I am sitting here in the library without paper and I love writing notes.... Oh well I guess this will be my note pad.... let's see how this goes.
So I have a problem that I want to solve. I have this itch to get to know what every plant on my property is. I can't explain it ... it just happened. You will hear me in my videos wondering what this plant is what this tree is ... and it really nags at me. And so here we are sitting in the library with this book in my hand.
Ok where do I start without a tree in front of me. Let's do apples cherries and plums. I am trying to propagate those from seed. And now that the Japanese vheerirs at High Park are not flowering I have no idea who they are. This has to change.
Armed with some knowledge my quest today will be to find those Japanese Cherry Trees!.... before all their leaves fall off.
I think i found it :)
Instructions i followed to identify this Japanese Cherry Tree:
LEAVES:
alternate pattern on stems
Elliptic shape ( usa football shape)
Sharply toothed leaves
Tip abruptly pointed
BARK:
grayish brown
Peeling horizontally... I didn't really see this but I would describe this as horizontal scratches.
I also noticed that on this tree there is very rough bark at the base of the tree but as you look up the tree at the other smaller branches they are shiny.
One thing i found exciting and the book explains this. Dwarf shoots that do not extend very far have buds in clusters. Like the one in the picture below.
Two years ago my dad visited and we went to the park to see the Japanese cherry blossoms. It was so crowded but so worth it.
The book describes the flowers as showy white or pink and they occur in large clusters. High park has the white variety. I think pink would be equally spectacular.
The book also says that the flowers open as the leaves develop or just before. This is because the tree flowers just as winter ends and spring is emerging. Early March. Then the leaves start to emerge. It is the most beautiful way to start the coming warmer months.
I was searching through youtube and found the video : Introduction to Identification and Ecology of Northeastern Conifers
Ok so Lets Take a look at pine trees. There is one particular one I love....my aim is to figure out what it is called and how I can propagate it. The secondary aim is to name all the Pine on my land. Some of them look very old i wonder how old and in need of some love. I am wondering what i can do for them to help.
So lets look at how our biologist characterize Plants which is called Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Kingdom - Plantea = Plants
Subkingdom - Tracheobionta = Vascular Plants
Superdivision - Spermatophyta = Seed Plants
Division - Coniferophyta = Conifers
Class - Pinopsida
Order - Pinales
Family - Pinaceae =Pine Family
Genus - Pinus L. = pine
Species Pinus Strobus L. = eastern White pine
That was a mouthful just to characterize a White Pine.
General Feature distinguishing features are:
Foliage (leaves)
Fruit (Cones)
Bark
Growth Form
Eastern white Pine - Pinus Strobus
Foliage : pine leaves are called needles and on this tree they are arranged in clusters called fasicles. Actually a fascicle is the sheath or wrapping that holds the needles together in that cluster. All of the white pine types have 5 needles.
Stomatal cells that allow for the exchange of gasses that is the uptake of carbon dioxide and the release of oxygen and as they have their leaves in winter these cells have a waxy coating that limits the amount of moisture that is lost. (Thats how we humans are able to still breath in the winter when all the other trees have lost their leaves). The waxy coating is white hence white pine and this waxy coating is deciduous (falls away after winter).
I would love to see this for real!
The foliage is soft to the touch.
The growth form is a whirl of branches at the same point of the stem. You can age a tree by counting the number of whirls and observing how long it takes the tree to produce a whirl. Observe a tree for a year to see that the growth is like in a year compared to the next.
(Wow there is my answer to the age question).
The Bark is dark and`blocky`
Cones: 3 to 6 inches in length with few large scales. Seeds are wind dispersed and are able to establish on a variety of soils. and able to tolerate shade.
Susceptible to the white pine weevil they will hollow out the central leader stem. when this stem is lost the lateral branches bend upwards to replace the loss of the center stem creating a multiple dominance all assuming the role. I can imaging this would make the pine tree look a little disorganized.
Lets compare this to Red Pine. John one of the High Park Steward Volunteer Leaders and he works with the city of Toronto and is very knowledgeable and passionate about plant identification. He pointed out to us the Red Pine Tree. I looked around and it looked the same as the other pine trees and i with my armature eye could not tell the difference between them! We were quickly moving on as we were just passing the tree to get to out final destination. I made a note of the location and will come back to examine it more closely now that I know what to look for and try and figure out what kind of pine trees its neighbors are.
Ok so lets examine the theory of the Red Pine: Pinus Resinosa
Foliage: 2 needles hard brittle pine leaves and will break if you bend them (you cannot stop here because must Pine trees have 2 needles so the only information this is giving you is that it is not a white pine tree ...lol) but not all pine needles will break. The waxy coating of the fasicle does not fall away after winter
Growth pattern: The look of the tree looks like a bush you would use to scub the inside of a bottle with. It is course and spread out. Intolerant of shade so it needs full sun. grows well in well drained deep soil. Very intolerant of insects.
Cones are egg shaped , round and stout. the projection me be armed or not armed with spikes
Bark is relatively flaky
So I was walking back home and I walked pass this tree. What a birch wood tree! Nice. I think this is the first one I noticed in High Park. I will keep my eyes peeled for more.
See you soon
