# Help with identification



## ravot22 (Jul 4, 2014)

What is this? Located in central Virginia.


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## ravot22 (Jul 4, 2014)

Here's another photo


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## Ozark Mountain Jewel (Jul 12, 2009)

I will be interested to know too! Kind of looks like Autumn Olives to me


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

I thought it looked like autumn olive too, with unripe fruits.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I don't think it is. It doesn't look quite right. Can you post a pic of just the fruit as well as one of the leaves, but up closer than what it is. It looks familiar, I'm just not 100% sure as to what it is.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

We get a lot of autumn olive and it doesn't look like that.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

We have both Russian and autumn olive around here. It actually makes me think of something in the rose family w/the way the fruits hang down, though I'm not 100% sure.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

Does the plant have spiney thorns on it? Do the twigs and leaves have what look like tiny silvery flakes on them?


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

dizzy said:


> We have both Russian and autumn olive around here. It actually *makes me think of something in the rose family w/the way the fruits hang down*, though I'm not 100% sure.


The fruits of hawthorn (rose family) are olive shaped and hang down in clusters that look exactly like that formation, but those are definitely not hawthorn leaves.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

Red stemmed dogwood looks like to me. I have one in my yard. At least that is the name given to me by the DNR. But I also have thickets of Autumn Olive and mine do not look like that.


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## kuther (Feb 18, 2015)

Since the branches are opposite I would go with dogwood also , probably red -panicle or red -osier.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Gray dogwood is my best guess.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

All species of dogwoods have very pronounced ribs on the leaves, even grey dogwood has ribs that are obvious. 

I don't see any ribs on the leaves of the plant posted. They look smooth and glossy without discernible ribs but that may be a trick of the light and distance. 

Perhaps if the OP comes back and answers he'll let us know if the leaves have pronounced ribs and whether or not there are any spines or silvery specks on the stems and branches.


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## ravot22 (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks for everyone's assistance. I'm out of town until Friday. I'll post better/more pictures then. 

Again, thanks for all the help.


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## interceptor (Jun 19, 2014)

It looks like a Blackhaw Viburnum or possibly a Nannyberry Viburnum. They can grow as a shrub or small tree.


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## mollymae (Feb 10, 2010)

Is it soapworts? That's what first pic looks like to me. Soapworts on its downside. Kinda early for that here though


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## ravot22 (Jul 4, 2014)

Hope these help


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## ravot22 (Jul 4, 2014)

Backside of leaves. Leaves are about 2".


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

OK, I'm not sure what it is, but it definitely not autumn olive. The branching pattern is wrong as is the leaves. 

The only viburnum I'm familiar w/is arrow wood viburnum and it's not that. But, the leaves and fruits do look similar, so it could be some type of viburnum that doesn't grow around here.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

Now that I can see the leaves and fruit clusters better I think that might be some kind of dwarf crabapple (not "western crabapple" which has different leaves). Below are a couple of examples of small ripe crabapples - they are both different varieties of crabapple trees but they both grow in the east. You'll see the leaves and fruit clusters on each one are similar to yours and the fruits have filled out and lost their olive shape as they were ripening.

I'd suggest you wait until the fruits on your plants have grown and rounded out more and are fully ripened - they may turn out yellow, yellow with a red blush, or red or even maroon. When they've ripened you can cut one in half crosswise to see what kind of arrangement the seeds are in - look for a 5 pointed star pattern like with all other apples and flat, tear-drop shaped seeds - and taste one of the fruits. If it's crabapple it will have a very sour apple taste. Maybe post pictures then too for confirmation.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Crab apple has alternate branching-not opposite.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I spent close to an hour trying to figure this one out and narrowed it down to a viburnum but couldn't pinpoint which one.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

If it is a viburnum. Maybe the sambucus racemosa?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Berries and leaves are wrong for any sambucus variety.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Nannyberry? Because of ridge at stem node. it was mentioned earlier and I think that is it.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

This was the guide I used:
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/key/W1.htm
The op would have to take the branch and leaves and fruit to compare them item by item to the guide. Some steps I couldn't take because I didn't have the items physically in front of me.


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