Tree Identification

Question: Hi my name is Tim and I'm sending this message because we have what seems to be a type of Oak Tree growing in our backyard but I can't figure out exactly what kind it is. It is absolutely beautiful and I was hoping I could find some to also purchase. I took some photos of it like I'll attach. It's just coming out of dormancy still so that's why the new growth looks to be pink.

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 28, 2023, 1:53 PM EDT
response: Hi Tim,  With nearly two dozen oak species present in Maryland, some of which can hybridize with each other in the wild, we can't ID this sapling to species level.It appears to have the "bristle tip" (small leaf hair on the tips of the lobes) that species in the red oak group have, but beyond that, many species have red or pink tones when leafing-out and the true leaf shape (somewhat helpful in ID, but not completely) won't be visible until a week or so from now when the leaves have finished expandingYou can try to use the Virginia Tech dendrology leaf or twig key to help determine which oak it might be based on bud (in winter), stem leaf scar shape, and other characteristics.  Feel free to send us further photos when it is fully leafed out more and we can try to assist further.  Emily

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 28, 2023, 2:12 PM EDT
response: OK thank you. When the tree has leafed out more, can I simply reply back to you on this same thread with updated photos?On Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 1:53 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 28, 2023, 2:33 PM EDT
response: Yes, you can reply back to this thread

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 08, 2023, 2:31 PM EDT
response: Hi I don't have an updated picture yet of the oak tree I sent you in the beginning of this conversation however I do have a few pictures of another plant/bush that grows on our property. It's growing in several different locations on our property and it doesn't seem to spread by underground runners. Rather it seems to self seed itself and that's how it starts a new plant. It has already flowered so there are no pictures of that but i do know it flowers purple every year. It can grow it be pretty tall, at least 10 feet, and seems to grow in a clump like formation. It is a very resilient bush and seems like it would work as a good privacy barrier that would require next to no maintenance. Are you able to tell me what exact kind and name of bush/plant this is? On Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 2:34 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 08, 2023, 3:04 PM EDT
response: Hi,  The leaves look like Redbud Trees,Cercis canadensis. But the way that it is growing and when you said flowered purple, it seems more like a lilac. Maybe with the 2 links and the photos of the flowers you can tell what it was ? Redbuds are native and grow well, they seem to not have many issues. Lilacs are not native to Maryland and although pretty and can survive for a long time, they come with a bunch of growth issues.   Let us know if you recognize either if the trees based on the flowers.  Emily

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 08, 2023, 3:15 PM EDT
response: Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. After looking at the 2 links you sent, the leaves on the plants in my yard do look about identical to the Eastern Redbud leaves. The only issue is that all these redbud pictures are of trees with a single trunk. Whereas the plants in my yard, as shown in my pictures, have several trunks coming up, again sort of like a bush form, not a tree. It definitely doesn't look a lilac, especially the flowers. Is it possible this is some type of hybrid redbud that's growing in several locations on our property? On Mon, May 8, 2023, 3:04 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 08, 2023, 3:31 PM EDT
response: Here's another picture of one of them on our property if this helps at all.

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 08, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT
response: After doing some research it looks like the variety I have on my property is called Avondale Redbud. I could be wrong. But that's what's looking the most similar. Is that normal for our state? Or my area exactly? My zip code is 21771. Do you know of this exact type growing elsewhere in Maryland? Or is this the first you've ever heard of this particular variety growing here? I understand you're probably out of office and may not here back till tomorrow. Whenever you get a chance is fine. Thanks.

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 09, 2023, 10:09 AM EDT
response: Yes-the leaves looked more Redbud to me compared to lilac but I wasn't too familiar with the growth pattern of being multi-stemmed. It could be the 'Avondale' variety which would mean it isn't a native Redbud, since Avondale is Cercis chinensis (Chinese). It could be that it is seeding around. They may have seed pods, some Redbuds develop them or may be heavy production in some years and almost none in other years.  It could also be a native Redbud that is either hybridizing with a nearby Chinese variety or for whatever reason is developing a multi-stem shrub instead of tree form. Maybe many seeds have germinated and grown together?  I would say its not common for them to typically grow like this, and it is probably the Avondale variety that is seeding throughout your property or was planted in multiple places (if you had a previous homeowner).  -Emily

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 11, 2023, 10:19 AM EDT
response: Also, the oak tree I originally emailed you about has leafed out. In this email I have 2 photos of it. If you need any more or any clearer ones, let me know. On Tue, May 9, 2023, 10:09 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 11, 2023, 10:19 AM EDT
response: Thanks for letting me know. That's interesting to know that this variety isn't common for our area. Perhaps I have a hidden gem of a plant on our property! I do know that our next door neighbor 100% has what looks to be a weeping redbud right next to our property. The funny thing is that not 1 of these redbuds growing on our property are weeping. Instead they all have that upright growth pattern with the several stems coming out of the ground as opposed to just 1 single trunk like a tree. I have attached pictures of the weeping redbud in this message. I do know there is what looks to be an actual redbud tree on our property as well. There is only 1 of these on our entire property, whereas there are several of the Avondale variety on our property. I will send a picture of the redbud tree we have. Or at least that's what kind of tree it looks to be. I'll send that in the next email.On Tue, May 9, 2023, 10:09 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 11, 2023, 10:25 AM EDT
response: And I'm sorry to keep blowing up your inbox but I found another little plant on our property and I can't tell if it's a weed or some kind of plant? I have 3 photos of it attached. Please let me know if you need anymore. You have no idea how much I appreciate you helping me figure out what all of these plants and trees are called. I'm 32 years old still figuring out what I want to do in life but I picked up gardening as a hobby about 4 years ago and ever since then, plants and trees have become an obsession almost for me lol. So again, finally being able to figure out exactly what all of these different kinds of plants and trees are is like coming across a gold mine for someone like me. So thank you forever for this. I hope I can continue emailing you with any other plants or trees I am curious about. On Tue, May 9, 2023, 10:09 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by theHome and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 11, 2023, 10:55 AM EDT
response: Good Morning. Gardening is a great hobby and there is always something beautiful to see and new to learn, even for us. The plant in your latest photo is commonly called Lambsquarter (Chenopodium album). Here is our page on it:  https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lambsquarter We don't talk about edibility here, but you can search for information on it. Now it is easy to pull, but grows large and is almost impossible to pull at that point, and one plant can make over 70,000 seeds, meaning you'll have many, many more next season. It's usually seen as a weed.  As far as your Redbud goes, I tend to think that yours is a basic native Redbud. I have one on my property that grows with multiple trunks. This can happen naturally if the original tree has died back. For instance, they can get a disease that kills the upper portion, but the tree can flush out new, healthy growth from the roots. I learned this from a gardener at Brookside Gardens (highly recommend a visit there if you've never been). Most times once the tree flushes multiple trunks you can just choose one or two to continue and prune out the others, but I left mine to grow that way, and it's very attractive.    Christine

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 11, 2023, 11:02 AM EDT
response: Thank you. Did you get my email with the oak tree leaf pictures also? In the very beginning of this whole thread I had sent a few pictures of another one of the same oak trees it just hadn't leafed out yet. The individual I was originally speaking with told me to send another photo once it had leafed out because it would then be easier to identify. On Thu, May 11, 2023, 10:55 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 11, 2023, 11:07 AM EDT
response: And earlier today I sent a few photos of the tree now leafed out.

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 11, 2023, 1:59 PM EDT
response: Hello Tim,  We did not receive the oak pictures, unfortunately; the error message visible to us on our end suggests the file sizes were too large. We can try to narrow-down which species it might be from photos, but oaks can hybridize and related species can look very similar to each other, so we probably can't determine with certainty which species you have. The previously-linked Virginia Tech dendrology key is the best way to determine which species you might have, including by using bud and leaf scar shapes while the tree is dormant, traits that can't be used as easily (if at all) during the growing season. Leaf shape is not a completely reliable trait by itself as it can vary even between branches of the same tree and in response to growing conditions in addition to tree genetics.  For the future, we request that you submit separate questions for new topics (IDs of different plants, queries about plant options for certain sites, etc.) as it can be difficult for us to keep track of a long continuing question thread discussing a variety of topics. We can still see your question history as long as submissions are sent from the same email address, so if you need to refer to photos or discussions in another thread that might relate to a different question, we can still look those up. (As can you, if you happened to create an Ask Extension user account.) We're happy to keep answering your questions as you enter this wonderful world of gardening, and can share which of our vast library of web pages apply to the situation you're asking about to make it simpler to find compared to searching our web content for keywords. (If you're curious what subjects we address, we can share our site map link so you can browse the list.) Some residents have asked us dozens or hundreds of questions over the years, so you're fine!  Circling-back to the Redbud for a moment, if there was a resident in the house before you, perhaps they planted some Chinese Redbud specimens. While not as widely-grown as our locally native Eastern Redbud, they are still popular for their comparatively dense growth, shorter stature, and somewhat more abundant blooms. At least one cultivar was introduced from breeding efforts locally, at the U.S. National Arboretum in D.C. There are far more cultivars (varieties/selections/variants) of Eastern Redbud on the market these days, approaching several dozen by this point, so a medley of weeping forms, dwarf shrubbier forms, and forms with different leaf or flower colors are all more widely available than they were just a decade or two ago. We can't rule out that some Chinese Redbud seedlings volunteered around the yard in this case, though Eastern Redbud readily sprouts from seed too, and wild (non-planted) trees could very well develop several trunks, as Emily and Christine have mentioned, depending on individual plant genetics combined with environmental influences while they are maturing. There's no significant difference between the two growth habits aside from your preference in the aesthetics of having one versus several trunks. While there are very few redbud hybrids between two species on the market so far, it might be something that happens naturally now and then, but we find it less likely than just natural variation in individual trees being the cause of notable differences in appearance.  Miri