Unidentified shafts..

[Stalkingfox]

So I live in Iowa and went looking for dogwood not sure what or if I got it. I am almost positive theres dogwood in these bunches I found and cut but I was looking for pagoda or roughleaf, instead Im almost sure I found red osier. Can you guys help me identify the rest?

[Trapper Rob]

The red ones look like some of the dogwood I cut a couple of years ago.
Rob

[bow101]

Yup.  Its actually a brownish gray color. So the dogwood in your land is called pink dogwood. The flowers on the west coast ones are white.

[Trapper Rob]

The dogwood I gather around here comes from where it is always wet the red shafts is what mine look like.
Rob

[CherokeeKC]

I think you made the same mistake I just made a couple weeks ago....I cut red maple shoots that look just like that thinking it was red osier.  They were growing all along the ditches in a big clear cut.  Perfect looking arrow material yet I have found they have to be really thick to get the spine you need.  No good for arrows in my opinion.  I have a bunch of privet cut on same land and that is much better arrow material.

Search my thread "Is this Red Osier Dogwood" and see the red maple i mistakenly cut.

[Pat B]

I think the redish shoots look like either red osier or silky dogwood. The gray ones could be dogwood or viburnim...or maybe maple but the one with the shiny bark in the first pic looks like a cherry of some kind. You can see it has alternate branching unlike the opposite branching of the other two.

[bow101]

If we had a few shots of the trees, would be easier to Identify...

[Stalkingfox]

They didnt grow from trees. No leaves either. At least not in the winter. 
Cherokee, I do think theres red maple in the bunch now the you mention it
Pat I do think theres red osier in there too along with pagoda dogwood. I wish Iowabow would chime in. 

Some came from on top of a hill out of the valley and the red ones were taken near a small creek down in the valley where it was well drained but wet. Regardless of what and where, they all should make good arrows.

[Pat B]

The one with the alternate stems would be the Pagoda dogwood(Cornus alternifolia). Red osier is a shrub type dogwood. Pagoda is a small understory tree just like flowering dogwood.  The red twigs in the pile look like red osier to me. The gray ones i don't know.

[JW_Halverson]

I think you made the same mistake I just made a couple weeks ago....I cut red maple shoots that look just like that thinking it was red osier.  They were growing all along the ditches in a big clear cut.  Perfect looking arrow material yet I have found they have to be really thick to get the spine you need.  No good for arrows in my opinion.  I have a bunch of privet cut on same land and that is much better arrow material.

Search my thread "Is this Red Osier Dogwood" and see the red maple i mistakenly cut.

I wonder how your red maple would do for kid's arrows, CherokeeKC?  Dry some out and give 'em the bendy test.  I'd be interested in some trading if they make good kids arrows, I can never find enough primitive materials for kids arrows.

[CherokeeKC]

Ok will do JW.  Im glad you spoke up i was about to throw them out lol

[crooketarrow]

  That first pic. I see a wid cherry (purpleish) the reder is red osier and older alternet dog wood. After 5 or 6 years old it losed it's specks and turns darker gray.
  The second pic. older red osier.
  But for sure the third is alternet dog wood. I cut 1000's and 1000's of those.
  The last is also red osier you can tell the older shoots it has the nosiable specks. The younger shoots are smother bark.
  I never cut any red maple but I don't think those redish shoot are maple. I know older red osier has big specks.
  Here's a little tip I only cut base shoots from the ground to the first limb comein in. That grow straight up. There not only straighter (NO MEMORY)with no in comeing limbs. The spines more concested with no limbs and where ever a limb comes in there uselly a kink that takes a lot of time.
 I ONLY CUT THE BASE SHOOTS THATS GROWS STRAIGHT UP. If theres a bent over (curved) That shoot has memory. You can get a shaft out of it but it not only takes time. But has memory and it will be a shoot you have to keep straighting after it's comeplete.
    Thats why I never cut limbs. Most limbs curve downward with weight causeing memory. Again you can make arrow but you'll have a lot of time and effert in it. Here's something else. When I cut shoots I cut high enough up from the ground that there's no curve,(no memory) close to the end. Same with the nock end cut it to where the ends straight . Those ends are hard to straighten and keep straight. If anyones tryed to straighten the ends up close to the end of the shoot and to have them stay straight you know what I'm talking about.
  This all saves time and just like bow staves the better they are when you start. The better bow or arrow when you finish. You can build a bow or arrow out of jast about any peice of wood it you want to invest the time. Don't get me wrong I love to make arrows but I have a lot of other things going on to waste unneeded time on arrow shafts.

[DuBois]

Here is a pic of some red osier growing in my yard.
I started cutting on it in the fall not knowing what it was and was pleasantly surprised whe I started trying to ID it.
It sounds like it will clone shoots to plant fairly easy so I will try to start a farm in the spring

[Stalkingfox]

Thanks guys sounds like I hitthe jackpot lol. Ill get one last pic up of where I got it all sometime

[crooketarrow]

   Plant that red osier close together in simi shade or where it can get more mid day sun (straight up) and it will grow tall ,straightup growing to the sun. You can even help it out by stakeing up and tie the shoots that curve downward. Memory sucks so keep them straight. Or when cutting only cut the straight shoots.