I saw this tree out in the woods today with this pretty wild-looking canker. I know it’s normal for trees to grow around injuries, but any guesses as to what happened to result in a growth that looks like it’s hanging like this?
by froggytime_
Botany
5 Comments
Wildshape is wearing off or that’s an ent
First off WoW.
But really maybe a point grafting? Another tree grew into it and was absorbed? Or even just an unclean brake of a branch that healed weird. Pretty cool.
Whiskey.
Does kind of look like a branch got pinned down but kept growing for a while. Maybe the surviving side shoots eventually got shaded out, and the trunk is still trying to heal it over.
Oaks in heavily grazed or browsed woodlots will develop all sorts of strange forms, as there can be multiple stems growing from the same root stock, which later on merge and head for the canopy together. I find it tough to visualize how that process would lead to this shape. You do often see lines in the bark that indicate self grafting, like in the upper part of the second photo.
ED.