2400-blkYorkLarch_Cutler_20220509_160619.jpg Magnolia-kobus_2400-blkYorkLarch_Cutler_20220509_160632.jpg Magnolia-kobus_2400-blkYorkLarch_Cutler_20220509_160701.jpg Magnolia-kobus_2400-blkYorkLarch_Cutler_20220509_160712.jpg Magnolia-kobus_2400-blkYorkLarch_Cutler_20220509_160727.jpg Magnolia-kobus_2400-blkYorkLarch_Cutler_20220509_160731.jpg
     
  11. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Here is M. x soulangiana, as named by Vancouver Archives, in the photo at Magnolia X soulangiana [Museum of Vancouver] - City of Vancouver Archives.
    This is later-blooming, with just a few flowers remaining. It has some fruits developing. I don't think this is the same as any of the others, except in the branching, the bark, and the general appearance of the leaves.
    MagnoliaXsoulangiana_MOV_Cutler_20220510_154450.jpg MagnoliaXsoulangiana_MOV_Cutler_20220510_154514.jpg MagnoliaXsoulangiana_MOV_Cutler_20220510_154534.jpg
     
  12. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Here, though, is one that might be the same as what I posted for ID. There are three or so of these in the courtyard of a friend's condominium. My friend took the third photo on April 2 this year. So, maybe Magnolia × loebneri?
    Magnolia_BroadwayPrivateGarden_Cutler_20220509_153757.jpg Magnolia_BroadwayPrivateGarden_Cutler_20220509_154750.jpg Magnolia_BroadwayPrivateGarden_VirginiaIse_20220402_IMG_2547.jpg
     

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