D.O.P.-T.

[weofodthignen]

More rain forecast tonight, so I swept leaves off the sidewalk and the bottom of the driveway to make space for new ones. I was about to pick a few off the grass for good measure when Mama Violet appeared on the sidewalk and gave me a Look. So I fed her instead.

Comments

[elainegrey]

My niblings were surprised when i explained that sweetgums were landscape trees in California. Ah, they are all clones of lovely specimen trees. How i would love for any of mine to have such gorgeous color.

[weofodthignen]

I didn't fully realize that - that may be why I don't remember seeing them till I came here. So I suppose their pretty little saplings that sprout from the seed balls would probably not change color much? (Not that this yard has space for any more trees, but I've always been saddened that the ones that sprout in the parks get thrown away.)

[elainegrey]

I would expect the spouts to be clones and have the same bright autumn colors. So if you need a tree, that could be a good source.

My expectation could be wrong though, reading http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1995-55-3-roots-from-shoots-a-horticultural-review.pdf describes how not all meristem cells -- the cells that can turn into any plant organ -- carry the same ... genetics ("mutation"). On the other hand, i don't think the color is a mutation.

Anyhow, that article has a picture of an exposed root system of a sweetgum and the clones. I've suspected that our 100' sweetgum is the main stem of several other trees that extend from it in a line. It also provides a citation if you really want to give it a go.

Brown, C. L., and R. G. McAlpme. 1964 Propagation of sweetgum from root cuttings. Georgia Forest Research Paper 24.