Rare broom hunting (4)

11 years ago

We didn't only find seedling selections and mutations of Abies grandis, we also found some of Picea sitchensis.

Picea sitchensis 'Ceres'
This is a dwarf seeling selection with a yearly growing rate of 5 cm. (2 inches) {{gwi:660030}}

Picea sitchensis 'Filip's Golden Glory'
Found as a 5 year old seedling selection with yellow needles.
After taking this pic for colour comparison, I cut away some of it's neighbour's branches so it have more room for doing it's outgrow.
{{gwi:660034}}

Picea sitchensis 'White Water'
Found as a fairly young tree with variegated branches.
{{gwi:660038}}

Picea sitchensis 'Filip's Golden Lights'
A 7 year old lime coloured seedling selection which was found under a fallen tree.
I had to remove the branches which were standing in it's way to give it a healtier place to grow.
I'm very curious how it's colour will be in full daylight...
{{gwi:660042}}

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Comments (12)

liopleurodon
11 years ago
Great finds!

I like the yellow colour of 'Filip's Golden Lights'.
monkeytreeboy15
11 years ago
Edwin, are you and I the only ones introducing new cultivars of Picea sitchensis?

You certainly have done your part! Congratulations on the spectacular new finds.

The creamy variegated one is my favorite..

-Sam
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The subject of witches' brooms in conifers is intriguing. When talking about the frequency of brooms should we count only brooms from genetic mutations or should we include those resulting from infection? For example in the west, witches' brooms in Douglas-fir (and Abies) can result from parasitation by the Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe. For brooms resulting instead from bud (genetic) mutations, it would be unlikely for there to be more than one per tree. And the older the tree, the more likely a witches' broom (as ken and hungrymind suggest). Some things which would affect the frequency of genetic mutations in conifers are the rate of cell division and the characteristics of the genetic sequence itself, including its length and the arrangement of the genes. So mutation rates would differ between different conifer genera. I found one reference that estimates the mutation rate in Pinus about one tenth of that of Cupressaceae. If that's true, why are there so many mugo pine cultivars (as dave mentions)? Here are some questions: 1. Can an experienced coniferite usually tell brooms resulting from genetic mutations from those induced by disease/pests/parasites? 2. Are almost all witches' broom cultivars (the ones we buy) the result of bud mutations, and not of disease? 3. Are brooms resulting from infections always just a physiological response to the insult (like galls) or can the disease process ever trigger genetic mutations? Any comments? I'd love to know more about this. -m
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Rare broom hunting (2)
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Comments (15)
Thanks guys for your comments! Ken, I ment to say named after things out there in the solar system, I could find the right words ;0) There's also a "common broom hunting", this is when you're hunting brooms of the normal stuff like Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris. Dave, these are true Sitka brooms. You can see the blue silvery colour by watching the brooms hanging in the tree. The thing is that the underside of the Sitka needles are a blue silver, the upperside is always green... Believe me, they're sharp and pokey for sure :0) Erik found several this year and I think there are more to come for the next winter! Alex, you're right, both the brooms are showing a silvery blue colour in the outside light. Like said before, this is because we're looking to the underside of these brooms... Tommy, don't worry, more Dutch Sitka brooms will follow ;0) Denny, yeah that's what I'm saying. Some day when the earth will be hit by another meteorite again, these brooms will fly happily ever after in the universe :0) Now you mention this, the original brooms were looking like an UFO allready, ready to take off...
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Thanks Sam and Dax! May be the following info is news for the most of you, but this is one of the ways how new conifers will be availlable for you collectors. By spotting them first in the forests, later on the scion harvest will take place. Then they will get propagated, mostly by grafting. After this, the plants have to be watched for several years if they're simular in growth to the mother plant. If all is ok, these grafted specimens will function as motherplants for propagation in larger numbers, and 6 till 7 years later the first new plants are ready for the market. All together there's a long way to go before these will get availlable for you, but at the end all is worth the effort...
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Dax, This is much better than any other penitence in a medieval abbey. Maybe next year you will also start a cembra hunt. Zsolt
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coniferjoy
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Liop and Sam!

Sam, I guess it will be the tree of us (Erik included) who are introducing new cultivars of Picea sitchensis.

As you'll know, the whole project is fun, the spotting part, the collecting part, the propagating part, the naming part and to bring it into the trade.

I also found a short needle one, a real blue one and a weeping one of this species.
Unfortunately I had no photo camera with me at the moment when I had found them.

I hope the yellow one's will bring me an improved 'Bentham's Sunlight', one as beautiful which will not burn in full sun...
coniferjoy
Original Author
11 years ago
That same weekend we also found some other nice specimens of this species with shapes I never saw in the trade before:

Picea sitchensis 'Erik's Pillar'
A very narrow form with all it's branches growing upwards.
{{gwi:660048}}

Picea sitchensis 'Filip's Silver Falls'
This is a very pretty weeping form with a beautiful silver needle colour, unfortunately this isn't visuable at this photo.
{{gwi:660051}}

Picea sitchensis 'Foxy Lady'
A dense form with a foxtail needle setting.
{{gwi:660054}}
liopleurodon
11 years ago
Again great finds!

The foxtail needles of Picea sitchensis 'Foxy Lady' show its bicoloured needles very well.
I'm a big fan of those narrow and dense spruces, they still have a beautiful "christmas tree" form, while not getting too wide (and thus being suitable for smaller locations).
dietzjm
11 years ago
All are awesome finds, Edwin! Congrats to you and Erik. These specimens make me wish I could grow sitchensis reliably.

Matt
gardener365
11 years ago
Nice plants Edwin.

Dax
coniferjoy
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Liop, Matt and Dax!

Liop, you're right, the 'Erik's Pillar' and the 'Foxy Lady' will be very nice future conifers for the smaller garden.

Matt, is your climate to cold for having the bigger cultivars of this species?
Will the dwarf cultivars survive your winter better because they're covered with snow then?
unprofessional
11 years ago
Really nice. Picea sitchensis 'Foxy Lady' is my favorite, though 'White Water' is nice, too. What is the hardiness like for this species?
gardener365
11 years ago
That 'Foxy Lady' is driving me crazy! ;) If someone married the Eiffel Tower...... I choose her.

Dax
coniferjoy
Original Author
11 years ago
Jon, the preferred hardiness zones for the Alaska State Tree are 6-8.
{{gwi:641018}}
Here in The Netherlands we've zone 7, which is just in the middle and that's why it is feeling happy here in our forest.
We hope to find some other nice one's of this species in the near future...

Dax, you're right, the 'Foxy Lady' is a very atractive conifer which would wrap you around her fingers if she had the chance.
I do not know if marrying her is a good idea, she has a prickly mood occasionaly... ;0)
unprofessional
11 years ago
Arrrgh...it's tough to figure out coastal stuff, because winter temps can line up but the summer conditions are wildly different.

Rare broom hunting (4)

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