Strange trees on Horsetail Ridge

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bobcat
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Re: Strange trees on Horsetail Ridge

Post by bobcat » June 10th, 2014, 5:59 am

Yeah, now I see it. They must be chinquapin. Unusual for them to be that size in that area - they don't even grow on the Washington side of the Gorge.

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Splintercat
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Re: Strange trees on Horsetail Ridge

Post by Splintercat » June 18th, 2014, 5:00 pm

I'm going to vote rhododendron. They can definitely grow into small trees in the right conditions (especially where they don't suffer from heavy snowfall, as they're brittle). When I look at this enlarged view, the leaves are in whorls, which seems to rule out chinquapin (which grow in alternate form):

Image

Chinkapin, for comparison:

Image

The chinquapin leaves are narrow and strap-like, whereas native rhody leaves are long ovals.

My two cents!

:-)

payslee

Re: Strange trees on Horsetail Ridge

Post by payslee » June 19th, 2014, 8:46 am

Who says anybody gets to vote? :lol:

Not a small tree, not a rhodie, trust me.

Or if you don't trust me, here are some close ups.
chinquapin small.jpg
This shot was taken from the top of a 20-foot high rock outcrop. This tree, which was not the largest, I would estimate at 50 - 60 feet.
Not small tree.jpg
-payslee

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Splintercat
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Re: Strange trees on Horsetail Ridge

Post by Splintercat » June 19th, 2014, 7:17 pm

I DO trust you, Payslee... but now it's... BOTANICAL SMACKDOWN!!! :shock: :? :o

Okay, so both of your shots look like golden chinquapin to me, too -- and BTW, spellchecker just changed that to "qu", not me -- I was going with the flow..! ;-) But Karl's foliage shot looks like a rhodie, not a chinquapin... to me, anyway.

Here are some chinquapin shots from below Green Point Mountain (for more comparables):

Image

Image

This one was in the 50-60 foot range, too -- and I've seen several that size in the greater Hood River drainage, where they seem to thrive. But Karl's photo... rhody, and I'm sticking to it! :lol: I wonder if it might be a rhodie growing UNDER a chinquapin...? Hmmm....

Tom :D

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