tree identification

hi. i have collected  this tree some weeks ago but dont now what type is it . if some body now it i will be very pleased

  It appears to be a ficus.  

Mirë se erdhe Lulo!!!!! Në qoftë se ke ndo një pyetje, mos prit

Kjo pema mund të jetë një shegë

It's definitely not a ficus. He dug this from Albania, a Mediterranean climate. Vance is probably right

hi guys. i now very well that it is not a ficus or a pomegranate.  i will show closely the leaves of it.
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Hello Lulo - thank you for posting!  Sadly I don't think either of the responses you have gotten are correct because the leaves seems to be opposite on the stems.  I suspect an Oleaceae, that is a something in the Olive family.  However, the main photo you posted is too distant for certainly and the the closeup is so blurry that certainty is equally indistinct.  Do you have clearer closeup?

We will do our best to help!
David B.

I have been following this thread and was looking up what trees are native to Tirane albania and came across this site.It doesn't help with identification but I found  the old olive trees in albania incredible.thought others might enjoy.

http://oli-olea.blogspot.ca/2011/06/albania-tirana-preze.html

It looks similiar to buxus sempervirens arborescens to me from the pictures so far.

hello David .  i will show some others picture from this tree . i make some research after your help and think that Dave is right. this tree is more similar to buxus

Thanks for the clearer pictures Lulo.It still looks like a large example of buxus to me.I found examples of buxus sempervirens arborescens on net which which show bark,leaves and shooting branches which look very similiar or identical.Unfortunately Lulo I don't feel confident in suggesting how to proceed from here if your confident it is buxus.However i am sure there is info on this species in the forums.

Thanks Dave .I will see on the net. about it

I don't think it is B. sempervirens. Boxwood leaves (most of them at least) have at least the hint of a dimple in the leaf tip, and I don't see it on these.

Hello Lulo - I think that Dave and you are right about this being Buxus from the clearer photos. These are great subjects for bonsai, and you will find many posts here and elsewhere with useful information. I hope you keep us posted on your progress. Best of luck!

David B.

Well, pay attention to Dave before you do to me. <g>

I would never disregard your opinion Jim or David Brunners(utmost respect from me).But of the four species mentioned Pomegranite,ficus,olive family and buxus.I am inclined to think olive or buxus at moment.I would investigate all opinions.As Lulo lives in an area where olive trees seem to be common I thought it would more likely be a species that might of been introduced for landscaping etc.Buxus is very familiar to people in North America and the UK but not sure about Albania.One of the pictures does show some ficus leaves poking in from the side probably from a plant beside.

Hello guys! I am a little confused now about this tree. However my opinion is that it is a buxus. I have collected it in south of albania in a mountain called "llogara" near the sea. In this mountain grow different plants such as hawthorn , pine , junipers etc. I came across this type of tree very often and it didnt grew higher than 3 metters.

Sorry Lulo its always hard from photos.After further investigating native trees or shrubs in your that area i noticed cherry laurel or Prunus laurocerasus which is somewhat similiar although the leaves seemed more alternate than yours.However do grow to the 3 meter size and beyond.The leaves apparently smell like almonds when crushed.From my experience trees after a major chop shoot out with larger internodes and it might be decieving.If it flowered it would be easy.So I am just giving you suggestions that you can investigate.Some of your pictures show slightly pointed leaves other blunt leaves.Prunus laurocerasus is a native species and may be worth investigating i think.

I think one of the major problems we have here is a lack of relative scale.  From the very first picture, I'd say the leaves are too long to be Buxus, yet they look much smaller in subsequent images. I think we could do with some indication as to the length of the leaves please lulo.

Reason I am asking is that we had a Prunus laurocerasus hedge down one side of the house I grew up in and it had fairly large leaves - six inches (15cm) long and about 2 inches (5cm) broad.

Have we discounted it being one of the Ligustrums?

I will show the measure of the leaves






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fiona wrote:I think one of the major problems we have here is a lack of relative scale.  From the very first picture, I'd say the leaves are too long to be Buxus, yet they look much smaller in subsequent images. I think we could do with some indication as to the length of the leaves please lulo.

Reason I am asking is that we had a Prunus laurocerasus hedge down one side of the house I grew up in and it had fairly large leaves - six inches (15cm) long and about 2 inches (5cm) broad.

Have we discounted it being one of the Ligustrums?

That's a good point.  Looking at the leaves the way they seem to be situated around the branches and the fact that the branches seem to not be quite round but more angular it is beginning to look like  a privet, in fact at this point I would bet on it.

certainly fits the shoes.

http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Ligustrum_vulgare.htm

I would put my money on being a Buxus of sorts, the bark twigs and buds say Buxus to me.

Those were really helpful pics, Lulo. Thanks for taking the time and effort to do that for us.   

often makes me wonder why someone would dig up a plant to try and use as a bonsai when they dont have a clue what it is.....because how do you know the suitable aftercare or if the thing is even worth the effort. Surely its better to find bits of maybe suitable material, take a few pictures and come home to sort out id - then just go back and dig up what has a chance to make a good tree and leave all the other stuff growing where it is

I think that sometimes, when you find something with small leaves, you might collect even before you are certain of its species. After all, beginning care for a collected evergreen is pretty much the same; it only might begin to differ when you start trying to shape and control the tree.

That said, I went back to my books, and I still doubt that it is a boxwood -- though B. semipervirens does grow wild in your area (and, by the way, I kind of envy the ability to find a WILD boxwood; they're nonexistent where I live). Still, boxwood leaves -- all species for which I have leaf illustrations (including semipervirens) -- at least have flattened tips, and many have indentations on the end.

Privet (Ligustrum) may be the solution.