I’ve been curious about what type of tree this is. Not sure if any of you would recognize it based on any winter features. It doesn’t totally look like an apple or pear to me, but I don’t know. Unfortunately, I have not been around it at a time when it has leaves or could be blooming (if it does). The tree is in western Nebraska. Very dry and tough climate over the years (record low of -36F), so this tree is a tough one. Near as I can tell based on the history, this tree is possibly around 100 years old on land owned by the local postmaster at the time. I know they had some fruit trees, including at least one apple tree years ago that died maybe 40 years ago. Looking in the root cellar, it appears there might be some 80 year old apple sauce. Yummy This tree is now part of the pasture as the fence around the yard was moved…so cows are rubbing on it and it may not survive that for too long.
There were some leaves near the base of the tree. It does have just a few thorns in some places but it’s not a very thorny tree. I couldn’t see anything that looks like bloom buds but it might not have bloomed for years. Not sure what it is, but it’s interesting to me to see a survivor like that in such a tough climate. Maybe I can check the tree out when it has leaves next year.
Just based on location and the presence of thorns maybe it is an Osage Orange? These were once planted all over the plains states both as windbreaks and to provide wood that was unusually resistant to weather and insects. (and therefor used as fence posts for barbed wire fences)
I have a dwarf Kieffer pear and a sprout from the rootstock came up this year. The leaf looks a lot like yours. Whatever it is is keeping my tree size to a manageable size. Hawthorn would be my guess.
My first thought was that it’s a gnarly old apple or pear, possibly a couple/three seedlings from the same core. When I heard about the thorns I leaned towards a hawthorn, when Clark said he had pear leaves like those I leaned back to pear, and that’s where I am today.
I don’t know what color osage orange wood is, but pear that I’ve seen is quite pear colored, apple leans towards a rose color, plum is, yup, ya guessed it, plummy in color … where was I, oh, yeah … cut out a piece of deadwood and sand it nice and smooth. Pear will be absolutely pearlescent when truly smooth and oiled. Makes nice tool handles and can even be made into temporary bearings if cut to expose the end grain.
The serrated edges and small lobes in the leafs , scaly bark looks like hawthorn .
But , there are so many Hawthorne sp. /and hybrids , they are highly variable in appearance.
All the quince I have seen have a more rounded leaf margin…
Not a expert here… Just sayin …
This is "what we do in the winter …
Lots of speculation,
Just can’t wait to see the fruit…!
I love fruit trees that thrive on Neglect.
Old homesteads are Refugia of genetics
This tree is now part of the pasture as the fence around the yard was moved…so cows are rubbing on it and it may not survive that for too long.
