A Little Help with Tree Identification

[vchacon]

Hi All,

I have a variety of trees and shrubs on my property. I have prickly pear cactus, lemon trees, orange trees, an olive tree, peach tree, some other fruit tree (squirrels love) and bamboo.

but I'm unsure of some of the other trees.

If some others with more identification knowledge wouldn't mind helping out please see below. I'm going to have some prunning done but was wondering what these were and if any of the ones below may be good for a bow drill?

[Located in Southern California, Los Angeles suburbs]

Tree 1: Birch or Balsam Poplar or ???

Tree 2: Laurel???

Tree 3: Sweet Gum (Witch Hazel)

Tree 4: (Bush) ???

 

[hoopster]

Might help to tell us where you're located. #1 looks more like a poplar or cottonwood than birch, based on the bark. #3 definitely looks like a sweet gum to me.

 

[vchacon]

Yeah good point hoopster. I'm in Southern California.

 

[Oakietree]

The top one looks like a ficus.

Google ficus tree and see if the images match.

Matt

 

[vchacon]

The top one looks like a ficus.

Google ficus tree and see if the images match.

Matt

The leaves seem to match some of the pictures of a ficus. The bark, to me, looked a little different but not enough to say it isn't a ficus.

Thanks Again.

 

[cheekser]

I'd say #2 looks like an Ash (Fraxinus) of some type.

#3 could be a Castor-Aralia (Kalopanax pictus). are there any spines/thorns on the branches?

 

[cheekser]

just a thought regarding tree #1, the leaves appear to be lanceolate in shape, where as the Genus Populus tends to show deltoid or cordate-shaped leaves. But it could very well be a narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia)

 

[vchacon]

I'll google some pictures of Ash and see if I can compare the leaves for tree #2.

Thanks cheekser.

Any other input would be appreciated