Identify this shrub/tree?

[jdbower]

If you can grab a shot of the leaves that may help. My guess would be a parsley hawthorn but they've got pretty distinctive leaves.

 

[jimmyj]

But no fruit? Can't be a hawthorne then I would not think. Can we get a close up shot of the bark and some twigs. I have some books that are pretty good but they are oriented to Canada so maybe I'll strike out.

If possible
-leaf shape
-twig formation (opposite or alternate from the stalk)
-trunk close up
-are there any others and what sizes do they get to be

May be too much work, nice tree to look at though.

 

[polo1665]

Sunspot,
I too live in 'bama. I don't know what kind of tree it is either and wish I did. I've got them all over my property. It blooms this time of year, has a lot of long thorns and the wood is hard as a rock!!!!

If someone identifies it, I'll be happy...I'm monitoring this thread.

oh and no, it's not a dogwood and it bears no fruit during the spring/summer.

Podunk

If it has alot of long thorns and is very hard it is probably a thorn apple tree. There are alot of them on our property, but the blooms don't seem to be quite as large here in Ohio. The deer love these trees for some reason.
Do a search for thorn apple photos.

Mark

 

[polo1665]

I did a little more research. The tree is also called a Hawthorn tree. Got a photo off of the net, looks like it the same as the one the OP posted.

 

[jimmyj]

Do the blooms smell bad? Our hawthorne trees here have a nasty smell when they flower. But ours have berries too.

Sidebar, I bumped a hawthorne and got a thorn deep in my arm once. It broke off way down in the deep tissue. The GP could not get it out, a surgeon could not get it out and they had to call a plastic surgeon cuz it was so deep in the tendons. They can be down right nasty.

 

[Barton]

Hey yall, It is AMERICAN WILD PLUM Prunus americana

AMERICAN WILD PLUM - Prunus americana

OK, what kind of prize do I win?

 

[sunspot]

Good lord, 16 replies in no time at all. I thank everyone.

It's was on my property when I moved here and I don't remember it blooming before. There is no odor to the blossoms. I don't recall if it had thorns but I think is does not. No leaves on it yet but I will take a picture of the bark.

 

[Barton]

Well, of course , around here the locals don't call them AMERICAN WILD PLUM Prunus americana. They are just called plum or wild plum. But the small tree is as Podunk described, hard wood with thorns.

I left several on our lot and took out several. The ones that get sun will flower real purty and bear fruit, the ones in the shade don't so much. The fruit are very small, less than the diameter of a dime.

The main roots are hard and brittle and will re-sprout if left in the ground. We now have hundreds of seedlings, around the base of the tree, from last years fruit, which is the main downside of using then in your landscape.

 

[jinman]

Well, of course , around here the locals don't call them AMERICAN WILD PLUM Prunus americana. They are just called plum or wild plum. But the small tree is as Podunk described, hard wood with thorns.

Barton, what you are describing as wild plums is what we call Mexican plum in Texas. It grows in thickets alongside highways, railroads, fencelines, and 1/4 acre thickets in the middle of fields. The growth along fences and highways is probably due to birds dropping the seeds. The bark on the wild plums is slick, but the trunk of the tree may be split an rough as the tree becomes well matured. These wild plums are rarely much more than 8' tall with the tallest being around 10'.

We also have another plum tree that gets 15 to 20 feet tall. It is much more solitary and does not grow in thickets. The bark on the trunks of these trees is very rough, and the fruit appears long after the blooms drop. The plums do not mature until late August or September. They become purple in color, are the size of a marble, and are actually quite tasty. A large tree will produce only a handful of fruit despite being covered in blooms in the spring. That tree that Sunspot posted looks very much like this plum. It will be interesting to see what the bark on the trunk looks like. Now, the kicker is that I have always called this tree a "hog plum," but on doing a search on the internet, I discovered that I've misnamed the tree. Hog plum is what my father called them and I just assumed that was right. Now, I see I was wrong.

Both those trees are in bloom here right now, so I can get pictures for comparison. I'll try to do that today. One thing I know for sure. If you cut down one of these trees with a chainsaw, the wood really stinks.

EDIT: I found some pictures of my "mystery" plum trees from a prior year. Notice how big each tree is and how solitary they grow.

2nd EDIT: DOH! Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed.
After further investigation, my solitary tree is a Mexican plum or sometimes called a "big tree" plum. The thickets of plums are just called wild plums as you previously noted. Here is a link to a picture of the Mexican plum's bark. This is quite different from the wild plum's slicker bark.
Mexican Plum

Okay, I'm going away and sulk after making a complete fool of myself.

 

[PSDStu]

Here in the Panhandle of Florida that tree is called a "Flatwoods Plum" Lots of them around here.

If you Google it, and then look at the images it sure looks like a "Flatwoods Plum", it's also called a Chicasaw Plum in these parts.

Stu