Wellingtonia 75

A young Wellingtonia captured during a visit to Hampton Court Palace today, to be reported on fully in due course. A tree which we had missed during our many visits to that general part of the grounds.

Probably the tree marked in orange in the snap above, to the east of the the Royal Cabbage Patch. We generally pass along the path marked in blue, then turn left into the Tilt Yard café, a café which, I am sorry to say, no longer runs to Maids of Honour tarts, which I rather like. Some story about the catering contractor's bakery not being able to cater for that sort of thing. I think in the past they might have been cooked on the premises, a luxury they can no longer afford. The blue also marks the two metasequoias which take our attention at that point, diverting us from the Wellingtonia which is probably just about visible from behind. But today, we came out of the café's western exit.

The base of the tree. Some red, but not much spread yet.

This enlargement from the other side of the tree, the southern side. I am voting for the brown dusting lower right being the male flowers, as described at reference 2. Hopefully visible if you click to enlarge. But perhaps it will become clearer if we keep an eye on the tree through the year to come.

Reference 2 also tells me that these trees will sucker from the base. Not something that I have seen. Although I have seen the secondary trunks often enough.

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/04/wellingtonia-74.html.

Reference 2: http://www.flowersociety.org/redwood-profile.htm.

Reference 3: https://mdvaden.com/grove_of_titans.shtml. A jump from reference 2.

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