Unlikely misfit

[HotAction]

Well, I brought this to the club meeting last night just for kicks. Turns out that it was a fan favorite. I call it "The Intimidator" for obvious reasons. Sorry the pic is so lousy. I started it from seed last year. If anyone of you Nuts wants to take a guess as to what it is, take your best shot.

(chances are this is the best it will ever be)

Dave

 

[jquast]

my guess would be avocado

jeff

 

[Juniperus Californica]

Hey Hot Action,

Since you say they went crazy, it must be Manzanita.

JC

 

[HotAction]

Hint, I collected the seed in central NY, and not from the grocery store

 

[Smoke]

Maybe pomagranite topping on something??????

 

[Tink32]

The color and texture of the trunk reminds of a pyracantha, the leaves look a little different though.

 

[Mojosan]

I'm still trying to figure out this "for obvious reasons" bit.

 

[Greg Brenden]

poison ivy?

 

[grouper52]

That's a G-Spot stimulator, isn't it?

 

[HotAction]

Like I said... for obvious reasons.

another hint: This is a tree, not a bush or shrub etc.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

To all Bonsai Nuts...you may have just witnessed the first EVER Bonsai-Nascar Crossover post...I hope.

 

[HotAction]

Brian, how did I know it would be a Southerner to reply to that.

For all who were wondering, this is a northern catalpa.

Dave

 

[october]

Hello HotAction..lol.... You are under estimating the power of bonsai... In a mame cascade pot, with a different planting angle and the tree wired down, you could realistically have this...

Rob

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Actually, a northern transplant...don't think I would have otherwise figured it out.

I know nothing about Nascar, except that I never see their fans at our shows and stay off I20 during those 2 weekends in April and October!

BUT...Catalpa is a majestic and amazing tree in nature. Never considered one for bonsai because the leaves are so big. Do they reduce at all?

 

[HotAction]

not sure about reduction, but even at 1/10 the size they would still be pretty large

 

[Smoke]

What is a catalpa?

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalpa

There you go Al...

V

 

[Smoke]

Thanks but I already did that. Just wondering what the purpose of the tree in the USA was. Good shade etc etc. Says they are short lived and not much good for anything else as the wood is soft. I read they are used for some guitar parts due to having tonal wood.

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

I thought it was a pretty odd tree as well when the oldest one is 150... thats a baby by west coast standards... Unless you are an alder or a hemlock...

 

[bougie nights]

I think catalpas are native to the alluvial bottoms along the upper Mississippi. Settlers frequently planted them as shade trees because they are tough. They also produce abundant racemes of flowers in the spring which turn into cigar-shaped pods. Its wood is very prized by woodcarvers and used to be the primary material for duck decoys. One guy down the street from me uses big catalpa trunks to create chainsaw sculptures. Most important though, they get big caterpillars on them which make excellent fishing bait!

Here is a pic I took of one in southeast Ohio in the Wayne National Forest during a snow squall. Not visible in the photo, but next to the tree are the ruins of an old log cabin.