Please help identify this shrub, also, dead or alive?

last year

last modified: last year

We just moved to this property in winter and noticed that this shrub/ tree has not shed its dead leaves. They are still up now ( beg. May ), so can we safely assume that it is dead, whatever it is ? There is a split trunk, one part of it is in very bad condition. There seem to be lots of little spiky thinks on the ends, almost look like rolled up new leaves, but this is how it looked three weeks ago, and not much has changed since then

Summer update: It is indeed a very healthy tree ! See a July picture below ! Just have to prune it now...

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

last year

welcome to the forums....

include your big city location in every post .....it matters for timing of spring in this case ....

most of us recommend just observing your new garden for a year.. before you make any decisions on what stays or goes.. or is even dead.. a couple weeks isnt enough time ...

be patient ... hopefully you will find all kinds of neat stuff....

ken

Comments (12)

NHBabs z4b-5a NH
last year
It is a beech, and young beeches can hold onto their leaves until new leaves push out, and IME beech leaves push out later than many. This is a beautiful tree, and I very much doubt that it is dead.
doriswk thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
^^^ What she said :-)) There is a beech hedge at a property not far from me and even in my very mild winter climate, it looks exactly like the plant in the photo.
doriswk thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
Related Discussions
Please help identify this (dead) plant...
Q
Comments (2)
Oh, of course! I knew it seemed familiar. The datura species I have grown (which I believe to be D. metal) had light brown or tan seeds that were a bit more textured and irregularly shaped than these. I always cut it back before it browned out like this one. The spikes on the fruits were also not as long or sharp as these. Anyone who knows the particular characteristics of the seeds/pods by species?
...See More
Please help identify the attractive shrub with multi- color fruit
Q
Comments (3)
Hi, Just for interest sake -- I have this plant growing at home as well. I find that in winter it looks like its been thru a shredder but come the warmer months it bounces back to form a beautifully rounded bush. Around here (in Sydney Aust.) both crows and what we call currawongs (another bird) love eating the berry and I suspect that it is how the seeds may disperse. The fallen fruit will also produce seedlings where it drops -- these can be easily transplanted and grown on. Ted PS: Kids love to see how far they can roll the fruit down the driveway !!
...See More
Please help me identify this shrub
Q
Comments (9)
i call it sedum ... and the usual standard is autumn joy, though there are variations on the theme .. never fert it.. it probably never needs water ... and it could be broken into about 100 pieces that would probably all live ... and its an incredible bee magnet ... ken https://www.google.com/search?q=autumn+joy+sedum&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI_6C926XtxgIVgp6ACh3PYwzM&biw=903&bih=745&dpr=0.9
...See More
Can anyone PLEASE help me identify this "shrub"?
Q
Comments (2)
Looks like current to me too. Most likely alpine current which is grown for an ornamental use unless someone planted a current variety there for the fruit (like Red lake, rovada ect) which make mighty fine current jelly.
...See More
doriswk
Original Author
last year
Oh, thank you both, I am so excited! It's alive ! I just googled beech trees and got confirmation about their habit. Great to know.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
The spikey things are leaf buds. If you tear one open you’ll find green. That’s one way to find out if something is alive. Another method is to try to snap a twig by bending. Easy if the twig is dead. If it’s alive it’ll just bend. Both these methods are more reliable than scraping bark and looking for green imo.
woodrose
last year
I don't know anything about Beech trees, but I would have thought it was dead, too. It doesn't matter where you live or how long you've lived there, it would still look dead to me! I'm happy for you that there's a chance it's going to be okay.
ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
last year
That's a European Beech, too (Fagus sylvatica).

I would invest in a qualified and ISA certified arborist to give you a consult on that tree, for its long term care. From your pictures, it appears to have a tortured root conformation around the base of the trunk, and some obvious sunken/dead places on the trunk.

There could very well be some corrective action taken that could alter and extend the life of this plant, which is a great species to have in a landscape where it will have ample room to reach its large mature size.
doriswk thanked ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
last modified: last year
There is more than just a chance it’s going to be OK. Young beech growth, such as is permanently present in a regularly cut hedge, always retains foliage in winter. This is an example of marcescence. Indeed that is one of the main reasons why it is used frequently for hedges. Hornbeam does the same. That tree is alive and well and acting naturally.

Beech hedge in March. Beginning to lose leaves as new buds swell.
doriswk
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Great, thank you all. I gather from the comments here that this is an alive beech tree, however with some problems in the trunk. ( That was actually why we thought that it had died). As one can see in the third last and the second last pics, the trunk on the left has smooth bark and is relatively straight, whereas the trunk on the right seems twisted and the bark is rough and it appears to be split. We are in zone 5, outside of Toronto, On, Canada
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
I wouldn’t worry about the gnarly trunk contortions. Beech will do that if hacked about. This isn’t a tree that’s going to fall on your house, provided you keep pruning it. However, since it is neither a proper hedge nor a specimen tree, it’s a curious choice of species for a shrub border.
charles kidder
last year
Regardless if the tree will be fine. Are you sure you want a tree that can grow huge that close to your house? Seems like it might become a headache in a few decades.
doriswk
Original Author
last year
The tree was planted by the previous owners, it is our first spring here and as vegetation starts to wake up again we are slowly learning what we actually have here. Good to know that this tree should be pruned or else it will grow out of hand, not good since it is on the border of a very large gazebo adjacent to the house. Would pruning be best late fall or early spring? I assume it is too late for this year ? Just noticed today that some of the top leave buds are turning silvery.