Georgia Gardener Newsletter Ask An Arborist: May 10, 2012
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Image submitted by reader |
Karen from Marietta writes:
Can you (or your friends) identify this tree? I thought I had planted an allium, and it does come up and bloom, but this tree is right in the middle of the plant. I don't know where it came from. Thanks.
It's a devil's walking stick (Aralia spinosa). If you look closely on the main trunk, you should see tiny spines. Although this one is probably too young to bloom, when it does finally bloom it will put out
a "cloud" of creamy white flowers at the top that are very attractive to pollinators and quite showy. The flowers appear in the summer. These will turn into reddish berries that will attract many birds. The fall foliage
is stunning red. Also, each one of those "branches" is actually a single leaf - one of the largest leaves in North America. Each smaller segment that looks like a leaf is actually a leaflet. This is a very nice and
durable native tree. The mature size of this tree is about 12-15 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide.
However....
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Summer flowers |
Fruit |
Fall foliage |
This tree likes to sucker and form colonies. The spines will be a nuisance if you brush by the tree. I think your tree is not in a very good location. If you have a sunny area that is away from the more cultivated
areas of your landscape, you could move the tree to that location. I would wait until the leaves drop this fall to move it.
Please email me if you have any questions or topics you would like to submit
for later articles.
Unless otherwise noted, Images & Drawings Copyrighted © 2012 by Theresa Schrum - All rights reserved