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This is more a record of absence than a useful note. I have been fascinated by Ptelea from a distance
for many years - strange foliage, curious fruits. A generally odd small tree. Trees and Shnrubs online describe the species as: " ...one of the most distinct of hardy trees, and it is interesting for its large crops of curious elm-like fruits which often strew the ground in its neighbourhood throughout the winter, the fleshy part of the wing having decayed and left the netted veins." Quite by chance I was offered a tiny sapling of the yellow leaved form and I thought it might be fun to try it under the shade of an old Field Maple where it could grow tall enough to survive once I felled the protective Acer. It's a fascinating plan and like so many fascinating plans it was felled by a passing rabbit in the night. Who would have believed that a shrub sometimes called the Golden Stinking Ash would be so tasty to the dear little bunnies. Well, it is no more. A plan worth trying again one day. Trees and shrubs online says: "Leaves yellow at first, later lime-green. Uncommon but very handsome. Raised in Germany at the end of the 19th century." Not a word about the bunnies! |
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| 12th September 2010 | ||