Chinaberry ANd Chinese Tallow Trees

[outafocus]

I have a pecan tree in my back yard, and I HATE it. It constantly "prunes" itself, the pecans it produces are small and hard to crack. I would rather have a Chinaberry or Chinese Tallow in it's place any day. I never had problems with loose limbs and such on my 40 foot tall Chinese Tallows at my old house. The pecan tree will be history next year, and if I can't find a great shade tree like a Chinaberry or Chinese Tallow to replace it, I'll get a Fan-tex Ash

[Lee W.]

Both the Chinaberry and the Chinese Tallow are highly invasive. I know of one local group that does goes out to eradicate some of the more harmful invasive plants on public land. I've done some of that in the past, but now my life just doesn't allow me to do such volunteer work.

[outafocus]

I wish someone would tell me where these trees are invading. I would like to dig a few up!

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by SATX56

China berry is very dense and makes great shade trees. We used the green berries for ammo in slingshots or just coffee cans full for throwing. We never got poisoned. We need shade trees not the crap being passed out at events by the county or agricultural agencies.

No, I think that you're describing "chinese tallow". Chinese tallows grew tall with a white wrinkly bark that you could rip off of the tree. The leaves were green, veiny and shaped like a spade like on a playing card (think Ace of spades). In the Fall, they would turn red and yellow. They dropped a lot of gold/brown-colored pistil-like craps all over the lawn. The green berries grew like about 4-6 in a bunch and bled a very sticky sappy white liquid. I remember them very well as you can tell. I'd love to go back to my boyhood home to see if the tallow trees are still there.
We didn't have "china berry" trees in our backyard, but I think that those trees were a lot shorter, less leafy and had larger yellow berries instead of small "garbanzo bean" looking berries like the tallow.

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by wehotex

No, I think that you're describing "chinese tallow". Chinese tallows grew tall with a white wrinkly bark that you could rip off of the tree. The leaves were green, veiny and shaped like a spade like on a playing card (think Ace of spades). In the Fall, they would turn red and yellow. They dropped a lot of gold/brown-colored pistil-like craps all over the lawn. The green berries grew like about 4-6 in a bunch and bled a very sticky sappy white liquid. I remember them very well as you can tell. I'd love to go back to my boyhood home to see if the tallow trees are still there.
We didn't have "china berry" trees in our backyard, but I think that those trees were a lot shorter, less leafy and had larger yellow berries instead of small "garbanzo bean" looking berries like the tallow.

No, Chinaberry is what I meant. I just discovered the tree in our front yard now is a Chinese Tallow.
This is Chinese Tallow

This is Chinaberry

I like both. But, I was correct in what i described before. Our Tallow is on it's last legs though...sadly. Bark you were describing sounds like Crepe Myrtle.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by SATX56

No, Chinaberry is what I meant. I just discovered the tree in our front yard now is a Chinese Tallow.
This is Chinese Tallow

This is Chinaberry

I like both. But, I was correct in what i described before. Our Tallow is on it's last legs though...sadly. Bark you were describing sounds like Crepe Myrtle.

No, definitely not a crape myrtle. The bark was thick and came off in sheaths, kind of like in the movie The Fly where Jeff Goldblum rips parts of his skin off.

[SATX56]

[quote=wehotex;26222548]

Originally Posted by SATX56

No, Chinaberry is what I meant. I just discovered the tree in our front yard now is a Chinese Tallow.
This is Chinese Tallow

This is Chinaberry

I like both. But, I was correct in what i described before. Our Tallow is on it's last legs though...sadly. Bark you were describing sounds like Crepe Myrtle.[/QUOT

No, definitely not a crape myrtle. The bark was thick and came off in sheaths, kind of like in the movie The Fly where Jeff Goldblum rips parts of his skin off.

It may be diseased. Ours is half rotten and the trunk is mostly hollow but it lives on. It's riddled with woodpecker holes too. It makes a very nice shade tree and the leaves are colorful in change of seasons.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by outafocus

I have a pecan tree in my back yard, and I HATE it. It constantly "prunes" itself, the pecans it produces are small and hard to crack. I would rather have a Chinaberry or Chinese Tallow in it's place any day. I never had problems with loose limbs and such on my 40 foot tall Chinese Tallows at my old house. The pecan tree will be history next year, and if I can't find a great shade tree like a Chinaberry or Chinese Tallow to replace it, I'll get a Fan-tex Ash

I know how you feel. I have FEW pecan trees in my yard. They do "prune" everywhere. The wood is brittle - small wind and my yard is full of fallen branches; the squirrels are everywhere digging in my yard, the flower beds and flower pots. I do hate them too and I don't like pecan nuts anyway!

Originally Posted by outafocus

I wish someone would tell me where these trees are invading. I would like to dig a few up!

Print out a good picture of the leaves and drive out the city a bit. You will see them on the side of the road...
Also see post #7