This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Tree problem
Lavande
Posts: 171
Please can I pick your brains yet again? I have forgotten the name of this tree it was in the garden before we moved in and it appears to be dying off. It has lots of white flowers (insignificant in look) in summer and this year it has lots of pods on it - I may be looking at it more than usual but I swear I have never noticed these before ? The actual problem is that the bark is covered with what looks like canker and is splitting away in some areas - in addition there are a lot of dead brittle branches on it. OH cut a large branch off at the weekend to protect conservatory roof and the inside looked as if it was rotting I think it must be about 30 years old. Are these photos any use for id of either tree or its problem?
0
Posts
You got left behind Lavande and I can't remember what they're called either but I'm sure someone will.
I think it's doing what they do, short lived like my memory
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks Nutcutlet I did wonder if it was having a last attempt before giving up - because some areas have burst into prolific action, while others have just died and we are both sure we've never seen those pods before ...but....having said that my own memory is so dodgy I would be insulting hens if I made the usual comparison
It's either a robinia or a gleditsia, I always get the two muddled and have never grown either of them
In the sticks near Peterborough
Sorry don't know what the tree is but the pods look interesting.maybe you can cut away the dead bits and it will survive if you should want to keep it.
Gosh Nutcutlet how do you know these things - there's not much wrong with your memory I've just googled them both and they look very similar to each other so I can't tell the difference without checking it outside again. It does mention that the gleditsia has thorns and I've never seen those (having said that I'd never seen the pods before either - and they do look interesting Cangranmafixiit). Yes Buddyboy I would say that's more or less exactly like the pruning cut?? Now I'm dreading what your diagnosis is going to be....
It's mainly the species of Gleditsia that have thorns. Most of the new varieties are thornless. However I don't think this is a Gleditsia. The leaves although similar are arranged differently and the pods are not Gleditsia. Definitely not a Robinia as the leaves are more ovate. Not that I recognise it as anything else though. Good luck with your search and diagnosis.
Gleditsia triacanthos does not have white flowers, but insignificant green ones. It sometimes has double pinnate leaves, and they are more delicate looking than Robinia giving a more feathery effect overall. I can assure you normal Robinia pseudoacacia is thorny, [there are thorn less varieties like inermis]. A tree I have seen that more closely resembled Robinia than Gleditsia does, is Sophora japonica which has white flowers but is thornless.
Well thank you so much everyone!! I could barely tell the difference between the Robinia, the Gleditsia and my tree - the thorns threw me and the pods are different upon close inspection. Invicta2 you are spot on it has to be the Sophora Japonica, I have googled and enlarged for ages and the pods are identical to mine as are the leaves. Your diagnosis of Verticullium Wilt Buddyboy also fits exactly to what I have just read and to the condition of my tree plus your photo. So I have a Sophora Japonica with Verticullium - it sounds nasty and it looks nasty too and according to one of the sites, once the disease gets into the vascular system of the tree it could possibly die. I think we have neglected to notice we had a real problem for too long so we may have to do some radical pruning and find a chemical solution, if one exists. Ages ago I had looked up canker on bark among other things and read that canker was a sign of good air. I was happy to accept that probably because it was a more acceptable solution - I suppose it is actually fungus. I have so much to learn. Thank you very very much for all your help and time.
Just had a look and it is most definitely Sophora Japonica. The slight curl on the leaf and the nature of the pod match nicely. I wouldn't care, I was just reading up on Mycrophilla "Sun King" just the other day although it is quite different.
Didn't think it was a Robinia or Gleditsia!