Tree biology, what's going on here?

[Vendetti]

The tree was a maple choked out by bittersweet. The tree was on it's last throws covered in suckers/sprouts. The ground was covered with the blood red berry's of the bitter sweet. My question is how does the red of the bittersweet berry get into the heartwood of the tree if transportation takes place within the first two rings of the xylem? Is it osmosis that is happening within the the dead decaying heartwood or something else? The first photo is about two feet up the stump and the second is at about thirty feet. The higher into the tree you cut the redder the heartwood gots.

View attachment 265184View attachment 265185

 

[TreeGuyHR]

The stain is probably unrelated to the bittersweet -- just a coincidence that it is red. The color is probably a "wetwood" situation caused by bacteria, yeast or fungi that have invaded the sapwood because of injury or decay. Perhaps the stem was cracked from the weight of the bittersweet hanging on it?

 

[Youngbuck20]

What kind of maple was it? If it was manitoba maple (boxelder) thats the colour they all are.

 

[Bermie]

The stain is probably unrelated to the bittersweet -- just a coincidence that it is red. The color is probably a "wetwood" situation caused by bacteria, yeast or fungi that have invaded the sapwood because of injury or decay. Perhaps the stem was cracked from the weight of the bittersweet hanging on it?

What he said ^^

 

[Vendetti]

What kind of maple was it? If it was manitoba maple (boxelder) thats the colour they all are.

That's it (Boxelder) I never had the pleasure of cutting into one before. Thanx for the schooling.

 

[Youngbuck20]

It's not good wood unless your making stuff out of it. People love the purple in it.

 

[Pelorus]

Sunlight will cause the red / purple colour to turn brown.
I have never met a Manitoa Maple yet that I liked. Wind-seeded junk trees.