tree flower ID

[diggleken]

Blown down from above by the strong winds - what are these crimson beauties from please?
About 1'' - 1.5'' long, west yorkshire woodland.
Thanks a lot
Ken

[diggleken]

I think i've cracked it - alder females, due to become cones, at an early stage - any other confirmation please?
Cheers
Ken

[Hedge Witch]

I don't think they are that long, are they?

Edit - possibly a non-native Alder species?

Or this species:

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...a%3DG%26um%3D1

Possibly a type of Cottonwood.

[diggleken]

Cheers HW for the research, great image, and its very very close - so possibly a cottonwood, but it also is close to an alder spp - you are right its not common alder, glutinosa females, but possibly italian alder, which are widely planted.
There are I think 7 alders, of which red, grey and italian are contenders!
I'll keep researching cos I'm vexed with this and cant find it via images or botanical searching - theyre so pretty you'd imagine there would be shots of them somewhere . .. . . . . . .
Ken

[James M]

Interesting, saw some of these on a walk yesterday wondered which tree it was.

[James M]

Done a bit of searching myself, looks similar to Black Poplar catkins?

[diggleken]

Hi James,
Black Poplar, hmmm - thats one I looked at too - dismissed it as too long catkins, but then with a bit of a spark happening in the brain, realised (after you posted , ta) this could well be it, just that what I had were underdeveloped / younger ones.
This is getting close to the truth!
Let me know what you think - where were yours? local?
mine were in Guiseley, north Leeds on a trip out.
Thanks a lot.
Ken

[James M]

Originally Posted by diggleken

Hi James,
Black Poplar, hmmm - thats one I looked at too - dismissed it as too long catkins, but then with a bit of a spark happening in the brain, realised (after you posted , ta) this could well be it, just that what I had were underdeveloped / younger ones.
This is getting close to the truth!
Let me know what you think - where were yours? local?
mine were in Guiseley, north Leeds on a trip out.
Thanks a lot.
Ken

Yeah quite local, saw them on a footpath I was taking towards Dovestones.

If they are Black Poplar, do you think it's likely they are a cultivated variety as I've read that they are one of Britain's rarest trees?

[diggleken]

I should think cultivated planted variety - they arent common i gather, but are found wild in more southern counties in rich soils.
So much is available these days from arboriculture/ garden centres/tinternet that was rare only 10 years ago.
No expert though James, you probably know as much as me.
Got any pics of the red catkins?
cheers
ken

[James M]

Originally Posted by diggleken

I should think cultivated planted variety - they arent common i gather, but are found wild in more southern counties in rich soils.
So much is available these days from arboriculture/ garden centres/tinternet that was rare only 10 years ago.
No expert though James, you probably know as much as me.
Got any pics of the red catkins?
cheers
ken

lol I think you probably know more than me, trees are almost a brand new subject for me. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a pic as I only noticed them while walking past.

Also came across this: 'Manchester Poplar'. A cultivar of subsp. betulifolia widely planted in northwest England. It is a male clone, and currently seriously threatened by Poplar Scab disease could be that variety.