# Tree with little berries, ID please



## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

This is growing in my backyard. There is another one on my neighbors property 400 feet away. His is about 20 feet tall and fairly wide. It has several canes or trunks, whatever they are called. Mine is still small, about 6 foot, and has 3 distinct canes or trunks. 

Thanks all


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

Another shot


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## MNMamaBear (Jul 16, 2013)

I'm thinking it looks like dogwood. I'm not an expert but it does look very similar.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

Maybe a variety of cotoneaster. ?


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

looks like choke cherry to me. The bark will be kind of striped across the trunk like a cherry if it is in that family.


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

Sand cherry bush? Is it part of the "landscape" or just growing free? Close up picture of a few leaves would probably solve it.

ETA: squeeze one--if there's 1 huge seed inside it really could be a sand cherry.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Thinking chokecherry looks possible. 

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/iowa_trees/trees/choke_cherry.html

Definitely useful to know what the seeds look like.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Not sure what it is, but it's not a dogwood. I agree that it looks to be some kind of cherry, or at least in that family. (Apples, cherries, plums, etc are all in the rose family.)


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

Dizzy, I've been following your posts. You're pretty good at this for one so young.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Just curious, what makes you think I'm young and how old do you think I am?


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## Paumon (Jul 12, 2007)

It's not dogwood, not cotoneaster, wrong color of leaf for sandcherry and wrong color of berry for chokecherry. Those leaves don't look like any kind of cherry leaf. It's really hard to tell for sure in those pictures if the leaves have serrated edges or smooth edges but it looks to me like they have smooth edges. If they are not serrated leaves then I don't think that's any kind of cherry. I don't know of any kind of cherry that does not have serrated leaves.

Could you post two pictures of a single leaf - one pic of the top of the leaf and one pic of the underside of the leaf and be sure that it shows what the edge of the leaf is really like. That's important. 

Also please post a close up picture of a berry that is cut in half so it shows the inside color and texture of the berry and it would be helpful to see a picture of the seed(s) that are taken out of the berry but sitting beside the berry for size comparison.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

Got a pic of the trunk, there are three. 

Please ignore the weeds!


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

The berries turn almost black when 'ripe'


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

There are two seeds in each.

Most of the ripe ones have a black spot on both sides of the seed. 

Sorry about the number of posts, every time I try to post more than one pic, it wipes out all but the last


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## Annie (May 10, 2002)

Does the bark have whitish spots? Try scraping the bark with your fingernail and see if it's yellowish underneath. Are the veins on the leaves alternate instead of opposite? Judging by the berries, you might have a glossy buckthorn.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Hard to tell from my phone , but from what I can see it looks like buckthorn


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

I just looked it up, kind of looks like it. 

I'm a little nervous now because several of the first hits on the search were 'how the eradicate buckthorn', or 'envasive'. GREAAAAAT!

Now I need to see if the goats like to eat it! I seemed to come up haut last year, bu I didn't notice the berries.


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## Annie (May 10, 2002)

looks like we all 3 posted at the same time.  It looks like you have a buckthorn from your pics. I think I've read where deer will eat the leaves but I don't know about goats. Birds will eat the berries, but that is also how it gets dispersed!  I think the common buckthorn is more invasive than the glossy, but either one can be pushy.


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

dizzy said:


> Just curious, what makes you think I'm young and how old do you think I am?


I thought I read in one of your posts that you were 19. I can't find it now.
My error, sorry if I offended you.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Annie said:


> Does the bark have whitish spots? Try scraping the bark with your fingernail and see if it's yellowish underneath. Are the veins on the leaves alternate instead of opposite? Judging by the berries, you might have a glossy buckthorn.


No doubt in my mind it's a buckthorn... the bark gave it away..

Yes, it can be very invasive.. When you see new sprouts, pull them up...


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Badger said:


> I thought I read in one of your posts that you were 19. I can't find it now.
> My error, sorry if I offended you.


Not in the least! I'm just trying to figure out how I had my daughter 3 years B4 I was born. :hysterical:

OK, now y'all have me curious. We don't have buck thorn around here. I'm going to have to read up on it.


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