Tree reversion

[mort]

Hi all, couple of questions again about trees.

I have a Acer drummondii and its just leafed out this year and has one leaf that's a perfect half green and variagated form, this leaf was exactly the same las year as well. I know this is a part reversion as the tree is the variagated form. When parts revert we are supposed to prune this off to maintain the new varient but I wasn't fussed so left it last year and the new leaf has come out this year as the half and half. So is it simply a mutation in the leaf bud which will continue to produce the same characteristic year on year.

The other question is I pass a horse chestnut walking the dog and it's surrounded by native white/cream flowered chestnuts and a couple of the pink species, which I believe is a hybrid. This tree has half white and half red flowers with one clearly defined trunk. So my question, is it likely that half the tree has simply reverted back to its natural form rather than say two individual trees the gave grown into each other.

TIA

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

So is it simply a mutation in the leaf bud which will continue to produce the same characteristic year on year.

I don't know specifically about Acer platinoides "Drummondii", but most often variegated trees <"are chimera">, and this case is almost certainly a "sectorial chimera". From what I remember A. plantanoides "Drummondi" is fairly prone to strange reversions.

We used to have quite a large tree of <+"Laburnocytisus adamii"> at work, which was a bizarre thing.

I couldn't find an image for "Norway Maple", but this a sectorial chimera of "Sycamore" (A. pseudoplatanus): from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Plant_chimaeras>.

a couple of the pink species, which I believe is a hybrid

If they are tree sized they are a hybrid, Aesculus × carnea "Briotti".

This tree has half white and half red flowers with one clearly defined trunk. So my question, is it likely that half the tree has simply reverted back to its natural form rather than say two individual trees the gave grown into each other.

Two trees would be my guess (but it is a guess), which grafted themselves together when they were very young.

cheers Darrel

 

[mort]

Thanks Darrel thats really interesting. The leaf that shows the best symmetrical variation is a little high up but this one is close albeit only recently opened and not coloured up strongly yet. I guess it's a stable mutation (perhaps not the correct word) in each leaf that surprises me as they have come back the same/very similar as last year.

I've passed the horse chestnuts for years and every spring wondered why it's two tone. It actually looks pretty stunning. I'll have a closer look at the trunk tomorrow to see if it holds any clues.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

only recently opened and not coloured up strongly yet. I guess it's a stable mutation (perhaps not the correct word) in each leaf that surprises me as they have come back the same/very similar as last year.

It will be because the leaf bud lies on the junction of the two genetically distinct cell lines.

You can see what effect this has more easily with a flower, this is +Laburnocytisus adamii

Looking at the Acer leaf it looks likely that it is a three plant <"(periclinal) chimera"> (like Dracaena deremensis "Warneckii") with the plain green plant, a mutation with less chlorophyll and one without any chlorophyll at all.

cheers Darrel

 

[mort]

thanks Darrel

 

[mort]

Took a couple of bad pics this morning where it's hard to see the flowers but the front third of the tree is white and back two thirds red/pink

The trunk shows the large white flower branch going right and the rest of the tree is the red, so I think it is two trees that have grown in together. Fluffy go for scale.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

The trunk shows the large white flower branch going right and the rest of the tree is the red, so I think it is two trees that have grown in together

Could be, although that one looks more like a graft, where an Aesculus x carnea scion has been top-grafted (at head height) onto a seed grown Aesculus hippocastanum rootstock.

I'd assumed that Aesculus x carnea was usually seed grown, and I'm not sure why you would top graft one (grafts are usually done near ground level), but Aesculus genus trees are easy to graft

What has happened subsequently is that a dormant bud on the stock has grown out, and that is the white flowered branch. The rest of the tree is the scion. You tend to get this a lot with top grafted trees (really common on Japanese flowering cherries) and you usually have to go around and prune off the shoots, and root suckers from the stock, for a couple of years after grafting.

You can also get "Family Apple Trees", where more than one variety is top-grafted onto a stock. This one is <"Queen Cox, Greensleeves and Fiesta">. These tend to suffer from un-even growth over time, which is what you can see in your Horse-chestnut tree, the stock is doing better than the scion.

I've got a "Corkscrew" Hazel (Corylus avellana "Contorta") <"in the garden">, which must be a graft, and that suckers (from the root) pretty freely.

cheers Darrel

 

[mort]

It's hard to tell from the picture but the trunk has a defined figure of 8 cross section. I also can't figure out why, like you say, anyone would graft it there, especially considering its just a park tree. The other chestnuts around it are mature 20-30m sized trees so I'm not certain if this was deliberately planted. Unfortunately they all suffer from leaf blotch in the summer.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

but the trunk has a defined figure of 8 cross section

Back to two trees that self grafted at an early age.

Unfortunately they all suffer from leaf blotch in the summer.

The Horse-Chestnut Leaf Miner (<"Cameraria ohridella">)? You tend to <"get less of it"> on Aesculus x carnea

I'm predicting this will become less of an epidemic over the next few years.

cheers Darrel