Tree identification

[haggis]

I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about trees but one I am seeing a lot of has me stumped. It has masses of pure white blossom but no greenery  and I am seeing it in the hedges canal side.. it is not hawthorn ( which is still green) or pussy willow (catkins) ( which has bigger yellowish flowers. 

It is not, I think, a tree we see up north.

Please put me out of my misery and tell me what it is .

[Alan de Enfield]

 

 

Blackthorn ?

 

Edited April 5 by Alan de Enfield

[haggis]

Thank you ! Just googled and that is what it is. Beautiful at this time of the year.

[MtB]

30 minutes ago, haggis said:

I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about trees but one I am seeing a lot of has me stumped.

 

Very droll! 

 

I think I'll log out now.....

 

 

 

 

[KezzerN]

14 minutes ago, haggis said:

Thank you ! Just googled and that is what it is. Beautiful at this time of the year.

 

 

Not so beautiful when you have to clamber through it to escape rampaging cattle: it is covered in the most barbaric and lethal thorns.  The fruit is great for making sloe gin though.

 

 

[LadyG]

Magnolia are in bloom 'Up North'

[Clanky]

Blackthorn which is the bearer of the sloe berry 👍

[David Mack]

You can get plant identification apps for your phone which can make a pretty good stab based on photographing leaves or flowers. The one I have has usage limits and adverts on the free version (but I could pay for unlimited use) but it has helped me out on a few occasions.

[haggis]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

Magnolia are in bloom 'Up North'

My magnolia at home is not yet in flower but I have seen some magnificent specimens in full flower down here. Mine might be a different variety.

I did wonder if blackthorn produced sloe berries but from my days making sloe gin I  don't remember them being that plentiful in canal side hedges. 

2 hours ago, KezzerN said:

 

 

Not so beautiful when you have to clamber through it to escape rampaging cattle: it is covered in the most barbaric and lethal thorns.  The fruit is great for making sloe gin though.

 

 

Yes, it did look a bit thorny. I used to make a lot of sloe gin but stopped when I realised neither of us were drinking it much ( whisky is our tipple of choice). I am sure we have sloe gin on board if anyone wants some 😄

6 minutes ago, David Mack said:

You can get plant identification apps for your phone which can make a pretty good stab based on photographing leaves or flowers. The one I have has usage limits and adverts on the free version (but I could pay for unlimited use) but it has helped me out on a few occasions.

Thank you but not as much fun as asking on here 😄. The forum has never failed me yet .

[matty40s]

We have a black thorn hedge across from us, 200 feet long...

[MtB]

Much of the hedging alongside the towpath on the Oxford is blackthorn. 

 

Evil thorns on it, which the CRT contractors leave all over the towpath to puncture my bike tyres. Fortunately they only seem to cut the hedges every two or three years now! 

 

 

[magnetman]

6 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Very droll! 

 

I think I'll log out now.....

 

 

 

 

 

I only just twigged it. 

 

 

Also is blackthorn in fact a tree? 

It seems more of a shrub. 

 

@tree monkey might know. 

[Russ T]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

 

I only just twigged it. 

 

 

Also is blackthorn in fact a tree? 

It seems more of a shrub. 

 

@tree monkey might know. 

@ Roger the shrubber would be better. He would know where to get juniper berries, too.

[magnetman]

I tried to make sloe gin once but it took too long. 

[5239]

6 hours ago, LadyG said:

Magnolia are in bloom 'Up North'

I think I’m correct,

this is Magnolia?

Brewood April 1st:

 

[magnetman]

Tulip tree is similar. 

[5239]

🤷‍♀️

There’s certain bud I recognise,

 

 

 

🤡

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, 5239 said:

🤷‍♀️

There’s certain bud I recognise,

 

 

 

🤡

 

But you are weiser !

[5239]

nope, lost on that one,

🤢

[Stroudwater1]

 

18 minutes ago, 5239 said:

I think I’m correct,

this is Magnolia?

Brewood April 1st:

 

Yep, probably Magnolia Soulangeana. There’s been a few around on the North Oxford. Lovely picture . Some of the hybrids are really nice too, much deeper pink and some deep purple. (No smoke on the water though) 

23 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

I only just twigged it. 

 

 

Also is blackthorn in fact a tree? 

It seems more of a shrub. 

 

@tree monkey might know. 

It’s similar to a plum so yes a tree 

 

They can get pretty large. This on the way up to Dunchurch 

 

 

[MtB]

26 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

I only just twigged it. 

 

 

Also is blackthorn in fact a tree? 

It seems more of a shrub. 

 

@tree monkey might know. 

 

Shrub monkey? 

 

 

28 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I only just twigged it. 

 

 

I don't be leaf it, running rings around you! 

 

 

[Russ T]

8 minutes ago, MtB said:

Shrub monkey? 

Is he branching out? That's me stumped for any more puns.

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, Rod Stewart said:

Is he branching out? That's me stumped for any more puns.

 

Really? I wood not be leaf it!

 

I guaran-tree there are lots more, I'm rooting for you. And why knot?

 

Nice wine, this ...

 

 

[Mac of Cygnet]

Blackthorn is one of a large genus - Prunus - which not only includes plums, damsons, etc, but also cherries.  But it's the most vicious, well named scientifically Prunus spinosus.  And the debate between shrubs and trees can be vague, but generally a tree has a central trunk, but a shrub has several branches from the base

[Alan de Enfield]

56 minutes ago, 5239 said:

🤷‍♀️

There’s certain bud I recognise,

 

 

 

🤡

 

54 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

But you are weiser !