Tree Identification - Ask Extension
I've attached a picture of a bush / tree that is growing. The home owner says it's just one plant. The top started growing out so looks like two dif...
Knowledgebase
Tree Identification #871783
Asked June 05, 2024, 5:27 PM EDT
I've attached a picture of a bush / tree that is growing. The home owner says it's just one plant. The top started growing out so looks like two different bush / tree. Any help on identifying would be great.
Freeborn County Minnesota
Expert Response
I'm not sure of the species. The photo is not good enough to make a positive identification. I'd guess either a fir or a spruce.
I believe what you are seeing is reversion in a dwarf cultivar of the tree. The bottom is the original dwarf cultivar, the top is the reversion. Often plants are bred for properties which are not as dominant as the original growth pattern, and the plant tends to revert back to its original form. A common example is variegation. Variegated plants often have a tendency to revert to the usual non-variegated form. We defeat this tendency by pruning out the reversions.
That clearly didn't happen here.
Read all about it (and see several other examples) at this site:
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1602
I believe what you are seeing is reversion in a dwarf cultivar of the tree. The bottom is the original dwarf cultivar, the top is the reversion. Often plants are bred for properties which are not as dominant as the original growth pattern, and the plant tends to revert back to its original form. A common example is variegation. Variegated plants often have a tendency to revert to the usual non-variegated form. We defeat this tendency by pruning out the reversions.
That clearly didn't happen here.
Read all about it (and see several other examples) at this site:
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1602
