Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: cowboy on October 07, 2007, 11:12:39 pm
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Here's a tree I've been wondering about for quite some time now. It's a white wood for sure - cause I hacked into a limb on one, had good lookin rings. The bark closely resembles osage, but without the orangy tint to it. The leaves resemble live oak - it has black berries on it about a quarter inch in diameter, thorns everywhere limbs branch out. I've seen them around northern TX and southern OK - may be wide spread but I just wasn't looking for em anywhere.
Just curious if anyone knows what this is? I've gone online and tried to drill down to it, but keep getting live oak. All I've been able to find out is the old timers used to call it Chittum :-\.
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I think chittum is another name for buckthorn. Is this it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckthorn
Ralph
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Wow Ralph - that was fast! But no, don't think that's it. The leaves don't look the same and the berries are singles - don't grow in cluster's. thanks.
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There many forms of buckthorn ,look further down the page ,for the clustered berry, purging buckthorn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rhamnus_cathartica.jpg
Ralph
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Hmm, nope stil not a match. I'm going to dig into that a little deeper when I have more time - fixin to sign off and hit tha hay :).
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I dont know very much about trees but the thorns in your pic look the same as thorns on a Washington Hawthorn I have in my yard. Maybe yours could be a southern Hawthorn of some sort.
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COWBOY: IT SURE LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE bUCK THORNS, IN VERMONT THEY DON'T GROW SO BIG, tHE TYPE WE HAVE HERE IS DARKER AND THE SAMPLES i HAVE AIR DRYING lOOK QIUTE ALOT LIKE OSAGE. i HAVE SEEN bUCK THORN ALL OVER THE US.
THE HEART WOOD ON MINE LOOKS JUST LIKE SOME OF THE PHOTOS YOU & OTHERS HAVE POSTED, BUT THERE SEEM TO BE A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF SAP WOOD. I WILL TRY TO POST A PHOTO.
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I can't help with IDing the tree but do have a question.Not knowing different tree species is one major thing I need to learn for bow building.There's very few trees I could identify in the wild and I would like to change that.Does anyone have a recommendation on a book or website to learn about this?Sorry Cowboy not trying to hijack your thread just seemed like a good time to ask.tradrick
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Tradrick, go to all Walden bookstore and look thru them, Audbon is good, golden book is ok and there are lots of others.
As fer internet do a Google search for "Tree Identificatiom"
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It is definitely some variety of a buckthorn, not sure which. Looks like good bow wood to me! Give it a try
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This is our local Buckthorn. The heart wood was more orange when freshly cut!
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Well how bout that it worked! This is from a 2" diameter sample. The smaller ones have a paper like bark while older 6" stuff has bark more like trunk in your photo. Do a search for invasive trees. You should find it there.
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Cowboy, I think what you have there is carolina buckhorn, also sometimes called indian cherry because of the berries.The University of Missouri tree catalgue lists it as an ornamental, doesn't say anything about the wood properties.
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have any of you gone to enature.com it will help id trees. ;D
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No Marie, but I'm fixin too ;D. I need pictures - don't think this is a buckthorn (then again who know's? Haha). May just be an odd South Central brand - I'll get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I do ;).
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DanaM and Calendargirl thanks for the info.tradrick
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Cowboy, I meant say buckthorn, not buckhorn. Looks like Rhamnus caroliniana.
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well cowboy what did you figure out? ??? red bay tree?
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Hehe, sorry Marie. I haven't had the time to dive into those sites yet - I will, promise ;D. My air card is dead at the moment, and dial up is killin me. I hate to comit to anything, but tomorrow I'll force myself to find that tree ;D. Thanks fer all the help so far all.
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if you have a scanner. I scanned some leaves on mine and it showed a lot of detail. I am confused that you are so busy you haven't had time to figure this out...what do you like work or something? ;D
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Don't have a scanner here. What, work? me? ;D. Only labor of love while I'm at the cassa - worked on some bows, this necklace thingy, and spent mojority of the day on Brazos river pickin flint - Oh yeah! what a peaceful day :).
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OK folks (drumroll) - I found it!! I think :-\. Ralph, I couldn't get your site to come up. Marie: In the enature.com site I found two that look almost Identical. One is a Lotebush/Graythorn/Texas Buckthorn - almost perfect match, cept is says up to 10' tall and I've seen em 20' ???. The other is a Common Privet, which looks identical and (they say) grows to 15'. Hmm, it's one of them - it sure ain't Chittamwood, found that one too and it's not even close. Maybe I'll do some more diggin later - thanks fer help all!! :)
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I saved part of the .pdf as a image see if this helps.
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That picture's not quite it Ralph, but after goin through all those pages (head spinning) I am now certain that it is one of Buckthorn's. I'm goin to settle with that, and looks like the old timers weren't all wrong using Chittum as slang or common name. Preciate the help :).
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That picture's not quite it Ralph, but after goin through all those pages (head spinning) I am now certain that it is one of Buckthorn's. I'm goin to settle with that, and looks like the old timers weren't all wrong using Chittum as slang or common name. Preciate the help :).
settle? settle? What you are settling? Thought you weren't s'posed to "settle" we need a "for sure!". Oh mailman brought pkg in mail for minicalendargirl. She will get it when she returns from the great state of Tx visiting her grandparents! First solo trip...dang goes by fast! :P
So the leaves didn't smell? i would think privet would have a shrubbier look. We have an ag place here that checks things for free...I bet there are some aggies that will help you out! Send 'em a clipping. ;D the enature site is pretty neat though isn't it.
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This is what Mirriam Webster has to say...
cascara+sagrada
One entry found for cascara sagrada.
Main Entry: cascara sa·gra·da
Pronunciation: -s-gräd-
Function: noun
: the dried bark of cascara buckthorn used as a mild laxative -- called also cascara, chittam bark
so chew on it for a while let us know if it works then you have your id! >:D
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Good ya got package - yep time keeps on tickin, this whole granddad thing don't feel right somehow :). That sounds like the simplest thing to do (mail a clipping to tha experts) put this thing ta rest. Laxative? no thank ya ;D.
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We call those black olive in Florida and they make good bows ,but you must let it dry at least 2 years without debarking it.