Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

"David (in Normandy)" wrote in
message ...
Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

--
David
... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

It looks like a Damson plum tree. Some of the Google images look similar.
Perhaps lack of water has not allowed the fruit to swell to its full
potential?

Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

how about sloe, good for sloe gin/vodka/whiskey :-) Lichen is good
also, sign of clean air

kate

David (in Normandy) wrote:
Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

--

I believe it's a blackthorn - the fruit is called sloe in English I
think - definitely prunelle in French.
You can pick them after the first frosts, and make jam. Or you can do
what the English do, and macerate them into mind altering beverages :-)

Cat(h)

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in message
...

"David (in Normandy)" wrote in
message ...
Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin
pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

--
David
... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

It looks like a Damson plum tree. Some of the Google images look similar.
Perhaps lack of water has not allowed the fruit to swell to its full
potential?


We would call that a Bullace sort of half way between a sloe and a damson.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

On 16/8/06 09:41, in article , "David
(in Normandy)" wrote:

Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

Blackthorn or Prunus spinosa. Start looking out some sloe gin recipes, you
lucky thing!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

In message , "David (in
Normandy)" writes
Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG


People have suggested plum (Prunus domestica var. domestica), bullace
(P. doemstica var. insititia) and blackthorn/sloe (P. spinosa). There's
also greengage (P. domestica var. italica).

Blackthorn is usually a hedgerow shrub. It has spiny twigs, while the
others are either not spiny or only sparsely so. Another means of
distinguishing them, not useful at this time of year, is that the
blackthorn flowers before the leaves open, and the others after or as
the leaves open.

[Data from Stace, New Flora of the British Isles, 1st edn.]
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Thank you all for the replies. Looks like I'll be doing a bit of homebrewing
again in the near future :-)
Time to dig out my old copy of CJJ Berry winemaking, it's been a few years.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

The message from Sacha contains these words:
"David (in Normandy)" wrote:

Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg
http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG
http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

Blackthorn or Prunus spinosa. Start looking out some sloe gin recipes,
you lucky thing!

I've got 40 of these babies.

Perhaps I should start commercial production? ;-)

Or perhaps O would like some (of the young plants, I mean!)

--
AnneJ

The message
from "David \(in Normandy\)"
contains these words:

Thank you all for the replies. Looks like I'll be doing a bit of
homebrewing
again in the near future :-)
Time to dig out my old copy of CJJ Berry winemaking, it's been a few years.

In don't think you actually have to "brew" sloe gin, you top up
a 2/3 full bottle of gin with 'pricked' sloes, and take it from there.

At least that was how I understood the process....

--
AnneJ

Sacha writes
On 16/8/06 09:41, in article , "David
(in Normandy)" wrote:

Anyone recognise this small tree please?
It is approximately 15 to 20 feet high and covered with lichens. It has
small blue/grey berries on it, which are mostly pip with a very thin pulp.
The pip is very hard and firmly attached to the thin flesh.

Pictures at:

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTree.jpg

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryTwigWithBerries.JPG

http://www.avisoft.co.uk/MysteryBerryCutOpen.JPG

Blackthorn or Prunus spinosa. Start looking out some sloe gin recipes, you
lucky thing!

If it is sloe rather than damson, then it will have spines. It's other
common name is blackthorn.

--
Kay