Identification needed

I discovered a row of these trees on a street in East Van. Can someone tell me its name?

 

To me it looks like Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood).

 

Thank you, Nik - looks like it to me, too

Is this a common street tree? I've never encountered one before.

 

Not uncommon in parks nowadays. It is considered a living fossil. Very rapid grower with an aggressive root system. I suspect within a couple of years those sidewalks will have some structural damage. I walk pass by one of these trees in a park next to my parking garage every day, and walkways 10 feet away from it are repaired every year. The tree itself is beautiful, especially the structure of the lower trunk with branches low to the ground emerging from the ornamental trunk. Lower branches seem to be trimmed on the one in your picture, which is a shame, that is this tree’s best feature.

 

Is this on Cambridge Street at Callister Park with around 30 'Shiro-fugen' cherry trees? If so, the ID is definitely correct.

 

Yes, it was on Cambridge Street - I didn't notice the cherry trees.

 

Thanks for this interesting information - I will look for those branches on other trees next time I'm over there.

 

On the dawn redwoods, look for the armpit-like depressions on the trunk where the limbs emerge. Way cool, and a good identifier, along with the strippy bark, to distinguish these from trees that at first glance might look very similar.

All the trees on the Cambridge side of the park, in the park, are the 'Shiro-fugen' cherries, definitely worth a trip at the end of April.

 

Good evening Nik, I love trees as you probably realise, but why oh why do specimens like this get planted alongside roads and paths. It is the same in my road when the houses were built in 1969. We were never asked what trees we would like and the council planted totally unsuitable trees that lifted footpaths and garden walls in only a few years, costing countless thousands of pounds to repair.
Now at last we have ornamental trees such as Cherry, columnar Liquid amber, Plum etc.
So although the Dawn redwoods are definitely magnificent, surely they would be better in large parklands.
Enjoyed this thread @sunshade and your informative posting Nik.

 

We have plenty of ornamental cherries planted on the boulevards, pruned through the middle because of the power lines. I'll defend the trees in this location - the boulevard is wide and there is a 2-block square park alongside (well, this side, anyway), and no power lines. The boulevard across the street is also wide. Almost all Vancouver streets (!) have tree-planted boulevards with a large variety of trees, some more successful than others. Anyone interested can check them out on the city's database at Street trees, which is not entirely accurate but is sometimes useful and gives an idea of what all is there.

 

It is so much better these days than in the late 60's and early 70's, when tbh it seemed people just didn't have a clue. We now get sent letters to householders asking our opinion about the trees to be planted, with a list of suitable trees to choose from. We discuss with our neighbours what we all think is suitable and make the right choices. We are hoping for many to be planted in the Autumn of this year. Just read the bylaws you posted and they very well cover the protection of trees along the highway. We have TPO's in this country for this for our aged trees. Good also to see advice on trees in your home garden. Councils over here could give this advice when they send out the rates bill every Spring. Hmm that makes me think about a letter I could write now. Lol

 

Thanks Wendy, that was cool. I didn't know we had a website that mapped all the trees in Vancouver. Now I know that I have a Kwanzan Flowering Cherry tree in front of my house and up the block.

 

Well, if I say so myself, for ornamental cherry trees, a better place to look is Neighbourhood Maps - Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, with most of the cherry trees in Vancouver, more correctly named.

 

Some close up photos of the lower branches I took this morning.

 

Good afternoon Nik, my wife and I just love the bark and trunks on trees. So much history and character just standing there in front of us all.
Great photos Nik 'THANKOU'.

 

And here (to the right) is the walkway that needs repair every year. This tree requires and deserves plenty of space for its roots. Large boulevards are likely fine. Probably not appropriate for small home gardens.
Although, I have seen some bonsai versions.

 

Agree with you 100% Nik and tbh how long before local governments say no more spending each year on that footpath because of that tree.
IMO it has to be the right tree for the right place and then we can enjoy their splendor for many many years without the fear that it will be taken down.
A Bonsai Redwood, must look wonderful !!!
I do enjoy talking about trees, really enjoyed this thread.

 

I'd love to see a bonsai version!

 

Couldn't agree more @sunshade.

 

Yes, to me that's definitely a Metasequoia.

It's rather difficult to train as a bonsai to reply to Acerholic, and I think there's a confusion with what the Americans call Redwood : Redwood bonsai (Sequoia sempervirens) can be spectacular, beautiful. I also used to have a Sequoiadendron giganteum that was beginning to be looking quite good, but the climate here is not suitable for such trees to survive in a pot.

But we have beautiful specimens of the three species here, in parks, some of them probably over a century old.

 

Only the Sequoia and Sequoiadendron! Oldest Metasequoia outside of China is still only 72 years old ;-)

Agree Metasequoia for the question pics.

 

I just stumbled upon these.

 

I think @AlainK might enjoy these.

 

Good evening N, Peter puts out a new video nearly every week. Its on my alert list. His Bonsai display at Wisley Surrey UK is also amazing. Do take a look on YouTube if you get the chance.

 

Thanks for the videos Nik. I actually have a big one (over 3 m. tall) that I'm planning to air-layer next spring. I already cut the top a few years ago and I'd like to use the new shoots. I think that even the bottom part (under the first big shoots) can backbud if I cut it there.

For younger specimens, it's sometimes difficult to tell from a Taxodium distichum, but there is one clue : Metrasequoia has opposed leaves, whereas Taxodium (bald cypress) has altenate leaves.

Another characteristic of Metasequoia is that most branches that go roughly horizontal have another shoot at the base that goes straight upward.

Metasequoia leaves:



Taxodium:



The Sequoiadendron I lost in 2013 (about 80 cm tall):