Tree ID help

[therealdbeau]

Hello, I’d appreciate if someone was able to tell me what kind of tree this is. I haven’t seen it anywhere else in my property so I’m a bit baffled (maybe because it is so young). It’s only about 15 feet tall. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Water Oak?

 

[CincyBurner]

black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
OP's pic depicts tree that is flowering. Compare with flowers in link - ncsu nyssa sylvatica .
Blackgum is very tough to split, but has great fall color.

 

[begreen]

Black gum has distinctly pointed leaf tips, alternating up the stem and I think it has a less ridged bark.

The tree shown has more rounded leaves, almost lobed and a characteristic deeply ridged bark. I could be off on the water oak call however. Though the leaves in the tree form on the end of the petiole. The early flowers look like this.


And the water oak leaves look like this.


A stong clue would be if there are any acorns on the ground. Assuming the squirrels haven't grabbed them already.

 

[CincyBurner]

My initial thinking too was that it looked like water oak (or laurel leafed oak)
. . . until I saw flowers.
Agree that leaves are uncharacteristic for typical black gum, but its early - leaves are still expanding, pics could be focusing in on odd ball leaves, .
Also, black gum can have obovate shaped leaves. "Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, oblong to obovate in shape with an entire margin," VT Dendro blackgum

 

[CincyBurner]

. . . and oaks (monoecious) are putting out catkins (male flowers with pollen) this time of year - See post #4, second pic.

 

[Takenname_7]

Are you in the piedmont n blue ridge of NC? I'd wager sourwood. Edit see VA. Yes my vote is sourwood. Burns hot. Coals leave a very "dirty" looking ash ,tinted brown.

 

[CincyBurner]

I didn't consider sourwood ( Oxydendrum arboreum). We had a small one in front yard when I was growing up.

It's an interesting, underutilized native tree for the landscape with great fall color, but it's difficult to transplant and to get established. It won't tolerate compacted, high pH soils. Best to plant small B&B or container in well-drained, neutral pH soils.​

When comparing and contrasting between the two species - I think looking at flower morphology is key to distinguishing between between sourwood and black gum.
According to VT Dendro site:

• blackgum has flowers/ fruit "not showy, light green in color, in clusters hanging from slender stalks, appearing with the leaves".
  • VT Dendro blackgum
• sourwood has flowers/ fruit "1/4 inch long, urn-shaped, borne on drooping panicles, reminiscent of lily-of-the-valley flowers, appear in mid-summer ".
  • VT Dendro sourwood

I'm sticking with blackgum.

 

[CincyBurner]

. . . VT Dendro also mentions that sourwood leaf is very finely serrate to ciliate ...
I never noticed that before on sourwood. You learn something new each day.