Good morning all! I hope everyone is having a happy and blessed Easter today, whether you celebrate or not.
I was going back through this thread today to read the new comments, and began to question what I think I know about such things. You all make me question whether the sun rises in the east!
I was re-reading posts, and the second image provided on 3/26/24 by
tofitropic made me do a double take. Instead of realizing it was a different species
Ligustrum vulgare provided for comparison, I mistook it to be another closeup view of the seedling in question. This image clearly shows a very different morphology for the
leaf scars on the Privet, which appear shelf-like extending from the stem/twig. Compare this to the flatter shield-like appearance on the seedling initially presented, which approximates a half-circle in shape, and what prompted me to ID this seedling as a member of
Fraxinus sp.
SO: I went to my 3/27/24 post, reread it, reviewed the pictures, confirmed my opinion was correct BUT edited my 3/27/24 post to use proper terms. I urge all who like to identify plants to spend a little time on the dormant features and get to know their idiosyncrasies.
In my career, it was imperative to know your Ash from some itinerant hole in the ground - or the unscrupulous among us would sell you as many of them as they could unload instead of the American Beech, or Bur Oak, or pick-your-other-select-plant that is hard to find that you really wanted, but were unable to discern in dormant season when you must make these selections/purchases in growers' fields.
That was a run-on stream-of-consciousness sentence if I ever saw one. Apologies to Joy Famularo (high school English teacher), wherever you are.
Point being: at least try to learn the details of plant parts, especially the ones you see everyday in your landscape. It is valuable here, when assisting others with their landscapes, and in life. The "leaflets three, leave it be" saying
is only good and helpful when Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is in leaf! The plant still provides its malignant distress through the dormant season, and it creates havoc for those who don't or cannot recognize its viney self wriggling through garden beds; climbing amongst favored vines and shrubs; or remaining clinging to tree trunks and bark even to the point of being brought into homes to be used as firewood.
There I go again...
