Hi, need help identifying a tree

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by mc1057, Oct 23, 2006.

  1. mc1057

    mc1057 Member

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    Hi, need help identifying a tree *PHOTO UPDATE*

    We just bought a home and would like to know what kind of tree we have in our backyard. I'm fairly sure we have an oak but that really doesn't narrow it down. I've searched online but haven't found anything matches perfectly. Can you help?? I've attached photos. We live in Texas if that helps.

    **UPDATE**
    I've attached photos of a cluster of leaves and a far away shot of the tree itself. We've only been in the house for 2 months so I'm not sure if the leaves are green year around.
     

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    Last edited: Oct 24, 2006
  2. tipularia

    tipularia Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Several oaks have similiar leaves to those. Acorn and bud characteristics would help. Some oak leaves are highly variable, especially on young trees.
    Here are location maps of the oaks. MAPS.
    Here is a key to the oaks based mostly on leaf characteristics. KEY
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    The leaves are opposite, so it can't be an oak. Not sure they might not be leaflets of a single compound leaf, as there's no buds visible between the terminal pair.

    Sorry, don't know what it is, though.
     
  4. tipularia

    tipularia Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    A photo of more of the branch would help. It may not be an oak, but sometimes the leaves are crowded together at the end, which makes their arrangement difficult to tell from a photo (that photo is a little fuzzy where the leaves come together) as in this bluejack oak.
     
  5. mc1057

    mc1057 Member

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    Ok, I'll take some more pictures and post them when I get home. I was thinking it might be a Live Oak.
     
  6. Chuck White

    Chuck White Active Member

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    Without a scale to indicate size, and reasons stated above, you pose a pretty tough problem. A wild guess on my part would be Live Oak, as it is indigenous to your part of the world.
     
  7. tipularia

    tipularia Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Is the tree evergreen?
     
  8. Chuck White

    Chuck White Active Member

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    A live oak may appear to be evergreen, but this is misleading. The old leaves don't fall until the new leaf buds have popped open.
     
  9. tipularia

    tipularia Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Technically, in a live oak, the the individual leaves don't persist for over twelve months, but a live oak does have green leaves all year long. At least they would in Houston. Commonly another name for a live oak is evergreen oak. It would help in its identification to know if it has green leaves all year.
     
  10. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    The left-hand, new pic shows a pinnate leaf with five leaflets (one of which has dropped off), so very definitely not an oak. Unfortunately, it isn't anything I do recognise.
     
  11. Chuck White

    Chuck White Active Member

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    Me too. What he said.
     
  12. tipularia

    tipularia Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    OK, we are getting closer. That is a compound leaf, so it is not an oak. Now we need to know if the leaves are arranged alternate or opposite on the branch. Can you take a photo of several leaves on a branch? Does it have wing-like seeds that fall on the ground? If opposite, then it is probably an ash, Faxinus.
     
  13. mc1057

    mc1057 Member

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    It definitely does not have wing-like seeds that fall to the ground. I'll get a close up shot of the branch tomorrow. BTW, thank you everyone for taking the time to figure this out!
     
  14. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Ash (Fraxinus).
     
  15. mc1057

    mc1057 Member

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    It really doesn't look like an ash. The leaves on an ash look much wider and the amount of leaves per stem or branch is different than ones on my tree. I'll get a better shot of a branch this afternoon after work. The leaves are only 2 1/2 inches long and maybe a 1/2 inch to an inch wide.
     
  16. mc1057

    mc1057 Member

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  17. tipularia

    tipularia Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Those are not individual leaves. Those are leaflets on a compound leaf. How the leaves are arranged on a branch will help to identify it. Here are compound leaves in an opposite arrangement... IMAGE
     
  18. saltcedar

    saltcedar Rising Contributor 10 Years

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