yes!

ken

Szukajcie, a znajdziecie...
Vyhledejte a naleznete...
Seek to find :))
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{{gwi:627629}}

It depends on the species. In Europe, Picea abies and Pinus mugo/uncinata/ . . . brooms are very common. That's why you see so many cultivars.

In Washington state, Pseudotsuga menziesii brooms are so common that I really don't give them a second glance. I think you just really have to have a knack for spotting them. My wife, for example, has spotted many more brooms than I have. Best advice I can give is to just get in the habit of always be looking up into the trees for something that seems more congested than it should be.

~Dave

was my font of knowledge helpful???

when i first started.. i found them in cemeteries ... in fact there is one 100 feet up in the brookside cem in tecumseh ...

and i just found a new one.. when i almost ran over some guy crossing a busy road fiddling with his camera.. instead of watching me.. i am like.. 'what the heck is he doing' .. and just on the other side willis and 23 was a broom hanging there.. i guess he gets credit for the broom.. and i get credit for not mowing down his PWA ...

why dont you try the adrian cemetery a few blocks from you at work .. been there a 100 years.. but i think its mostly deciduous ... look in old city parks also ... anywhere where a tree might have been hanging around mutating for 50 to 100 years ..... and not been cut down ...

if you find some in the next week.. GET THEM TO ME.. i am sending out scion ....

one of your problems.. discussed in a previous post.. is that the roads in our area.. are littered with 50 billion juniper. virg's .. lol ... and all the pines are dying ... so whats to look at???

ken

Here in the Carolinas and along the Blue Ridge Parkway, they are rare as hens teeth. During the warmer month, I am up in the mountains hiking the backcountry almost every weekend and haven't seen squat until I came across the rubens and pungens brooms. Seems like they are more prevalent in other parts of the country although still not hanging from every tree. Happy hunting.

Spent all day and nothing. Tomorrow I go again.

Dax

OMG!!!!!

hunting by computer .. crimminey ...

ROB .... glad you finally sucked it up.. and joined the party ... WELCOME ..

ken

thanks Ken! sure have enjoyed this forum and the people,tons of info and pics!
Rob

That is one dandy broom Rob. Very colorful, very dense, very fir! Looks to me to be balsam, but I won't say I know for certain without seeing the rest of the tree or a cone.

It's a stunner though.
If and when you harvest, do keep me in mind, please. I send scions to a lot of folks and will help anyone get plants back in return. Also, unless that broom is going to be reachable one time and you will not be able to get to it again, don't cut it all off. Cut off 1/3 or 1/2 or 3/4 but leave some for insurance should you need to come back for any reason(s). Use common sense (along these lines) in the future is what I'm trying to say to you.

Regards,

Dax

I found a Pseudotsuga menziesii in my driveway and have yet to spot another one out driving or hiking around here. I did spot a few up in Canada near Kelowna, BC. though.
Mike

I thought I saw a few when I drove through Bastrop State Park aka Lost Pine Forest in Central Texas but sadly it got extensive damage from wild fire a couple years ago. They're Loblolly pines.

Here is a link that might be useful: Re-foresting Bastrop State park by the millions over the years...

hey Dax, thanks! and thanks for pointing me in the right direction a month or so back,hats off to you and your info! as far as balsam fir? I would be excited. I was thinking I took photos of cones and thinking it was the 1st P.abies broom that I found?? I maybe on over load on the brain.LOL! can't go anywhere and not look for brooms or trying to ID conifers. I may go collect on saturday if my day goes as planed. I will take your advice,and anymore advice you want to throw my way. thanks again!
Rob

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

IshCountryGal, I am so new to this broom hunting that I have the same questions!I do know some brooms have a very healthy glow to them,some not so much! I also know I love the hunt,a very good feeling when you find what you are hunting for! I hope unprofessional is finding more brooms than he/she? can shake a pruning pole at!Blowing snow shut me down today!
Rob