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Elm flowers

Ulmus sp.

Photo by CricketsBlog
Published on Project Noah
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35.149, -90.0516

Field Notes

Description:

This tree has tiny but showy red/orange buds with white filaments popping out of them. A lot of the branches hang lower to the ground, making the buds easier to see.

Habitat:

There are two trees growing close together in an open landscaped area of Overton Park. The other trees around them are oaks and magnolias.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)
CricketsBlog
Thanks chesterbperry! I'll eliminate that one from consideration! I think I remember our park naturalist saying we have American elms, so that may be it. We shall see... I haven't used that book, drP, but thanks for the rec! I will definitely look for that. Spring always seems to take forever to arrive, but then it just explodes and you don't know where to look because there's so much to see. So I kind of like this calm period at the beginning where things stand out more.
drP
Have you used the Winter Tree Finder? It's fantastic. A $5 book that you can use to key out all sorts of trees by their twigs. I've given presentations to local Master Gardener groups on this topic over the years, and the audience learns to use it in no time. Are there a lot of winged stems on your tree? That'd be kind of a giveaway. I was leaning toward winged elm a bit because in American and slippery elm, the leaf bud stick out at more of an angle from the leaf scar than what I can get from your picture. Looks like spring is coming fast there--better get your bud pics while you can! :)
chesterbperry
Definitely not winged elm, the branches lack the "wings".
CricketsBlog
That's pretty funny--I was just going through this doc (http://www.florabymax.net/FLORAbyMAX/WinterBuds.pdf) and got to elm right as you posted that. I'm guessing winged elm based on the color of the flowers, but I'll keep an eye on it! (I'm working on a tree-bud post for our park blog--can you tell?)
drP
Looks like an elm to me (Ulmus sp.). Once the seeds develop, it'll be easier to tell the species.

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Trees of the World

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PublishedFebruary 26, 2013

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