Please help me ID this tree/shrub!

BeowulfIII · #1 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 07:45 PM

Hi, I live in London and have been trying to identify this tree in my front garden for some time from books etc. From my limited resources, I thought it may be a Sloe/Blackthorn or maybe a Dwarf Cherry? The fruits began red and quickly wrinkled and darkened.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Deer Stalker · #2 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 07:50 PM

Dunno. Definatly not Blackthorn. Could do with seeing some leaves when they come out.

Garden Carpet · #3 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 07:51 PM

How big are the fruits Beowolf? Welcome to WAB by the way. A happier more helpful crew you would go a long way to find
jaki

BeowulfIII · #4 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 08:19 PM

Hi, thanks for welcome and replies! The fruits are about the size of a large cherry. Hope that helps?

Susie · #5 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 08:40 PM

Looks like a rose bush to me. The berries are the rosehips, which have now dessicated.

Oh, and welcome to WAB from me too.

What were the leaves/flowers like?

aeshna5 · #6 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 08:44 PM

Suzie is right it's a rose- it's appears to be thornless, so may be Rosa x multiflora?

BeowulfIII · #7 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 09:02 PM

Thanks very much for your kind help everyone. The flowers are small and white which through me off the scent of a rose bush...any ideas as to what the x might be? Very excited about discovering this site and looking forward to partcipating in some of the discussions!

Susie · #8 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 09:06 PM

Rosa multiflora - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Have a look at the above link - maybe that will help you identify it.

It is the one that Aeshna5 suggested and by what you have just said I imagine it is probably the right one. Well done Aeshna5!

honeybee · #9 (**permalink**) 21-01-2007, 09:06 PM

A cultivated rose tends to go wild if left and reverts to a dog rose although as pointed out yours has no thorns.

aeshna5 · #10 (**permalink**) 22-01-2007, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susie

Rosa multiflora - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Have a look at the above link - maybe that will help you identify it.

It is the one that Aeshna5 suggested and by what you have just said I imagine it is probably the right one. Well done Aeshna5!

I think I'm wrong on this as Rosa multiflora has cluster of small hips as shown in photo. Would probably need fresh hips amongst other features such as leaf too to positively ID it. We can see stem is (relatively) thornless which would eliminate many species.

If you're really keen to get a positive ID get a copy of BSBI Handbook No.7 which is Roses of GB + Ireland + includes quite a few of the commonly naturalised as well as native species + hybrids. There is a key as well, but you would need plant in leaf + flower to use it. I was glancing through illustrations this morning as I realised after my post yesterday evening that the fruits were wrong.