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dietzjm

Picea mariana 'Eagle Creek'

dietzjm
12 years ago

Hey guys,

I was walking around our property in northern Wisconsin today and found an awesome Picea mariana that was situated at the edge of a swamp overlooking Eagle Creek. The tree is about 4 feet tall and it appears to grow about 3 inches a year. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Without flash:

{{gwi:635581}}

With flash:

{{gwi:635584}}

Close up of the light blue-green needles:

{{gwi:635587}}

What do you all think? I'd like to get it grafted but I've never done it before.

Matt

Comments (27)

  • firefightergardener
    12 years ago

    An instant classic. You'll do well to propogate it, observe and then hopefully name/register it someday.

  • dietzjm
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    This is on most of the lower branches. Any ideas as to what it could be?

    {{gwi:635590}}

    {{gwi:635594}}

    How do I go about getting it grafted? Should I send it to somebody?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    12 years ago

    it looks so fake... otherwise.. way cool form ...

    pollen sacks???

    ken

  • fotisr
    12 years ago

    Absolutely AMAZING form! I could certainly find a place in my garden for this! When Edwin comes back from the US, he will be astonished with this find! Please get it propagated so, maybe in 3-4 years, we could have it in Europe as well...

    Best regards,
    Fotis

  • harv2016
    12 years ago

    Picea mariana is one of my favorite spuce groups but so few cultivars compared to pungens and abies. This plant would be a welcome addition.

  • Cher
    12 years ago

    Great looking conifer. I'd love to have something like that with it being so slow growing. Why don't you talk to Dax about doing some grafts on it for you? Hopefully he responds and you two can get together to discuss it.
    Cher

  • kbguess
    12 years ago

    Nice! I know Dax is propagating this winter. I am as well. If you want to send some scion wood my way in early to mid-March, I'd be happy to try for you. You can email me at kb_guess@yahoo.com

    Dennis Dodge is an expert an could probably help you out. You can find his email by googling bethlehem nursery

    Keith

  • gardener365
    12 years ago

    Would love scions!
    I know Jason Hupp & as noted Dennis Dodge as well as a few other friends would also be interested.
    Please send me an email, Matt.

    Don't know what that stuff is on the lower branches. Please write!!!!!!

    Dax

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    12 years ago

    still looks like a Christmas tree stuck in the ground

    you're messin with us.. arent you

    ken

  • dietzjm
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Its real alright, Ken- haha! I don't have enough time on my hands to devise plans to mess with you!

    Thanks guys, emails sent!

  • sluice
    12 years ago

    Wow, super find!

    Looks like northern Wisconsin has some real beauties! (and maybe more to be found in the future)

    Not sure what the unusual growth is on the lower branches. If it's an infection of some sort, then hopefully it's nothing that will be carried over to a grafted scion, or that's causing the form of this tree.

    Looking forward to see how this one turns out!!

  • PRO
    David Olszyk, President, American Conifer Society
    12 years ago

    Hi Matt,

    Henk and Edwin are on their way to Michigan tomorrow -- meeting with Gary Gee and I believe our own Ken Adrian. They're supposed to be going broom hunting somewhere in Michigan. I witnessed the guys collecting a sackful of scion wood at Coenosium Gardens. Matt, there may be a possibility of overnighting them some wood so Fotis can have his specimen.

    I realize that I'm late to the party, but if there are any scions left, I'd really like a few, myself. I can trade things. Please email me.

    ~Dave

  • whaas_5a
    12 years ago

    Very nice! Be sure to put fencing around it just in case!

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    12 years ago

    Great find!

    Looks like that growth is on the stems and needles, is that right?
    Did you collect any of it to examine under a lens?

    tj

  • sprucebud
    12 years ago

    Good luck with the propagation. That is a very neat and pleasing form!
    Richard

  • ladylotus
    12 years ago

    Oh that is one beautiful tree. What a beautiful find you made. I would grow this one also. I love the compact form and short needles. I hope everyone gets it grafted.

    I went out looking for witch's brooms on Sunday morning and did not fnd one. Course, there are not many trees in ND. LOL I will try again this weekend.

    Thanks for posting the photo.

  • salicaceae
    12 years ago

    Sorry to rain on the parade, but that is a witches broom infected with eastern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum). It has caused the unusual growth and will kill the tree eventually. There is no point in propagating it if it can even be done.

  • dcsteg
    12 years ago

    So much for the parade.

    Looked to good to be true.

    Dave

  • whaas_5a
    12 years ago

    Out of curioustiy why can't you propogate the non-infected shoots?

    Matt,

    Probably confirm the disease with the local ext. office before anything.

  • baxswoh
    12 years ago

    If it's not a disease then it's an insect. What's the world coming to? Is no plant safe?

  • dietzjm
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I took it to the forestry department in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to get it checked out this morning. They knew what it was right away and said it is indeed eastern dwarf misteltoe. The professor said that it is the cause of many witches brooms found in northern Wisconsin, and the northeast portion of the country in general. Externally, he could only find it on the bottom branches. He thinks that it hasn't yet spread to the top of the plant. He took some slices of branches from the upper portions to look under a microscope and saw no pathological evidence of it there, confirming it has not already spread internally on the plant.
    I'll leave it up to the grafters to decide.
    Matt

  • salicaceae
    12 years ago

    If you propagate a non-infected shoot, it will revert. The abnormal growth is due to hormonal changes that are induced by the mistletoe (a parasitic plant, not a pathogen per se). Thus, even though you may not physically find the mistletoe in certain shoots, the abnormal growth pattern is due to its presence. I am a professor of forest pathology and have seen thousands of witches brooms caused by mistletoe on many conifer species around the world. You can even find them on tamarack! Another witches broom occurs on Abies balsamea that is caused by a rust fungus and causes the broom to be deciduous! I find them to be very interesting.

  • dietzjm
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Cool, thanks for the information, salicaceae. If DEM causes so many witches brooms, why is it that most brooms are stable once grafted? Are only the brooms that aren't caused by DEM stable?

    Matt

  • salicaceae
    12 years ago

    Many WB are in fact due to mutations and are stable. DEM brooms are totally different being caused by a parasite. Usually, they don't look as healthy as yours, so they are probably ignored by broom hunters. Keep an eye on yours, there is a slim chance that the tree itself is a mutant that happens to also be infected with DEM. Thus, it can't hurt trying to propagate non-infected stems. Just don't expect much. Good luck! BTW, I am very jealous that you own property with a black spruce bog on it! I lived in MN and always wanted to buy my own bog to play in. Now, I have a southern hardwood hammock instead.

  • gardener365
    12 years ago

    Thanks salicaceae for all that insightful information. When you said "Good luck!" I know that's exactly what you meant.

    I want to point out two more things that still make this seedling find worthwhile and they cross paths.

    1) The color. Very pleasing. Very good.
    2) A reversion showing the same color.

    {{gwi:635597}}

    And final questions, does the reversion have EDM (do you know Matt)? Might that be the most-important dwarf-branch to propagate? It's reverting slowly - something that doesn't jive with me because speed-growth-rates of reversions are faster than the "dwarf plant." Then again, it could all be the germ which is very clear I do not know squat about.

    Professor Sal!?!!!!!

    Dax

  • mirek_l
    10 years ago

    Arceuthobium pusillum is doing well. :) Do not kill ...
    Two years:
    {{gwi:635600}}

  • dietzjm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Mirek,

    I'm not sure how you received this but your plant is very obviously infected with Eastern Dwarf Misteltoe. Please destroy it before it spreads to other plants. All the plants of this c.v. in the US eventually showed signs of infection and were destroyed. If it weren't for the EDM, it would be a cool conifer.

    Matt

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