Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Thursday - January 22, 2009
From: Flower Mound, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Brown circular ring in trimmed branches of redbud tree
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a redbud tree that was recently trimed back. When looking at the cross section of the branches, I noticed a brown circular ring. Is this a problem and if so what can I do to correct it?ANSWER:
The dark ring you see is possibly the heartwood beginning to form in the branches of your Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud). If you could see a cross section of the trunk of your tree, you would see that the center of it is a reddish-brown color, the inactive heartwood; whereas, the wood surrounding it, the sapwood, which actively transports water and nutrients (the sap), is yellowish tan. You can read a good discussion on the difference between sapwood and heartwood at Northern Woodlands.org. Twigs and younger branches contain only sapwood; but as the branches grow in diameter, the lighter sapwood is transformed into the darker heartwood towards the center of the branch. The heartwood provides structural support. So, it is possible that the forming heartwood is the dark ring you see in your cut branches. Click here to see the wood of several species of Cercis.You can read about a variety of damaging agents to the redbud and it is possible that your dark ring is an indication of some fungal disease or insect damage. If your redbud shows other symptoms (e.g., fungal growths on the trunk) that give you concern, it would be a good idea to consult your Denton County Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent and/or a certified arborist who can look at your tree and diagnosis the problem and possible ways to treat it.
More Trees Questions
Black spots and fuzzy circles on live oak leaves
November 20, 2010 - We live in Georgetown Texas and have many Live Oaks on our property. Lately some leaves have fallen off which have fuzzy round circles on the back along with some little raised black dots. Should we...
view the full question and answer
Non-native crape myrtle resistance to deer from Annapolis MD
April 06, 2013 - Is Crape Myrtle tree resistant to deers? Thank you.
view the full question and answer
Problem with crapemyrtle shoots in Victoria, TX
May 13, 2009 - I have a problem with crepe myrtle shoots coming up in my flowerbed. I had to remove a large crepe myrtle tree (18" diameter stump) and digging out the stump was not possible. I killed the stump wi...
view the full question and answer
Tall screening tree for Santa Barbara, California
August 20, 2011 - Hi, we live in Santa Barbara, California. We are looking for a tree between 20-30 feet high to block the neighbors two-story house yet the area we have to plant is 3 feet from the fence to the drivewa...
view the full question and answer
Failure to thrive of one Desert Willow in Phoenix AZ
September 06, 2013 - We planted 4 desert willow trees in the summer and 3 of the 4 are doing excellent, however the last one is not not doing so well, it was the smallest of all and it started out fine but its leaves bega...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |