What kind of Wood is this?

[Mark Singer]

John,

That looks like a mature Shlamaca Tree and I nice one....they are not indigineous to the east coast ...surprised to see such a nice specimen

[John Hart]

Alright Mark...I give up. I checked every dictionary, encyclopedia, search engine and storybook.What's a Schlamaca Tree?

[Mark Singer]

John,

I told you it was rare! I am sure it is a Schamaca...altough it might be a Pyrus Kawakami...or an Arbutus....a Leptospermum....a Mellaluca Nesophelia....or ...

Alright Mark...I give up. I checked every dictionary, encyclopedia, search engine and storybook.What's a Schlamaca Tree?

[Jim Becker]

Uncle Mark is playing with Cousin Johnny really well!!

[John Hart]

Yeah...and cousin Johnny ain't bitin'!....Well...maybe a little

[Carole Valentine]

Dang, John! Can't see the leaves clearly enough but the bark and what I can see of the leaves almost looks like American Elm (there are very few of them left.) They also have a winged key that matures in early Spring. Have never seen the wood though. At the base of the leaf, is it asymetrical?

[John Hart]

Yeah...I'm sorry Carole....The tree is too tall to get close, and the leaves haven't fully matured so they're still kinda bunched up, but it looks like they alternate...But you may be on to something. I live in a neighborhood where the streets are lined with old Elms but I wasn't sure about this tree because it is only about 40 feet tall....The old ones are HUGE and the bark is different. The one next to it isn't budding this spring so I think it died over the winter. Guess I'll have to get the chainsaw out next week.

[Mark Singer]

John,

Please don't cut a Shlamaca...its rare!

[John Hart]

John,

Please don't cut a Shlamaca...its rare!

Yep...And it's about to get rarer!!

[Carole Valentine]

American Elm has little oval shaped fruit (about 1/2" long, thin papery wing around it) Many of them succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease.

[John Hart]

Well, I'm stuck on Ash or Elm...I think I have to wait for the leaves to mature or the seeds to pop up. Either way, I think it's going to be interesting...especially since the tree next to it is coming down next week... Now I have to find a place to store it.

Thanks for all your help...I may add to this in a couple weeks

[Jim Becker]

The leaves are going to be key in the ash vs elm question...they are noticably different, with the elm leaves being bigger with asymetric form at the stem.

[Mark Singer]

<A href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.michigan.gov/images/mda_ash_tree_35657_7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-2961_2968_18323---,00.html&h=560&w=420&sz=16&tbnid=sOyiqAA5zhAJ:&tbn h=131&tbnw=98&hl=en&start=1&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dash%2Btree%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D" target=_blank>ash Tree

Elm Tree




Shlamaca with berries...in bloom

[John Hart]

Yep...As soon as I can get a good solid leaf sample, I think we'll nail this thing.

Thanks for the pictures Mark! They were very helpful. The Schlamaca looks eerily similar to the Australian Myrtle Leptospermum laevigatum. In fact, it looks EXACTLY like the one that is planted in Kleinmond garden on the Western Cape of South Africa. Probably just a coincidence though

[Arnie Grammon]

The elm I milled last year was darker than that.......almost brown. My vote is ash.

Arnie