ID help.

[jamesrobertsmith]

A friend sent me this photo of a tree he needs to have identified. (That's my pal up in the tree.) Not the bamboo around the tree. He said the tree had very smooth bark. He doesn't have any photos of the leaves, so identifying it will be a stretch, I guess. Photos taken near Greensboro, NC.


Mark up in the tree.


Blurry detail of the very smooth brown bark.

[Rand]

The knobby appearance of the trunk/shed branch stubbs makes me think of sugarberry, but without seeing the leaves or better pictures of the trunk, it is more of a hunch than anything.

[Will Blozan]

First glance suggests red maple. Get some leaves next time ;)

[jamesrobertsmith]

Mark says that despite the appearances (green leaves from the bamboo) this was early March and the tree actually had not leafed out yet. It's driving him crazy that he can't ID it. I'll see if I can get him to return to the spot and snap a photo of some leaves.

[Chris]

I like Red Maple, but the bark on number two makes me think of a magnolia.

[PAwildernessadvocate]

Aren't magnolias an evergreen species though?

[Steve Galehouse]

Since the bamboo is obviously introduced, perhaps the tree is as well---it night be Ailanthus, Tree-of-heaven.

[PAwildernessadvocate]

Good call Steve, might be Ailanthus. James, ask Mark if the tree stunk like rancid peanut butter!