Conifer/Evergreen Terminal Apex Sideways: Why??

[Deleted member 47471]

Please help me understand why certain tree apexes terminate sharply sideways. I notice tall groups of trees featuring this style. They are in small groups and there does not appear to be competition for sunlight as nothing blocks them. I was suspecting phototropism, but I cannot find examples of the above anywhere online yet when googling phototropism.

Example found (in bonsai form) which makes sense to me:




Example (illustration) of what I see:



I’m interested in such a composition for bonsai but what are the conditions? Is it wind?

 

[MaciekA]

Wind isn’t wiring branches so much as making jins. Erosion-driven branch snapping is the better way to think about this as opposed to wind holding branches in a new position.

Erosion acts interesting ways. There is a documentary called “Trees Across Oregon” where the notion of “wind swept” coastal trees in Oregon is set aside in favor of “salt swept” trees, or trees whose sea-facing branches and foliage are damaged by salt.

I have a giant doug fir in the ravine directly behind my house whose mid-canopy is eye level with my back deck. The apex is very similar to your illustration — awkward unidirectional extension left over after a larger apex got snapped off during fierce downhill winds.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

In some cases they may be what is left after an apex dies or is struck by lightning, or blown off. It is the highest horizontal branch that hasn't grown upwards. I can't say that I have ever seen it where (as in your illustration) ALL the trees have the same look with a singular branch as an apex all pointing in the same direction.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

In some cases they may be what is left after an apex dies or is struck by lightning, or blown off. It is the highest horizontal branch that hasn't grown upwards. I can't say that I have ever seen it where (as in your illustration) ALL the trees have the same look with a singular branch as an apex all pointing in the same direction.

View attachment 526514

Wind isn’t wiring branches so much as making jins. Erosion-driven branch snapping is the better way to think about this as opposed to wind holding branches in a new position.

Erosion acts interesting ways. There is a documentary called “Trees Across Oregon” where the notion of “wind swept” coastal trees in Oregon is set aside in favor of “salt swept” trees, or trees whose sea-facing branches and foliage are damaged by salt.

I have a giant doug fir in the ravine directly behind my house whose mid-canopy is eye level with my back deck. The apex is very similar to your illustration — awkward unidirectional extension left over after a larger apex got snapped off during fierce downhill winds.

Thank you kindly, very informative!

 

[Deleted member 47471]

In some cases they may be what is left after an apex dies or is struck by lightning, or blown off. It is the highest horizontal branch that hasn't grown upwards. I can't say that I have ever seen it where (as in your illustration) ALL the trees have the same look with a singular branch as an apex all pointing in the same direction.

View attachment 526514

I will make an effort to visit the cemetery and snap a photo or two of what I drive past (frequently). I’ll share it here. Additionally, not all in same direction but I’ve seen a few do this in the same group (different directions or similar).

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Some plants also have a certain height they can't grow over. Because the gravity is too strong, or the upwards pushing force is too small to get water to the apex. The force can be greater, in theory, but the veins wouldn't be able to hold it: they would burst. Growing sideways circumvents that issue, as there's very little pressure needed to let water flow sideways, compared to upwards.

Very, very tall trees have mechanisms in place that divide the "pipes" with physical one-way trapdoors and in the case of sequoia they take up a bunch of water from the foliage, reducing the pressure needed from the roots.

There are theories that state there's an electrical potential difference between the soil and the air, and plants acting as connecting rods between the two, will cause the apex to burn from electrostatic energy above a certain point; they short circuit the earth and the sky. Here too, just below that upper limit, it's still safe to grow.
There are a bunch of holes in that theory though.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

Some plants also have a certain height they can't grow over. Because the gravity is too strong, or the upwards pushing force is too small to get water to the apex. The force can be greater, in theory, but the veins wouldn't be able to hold it: they would burst. Growing sideways circumvents that issue, as there's very little pressure needed to let water flow sideways, compared to upwards.

Very, very tall trees have mechanisms in place that divide the "pipes" with physical one-way trapdoors and in the case of sequoia they take up a bunch of water from the foliage, reducing the pressure needed from the roots.

There are theories that state there's an electrical potential difference between the soil and the air, and plants acting as connecting rods between the two, will cause the apex to burn from electrostatic energy above a certain point; they short circuit the earth and the sky. Here too, just below that upper limit, it's still safe to grow.
There are a bunch of holes in that theory though.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

As promised:

 

[MaciekA]

Now that we’ve seen pictures and it’s clear this refers to young cedrus trees, I don’t think we’re talking about erosion effects, or wind-sweeping effects, or water/gravity limits. We’re instead looking at habit/morphology in fairly normal or unstressed , dare I say “ideal” conditions (park lands where the neighborhood of canopy competition has been cleared by humans).

Some apical cedrus runners develop mass faster than they ascend vertically. I’m not sure there is as much of a quirk-driven mystery here as much as there is just garden-variety chaos/randomness from a tree with a particular hormonal setup (ie tendency to run vs rise). You could probably observe this effect happening every year back to some earlier point and find that the apex always has a strong leader that is too massive to remain erect, but also quite resistant to snapping. I’ve got two tall cedrus in front of my house. In this month’s crazy wind storms, lots of other conifers didn’t fare well but my two cedrus didn’t lose a single large branch.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

Now that we’ve seen pictures and it’s clear this refers to young cedrus trees, I don’t think we’re talking about erosion effects, or wind-sweeping effects, or water/gravity limits. We’re instead looking at habit/morphology in fairly normal or unstressed , dare I say “ideal” conditions (park lands where the neighborhood of canopy competition has been cleared by humans).

Some apical cedrus runners develop mass faster than they ascend vertically. I’m not sure there is as much of a quirk-driven mystery here as much as there is just garden-variety chaos/randomness from a tree with a particular hormonal setup (ie tendency to run vs rise). You could probably observe this effect happening every year back to some earlier point and find that the apex always has a strong leader that is too massive to remain erect, but also quite resistant to snapping. I’ve got two tall cedrus in front of my house. In this month’s crazy wind storms, lots of other conifers didn’t fare well but my two cedrus didn’t lose a single large branch.

I understand a little better now. Thanks very much ~