hornbeam

The tree’s trunk is braided, fluted, and made of sculptured vertical hills and valleys, some thick.

The moment I see the photograph of the unusual trunk of this mystery tree and I notice the email’s subject—“Tree Identifying Help?”—I am hooked. This is a mystery I want to solve.

The local gardener who wonders which tree species has such a sculptured trunk thinks it might be an alder or a birch tree, because its leaves are oval and serrated. I can’t see leaf detail in the emailed photo. Clearly a puzzle.