AusBonsai

hi guys,

this is a tree next to my sisters house, i think (although i am no expert by any means) that it looks somewhat like a swamp cypress.

Anyone have any ideas?

Solved
By alpineart : Sequoia Sempervirens - Coastal Redwood

I think a Yew.

Mick

anyone with an idea of the actual species?

Does yew respond well to being dug, and how does it go for propagating?

Hi Gareth , it is a Sequoia Sempervirens - Coastal Redwood . The foliage on the Coastal Redwood is alternating as in the pic , harsh /rough to touch . The Taxodium Distichum Swamp Cypress/ Bald Cypress can have both alternating and opposite foliage and is very soft to touch . The Metasequoia Glyptostroboides -Dawn Redwood has the foliage in pairs or opposite each other and like the Swamp Cypress is soft to touch .

Cheers Alpineart

coastal redwood? Thats interesting, by the looks of the foliage it is very similar to Yew, and would be suitable for bonsai?

Anyone working with this species, again, how does it respond to cuttings for propagation and does it did well?

Hi Gareth , seed grown stock is the best pursuit . I have had no luck with cuttings . I have managed to strike cuttings off the Swamp cypress , but not off the Coastal Redwoods . I did manage a few cuttings from the Dawn Redwoods a few years ago ..Seed grown stock from a tree that's suckers will produce the same type plant as the parent, the young plant has a tuber type swelling at the base , a tree without suckers or a single trunk tree produces single trunk plants without this swelling type tuber . Definitely worthwhile Bonsai material ,not all tree's have viable seed . Do a Google search on this Species for an idea of the possibilities.

Cheers Alpineart

from what i can tell this tree has suckers at its base.

recon i could sever these and pot them up viably? i know these would then sucker as you have mentioned, but not a huge issue for me i dont think.

Hi Gareth , give it a shot for sure . Try layering some off if you have the time and the owner doesn't mind . The bark is rather thick so 2/3 of the thickness of the shoots will be bark , so make sure the wind doesn't snap them off if it is a windy area .
Cheers Alpineart

i have been doing some reading on propagation of this species.

i recon air layering might be the go, especially on these new shoots. Most likely coming from a burl.

Apparently older trees do not propagate well, even from softwood cuttings.

i have also read of propagating from Burls, or pieces of the burl, have you had any experience with this with any other pine species of something similar?

Do you think it possible that if i cut these suckers, with a piece of the burl it will propagate easily by normal means of using burl propagation methods?

im becoming very interested in this species.

gareth

Hey Gareth,

Air layering a sucker would be my first choice, including a small section of the parent root if possible. It doesnt have to be the whole thickness f the root only a sliver of timber from behind the sucker is sufficient.

Matt

Hi Gareth , with a trunk of 600mm the bark will be around 100-150mm thick at the base of the tree . I have yet to see them suckers come from the roots , they sucker from the base of the trunk .While they have a root mass likened to a willow it is connected to the trunk well below the soil line . The roots form a mat well above the soil line , this coupled with the thick bark is the tree's way of coping with bush fires , its own personal insulation .. To get a piece of root stock material would be rather fruitless due to the thickness of the bark . To remove a sucker with a swollen base would be worth trying or set a ground layer at the exit point on the base of the sucker . If all else fails i have around 50 here at 600mm high .

Cheers Alpineart