By the time Ironwood (Hophornbeam) gets that large, it has thin scaly bark. And it's fruit isn't a nut.
He already said no to hickory on the last page, or I would have guessed it for a go at the walnut syrup. Did anyone guess black walnut? Common nuts I can think of in Ontario are beech, hickory, walnut, butternut (becoming endangered).
Missed that. Oh well. I can't think of any other nut trees with smooth bark that are common in the northeast US and southeastern Canada.
I've never seen witch hazel grow as anything other than a shrub. And it isn't native to Ontario and Quebec. Too cold.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_caroliniana "Fruit: Clusters of involucres, hanging from the ends of leafy branches. Each involucre slightly incloses a small oval nut."
Yes...well, guess all trees have a nut of some form. SMALL is the key here. I don't think anyone would describe the fruit of an Ironwood as a nut, but maybe I am wrong. I sure wouldn't, and I have many hundred Ironwoods on my property. One of my favorite trees. My grandmother's property, a few miles away on the lake, is "Ironwoods".
Sorry to come in later here Wishlist. Is that pignut hickory? At first I wanted to say it was an ash that had rotted at the root and tipped the tree over. You did very well to get that much syrup. I just feel bad that I was not able to get over during syrup time. I knew you were retiring and again, congratulations.
Bingo! Congrats bassjam. Yes , it's ironwood and the fruit is considered a nut. PM me your address and I'll send you a quart of maple syrup with the bonus of some black walnut syrup. Good job! I'll be cutting it up , stuff is heavy even after its seasoned. Thanks again everyone for the congrats on retiring. Dennis, I'm a tad disappointed . I had you at 2 to 1 odds of getting it .
