Tree that creeps and sprouts

mrhox

Hello, All.
Found some interesting posts here, so thought I'd try my luck.

I've had this tree growing in my front yard for the best part of 20 years.
In the past 10 years, I've noticed the occasional sprouting of a littler version of it, tens of metres from the primary trunk.

I have found a root system seemingly spread throughout my front yard, the roots being only 10-30cm underground.

Either side of these sprouts is a root which is INCREDIBLY tough. (A root the thickness of a match is a struggle for a grown man to break, attempting to pull it out of the ground.)

Is it a 'weed'?
Is it 'invasive'?
It's a beautiful tree, but am I fooling myself into keeping it, if it is doing long-term damage where I can't see it?

I've struggled to find a web site to assist in IDing it.

Can anyone assist, please?

Attached Thumbnails

       

Eric Frei

Looks like Tipuana tipu

__________________

mrhox

That was a fast response!

Thanks, Eric!
Yep, some image searches under that name showed trees that were too similar NOT to be the one.

Seems like I have a pest I need to exercise extreme prejudice against...

Many thanks, again, for the speed and accuracy of your response!
...

Eric Frei

It's a large spreading tree that can reach maybe 20m high and wide.

It often has large surface roots which are aggressive and can be destructive.

From this thread here's a picture.

__________________

mrhox

Wow! That last photo at Number 19 looks nasty.
Mine have not appeared above the ground, but they're there.

Interestingly, I raised your ID of this plant with a well-meaning brother-in-law who claims the only REAL way of IDing a plant (tree/shrub) is by the flower.
He is not an arborist but is mad about succulants/ cacti.

Do you have an opinion on his claim?

Cheers...

Perth David

Agree with Eric, looking very much like a Tipuana, in leaf and bark texture. There are a couple of robinias tho that share very similar characteristics, and the suckering problems would make me wanna rule it out. Robinias are a classic for suckering (those sprouts that are annoying you), tho the tippy is a better bet for those destructive surface roots. You can tell a suckering robinia most easily because they commonly have a grafted understock, so the sprouts will be a different variety. If the suckers have thorns, you definately have a Robinia, and you are doomed to be plucking out suckers for the rest of your life. So hopefully its a tippy!! Look up the tipuana tipu, and get some pics of the yellow flowers and winged seed pods(to compare to your tree next time it flowers). If you ever prune it, you can confirm a tipuana by its rich red sap.

Perth David

I think we could get a whole new thread going before we put that one to bed.....

Most arborists would use a variety of distinguishing features to ID a tree. Once you identify the likely candidate, you can then compare all documented features of the species to your specimen. I have always found that the leaf shape, size and structure is the best place to start, then bark, flower and fruit. Many species (or even sub-species) of the same genus will carry almost all of the same characteristics, so its about finding that one special feature that led to its classification as an individual species.

Brent Ferris

Very well put !

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

Eric Frei

With eucs it's all about the caps.

I did say "looks like" and the poster no doubt will further investigate looking at pics on Google I guess. Why do I guess that? Because it's how they ended up here to start with ..... Googling.

It's harder to ID trees outside of your own area, I'm in subtropical Queensland, this guy is in Melbourne. I'll likely match to what I see around here, but if there is a look alike down there then I could make a miss .... but it is better to move forward with a maybe than stop still awaiting perfection that may never arrive.

I used to build a few websites, I pretty much slowed that up because many people would rather have a blank page awaiting a insight of perfection than proceed with something. Makes for long assignments and incomplete work.

Bouncing ideas around also stimulates creativity, an incorrect can help resolve to a correct.

Keep moving, he who hesitates is lost.

__________________

jmcg.insight.gardens

Your well meaning brother-in-law sounds like a purist.
Some cacti do not have a visual flower.



Most keying of plants is done using the flower and fruit as an essential guideline as to what family it belongs to. When the flower is not available a second key is used, designed for use in the feild, based on vegetative characteristics and habit.

Otherwise people would be waiting a long time for a plant to flower and then fruit to ID..

Over the internet, one can hazard an educated guess at an ID, based on visual vegetative characteristics, like bark, leaf arrangement, form etc.

Horticulturalists cannot use caliphers over the net, we do not always use them in the feild, usually an educated guess is enough for a tree owner to use to further research themselves if they please. All ID's on this site are cautious ID's based on visual assessment, you might notice that all posts answered are done so with a "my guess, or it looks like"

We are after all trained, and aware of the difficulties of Ident over the net, which can be challenging at times to say the least.

I so agree with you

Bowani Siam

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! "do you have an opinion?"... ahhh who doesn't...

Also, RE succulents, many species of Agaves, Yuccas etc only flower at the end of their lives. Therefore any juvenile specimens would 'apparently' be unidentifiable. Not only that, many species of cacti and succulents have near identical floral structures so good luck with that too!! hahahahahahah!!!!

Can we put it to bed yet?

pownursery

looks like a`black locust,drooping clusters of white flowers ,flat pods attached into winter,grows rapidly and spreads by sprouts.

Jamie Myers

I agree Robinia pseudoacacia. Is my punt.

Sucker badly, need to poison stumps well before grinding to avoid a mass of thorny suckers off of the root ends.