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Old 05-27-2011, 08:45 AM
 
9,879 posts, read 14,128,518 times
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We moved into our house last fall, and today I notice that one of the trees in the back yard is producing berries. Does anyone know what kind of plant this might be?

The tree (or severely overgrown bush) is about 20' tall. the berries are light in color, but seem to be getting dark as they ripen. They look like smaller blackberries once ripe.

I have dogs and I fear that the berries may be poisonous, and will drop to the ground where they can be eaten.

Does anyone have any information?

Thanks!
Attached Thumbnails
Plant / Tree Identification - can you help?-berry-tree2.jpg   Plant / Tree Identification - can you help?-branch2.jpg  
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Old 05-27-2011, 08:51 AM
 
Location: Virginia
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I'm not sure and don't want to give bad advice. I'd clip a branch and drop by the nearest garden center. If you're near a Merrified Garden Center their help desk is fantastic, but really any large nursery should be able to identify it. Go to a independent place that has people who really know about landscaping, not Lowes or Home Depot.
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Old 05-27-2011, 09:01 AM
 
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That's a Mulberry Tree, they are fairly common in this area. You can eat the berries, or make them into a jam.
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Old 05-27-2011, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
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They make a heck of a mess. I'm tempted to plant one though to divert the squirrels from my peaches and cherries.
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Old 05-27-2011, 09:15 AM
 
Location: Sterling, VA
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They do make a mess. The birds eat them and then poop purple all over your driveway, sidewalk, and cars.
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Old 05-27-2011, 09:27 AM
 
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Yes, that's a red mulberry from all appearances. They are native and the birds etc. end up planting them all over the place. Once established, they are very hardy, but a bit messy as has been pointed out. To me, they are cuter when young than old, so I have tended to let them go for 15 years or so, then cut them down. It isn't like more won't come.
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Old 05-27-2011, 09:30 AM
 
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Mullberry tree. They are edible.

EDIT - looks like I'm late to the party in responding!
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Old 05-27-2011, 09:50 AM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
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Mulberries are not poisonous to dogs so don't worry about them. My dogs have never been interested in them. But, just like others have said, birds really love those berries.
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Old 05-27-2011, 10:36 AM
 
1,759 posts, read 2,029,568 times
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Sorry, I'm late too!
But just to echo the upthread suggestion to ask Merrifield for help in identification, if you need it for something else in the future, they are pretty great.

I brought in a 6-inch length of something crawling up the side of the house and the guy immediately said, "Oh that's hydrangea vine. It's invasive and can grow 20 feet. Get rid of it." Just like that!
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Old 05-27-2011, 06:58 PM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alltheusernamesaretaken View Post
I brought in a 6-inch length of something crawling up the side of the house and the guy immediately said, "Oh that's hydrangea vine. It's invasive and can grow 20 feet. Get rid of it." Just like that!
Really? That's not that bad a plant to have growing in your garden. It's not like kudzu. You sure he was right with his ID? I've not heard anyone complain about it being "invasive".
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