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applestar
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young ash vs. pecan tree vs. tree of heaven vs. chestnut?

Title says it all. I was hoping I was growing Pecan seedlings, but it has become increasingly less likely.

I just want to make sure I'm not carefully tending volunteer seedlings of Tree of Heaven. :roll:

... mine should be NORTHERN pecans in case that makes a difference.
Last edited by applestar on Sun Jun 24, 2018 4:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Revised title and text in light of contributed new information.

told2b
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applestar
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Wow didn't even know about that thread! Thanks. :D

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applestar
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Subject: Please help ID this sapling
yeren wrote:Congratulation, that definitely looks like a Pecan tree to me. It has its characteristic young growth habit and finely-serrated leaf margins..

[…]

Meanwhile, a Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) has slender leaves with small ears at their bases.
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And they more closely resemble Sumac or Black Walnut trees than Pecan trees..
So according to the member who posted the above, the one I was most concerned about on the left with finely serrated leaves IS pecan. :-()

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...this begs the question what the other two are. The 2nd one that I thought was pecan reminds me of Shagbark hickory -- I wonder if it could be a hybrid, or if a squirrel had buried a hickory nut in my pot that I sowed pecan nut? The shortest one I'm till *hoping* is chestnut.


I had been convinced that THIS one was Tree of Heaven and was starting to research possibility of whacking it way down and putting it in my "Bonsai Wannabe" collection :eek:

Image

I picked out three of the biggest out of the freezer stored nuts the lady gave me to try eating (she gave me the first seedling pecan), and sowed them in largish pots on the patio. But lost one of them to a squirrel. It seems that the squirrel had decided THIS was the better place to plant it. :lol: You can see the two shagbark hickory volunteers that are also growing here, along with mulberry, sweetgum, Willow oak, etc. I like to leave these growing here until I decide what to do with them -- good thing too. :wink:

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Lindsaylew82
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OooooooOOOOOOoooo! I would like to see a pecan bonsai!!!

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applestar
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I’m back again. So these two... they just can’t possibly be the same kind of tree when they are exactly the same age, can they? Those hardware cloth cylinders are exactly the same size.

— Same question — Pecan? Or not Pecan?

Seed-grown tree #1
Image

Seed-grown tree #2
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— if the other one is Pecan, could this one be Chestnut?

Seed-grown tree #3 — I didn’t take a photo but the one in the back yard looks exactly like #1....

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applestar
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Image
...added the backyard tree (actually there might be two — drafted squirrels!) for side-by-side-by-side comparison.

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!potatoes!
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Seedling #1 has opposite leaves, so not carya (hickory/pecan). Looks more like an ash.

Chestnuts don't have compound leaves. I don't see any in your pics

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applestar
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!potatoes! I’m really appreciating your insight. I need ALL the help I can get. :oops:

Could we try again/some more? I took more pictures and counted the leaflets..... also, I had a thought — what if it’s a Pecan-hickory cross? Would the alternating nodes and number of leaflets still be significant factors, or is Ash still the most likely ID?


First of all, there IS an Ash tree on my property. The one the developers planted in the curbside strip next to the driveway. I always thought it was a “Green” Ash, but now I’m not so sure. Its leaves have 5 leaflets.
Image

I had thought that if the mystery trees are Ash, then they would have derived from the tree by the driveway, but the Tree#1 with opposite branching/nodes has 7 leaflets:
Image
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Tree#2 has alternate branching/nodes and has 11 leaflets:
Image

Tree#3 in the backyard, which I originally thought looks “exactly” like Tree#1 in the frontyard, has opposite branching/nodes and 13 leaflets.... which if this is an Ash might mean it’s an European Ash (?) and definitely need to be culled as a non-native tree.
Image

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applestar
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I found an use for that tree if it’s European Ash :twisted:
European ash - Fraxinus excelsior Great Bonsai Trees for Beginners ...

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!potatoes!
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Hickory/pecan hybrid ('hican') is totally possible, and sometimes quite good. I'm pretty sure that tree #2 is in the carya genus, so hickory/pecan/hican. It's growth rate compared to the others backs that up.

I'm less well-versed on ashes, but regardless of leaflet #, opposite leafnodes with pinnate leaves sounds ashy, so even if they're different, that's what I'd say for trees #1&3. Which species, I'll be less help on. If ya gotta chop down the Euro, so be it.

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applestar
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Thanks !potatoes! — I’ll tackle them as soon as this heatwave is over. :-()



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