Knowledgebase
Identification of tree/shrub in my and neighbor's yards #758835
Asked June 28, 2021, 1:29 PM EDT
There are shrubs growing along my back fence (SE Denver) and one in my yard per se, which when I key it out on the Extension service website, it says it is a common choke cherry (https://bit.ly/3qwhLsE). However, my neighbor disagrees and after looking at the photos online I have to concur. Most are roughly 6 feet tall, fairly open, but one along the fence line is maybe 12-15 feet tall, and the shrubby one in my yard I trim to semi-round shape about 4 feet talk. The flowers are all gone, but as I recall they are white or possibly light pinkish white (I just can't remember). The berries here typically come in twos and threes, close to the branch, not in hanging clusters. They are about the size of a standard peanut and white or whitish green, turning mottled orange and then red (most are turning now, at the end of June). In spring there typically are gazillions of little ones coming up, which I think are these shrubs, from fruits that have fallen off are spread by squirrels, which seem to like them.
For all the world it does look like choke cherry, but the cherries are not quite right. I've had suggestions from Korean Cherry to Nanking Cherry to Flowering Almond. None seem quite right. Any ideas?
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
The winner is: Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa)! These are large, old-fashioned shrubs that are one of the first to bloom early in the season. The fragrant flowers are pinkish in bud and change to white. The bark is shiny, reddish brown and exfoliating, and the leaves are dark green in summer and tomentose (ie. hairy) on the lower surface. Look for "fuzz" on the new growth which is a good ID characteristic for this plant.
OK, thank you. I think that clinches it. They are Nanking cherry bushes! Thanks again!
LS
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