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Tree identification needed

M

massmans

Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
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Location
Central Missouri
Website
www.massmans.org
I went by the local mulch site and found a large trunk of a tree. Trouble is there was no branches with leaves to help identify the species.

It isnt closed grained like a maple and not open grained like oaks. I dont think it is an ash either. It sort of like poplar but the bark isnt like any poplar I have turned.

Looking around on web, it may be a yellow buckeye but sure. I am from central Missouri, and the tree is most likely a native due to size, but maybe not.

Any help would be great.
 

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Does it smell bad?

massmans said:
I went by the local mulch site and found a large trunk of a tree. Trouble is there was no branches with leaves to help identify the species.

It isnt closed grained like a maple and not open grained like oaks. I dont think it is an ash either. It sort of like poplar but the bark isnt like any poplar I have turned.

Looking around on web, it may be a yellow buckeye but sure. I am from central Missouri, and the tree is most likely a native due to size, but maybe not.

Any help would be great.
Click to expand...
.

From the bark and the wood it looks like Tree of Heaven or Chinese Sumac that we have out here. Does it smell bad when you cut it? I've turned a bit of this and although maligned somewhat as an invasive weed it's pleasant enough to work even if a bit bland.
 
Looks a lot like stinkweed to me.

Fairly smooth bark, yellowish wood with moderate ring porous structure. Somewhere in the middle on hardness. Softer than ash, harder than poplar. The bark of larger diameter buckeye is scaley and not smooth.

Tree of the heavens gets the slang name of stinkweed from the smell of the sap when cutting. I've cut some of this for firewood over the years. The larger pieces will not always have the stinkweed smell, especially if it has been cut for a while.
 
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My first thoughts on the second and third pictures were an ornamental cherry, but the bark doesn't look quite right. The only Tree of Heaven that I have turned was plain white, and you could see through the wood pores. It did have a bitter scent to it.

robo hippy
 
I have never turned stinkweek or tree of heaven. Is tree of heaven (stinkweed) found in Missouri and does it get to be 22" in diameter at base of tree?

I have turned catalpa, and it is definitely not that.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Steve
 
I know I've seen that exact grain pattern before, and have searched through some of my photos.....but haven't found the exact match. Trouble is I've done a thousand bowls, and some of my older pics are gone forever, or never did get photographed.......

Here's an Elm bowl that looks similar......could it be?

ooc
 

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It looks like Elm as Odie said. Elm has a unique pattern that I cannot see in your pictures given their low resolution. It is sort of a zigzag fine pattern.
 

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massmans said:
I have never turned stinkweek or tree of heaven. Is tree of heaven (stinkweed) found in Missouri and does it get to be 22" in diameter at base of tree?

I have turned catalpa, and it is definitely not that.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Steve
Click to expand...

Yes, and yes.

The bark is a perfect match to the tree of heaven tree growing beside my drive.
 
Steve, trying to identify a wood species from photos is a risky business, but if I had to make a guess here, I would say it might be hackberry. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Chuck Lobaito said:
Honey Locust?
Click to expand...

Honey locust is more uniformly orangey. ]
How about Bk locust? altho the BL bark I have seen is very rugged. But then how many trees get so big the bark looks different at the base ( such as a white birch and looks nothing like the upper parts.) I get sooo confused trying to ID trees, but then I don't have a book with me to try to key it out, Gretch
 
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