My wife and I both have brown thumbs so when something dies we leave the area alone hoping something else will spontaneously come along to replace it. That's what happened with this plant. It creates one border of the walk from our gate -- about a 12 foot run. When we moved in there were about three other plants along here that died. After a year of so this evergreen plant appeared. It has stayed alive for 10 years or so and has become a tree, the trunk and branches are hidden within the foliage. We have no idea what it is. The foliage grows very rapidly, so we have to trim it often. When you trim it, it has a pleasant odor. I took these pictures just before trimming it.
Looks like a camphor tree, Cinnamomum camphora. Compare to images online, and then look out around your neighborhood. Likely to be several large ones nearby, possibly none of them intentionally planted. Common in my area, too.
When I google camphor tree, Cinnamomum camphora it says it produces flowers and fruit. This plant never has flowers or fruit and the leaves in image 6 are too wide. Go here and look at images 5, 6 & 9
Possibly Prunus lusitanica. Prunus lusitanica | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University Prunus lusitanica. - Google Search
The leaf looks right but, again, the Wikipedia article pictures for Prunus lusitanica show flowers and fruit as do the Oregon State pictures. In the years (10?) we've had this plant it has never produced flowers of any kind or fruit.
That doesn't mean that's not how it reproduces. It just means you can't confirm that this plant's flowers and fruits would be like the suggested plants.
It looks as if it has been clipped/trimmed. In effect you are removing the flowers buds which are at the end of the shoots.
Well, as it turns out we think thanrose is correct. My wife and I were at a friends house and she said, "That look like the leaves." They did. We broke off some of the stems and it had the same pleasant odor. The friend said it was a castor tree, but when we got home my wife found it on the web and it's a camphor tree just as thanrose said. Forgive me for doubting.
Slight problem. The leaves on Cinnamomum camphora that I have seen are rather distinctive. They have 3 prominent veins which all start at the leaf stalk. I am not seeing this in your pic. Cinnamomum camphora. - Google Search But if it passes the smell test then I guess that must be what it is.
I think you're correct that it isn't Cinnamomum camphora. That is distinct veining in those images which is absent from the plants in the original post. The search must continue.
Interesting. Cinnamomum is variable. It seems likely in Texas. Take a look at the photos on this Texas Invaders page. Texas Invasives The first photo at the bottom shows similar leaves. In Jim's image one of the leaves at the top has a mismatch of the vein, but all the others seem to intersect at the same point. The leaves on the Invaders site also narrower. Still kind of seems off though. I have a camphor plant. I would think the smell would be a definitive test--no mistaking that is there?
For what it's worth, I'm as certain as I can be that this is the camphor tree. I know Houston, I know Florida. And I have seen thousands of camphor trees, just pulled three 2yr old ones from my yard this am to look for the veining. There under a close examination, but not obvious. All within variability, I suppose. There are other invasives in subtropical areas that are somewhat similar, but the bark, the leaves, the redness to the petioles, the leaf shape, and the smell convince me. The only other thing I'd ask for an ID would be an aerial view of the 4-5 acres of that area. I'd then ID the handful of broad ball canopies of the extant Cinnamomum camphora. I'm nearsighted as all get-out, but they are very recognizable to me. While I greatly respect the botany experts here, and I'm rarely inclined to argue with anyone on any point, when it comes to invasive plants in my area I'll stand my ground. When I_am_jim first denied my ID, I was thinking "Okay, whatever you want to believe. No problem for me." I'm kinda prejudiced in that I only really care what the experts think. Still, good input all around.
