great pic.. thx...

even the slower growing ones.. dont stay small forever ...

any idea how old it is???

ken

I have 2 in front yard,,,don';t seem to grow more than 3in. per yr.

ron

thanks for the pic

here's my small one

It's located at Beckelhaupt (sp?) arboretum in Iowa. Would the first date on the tag indicate it was planted in '91?

Zsolt, I'll send you an email.

That's correct, Bob, 1991. 164 is the bed where it's located.

Dax

Dax ~ I know you've seen this one. Can't you see it from your front porch?

Ron ~ Just think, in roughly 25 years it will look like the Bickelhaupt specimen. :)

Speaking of P. resinosa and growth rates, this tree has the most uniform growth rate of any tree I've observed. This is strictly on personal observation, but it seems to grow 12"-16" very consistently. P. strobus, which around here is commonly seen with Red Pine, will show much more year-to-year growth variation.

Hi Bob,

Pinus resinosa has less genetic variation than just about any tree if not any tree. I recall Resin saying that. Basically (and I don't know how DNA or Genes differentiate a species) but if one were to take that kind of data from any Pinus resinosa on earth... it might be too similar to find any variation/"whatever you call it." That seems to fit in to your observation of growth rates.

Dax

Would there be a reason for this lack of genetic variation? Environment where it naturally occurs?

I would think Pinus mugo would rank right up there with the most variation, judging by the mountainous terrain and variable climate where it grows.

What other factors drive genetic variation or lack of it?

Mike

Probably near extinction of a species is my first attempt at a total guess.

Dax

We cannot say now, that any specieses are more or less able for genetic changes, like brooms, forms, colours or any other reason. It is simply not known in the botany.

Since 6 years ago as I arrived to the Czech Republic, I decribed with friends about 13-14000 conifer brooms. Czech authors discovered 2500 Picea abies, 2000 Pinus mugo and many others, by this way they have now about 6500 brooms. Its an exceptional situation as they organized dicsovery teams, friendly collections, and it was possible to see what they collected. In other countries this works not. In the US there are mainly lonely discoverers, and maybe we will never informed about them. The only exception is Chub Harper and his friends in the 80's with 6-700 discovered.

We published this with Dax some years ago: The Justin "Chub" Harper Conifer Heritage Gallery by Dax Herbst & Zsolt Mesterházy, CT 6.0 2014

The lonely discoverers are also famous as Jerry Morris (1400), Sydney Waxman, Greg Williams (~200), Joe Stupka (~700 conifers), Gary Gee, Dennis Hermsen, Joe Braeu, Josh Horky (Joe & Josh ~ 600) and many others. We cannot say that anything should have been finished, because it started only. I havent seen any genetics professors in the forests, as they are probably not yet informed about their next job...

Anyway I have a forming vision about the possible future. The about total 3000 Picea abies brooms are showing:

70 % nidiformis spreading type and green, 25 % anyhow globose or little upright, 5 % blue globe. Why? This is the job for genetics anytime. The blue Picea abies brooms are really wonders. Anyone may think, they are Picea omorika, glauca, sitchensis, glehnii or jezoensis brooms, but not, they are Picea abies. All have silvery stomatas on the needles. I suppose - if Picea abies may be a dawn spruce - his brooms may own the genetical elements of the later born spruce specieses. I asked this from Zsolt Debreczy, the famous conifer botanist, and he answered, theoretically we cannot say, that my suppose is impossible.

Some years ago I estimated the living brooms in the boreal forests about 5-10 million possible brooms. Who wants to collect all for a genetic survey? I guess nobody.

Zsolt conifertreasury.org

Blue spruce broom, one of the bests:

Kamberk # 4 2012 Mesterházy-Valenta-Malík-Balatka in

Conifer Tresury of Cesko/ České šlechtění jehličin 2.0

1999 Jaromír Pospíšil, Jiří Balatka, Jan Beran CZ &

Franz Etzelstorfer AUT

Jiří Balatka Collection, Evidence 2001

Miroslav Malík Nursery, České Budĕjovice CZ

Found as a broom, growth rate a year over 3 cm.

Čarověník nalezen obec Kamberk, Vlašim. Vzrůst kulovitý,

přírustek 3 cm, barva namodralá, délka jehlice 1-1,5 cm.

Balatka text.

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo

Picea abies ‘Kamberk 4’ Jiří Holata Nursery, Kouty CZ

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ František Topinka photo

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo 2012

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Jiří Balatka photo 2012

Picea abies ’Kamberk 4’ Miroslav Malík photo 2013

Zsolt