ALBERTA SPRUCE - Why is there a tree growing out of my tree?

The other day I posted a link on the Happy Hedgehog Facebook Page from the Garden Professors about why sometimes it looks like a 'tree is growing out of a tree'.  More specifically, a tree growing out of a dwarf Alberta Spruce.  One of the HH Social Group members mentioned that they were a landscaper and that they had never seen this 'phenomenon' before which honestly surprised me because I've seen it numerous times here in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.  Well and what to my surprise but come Monday morning, without even trying, I find not one, but TWO examples!

First off, why is does this happen?  Well, the Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') is a cultivar of the White Spruce (Picea glauca).  Every now and then a branch in some trees will be triggered by the original White Spruce DNA and cause growth in the branch to be that of the original White Spruce, which is known as a witch's broom.  That branch growth gives the illusion that an entirely new and different tree is growing out of the dwarf Alberta Spruce.  If you want to know more about this, here's a website for you to check out:  http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/understanding_tree_reversions

So here are the examples that I found today (please forgive the photo quality but I only had my phone with me and I'm not known for being a photographer!) :)



I'm sorry about the blurriness but I hope you can see what I saw:  Here is an older Dwarf Alberta Spruce and out of the top is sprouting what looks like another tree.  That is actually all the same plant!  Two branches were reverting back to the original White Spruce form, which is a quicker, more vigorous grower. 




I have now walked in behind the tree and pulled away the 'dwarf spruce' part of the tree to expose the two branches that have reverted.  As you can see, they are indeed part of the same plant!  When this happens it is recommended that you immediately remove the reverted growth in order the maintain the "Dwarf Spruce" look which is what was originally desired.

Cutting off the 'witches broom' which is the name given to the reverted growth.

Here's the 'witches broom' after snipping.  Doesn't look anything like a Dwarf Alberta Spruce, eh?



The Dwarf Alberta Spruce post surgery

Right across the road was another example - the only difference is that the witches broom is protruding from the side.

Here's another angle of the same plant.  This growth was also removed.

 

I also posted a link about variegated cultivars reverting back to solid colour.  He's a sample that I found today.  This is Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety'.  Ideally if you find that your variegated plant is starting to grow branches which bear solid leaf colour (which can be either all green or all white or in cases where the variegation are yellow and green, all green or all yellow) you should prune that branch off as otherwise the plant will eventually completely revert!

 

 

Here is an interesting page with some further information about this type of reversion:  http://gardenofpossibilities.com/2009/07/09/what-to-do-about-loss-of-plant-variegation/