Anybody know what this tree is?

Posted by Andy at 11:09 AM

UPDATE

Interesting responses this far. JB thinks it is a black tupelo, Dad thinks it is some sort of wild cherry. Dad gave me some good advice – call the local County Extension office. I spoke to Laurie in the Horticulture department, and she advised me to send some pictures to them via email (uge1067 at uga dawt edu). I have to go back and grab xTreME cLoseup!* pictures of the leaves, bark and and then a wide angle of the tree in its surroundings.

*Her words, not mine.

UPDATE II

I stopped by the playground this morning on the way to work and snagged a few more photos, including some macro shots. Here they are – I’m getting ready to send these off to my UGA contact as well.

tree bark

leaf-closeupleaf-berry-closeup




UPDATE III: Just got my rather terse reply from the UGA contact:
"The tree appears to be a black cherry."

 

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5 Comments:

  1. John B. Bennison said...
    Thu Jun 12, 08:52:00 AM EDT  
    I think it's a Black Tupelo, a.k.a. Blackgum.

    Here's a link, see if you agree.

    Why - like it? hate it? kids ate the berries? someone alergic?
    Andy said...
    Thu Jun 12, 09:06:00 AM EDT  
    Sounds plausible... The only contrary factor might be the berries are reddish rather than dark blue, but that may be due to the season. At any rate, I'm asking because there are several, erm, low hanging fruits in the playground where we take the kids, and I was interested to know.
    John B. Bennison said...
    Fri Jun 13, 09:47:00 AM EDT  
    Hmm, I zoomed on the leaves which appear to have serrated edges. So that suggests it could be a kind of elm called a hackberry. The fruit is edible, but not much of a treat.

    Check out the tree identifier by the Arbor Day folks. (Gives a new meaning to the phrase "decision tree".) And let us know when you make a positive ID! Thanks.
    John B. Bennison said...
    Fri Jun 13, 06:22:00 PM EDT  
    Well, the bark cinches it. Now I'm pretty sure your dad was right: Chokecherry, a form of cherry.

    Or perhaps I've just run out of guesses. Fun puzzle. Let us know what you find out from the pro.
    John B. Bennison said...
    Tue Jun 17, 09:04:00 AM EDT  
    Okay, good to know.

    I could say that a Black Cherry is simply a cross between a Black gum and a choke Cherry, but I suspect you'd not let me get away with that...

    Congrats to your dad who was: 1) correct, 2) quick, and 3) helpful.

    cheers, jb

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