LOL! wow that is neat! No idea what it is though.

Take some scion wood lol.

Going by the fruiting structures, something in the family Proteaceae, maybe a Grevillea. Where is it? If in Montreal, I presume under glass?

Resin

I didn't take scion wood, but did pick up a few of the seed pods: here's a couple of photos of them, with a pen and cedrus cones for size comparison....

{{gwi:637442}}

{{gwi:637443}}

Those would be cypress cones rather than true cedar.

Sorry about the error (dyslexic) -- those cones are in fact from a Cupressus guadalupensis, according to the name plate:

{{gwi:637446}}

{{gwi:637447}}

That is simply too cool. I want one whatever it is. The fact that resin did not put a name on it is says something in itself.
-Werner J Stiegler
www.binghamtonmemorialtree.webs.com

Which collection is the cypress tree shown growing in?

The cypress is in Quail BG., in Encinitas, north of San Diego.
The mystery UPO is in an area adjacent to the Nicholas T. Mirov Conifer Arboritum, which is part of the Wild Animal Park, located near Escondido, east of San Diego.
I will make a separate post with more photos soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Animal Park's Conifer Forest

I just received a reply from the Lead Gardener at the park.

Here's what he writes:

"I am pretty sure that the shrub that you ran across is Calothamnus quadrifidus or "One sided net bush". It is native to Australia and is a member of the Myrtaceae, as you probably surmised. We planted o a number of companion shrubs in the protea garden and this is one that would have been planted in the Australian part of the Garden. I can't be 100% sure until it flowers (late winter to early spring) but I will try to pay attention and follow up if I am wrong. There are a number of species available in the nursery trade (I think ours came from San Marcos Growers) and quadrifidus was one that we planted in a number of locations.color>"

Thanks again for the reply, Robert.

Yeah you gotta watch out for those Australian guys. Many of them look soooo much like conifers it's very strange. Their morphology must have something to do with AUstralia's very dry climate. I've been faked out MANY times, seeing something from afar, then running up to it like an over-excited idiot and realizing it's an angiosperm. Perhaps the biggest fake-out for me were the casaurinas and allocasaurinas. Very cool trees, some of them came up like weeds in the toxic-as-h*ll trainyard in oakland, but they are certainly NOT conifers, though they look so much like some sort of sub-tropical weeping pine. And their fruits look much line cones, but indeed are not.

There's a good number of other australian species that resemble conifers, but then you'll see a bright red hairy flower poking out or some other such thing on them and I have to say, with no offense to the plants in question, that it's a big disappointment...

"I've been faked out MANY times, seeing something from afar, then running up to it like an over-excited idiot and realizing it's an angiosperm.color>"

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,...... that's just hilarious - thanks!

By the way, having obtained the correct plant name, I went Googling for images.

Its absolutely uncanny how much that Calothamnus quadrifidus looks like a conifer - until you get to the flowers.
They've even come up with a grey form, that looks like it wants to be a Colorado spruce relative.
Check out the photo at the link below....

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:637439}}

Poor man's conifer...

Dave

"Poor man's conifer... color>"

....or how about winter indoor conifer ?

...bet you it does a lot better indoors, than a Norfolk pine.
Its from S-W Australia, after all.