Amur Cork Tree berries

Phellodendron Amurense, I believe. I missed the flowers but 2 of my 4 Cork trees are covered in green berries. Only noticed since it has been so dry lately that I have to get out extra garden hose and water my trees. Will they ripen and turn another color? Worth collecting seed from them? Never had this happen before. Gene

They'll ripen purplish-black in mid/late autumn. With four specimens, there's a high probability the seed will be viable. That may become a liability rather than something desirable, when your neighbours start complaining about invasive seedlings ;-)

Resin

That species is a huge pest in mid Atlantic area (Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, at least). Don't know what its persistence might be in balmy Wisconsin, though.

Take a few of your green berries and give them a squeeze. I remember them having a sharp citrusy fragrance.

Phellodendron amurense is a dioecious plant, so you are probably able to determine the male and female proclivities of your trees.

Thanks for all that info. I'm in the countryside so no neighbours to worry about. I'd like ot have a few more of this interesting tree. Gene

Does this mean that there are some members out east who need to weed = can mail me some seedlings? Gene

On a related note: One of my Yellowwood trees has berries on it. Never seen that before. I always thought the Amur Cork and Yellowwood were very similiar , IMO. Similar shape, size, leaves, and smell - a green smell.

OK, first 2 pix are one of the trees that I thought was Amur Cork and that somone else here did help with an ID. Next a tree that I thoguht was Yellowwood, Last 2 another taller tree that I also thought was Yellowwood. Pix look all the same to me. I have some other Yellowwoods w/o berries and I know that on at least one of them I saw yellow wood when I was transplanting it. All the trees are looking bad since we have had a long dry spell. Be nice and tell me that Amur Cork and Yellowwood are kind of similiar in appearnce. Thanks. Gene

Yep, those all look like Amur Cork Tree.

Here's some pics of Yellowwood seed pods:
http://bygl.osu.edu/sites/default/files/main/articles/cimage2013_08n6201_w720.jpg

And lots of pics here:
http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/clke.html

Resin

OK, looks like all my trees (in question) are Amur Cork. Not really a bad hting. Gene

Agree that all those images are of Amur Cork.

Great easy way to separate Phellodendron amurense from Yellowwood and/or Amur Maackia - and most other pinnate compound woody plants you are likely to encounter...

Phellodendron amurense is opposite in arrangement; all the others mentioned are alternate. You won't need flowers, fruit, or foliage to determine that - any time of year.

That's pretty much the ticket - Fraxinus sp. are on their way out in middle United States.

PLUS - the three species listed above have the characteristic of the dormant bud being hidden by the end of the leaf petiole. That's not too common among many woody plants in temperate North America.

Thanks everyone. I have lots of Ash trees around here. I thought Maple was also opposite. A few Dogwoods around - aren't they opposite? N. Catalpa might be another. Gene

Yes to opposite arrangement of Maple, Dogwood, Catalpa - as well as Buckeye, and all the Viburnums!

None have pinnately compound leaves, though - which is what had you confused on the original question. Except the trifoliate group of Acer - which includes A. negundo as a local native.

One other distinction for Yellowwood - unlike virtually all other pinnate-leaved trees, the leaflets themselves are also alternate on the leaf stalk. Other pinnate leaves almost invariably have opposite leaflets.

Resin

Now , there you go, very precise info that will work = THANKS. I'm going to have to go for a walk and check this out. Gene