This tree is possibly related to the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera),
but so many things aren't right. It flowers early (often in late
February), but the flowers are light pink, not white. The bark is
darkish grey-brown, not grey. The fruits are about damson-size and shape
(maybe 3 cm), a little redder in colour than a damson, and have a
pleasant plum taste. The tree is almost 10m high. It rarely fruits in
quantity, having done so only once in the last 6 years. That was the
only year we actually got to taste them, as in other years the birds ate
what little fruit there was.

But this year something very odd has happened. See:
https://ibb.co/zSXhVWf
https://ibb.co/pzYQbmS

You can see one of t the normal fruits developing in the first picture .
But what are the other things? They look almost like red legume pods,
and when examined and opened could be! See the second picture. They are
2 - 4 cm long, and the skin is around 2mm thick. They snap cleanly
exactly like a pea pod would. In all the ones I have opened, they have
evidence of one or two (immature?) seeds.

Any ideas?

--

Jeff

On 12/04/2019 15:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
This tree is possibly related to the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera),
but so many things aren't right. It flowers early (often in late
February), but the flowers are light pink, not white. The bark is
darkish grey-brown, not grey. The fruits are about damson-size and shape
(maybe 3 cm), a little redder in colour than a damson, and have a
pleasant plum taste. The tree is almost 10m high. It rarely fruits in
quantity, having done so only once in the last 6 years. That was the
only year we actually got to taste them, as in other years the birds ate
what little fruit there was.

But this year something very odd has happened. See:
https://ibb.co/zSXhVWf
https://ibb.co/pzYQbmS

You can see one of t the normal fruits developing in the first picture .
But what are the other things? They look almost like red legume pods,
and when examined and opened could be! See the second picture. They are
2 - 4 cm long, and the skin is around 2mm thick. They snap cleanly
exactly like a pea pod would. In all the ones I have opened, they have
evidence of one or two (immature?) seeds.

Any ideas?


Pocket plums, which are galls caused by the fungus Taphrina pruni.

My guess would be that the tree is Prunus cerasifera - '****ardii' or
'Nigra', or a seedling of one of these.

--
SRH

On Fri, 12 Apr 2019 15:14:46 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote:


But this year something very odd has happened. See:
https://ibb.co/zSXhVWf
https://ibb.co/pzYQbmS

You can see one of t the normal fruits developing in the first picture .
But what are the other things? They look almost like red legume pods,
and when examined and opened could be! See the second picture. They are
2 - 4 cm long, and the skin is around 2mm thick. They snap cleanly
exactly like a pea pod would. In all the ones I have opened, they have
evidence of one or two (immature?) seeds.

Any ideas?


I would guess that they are from flowers that have not been well pollinated.
As to why, I don't know.

If the taste of the 'fruit' is acceptable, can one live with it?

Mark Rand
Rugby
Warwickshire

On 12/04/19 15:58, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
On 12/04/2019 15:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
This tree is possibly related to the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera),
but so many things aren't right. It flowers early (often in late
February), but the flowers are light pink, not white. The bark is
darkish grey-brown, not grey. The fruits are about damson-size and shape
(maybe 3 cm), a little redder in colour than a damson, and have a
pleasant plum taste. The tree is almost 10m high. It rarely fruits in
quantity, having done so only once in the last 6 years. That was the
only year we actually got to taste them, as in other years the birds ate
what little fruit there was.

But this year something very odd has happened. See:
https://ibb.co/zSXhVWf
https://ibb.co/pzYQbmS

You can see one of t the normal fruits developing in the first picture .
But what are the other things? They look almost like red legume pods,
and when examined and opened could be! See the second picture. They are
2 - 4 cm long, and the skin is around 2mm thick. They snap cleanly
exactly like a pea pod would. In all the ones I have opened, they have
evidence of one or two (immature?) seeds.

Any ideas?


Pocket plums, which are galls caused by the fungus Taphrina pruni.

Thanks, Stewart. I'd hoped you would be able to identify those pods. At
least those on my tree are attractive - most of the other images on the
internet are not something I'd like to see on the tree.

My guess would be that the tree is Prunus cerasifera - '****ardii' or
'Nigra', or a seedling of one of these.

Yes, probably 'Nigra' or a seedling. I hadn't mentioned that the leaves
were purple. It's an attractive tree in flower and leaf; the fruits
aren't important.

--

Jeff