What kind of tree is this?

[carla]

This is a tree in our pasture, anyone know what kind it is? It's the only one low enough for Jack to reach; the branches grow out all the way to the ground, looks like a GIANT overgrown shrub lol:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p214/carcar_020/1285598948.jpg

[Remali]

Gosh, I'm not sure.... I should send the pic to a friend of mine, I bet he'd know..... my first thought was elderberry, but the leaves don't have the right look for an elderberry.....

[carla]

Remali don't tell me that! :o

I'm looking up elderberry and all the ones I see have serrated-type leaf edges. These are not.

[Remali]

Yeah, there are no serrated leaves on your tree. I emailed a friend of mine and asked him what he thought it was, he's big into the outdoors and takes classes for foraging, and plants, etc.

If it had been an elderberry, you might have been able to make some tasty wine from it! LOL.

[carla]

Yeah, or have a colicing pony from what I'm reading- LOL! I'm going to get out there today and cut the low limbs off.. just to be saafe.. and if I find out it's poisonous I'll cut it down completely. Jack seems to have just discovered it today, because I haven't seen him messing with it any other day and he stays in the back of the pasture all night from what I can tell. He'll snack for about 2 minutes, then go back to eating grass.. maybe 30 minutes later get a few more leaves. At least it looks like the leaves he's after to me. Right now he's just hanging out under the big catalpa worm tree- or so we've been TOLD that's what it is. Whatever it is, it's big. I'm no tree identifier, apparently.

[carla]

And THANK YOU, Remali. I'll love to hear what your friend says. :)

[mare]

Looks like chokecherry, though I'm certainly no expert I make jelly with the ones here. But I did search and find they grow in your area. Some people call them bird berries.

I'll be interested to see what Remali's friend says.

[carla]

I did send the pic to Sunday's Man, and he says Bradford Pear. Which would be fine with me. Sounds right, he has a lot of those at Buck's Hollow. .. Remali still let me know if you hear anything!

[Remali]

I haven't heard back from my friend...dang, he's not always online, and lives in an area where his cell phone doesn't work if I were to call him from where I live......(that figures). Soon as he emails me back tho, I will let you know....

I wonder..... is there a garden center/tree farm near you? Maybe snip off a branch and take it in and ask them..... (if we're no help on here.....LOL)....

[TheRedHayflinger]

contact your local DNR. They should be able to tell you for certain.

[Remali]

Still no word from my friend..... sometimes he gets busy with work and classes, so I don't always hear back from him right away.

Good idea about the DNR, or local ag extension.....

[WashingtonBay]

I tried to run it through a few tree ID sites on the internet, but it gave me wrong answers. If it were here I'd say it was some kind of crab-apple or hazelnut or something (except hazelnut is really thorny on the stems too), but I don't know what you have down there.

My vet gave a rule of thumb that may not always be true, but it was basically if the leaves are shiny AND evergreen (doesn't drop it's leaves in winter) then be suspicious of letting anything eat it. Most of the poisonous stuff, at least around here, that is deciduous is also evergreen, which makes it more attractive in winter... unfortunately...

[Country Girl 43]

Looks like a GREEN tree to me...... :p LOL

[TheRedHayflinger]

I'm thinking Sugarberry to be honest.... I have a few books from my dendrology class from about 10 years ago, but most are Ohio native species...the one that isn't doesn't have a great ID system in it...but I keep coming to Sugarberry.

[TheRedHayflinger]

http://biology.swau.edu/herbarium/jpeg/sugarberry.html leaves from a sugarberry...do they match up?

[carla]

Thanks RHF, sorry I missed this. The leaves do not match up; where those show a grouping of leaves all at the end of the stem, these leaves grow all up the stem, staggered- irregular pattern I think it's called?

[Cat]

Could it be a blackgum? What color do the leaves go when fall finally gets here? If it was blackgum they will go red and its known for its shiny leaves.

[carla]

Cat- not sure, we just moved here in July.. :/

[Remali]

I never heard back from my friend, dang it.... would your local DNR be able to help you, or ag extension?

[carla]

Oh I dunno, I'm not that concerned at this point.. I'm pretty sure it'd be a task to get to them anyway. Jack has not touched the tree anymore so far as I've seen. I may take a branch next time I go to SM's house for comparison. Will be watching to see how the leaves change and let you guys know what happens.. :)