Robert Tackles the Mystery Tree

 
Remember the mystery tree? Before I was looking at this one carefully, I called it an ash based on its bark. That was in 2010. See (Not An) Ash- Left and Right Brain. But that month I was more interested in its beauty. It even appears on one of my avatars.

Then, in 2011, I realized it had to be some kind of cherry. See Mystery Tree- It's No Ash.

I've been trying to lure Robert up here for quite a while to look at it. So, he did. And I don't feel so dumb any more. Except that he agrees it's some kind of cherry, he's stumped too.



His best guess is the same as mine. It is probably some agricultural cherry that has survived the usual lifespan and has grown huge.



He took samples. He has specific keys to horticultural/agricultural trees that he can check at home. He did notice that it's a double tree and the two halves appear to have some differences. He speculated that it might have been a grafted tree. He also noted that it's near the railroad tracks. Sometimes specimen trees appear in odd places because seeds have been carried into the area on rail cars.

So, the mystery tree remains a mystery. But there might be some hope of figuring it out. It's certainly a beautiful tree.

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