Shrub ID, likely New England native

deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b

3 years ago

This is a naturally occuring shrub in my understory. I tried to figure out what it was and the closest I came was black or red chokeberry, but I don’t think that’s it. The tiny flowers seem nearly identical, but they’re such a standard form I would not think that means much, and these flowers are arranged in spikes. This plant has clear red stems and no literature I could find says chokeberry has red stems. Also, the leaves are not really dark glossy green. The bark is ”spotted”? I wish I had a resource at hand that gave me all the official terms for these characteristics, but that’s not easy to find.

Any ideas?

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Looks like one of the bird cherries, Prunus padus or virginiana. P. virginiana is native, P. padus is not but is widely naturalized.
deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
sah_upstate4 (zone 5b - NY)
3 years ago
GG is spot-on. P. padus and P. virginiana can be difficult to tell apart, but this chart offers some useful things to look for in separating them:
deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked sah_upstate4 (zone 5b - NY)
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deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you! I pulled myself out of the rabbit hole of gland discovery and realized my best bet is to watch the fall color. P. virginiana is a choke cherry, which seems a sensible name since it mimics the chokeberry. I’ll have happy birds.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
3 years ago
Deanna, Based on where you are, I think your best guess for now is P. virginiana. GoBotany/Native Plant Trust, a New England based organization, doesn’t list P. padus in New England, and IME they are fairly reliable.
deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you, NHBabs. Knowing me, I would not notice the fall color and would still be asking the same Q next year. Glad to have confirmation. Good to see you again!