Identify Fruit Tree Michigan
I live in Taylor, Michigan, which is near Detroit. At the rear of my
back yard, growing in the brush at its edge, is a beautiful tree, about ten or twelve feet tall, that looks to me like a cherry tree, but it doesn't have cherries on it. It has groups of small (about a quarter inch diameter) smooth, round berries that are very dark -- almost black in color. I squashed one between my fingers and got a rich purple juice out of it that had no odor I could detect. No, I didn't taste it. Here we are in late October, and there are all kinds of these berries to be seen, and it seems nothing's interested in eating them. Could somebody tell me what kind of tree I have? Dan |
Identify Fruit Tree Michigan
dand said:
I live in Taylor, Michigan, which is near Detroit. At the rear of my back yard, growing in the brush at its edge, is a beautiful tree, about ten or twelve feet tall, that looks to me like a cherry tree, but it doesn't have cherries on it. It has groups of small (about a quarter inch diameter) smooth, round berries that are very dark -- almost black in color. I squashed one between my fingers and got a rich purple juice out of it that had no odor I could detect. No, I didn't taste it. Here we are in late October, and there are all kinds of these berries to be seen, and it seems nothing's interested in eating them. Could somebody tell me what kind of tree I have? One possibility is one of the invasive buckthorns (Rhamnus sp.), which are ripe now. These sometimes go by the name 'tallhedge' and are the objects of many workdays in Nature Conservancy reserves. common buckthorn: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/rhca1.htm http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/.../buckthorn.htm glossy buckthorn: http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/her...s/rhafra01.htm http://gallery.cs.umb.edu/gallery/Glossy-Buckthorn Buckthorn berries are not edible, though they have been used medicinally. The berries can be toxic to some people (most dangerous to children, due to their small size), though fatalities are very rare. "Buckthorn berries (Rhamni baccae) are powerfully cathartic; 20 of the recent berries cause brisk, watery purging, with nausea, dryness of the throat, thirst, and tormina." http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclec...mnus-cath.html tormina = acute, colicky pains; gripes -- Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast) Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced. (attributed to Don Marti) |
Identify Fruit Tree Michigan
On 25 Oct 2005 20:21:53 -0700, "dand"
wrote: I live in Taylor, Michigan, which is near Detroit. At the rear of my back yard, growing in the brush at its edge, is a beautiful tree, about ten or twelve feet tall, that looks to me like a cherry tree, but it doesn't have cherries on it. It has groups of small (about a quarter inch diameter) smooth, round berries that are very dark -- almost black in color. I squashed one between my fingers and got a rich purple juice out of it that had no odor I could detect. No, I didn't taste it. Here we are in late October, and there are all kinds of these berries to be seen, and it seems nothing's interested in eating them. Could somebody tell me what kind of tree I have? Dan If it looks like a cherry and has small quarter inch dark fruit, its probably a Black Cherry. dickm |
Identify Fruit Tree Michigan
You nailed it. The photos of the Common Buckthorn at the first link
match perfectly. Interesting rogue I have on my hands -- an invasive species once (and still by some) thought to have medicinal properties. Thanks for the info! Dan |
Identify Fruit Tree Michigan
It's a common blackthorn. Thanks for your help!
Dan |
Identify Fruit Tree Michigan
Hi All,
It sounds like an elderberry tree from what you say. Birds will eat them if you leave them long enough, but from the descriptoin you have given I could be wrong. hope this helps you. Richard M. Watkin. "dand" wrote in message ups.com... I live in Taylor, Michigan, which is near Detroit. At the rear of my back yard, growing in the brush at its edge, is a beautiful tree, about ten or twelve feet tall, that looks to me like a cherry tree, but it doesn't have cherries on it. It has groups of small (about a quarter inch diameter) smooth, round berries that are very dark -- almost black in color. I squashed one between my fingers and got a rich purple juice out of it that had no odor I could detect. No, I didn't taste it. Here we are in late October, and there are all kinds of these berries to be seen, and it seems nothing's interested in eating them. Could somebody tell me what kind of tree I have? Dan |
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