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