plantmanager said: Are there any other sites that will ID from pics?

There are lots of apps. I don't know about sites, and I don't know how well any of the apps work. I always rely on the ID here, because this is the best site

JamesAcclaims said:

There are lots of apps. I don't know about sites, and I don't know how well any of the apps work. I always rely on the ID here, because this is the best site

I have posted on a couple of other sites but with no luck. You guys are much more active here.

I agree this is probably the best place to get an ID. Hopefully someone who hasn't noticed this will find it soon.

HamiltonSquare said:I have been searching with the term bi-pinnately compound leaf in every combination I could think off. No branches. All odd. Some fibonacci sequence in the leaves with only one at any level horizontally but in four ranks vertically in a very well ordered spiral around the trunk.

Key to Woody Dicots: if it's native!

https://www.dep.state.fl.us/wa...

I don't think that will help.

The second set of photos the leaves do look opposite?

Are we sure it's a dicot? Going straight up with one stem like that?

Clay, could we have a picture of the top view of one of the little plants, when you get a chance please?

Yes, please. Photos of the little plants and the area where they are growing. It's good to see a habitat view.

What is the size at the base of the large plant? I can see grasses and it would appear the "trunk" is a smaller diameter than I had thought earlier.

I sent the pictures to the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. Hopefully someone there may be able to get back with me and be of assistance. They are EXTREMELY knowledgeable and driven as far as identifying, cataloging, protecting, and saving our trees and forests--some of the best in the nation.

Hopefully you don't mind that I sent your pics.

I was thinking it might be worthwhile sending the pictures to a university arboretum in Florida, not sure if there's one any nearer to Palmetto than this one, but there's contact info if Claybyrd wants to send the pics:

https://arboretum.ucf.edu/

Looks like it could be one of the Heteropanax but I can find few photos. Janet mentioned H. fragrans and I see H. nitentifolius looks similar. Just a guess but it looks more consistent than anything I've looked at so far. Had a quick look through these that Janet posted earlier. When I came across Megalopanax rex I thought that had to be it because it sounded prehistoric! HA HA HA. Time for me to let this one rest. I did have one more question about where these plants are. Are there many of the mature ones like a grove and are there intermediate sizes. I ask this because I wonder if these may be monocarpic. Grow, Bloom, Die in a year or two.

Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgren's Superorder Araliiflorae; Araliales. Cronquist's Subclass Rosidae; Apiales. Takhtajan's Subclass Rosidae; Aralianae; Araliales. Species 700. Genera 49; Anakasia, Apiopetalum, Aralia, Arthrophyllum, Astrotricha, Boninofatsia, Brassaiopsis, Cephalaralia, Cheirodendron, Cromapanax, Cuphocarpus, Cussonia, Delarbrea, Dendropanax, Eleutherococcus, Fatsia, Gamblea, Gastonia, Harmsiopanax, Hedera, Heteropanax, Hunaniopanax, Kalopanax, Mackinlaya, Macropanax, Megalopanax, Merrilliopanax, Meryta, Motherwellia, Munroiodendron, Myodocarpus, Oplopanax, Oreopanax, Osmoxylon, Panax, Pentapanax, Polyscias, Pseudopanax, Pseudosciadium, Reynoldsia, Schefflera, Sciadodendrom, Seemannaralia, Sinopanax, Stilbocarpa, Tetrapanax, Tetraplasandra, Trevesia, Woodburnia.

Well, I for one, am now convinced that it is not a cell phone tower! Can't wait to see what it is!

ctcarol said:Well, I for one, am now convinced that it is not a cell phone tower! Can't wait to see what it is!

Hope someone can figure it out. This is quite a mystery tree.

dyzzypyxxy said:Are we sure it's a dicot? Going straight up with one stem like that?

I would think it is from this description .. the site might have given clues but on a quick look I doubted that it would.

http://www.holganix.com/blog/b...

Leslieray, I checked all the genera on that site but found nothing as close as Heteropanax.

There's a list of Heteropanax species on wiki but photos are non-existent of most.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

Araliaceae - Dicot

http://www.tropicos.org/ImageS...

JRsbugs said:Araliaceae - Dicot

http://www.tropicos.org/ImageS...

2,715 results?

You can see the extended tip of the leaves in the last photos, the shape is much like Aralia nudicaulis.

http://www.tropicos.org/Image/...

These extended leaf tips are found in rainforests where the leaves direct water off the tip to the ground, obviously for the good of the tree.

JamesAcclaims said:


2,715 results?

I've only looked at page 1! Work for someone ahead.

It does have the look of Araliaceae but have we reconciled this with the opposite leaves?

porkpal said:I am finding this thread totally fascinating! Can't wait to read the next chapter...

Ditto here! I hear the cogs of some very smart brains at work! There is a lot of Latin being tossed around, too. I am always so impressed with those who can ID plants from a pictures. I love this tree. Aside from being a mystery, it is lovely!

sooby said:It does have the look of Araliaceae but have we reconciled this with the opposite leaves?

I wouldn't take too much notice of what is determined as opposite as opposed to alternate. This tree, in my wonky opinion, has both. Opposite leaves to those which are opposite, and alternate leaves to those which are a step up to the next column (if you know what I mean).

This isn't the norm we know, when referring to opposite we aren't normally looking at leaves which come directly from a tree trunk in 4 vertical rows.

I will have to leave you all for now, it's nearly 3.30am here!