ID on this tree please.

[LynM]

Can anyone id this tree for me please? It is on the edge of a path in farmland in Dorset. I thought from the shape of the leaves that it might be some type of cherry, but now I'm not so sure!

[Lance Morgan]

I would say a cherry of some sort possibly bird cherry.

[KeenTeen17]

I think its cherry as well

[LynM]

Thanks, I'll try to get more info and narrow it down!

[Digit]

From those pics I'd say a Cherry, but I'd have to disagree with Lance as to Bird Cherry. Ours has more rounded, less pointed, leaves than that.

Roy.

[The Woodman]

Most of the cherry family have toothed leaf edges, this appears to me to have lobed edges.
Have a look at Nyssa sinensis, how does that compare.
It's a handsome tree, do you have any pictures of the whole tree?

[LynM]

Leaves on the Nyssa Sinensis look too smooth to me, Woodman. No full tree picture at the moment as I took these purely for the colour. Will try to get one in the next couple of days.

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Most of the cherry family have toothed leaf edges, this appears to me to have lobed edges.
Have a look at Nyssa sinensis, how does that compare.
It's a handsome tree, do you have any pictures of the whole tree?

And the bark - may exclude cherry immediately.

Are there any fruit around?

[LynM]

As requested, pictures of the bark and the whole tree. No sign of any fruit on the tree or beneath it. Hope these help.

[davidbr]

I believe your tree is Sargent's Cherry (Prunus sargentii), a Japanese native quite frequently planted as an ornamental in parks and gardens (though much more rarely than the Japanese Cherries P.serrulata)

The thing that threw me was that, as I understand it, they're usually grafted onto other species and rarely fruit in the UK, hence would be an unlikely candidate for naturalisation. Looking at the picture of the whole tree, though, it's fairly obviously an old planting. Trees like this are sometimes used to mark farm boundaries etc, or just because they look nice on someone's farm