Could this be an elderberry ???

Here are a couple pics I took of a shrub or a wanna be shrub. I didn't see it in the flowering stages so I can't tell you what it looked like then.

another pic....

As you can see in this pic, it appears to have been chopped down at some point in time....

It doesn't look right for Elderberry to me, but it does look formiliar. Have you posted it on the ID forum?

Not yet no, maybe I'll give that a try. I was hopeful it was elderberry so I think thats why I posted it here...lol

Thankyou for the response...

~Julie =0)

Just so you know, I've only been looking at the Elderberries native to WA, so it may be a cousin. But, the fact that it looks familiar, but not like Elderberry makes me think otherwise. On the up side, a lot of me research has been on Edibles so it might still be a useful plant. But, I think that between here and ID someone should know for sure. Good job on documenting the parts needed to ID.

Looks like Prunus serotina, Black Cherry, to me. Those will regenerate from stumps if they can. Of course, it could be any of the smaller tree-shrub cherries that are native here, which I couldn't identify even with a book in my hand.

I was thinking Inkberry (Ilex glabra), which is very close, the leaves are right, and the berries are right, the the conection between the two are not. Here is a picture of Inkberry. Also may look at Gaultheria Genus.

Also might look at Sarcococca confusa

Julie, I don't really think it is an elderberry, but could be. I have several of them, all different varieties, and all have their berries in clusters and I would say the individual berry not as large, but because it is quite young the berries could be larger. In your first photo the leaflets seem to grow longer than any of mine. Sorry, don't think i was much help. DonnaS

What about chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)?

That's a black cherry for sure. I have them by the dozen in my wooded lot. Every one I cut down sends up a bunch of new shoots from the stump.

I looked up the wild black cherry and it looks exactly like the one here...

http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/black_cherry.htm

**********************************************

yet the pages here.... make it sound deadly and dangerous..might explain why somebody hacked it up in the first place.

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant46.htm

But thankyou everyone for the great info !!!! Odd that the pages seem to conflict each other with regard to the plant. Unless I screwed them up some how, which is entirely possible.

Anybody ever grown elderberry from seed ??? Probably takes forever and a day to get going right.

~Julie =0)

It doesn't take too long, but they're a little tricky. They usually won't grow until they've been cold stratified, so I put them them in a baggie with some moistened seed starter mix, left them in the fridge until spring and spread the mix of seeds and soil over the top of a flat of potting soil. After a couple of weeks, they started sprouting and I pricked them out into cell packs. They're about 8 feet tall now!

Agrinerd - would you happen to have any more seeds?! Do you know what kind you have, since some need a propagation buddy? ~ Suzi :)

Good question Suzi...lol, I hadn't thought of that one. I was in process of looking for seed.

~Julie =0)

Darn - I hate it when I ask the right question!!! Maybe can compare its leaves, flowers, size or height w/ pics of known ones. ~ Suzi :)

The seeds I have are for a real weirdo. My eagle-eyed brother was driving through West Virginia and spotted a scraggly native elderberry, Sorbus canadensis, with shiny, cranberry-red berries (rare, but I've found documentation). He pulled over, grabbbed a few umbels and threw them into a cooler. After he got home, they spent a few years in a freezer until he sent them to me.

They don't have much flavor (fresh elderberries generally don't, but these are probably better than most), but I'd bet they'll boil down into a beautiful jelly. I have a bunch waiting in the fridge for seed extraction, so it will be a while before I get them to anybody. Still interested? SASBE for anyone in DG, but now I'm thinking... maybe Ebay?

Sure I am interested!! Are you listed in the Address Forum? I am going to bed, exhausted!! Not much sleep all week... Night, Suzi :)

I remember adding my mailing address somewhere way back, but can't seem to find where. You can always D-mail me.

Agrinerd,
How well I know that feeling!! I ended up saving it in favs cuz I could never find it either. Then, I was told the magic secret:

Go to DG home
Click on Extras, on the top
find it on the list

Wrote the envelope out. Need to find a label and stamps to send. Will try to get it in the mail tomorrow.
Thanks, Suzi :)

I'll be, there I am! Doesn't look like I'll have the seeds ready until Sunday, so no rush.

We have a S. canadensis down in the creek bed, but I lose the berries every year to the birds. The flowers are neat, though.

There are a bunch of "regular" elderberries around the yard, but the birds get them, too. One of these years I'm going to get enough for a little tart!

The black cherry's toxicity is mainly a threat to cattle and other ruminants. The leaves become highly toxic after they have wilted some. We lost a heifer to wilted cherry leaves one year. When I was a kid, we used to dare each other to eat the cherries - they are bitter beyond belief!

Agrinerd,
Looks like you will be ready before me... I was busy bouncing around the last couple days and didn't find my address labels yet. If don't find them this weekend, will make up some more. Sorry... Suzi :)

No problem. I'm more inclined to stay in bed with this cold than dig through my seeds today anyway. I'll take vacaton starting around the 4th and want to sort out my seed inventory at that time, so maybe then. They won't need but 3 month's refigeration until spring. I'll try to be generous to make up for any delays.