Tree Help

[auntie]

I'm looking for a tree for a friend.

So I have a friend who lost a son and will be selling his house. He had a good sized tree in the backyard that she'd like to Id so she can purchase one for herself- evidently he loved the thing and it is spectacular in the spring.

Some clues-

The house is about 90 years old and the tree is about 25' tall and much wider.

It's growing in zone 6

The tree has multiple trunks, leaves are large and heart shaped. But they're not all the same size. They have a slight saw tooth to the edge, but not as much as a hydrangea. The leaves are not as big as area catalpas and they're more leathery. They haven't start to change color here yet. I don't see any fruit or seed pods on the tree.

I'm told is blooms in spring, with large pink flowers but I have never seen them.

[nomad100]

Paging treedimensional

She may have some ideas on what it might be..

[treedimensional]

Based on the description, I don't know. I need pictures.
Pink is the most common flower color and spring is the most common flower season.
Peaches, plums, cherries and crabapples all can have pink flowers in spring, but not big flowers, and not heart shaped leathery leaves.
Redbuds and lilacs have heart shaped leaves and pink flowers, but the flowers are very small and leaves not leathery.
Dogwoods, magnolias, and camellias can have large pink flowers in spring, but they don't have heart shaped leaves.
Magnolias and camellias have pink flowers in spring and leathery leaves, but not heart shaped leaves.
Camellias have pink flowers in spring and leathery serrate leaves, but not heart shaped.
Styrax can pink flowers in spring, leathery heart shaped leaves, and multiple trunks, but the leaves are not serrate and the flowers are small.

[panicked]

www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/

This may gelp

[auntie]

Sept 24, 2014 8:40:38 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

Styrax can pink flowers in spring, leathery heart shaped leaves, and multiple trunks, but the leaves are not serrate and the flowers are small.

I don't have pictures and I've not seen it in bloom.

From what I've seen googling, styrax might be it. The leaves and tree shape are what I saw.

It looks more like the "snowball" variety but I'm told pink. The leave serration is subtle. I wonder if the people describing the flowers are describing clusters rather than individual flowers. 

The late owner wasn't much of a landscaper. LOL, he grew tomatoes, basil and peppers and ran a mower over the lawn once in a while. Loved the tree, but isn't big on care.

He had a cluster of plants in his front bed that was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Picture a 6' diameter spherical mass that had an azalea at the base, a maple tree that had been pruned to be more or less within the sphere, some species clematis growing through all that and an encroaching wild grape vine threatening it all.

[treedimensional]

There's a variety, Styrax japonicus 'Emerald Pagoda', that has big, heart shaped, leathery leaves, but the flowers are small and white. The Styrax called 'Pink Chimes' has pink flowers but they're tiny, and the leaves are small, serrate, not heart shaped and not leathery.

[pitterwoo]

Calling the local extension office/ master gardener program might help

[treedimensional]

If you call a Master Gardener, you might get me, and I still don't know. Pics would really help. Most MGs I've met have very little specialized tree knowledge.

[auntie]

treedimensional
I finally got a picture of said tree in bloom. It is nothing so exotic- it's an Eastern Redbud. The picture I saw, the blooms were almost lilac color.

That'll be an easy fix.

I would have voted for a fig.

[treedimensional]

Sept 27, 2014 16:29:48 GMT -5 auntie said:

treedimensional
I finally got a picture of said tree in bloom. It is nothing so exotic- it's an Eastern Redbud. The picture I saw, the blooms were almost lilac color.

That'll be an easy fix.

I would have voted for a fig.

Say what? Serrated leaves? Large flowers?

[pitterwoo]

heart shaped leaves!  that one was right!

[auntie]

Sept 27, 2014 18:29:39 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

Sept 27, 2014 16:29:48 GMT -5 auntie said:

treedimensional
I finally got a picture of said tree in bloom. It is nothing so exotic- it's an Eastern Redbud. The picture I saw, the blooms were almost lilac color.

That'll be an easy fix.

I would have voted for a fig.

Say what? Serrated leaves? Large flowers?

Well, I was going on what I was told about the flowers- turns out the mom only ever saw pictures. When I saw the picture, I knew Redbud right away- there are lots of them in the Princeton area that age/size. 

The leaves did have a slight serration-  less than the leaves on my Kwazan cherry but not smooth edged- maybe a result of the time of year as they start to dry in advance of falling off.

[treedimensional]

I have never seen a Redbud with serrated leaves.