Genetically Driven Bad Crotches

[jomoco]

There must be a scientific horticultural term for it?

 

Occurs in many species, like quercus, where every crotch throughout the entire tree has included bark, and the tell tale crack beneath it.

 

It's just a logical assumption that some or all the tree's off spring will express the same trait? That they don't seem anymore prone to crotch splitting branch failure fascinates me!

 

Any of you brainy horts know the proper terminology for this somewhat rare and obscure tree characteristic?

 

Thanks,

 

Jomoco

[MattyF]

There used to be (probably still is !) a street lined with raywood ash avenues that every time there was a storm most of the trees had damage so all the contractors would race to this street to get the clear up prices. All the trees must of been from the same clone or some thing as every one had included forks and was prone to failure..although does not answer your question.

[jomoco]

Going to the "included bark" pull to failure testing discussion of this report.

 

https://theses.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05122003-124617/unrestricted/Farrellthesis0610.pdf

 

A sizable number of included bark crotches tested to failure, did not fail along the inclusion section, but rather at a healthy wood to healthy wood fracture point!

 

Hinting that not every included bark crotch of an oak tree is necessarily weak/hazardous?

 

Jomoco

[treeseer]

No shorter term I know of; common in maple, these would be culls if found in a nursery that's professional and ethical.

[daltontrees]

There must be a scientific horticultural term for it?

 

Occurs in many species, like quercus, where every crotch throughout the entire tree has included bark, and the tell tale crack beneath it.

 

It's just a logical assumption that some or all the tree's off spring will express the same trait? That they don't seem anymore prone to crotch splitting branch failure fascinates me!

 

Any of you brainy horts know the proper terminology for this somewhat rare and obscure tree characteristic?

 

Thanks,

 

Jomoco

 

Here's food for thought.

 

I once had a small tree. Every spring, the terminal buds either got eaten as soon as they softened or got killed by late frosts. As a result, almost every union on it was codominant. It didn't live long enough for these to develop into included bark unions but that was inevitable.

[Fredward]

There used to be (probably still is !) a street lined with raywood ash avenues that every time there was a storm most of the trees had damage so all the contractors would race to this street to get the clear up prices. All the trees must of been from the same clone or some thing as every one had included forks and was prone to failure..although does not answer your question.

 

There is a property where I have worked which also has many Raywood Ash with a very high percengtage of included unions. We also see similar problems with Liquidambar, which most people attribute mainly to poor genetic stock throughout NZ. (virtually impossible to bring in plant matter these days)

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

The scientific name for a bad crotch is Tinea cruris.

[Gary Prentice]

More common in males, apparently.

[Marc]

I had heard there was a bad batch of London Plane - platanus X hispanica which originated from a nursery that grew its stock from cutting so all the trees were genetic clones.

Not sure if this is true or not

[Will Heal]

My missus has a bad crotch.

Don't worry, it rarely splits

 

 

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