...MUSTARD-YELLOW HEARTWOOD
Tuesday, 7:30 AM. 61 degrees F, wind calm. The sky is overcast and it rained some last night. The humidity is 95% and the barometer is steady at 29,67". It looks like it will be la damp day.
We are off to Duluth to take Leslie and Allison to the airport shuttle to Minneapolis this morning. Buddy got to stay at Blue Ribbon Kennels in Ashland last night and we will pick him up on our way back. We decided to take this opportunity to get him used to staying there, as we have to leave him for an extended stay next weekend when we attend a wedding in Milwaukee. We don't want to take the chance of him developing separation anxiety, which can be very hard to address in a dog. It can lead to all sorts of problems, such as excessive barking and destructive behavior when left somewhere, even in a vehicle. The dog so afflicted evidently feels he is being abandoned by his family and acts out in various ways.
The American smoke tree, Cotinus obovatus, in the cashew (Anacardiaceae) family, is an unusual large shrub or small tree closely related to the sumacs. It is native to the southeastern US and has a European counterpart, C. coggygria. It is hardy in the northern states. It is planted for its unusual, filmy flower and seed heads, which look like "smoke" when in full bloom or seed. The species also has a very nice yellow to orange fall color, Its leaves are distinct in size and shape and it has an unusual, mustard-yellow heartwood. The cut branches exude a strong, rather medicinal odor. There are a number of horticultural varieties of both species that have purple leaves and flowers.
The American smoke tree is an oddity and I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it or write about it except that for years it has been a give-away plant by the National Arbor Day Foundation and pops up all over, and then it's identity often becomes a mystery.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment