Have you ever seen this before?

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

Hunting with my brother in November we came across this growth on the end of a branch of a pine tree. Neither of us had ever seen a conglomeration like this before, and now that I remember to post it I wonder if anybody else has seen one of these. We plan on going out to collect and dissect it this year, and to see if anything else like it is out there (possible standing fatwood??). I assume it is related to a disease/insect/ fungal infection (rest of the tree looked healthy).

Underside:

So that there is some WSS content- if we could not have started the fire, how could we survive drinking cold cider????

Actually the first time using these cups directly on the fire and with the v-frame fire as we decided to try new techniques.

 

[Toucan Oasis]

Never seen that before. Do you have a Geiger counter handy ?

 

[oldman/Marty]

It is called a Witch's Broom. It is a deformity of a wooded shrub or tree usually caused by insects but can be caused by other sources. It is quite common. I find them mostly on Service Berry, June Berry or Shad Plum Trees.
Oldman/Marty Simon

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Great Photos Bro....

Never saw one before

 

[Tuxdad]

That's an interesting one !! Never seen anything like that before.. Kinda looks like a nest almost at first sight....

 

[DrivebyTrucker]

very cool looking thanks for sharing.

 

[jw2n]

I would not eat that if I were you!

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I would not eat that if I were you!

Wussie!!!

 

[brians]

Are those the enamel-ware cups? I've never tried putting those directly on a fire. How did they perform?

 

[TheGame]

Nothing like that around my parts. It is quite interesting, though. Thanks for posting :thumbup:

 

[dawsonbob]

I ain't never seen the like in all my born days.

If you can locate it again, and cut it open, take some pics. Could be interesting.

 

[Skimo]

Saw those things all the time, usually closer to the tree, not on branches.

cut open it looks like mangled gnarly shrub.

 

[BarberFobic1992]

Never seen that before. Do you have a Geiger counter handy ?

This made me laugh alot

 

[GRIM 62]

That's odd,to say the least!I don't think Iv'e ever ran across one of those.

 

[VTguy]

It is called a Witch's Broom. It is a deformity of a wooded shrub or tree usually caused by insects but can be caused by other sources. It is quite common. I find them mostly on Service Berry, June Berry or Shad Plum Trees.
Oldman/Marty Simon

yep that was my impression too!!
Man I forget how young many of the poster on this forum are!!! your making me feel old

 

[99f250]

Don't touch it, probably full of killer bees!

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

Don't touch it, probably full of killer bees!

IF there are killer bees this far north we are all doomed- forget the zombies. A couple of weeks ago we were the second coldest city on the planet- if they survive our winter there is no stopping them.

Are those the enamel-ware cups? I've never tried putting those directly on a fire. How did they perform?

We had never tried them before either directly on the coals and it worked really well. The handles stayed cool if away from the fire, and the soot scrubbed off to bush satisfaction with some sand and cowshit water :barf: (washed much better once back at the farm trust me)

Never seen that before. Do you have a Geiger counter handy ?

Actually not that far fetched- just after I broke my legs 2 years ago there was a meteorite strike in the vicinity that experts said was worth around $2 million for the landowner whose property it fell on. This was my first chance to hit the bush since then and we do plan more trips to see if see can find anything ( this was in what I was told is around 20 000 acres of crown land.


We are definately going to go back for it and in the meantime I'll look into witches broom (although it has nothing to do with our age- all of the oldtimers I've shown it to or described it have not heard of it- is the term a regional one??).

 

[Mossyhorn]

Yes that is a witches broom. A lot of unusual cutivated varieties of plants are discovered by taking cuttings of witches brooms and grafting them onto seedlings.That would make for a very unusual plant indeed. It could never be duplicated using the seeds. Then it would revert back to the normal characteristics of the tree you took it from.

 

[Evolute]

Please leave it be, rather than dissecting it. They usually serve as a day roost for small birds.

 

[oldman/Marty]

We are definately going to go back for it and in the meantime I'll look into witches broom (although it has nothing to do with our age- all of the oldtimers I've shown it to or described it have not heard of it- is the term a regional one??).

In my lifelong study of plants and trees, I have traveled to most every state and everywhere I have gone it was always called witches broom.
Oldman/Marty