Showcase of the bizarre...

[ShadyStump]

Looks like Quercus wislizeni to me, I have found it growing near my location in Utah.

It's possible. I had no idea such a species existed, and everything else in the area are the routine gambelii, but then there are many separate specimens there. I'll have to go back and compare more closely.

 

[LittleDingus]

Came across this on a hike a while back.
View attachment 395938
Looks like a holly, but there's an acorn!
It's a Gambel's oak, but something has made the lobes grow so tight that they're actually tipped with sharp points.

My exact thoughts the first time I saw one!

Arches National Park is littered with Gamble oaks like that. I grow a few Gamble's now because, being from the midwest, the concept of a forest of oak trees only knee high fascinates me

They grow the pointy holly-like leaves in hot arid conditions. In the canyons near Moab where it's cooler with more moisture they grow taller with more lobed leaves.

 

[LittleDingus]

Looks like Quercus wislizeni to me, I have found it growing near my location in Utah.

When I first tried looking them up, I thought turbineli. But when I asked a local guide, she told my gambel and that they just grew different based on access to moisture.

Some of my local midwest oaks grow pointer leaves in a drought so it made sense to me. But she wasn't a botanist and that area is not native to me so??

I only kept one gambel tree but my wife just brought me a half dozen more acorns from her trip to Colorado. If enough germinate, maybe I'll keep one real dry and see what happens...

 

[LittleDingus]

And for the bizarre,

A hemlock that fell into another tree and grafted with it.
And a negari

That negari is strange. Often I see them because the soil washed away. But I can't imagine how that was the case here looking at the neighboring trees??

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Not quite a mutation I don’t think. But I found this piñon growing near my property a year ago, that was in an ok state of health. A bit of a dull green, lanky with lots of dead twigs. All but this pompon of growth that was vigorous bright green and dense. Don’t know why it is, but it just is. That’s my buddy having a look.
View attachment 383289
View attachment 383290

Graft some roots and make it bonsai

 

[Cruiser]

That negari is strange. Often I see them because the soil washed away. But I can't imagine how that was the case here looking at the neighboring trees??

Good question.
The most likely explanation is that hemlock seeded in on a western red cedar stump. It’s not uncommon for hemlock seeds to land on rotting fallen trees or stumps and take root. It gives them a leg up over the competition.

Over time the hemlock grew while the stump disintegrated. Its roots eventually made it into the soil beneath and enabled the tree to support itself once the stump rotted away completely.

 

[ghues]

Good question.
The most likely explanation is that hemlock seeded in on a western red cedar stump. It’s not uncommon for hemlock seeds to land on rotting fallen trees or stumps and take root. It gives them a leg up over the competition.

Over time the hemlock grew while the stump disintegrated. Its roots eventually made it into the soil beneath and enabled the tree to support itself once the stump rotted away completely.

A new style, ROS, root over stump.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

And also if you cut some twigs of a witch brooms pine and graft it, it will continue growing dwarf I think

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Hey guys, look a this cool botanic oddity I found, a wild variegated plant in the side of the road, a Bituminaria bituminosa Tedera in spanish, plant in the pea family, never seen a variegated one, unfortunately one day the wind blow up the pot and it didnt survive

 

[crust]

 

[19Mateo83]

That's called 'witches broom' I think it is some sort of genetic mutation in some terminal cells that cause these. Relatively common in conifers.
Witches brooms are one source of dwarf conifer cultivars. Graft a bit of that onto a pine root stock or strike some cuttings and you have a dwarf, bushy pinon which would probably be attractive in the landscape market and maybe to bonsai growers too. Because it is genetic new growth from that wood should always stay dwarf and compact.

That’s how they get the dwarf varieties of Japanese maples.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

View attachment 416237

Cocked, Locked and ready to rock.
Lay on McDuff

 

[Mikecheck123]

When I first tried looking them up, I thought turbineli. But when I asked a local guide, she told my gambel and that they just grew different based on access to moisture.

Some of my local midwest oaks grow pointer leaves in a drought so it made sense to me. But she wasn't a botanist and that area is not native to me so??

I only kept one gambel tree but my wife just brought me a half dozen more acorns from her trip to Colorado. If enough germinate, maybe I'll keep one real dry and see what happens...

Most people don't associate oaks with thorns or spines, but on the West Coast there are several species that you definitely don't want to bump into accidentally.

The spiniest one is the canyon live oak. My god the spines are long and deadly. Much sturdier than any holly tree.

 

[Shibui]

That’s how they get the dwarf varieties of Japanese maples.

I know lots of dwarf conifers that originated as witches brooms but I don't know any JM that come from witches brooms. JM have been crossbred extensively which makes them highly variable so the numbers of different seedlings is much higher than most species. All the dwarf forms of JM I know of are listed as chance seedlings or as a result of selection of seed from other dwarf trees. I've also never seen a witches broom form on JM.
If you know of any JM cultivars that have come from witches brooms please list some of the specific cultivar names.

 

[penumbra]

"Shaina" JM is from a witches broom of a "Bloodgood" type maple that is growing in front of the Public Safety Building at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA. It was found by plants man Dick Wolfe of Red Maple Nursery in PA.
There are probably other but this is the only one I have any information on. I have 3 of these maples and they are wonderful but have ugly grafts.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Fascination happened on my Japanese Beautyberry this year also. Weird year all around!

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Fascination happened on my Japanese Beautyberry this year also. Weird year all around!

Airlayer it!!

 

[penumbra]

Fascination happened on my Japanese Beautyberry this year also. Weird year all around!

Fasciation was probably changed by your spell check to fascination.

 

[19Mateo83]

"Shaina" JM is from a witches broom of a "Bloodgood" type maple that is growing in front of the Public Safety Building at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA. It was found by plants man Dick Wolfe of Red Maple Nursery in PA.
There are probably other but this is the only one I have any information on. I have 3 of these maples and they are wonderful but have ugly grafts.

The fireball cultivar was also grafted from a witches broom

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Also dont forget sport branches are a common way to obtain dwarf or compact cultivars