Sometimes. Leaves, buds or bark can often lead to an ID. But your volunteer is giving no indication of what it might be. btw, a volunteer fruit tree - if that is what it is - rarely will produce decent fruit.

Thank you, gardengal48. I'm not expecting any fruit, but I'm hoping for blossomsl

Not all trees - fruits or otherwise - will produce blossoms. Or things you would recognize as flowers.

Really? I had no idea! If this tree doesn't bloom this year, then I'll get rid of it. It's taking up one of my biggest pots. Thanks for the tip!

Can you show a closer view of the buds? The horizontal lentils do look a bit Prunussy. ETA LENTICELS!!!!

It really helps to have leaves. Most trees can be identified with leaves and bark. Bark alone is harder. Why do you think it is a fruit tree?

Maybe trees that have had lots of breeding work may not bloom well as volunteers, plenty of natives will. A native black cherry, for example, will bloom prolifically as a volunteer. You won't get fruit from a black cherry, the birds will get all the tiny, black bitter cherries. Most trees take a number of years of before they bloom.

Judging from the back, it could be in the apple/cherry family, but as I said, it's hard to identify trees by their bark. Some trees have male and female versions, the males usually have tiny inconspicuous flowers, but are required for a good fruit set on the females.

Thanks, Sigrid. I thought the bark was a definite indication. Also, it sprouted near a beautiful weeping cherry (now sadly gone) which I was sure wasn't grafted because the roots produced two weeping offshoots which I potted up when we lost the tree. One offshoot died, but the other is ten feet tall and blooms beautifully every year. So that's why I was pretty sure this was another, but clearly the branches don't weep.

It's raining right now, but I'll try to get a picture of its buds later.

As floral said, the horizontal lentils look like it could be Prunus. [ETA: lentils?]

I was going to ask you what fruits you eat, but you've mentioned cherry now so it's almost certainly a cherry seedling.

Seems a shame to give it up now that you have looked after it for so long. Maaaaybe it will be that unlikely seedling that produces something beautiful to eat or utterly gorgeous in blossom.

Why not buy yourself a new pot until you know for sure?

We had a seedling apricot come up somewhere near the carport, and I remembered throwing an apricot seed in the vicinity. My husband transplanted it and for many years we enjoyed it's Autumn yellow leaves, and it grew and grew until finally one day if produced one apricot. A possum stole the apricot I think. I didn't get to taste it. But the following year it produced six apricots, and I tasted one to reveal - surprise surprise, nothing to write home about. But we've enjoyed that tree despite the letdown. Yours might - MIGHT - be terrific.

I've got two more pictures, but the site isn't letting me upload them.

Until I can get the pictures loaded, let me ask for clarification about the bark. I thought that all trees with that same bark were fruit trees. What non-friut trees have that bark?

Hazel can sometimes fool me in winter when I'm looking for wild cherry in woodland.

'Fruit tree' doesn't really mean anything botanically or horticulturally. Many fruit trees are in the genus Prunus but many are not. Many Prunus have similar bark but some don't.

Bud pix would be really helpful. Another thing you could do is cut a twig and put it in water indoors. Leaves should open and that would help the id.

"I thought that all trees with that same bark were fruit trees. What non-friut trees have that bark? "

LOTS of trees have lenticels - aspen, birch, alder, various species of Prunus, sourwood, assorted maples, honey locust, Paulownia - as well as many other woody shrubs and vines. In fact, some botanists believe lenticels are common to ALL woody plants but most are not readily visible or are visible only at certain stages of development.

The majority of these plants produce nothing that most would consider a fruit (or an edible product) and a fair number produce nothing that most would identify as a blossom or flower.

I am certainly getting an education here. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I'll post more pictures if/when I can upload them.

Any updates? Do you have new pictures?

I think it may be dead. I just went out to take a picture and the branches look exactly the same. I snapped off a few twigs and scraped the bark on the main stem, but there was no green under the bark. Not sure what happened except that we did have crazy weather with warm days followed by 20° days/5° nights and lots of wind. I'm pretty shocked. I'll leave it alone and see if anything developes. If so, I'll post here again.

I would doubt it's dead if it is a volunteer and several years old. That implies it's well suited to your climate. Do let us know how it goes on.

Thanks for your encouragement, floral! I will definitely post again!

Dead as a doornail as far as I can tell. What looked like leaf buds in the picture, are dry and dead. I have no idea what could have killed it so quickly.

I'm going to leave it in its pot this year, on the off chance that the roots might still be alive and might do something. But I'm putting it to work--it's going to be a support for pepper plants. I can hang shiny Xmas decorations on the branches to scare off the deer!