I am hoping someone can help get me to genus. If not, even a family suggestion would be helpful. Sorry for the poor quality photos. Cell phone. Late in day. No flower information. Sucker from an unknown tree previously cut. Apparently it has an umbrella-shape form when mature. Also there are not buds scales to speak of (Sept 30). Just smaller and smaller preformed leaves encapsulating stem apex. Some very sparse small glandular hairs on leaf and stem surfaces. Reddish veins, petioles and young stems. Leaf: shape: oblanceolate base: narrowly cuneate apex: abruptly acuminate margins: smooth, entire/repand Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance. -Luke.
If you hadn't noted your location as Nanaimo, I'd be tempted to say it was an Avocado. What's the texture of those leaves? (Smooth, hirsute, coriaceous?)
In my original post I was going to say leaves do look like avocado but I didn't want to get people thinking of indoor plants. Though there is more red in these veins, stems and petiols than I remember there being in avocado. Also buds are much smaller than in avocado, actually no bud scales. Texture is very similar new avocado leaves. Yes, leathery and glabrous aside from very sparse glandular hairs. Still scratching my head.
Ron, Thanks. A picture of a Nyssa sylvatica leaf on google images is very close to the shape of leaves on my plant in question. The redness is the major difference but a lot of the Nyssa photos were very red so perhaps it is due to our season of change.