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Any idea what this is?
This bush thing is planted next to my garage. I just recently purchased the home so no idea what it might be. I live in Summerville,SC so considered costal- just curious if it'll bloom or if I should try and fix their prune job?
The leaves look to thick and stiff to be gardenia and if this was not trimmed recently it would have grown out faster and usually even trimmed gardenias become more tree like as they grow older and show their legs.
Usually to identify a plant it helps to have a leaf or better yet a branch so you can see what kind of branching it does. Pictures of both sides of the leaf, a flower, and a seed. Most plants are identified by their flowers. Flowers tell you what family they belong to and sometimes the specific cultivar.
Camelia sounds like a possibility. On the first picture it looks like a leaf has a fungal disease. Laurel's don't usually have too many fungal diseases except powdery mildew. The branch that is growing out has long internodes. Most true laurels would have shorter internodes and grow more or less vertically. If they are cut they will sucker and become more bush like. The cherry trees that are called laurels though could be possibilities since they are used for hedges and they have a spreading habit.
I can tell that this was a tree that was cut and what we are looking at are suckers. Since this is not the natural form of the tree we cannot identify it by shape. Not all trees will freely sucker so well so it does narrow things down that way.
Try to break a leaf and smell it. Sometimes you can tell what family it is from from the smell of the leaf or the color of the sap.
Usually to identify a plant it helps to have a leaf or better yet a branch so you can see what kind of branching it does. Pictures of both sides of the leaf, a flower, and a seed. Most plants are identified by their flowers. Flowers tell you what family they belong to and sometimes the specific cultivar.
Camelia sounds like a possibility. On the first picture it looks like a leaf has a fungal disease. Laurel's don't usually have too many fungal diseases except powdery mildew. The branch that is growing out has long internodes. Most true laurels would have shorter internodes and grow more or less vertically. If they are cut they will sucker and become more bush like. The cherry trees that are called laurels though could be possibilities since they are used for hedges and they have a spreading habit.
I can tell that this was a tree that was cut and what we are looking at are suckers. Since this is not the natural form of the tree we cannot identify it by shape. Not all trees will freely sucker so well so it does narrow things down that way.
Try to break a leaf and smell it. Sometimes you can tell what family it is from from the smell of the leaf or the color of the sap.
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Probably not camelia. the leaves are opposite the camelia has alternating leaf nodes and slightly serrated leaf edges at least on the ones I know about.
Maybe a crepe myrtle it can have glossy leaves, leaves are opposite and it is a common southern landscape tree and it does sucker a lot if it is cut. It is usually summer blooming.
Maybe a crepe myrtle it can have glossy leaves, leaves are opposite and it is a common southern landscape tree and it does sucker a lot if it is cut. It is usually summer blooming.
- rainbowgardener
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- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
I said it was a guess and I could be wrong, but:
*some people say almost white
naturalized means spreading on its own and in fact it has become quite invasive in many areas.
Privet is still my best guess...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_japonicumLigustrum japonicum (Japanese privet ; Japanese: ãƒã‚ºãƒŸãƒ¢ãƒ) is a species of Ligustrum (privet) native to central and southern Japan (HonshÅ«, Shikoku, KyÅ«shÅ«, Okinawa) and Korea.[1] It is widely cultivated in other regions, and is naturalized in California and in the southeastern United States from Texas to Virginia.[2]
It is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 2–5 m (rarely 6 m) tall, with smooth, pale grey-brown bark on the stems. The leaves are opposite, 5–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, glossy dark green above, paler glaucous to yellowish green below*, thick and leathery textured, and with an entire margin
*some people say almost white
naturalized means spreading on its own and in fact it has become quite invasive in many areas.
Privet is still my best guess...
Well, dang! I've had one in my front yard that was there 18 years ago when I moved here and it never invaded anything, nor have I had a stray show up in my almost 1/2 acre yard with a multitude of flower beds and vegetable garden. Must be a different type! Ima-it can be pruned to become a small tree or remain a hedge/bush type plant. As I said, mine has been here for well over 18 years, and is about 7-8 ft. tall. It was topped off only once, and that was when my son came home from the military and decided to "prune" it. Flowers in the early spring, the bees love it-it smells strongly sweet.
- rainbowgardener
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