Friday, October 30, 2009

ID

Help, please. I know I should know...but what is this shrub? It was growing beside the stream in Woodstock, beside the covered bridge. Uncharacteristically, I did not taste its berries.

7 comments:

  1. Privet was my initial response too. We had a hedge growing around our house, which the cows used to eat. But our leaves looked more leathery...

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  2. Some sort of viburnum? blackhaw viburnum (viburnum prunifolium)?

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  3. Rachel en jvdh - it does look a lot like the pictures of privet with fruit that I've googled. Which would be disappointing, as I'm looking for more native plants to write about for AOL (about which I had a nightmare last night; like writing propaganda for a Soviet publication nothing I did was right)...

    Paula and Dinahmow - I WANT it to be the V. prunifolium, some of which are destined for the durn little park. Just the name black haw is lovely. It looks like some of the pictures I have googled subsequently...

    And look at the interesting site I found while googling the viburnum!

    http://xenogere.com/tag/blackhaw-viburnum-viburnum-prunifolium/

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  4. Ooh! I did look at that site and immediately saw raptors and cats! Thanks, Marie. (Oh, yes, I looked in my RHS book and am sure it's V. prunifolium.)

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  5. Looks like blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium), Marie. Though it gets bigger and grows longer down here in Texas, the crimson-stained leaves and magically dark fruit are unmistakable. Delightful photo!

    And thank you for the kind remark about my blog. I'm honored.

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