Viburnum

Is this Viburnum dilatatum? It has red berries and grows naturally in my woods. I know not a native because of the red berries.

Sure looks a lot like Viburnum dilatatum, and I've heard more than a couple of reports of this plant escaping in MD. Some are naming it invasive in MD.

Do you have any more images of this, like closeups of the stems and buds, or of the plant with fruit? If you could take pics of it now, with closeups, positive ID might be possible.

Cut some branches and bring them indoors for good shots.

What! an invasive viburnum! This one probably smells like unstopped wine. Invasive and Viburnum in the same sentence. Kind of like a turkey bone in the throat.

You mean you could identify without leaves or anything?????/ WOW..I will take a picture tomorrow. Gee I am very impressed. Just a stem/branch? How can anyone be that good?????

Never underestimate Vainglorious Vermouth!

Scott

Winter identification isn't that hard for a lot of things. My first little ID booklet: Winter Tree Finder by May Theilgaard Watts and Tom Watts.

You know, sort of funny this topic is coming up. I was just walking around outside and I noticed American Elm leaves on the ground in an area on my property that I don't particularly pay attention to. I immediately looked to the ground to see how many were there trying to figure out if they had blown in or what while Guy immediately looked up and around and spotted a 35 year old American Elm that I had completely missed on my own property...about 10' from where we were standing smack dab behind a Black Cherry. Funny how the herbaceous person looks down and the woody person looks up. Jabbering away here but yes, winter is a great time to go out and look around. Many telltale signs of plant identities.

And you know something Leftwood, the book you just mentioned is one I had wanted. It's a dichotomous key right? It's eastern deciduous species to top it off! Excellent recommendation!

And Bingo!
http://davesgarden.com/gbw/c/938/

Okay Smarty pants

To: Levari facias

From: Sage Trousers

Re: ID request; nice gauntlet!

ID outside (as well as during) the growing season is not mysterious, herculean, or reserved for the Einsteinian. Following a dichotomous key (decide which fork in the road to take), reading up on plants and definitions of terms, and looking closely at plant parts instead of only the grossest (largest, most obvious) features enables anyone to do this. Experience over time helps, too.

As you'll see, I think we have twins separated at birth. Your plant clearly illustrates the characteristic features of Viburnum dilatatum, which is known to have escaped cultivation and is suspected/accused of being invasive in MD.

•All viburnums have opposite arrangement of plant parts (buds, leaves, branches)
•Look closely at the youngest twigs/stems and note the fine downy hair
•This is also present on the buds which have a reddish-brown cast
•This is also present on the pedicels (what fruit is attached to)
•Persistent fruit, formerly red but off color after winter freezes
•Prominent orange lenticels (small round bumps) on main branches

Here's some botanical description (from Dirr) for everyone to immerse in:

Buds imbricate, slightly pubescent, 4 to 6 bud scales, blunt, brownish, often with a tinge of red in the scales; young branches hispid, brown, lenticels -- orange (prominent).

Here's a chunk of what's by my front porch.

How did you get that off my kitchen counter??? Well many thanks VV...You are MOST knowledgeable! I don't understand one earthly thing you said except that it is indeed a dilatatum. I will try and be more observant of the pedicels and bumpy lenticels in the future. Or I may even have them in a salad.

Hold the pie:)

Smarty pants or No pants? Who's pants were they?

That's the book, Lauren. And it is a dichotomous key of eastern trees. The first one I got (when I was a wee lad) was the Master Tree Finder for summer identification. It was 50 cents back then.

Rick

Now, it wasn't as bad as all that, was it? I don't think I mocked anyone.

We're all supposed to be in this for the good of the plants, as it were.

So, I try to put stuff in layman's terms AND botanical jargon (for which Botanary and Garden Terms are handy for interpretation), and resistance to knowledge is slowly worn down and confidence in using the terminology is gradually built up.

Much like those of us late to the tech advances, that with use now seems like a comfortable appendage.

Here's what a couple of really healthy late spring Viburnum dilatatum look like.
The fruit are quite edible. They are a little tart at the beginning of winter, but by now they won't make you pucker up too bad.

Oh my what the sun does for them....wish I could get rid of some of these trees!!! AND I am going to try and study a little harder, Smarty Pants.

And VV, you need to cut your grass more often.

Scott

What? Grass? Invading the Valley?

I'll have the DW get right on that. One of her joys in life, while I'm on the porch sipping iced tea.

"Missed a spot, hon."

"Work on your cross-hatching."

"When's the last time you got down and washed under the deck?"

Be very careful V2, first pie to the cat, and now directions to the DW; you could end up in the doghouse with that invasive viburnum of yours.