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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Coop on September 23, 2008, 12:56:00 PM

Title: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 23, 2008, 12:56:00 PM
I was taking a walk to in a favorite hunting area of mine this morning and came across this fruit. It is about the size of a cherry but "heart" shaped like a strawberry. It has as small white specks all over it. They were all shaped pretty much the same. I regrettably didn't get a picture of the tree. The fruit was pretty firm on the tree, but softened up on the trip home. It is also BRIGHT red, but that didn't show in the picture. I haven't seen the fruit before, but have seen the tree so maybe I just didn't notice it. I cut it open and it has a pit in the center and the flesh is similar in color and texture to a peach. Obviously I didn't taste it, LOL.

I am just curious what it is.

(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f190/SVCoop/Misc/berry.jpg)
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: ChuckC on September 23, 2008, 01:24:00 PM
Persimmon ?
ChuckC
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: BroMark on September 23, 2008, 01:31:00 PM
Not like any persimmons around here... I'll be curious to read what this is.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: BMN on September 23, 2008, 02:46:00 PM
Looks like dogwood to me.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 23, 2008, 03:03:00 PM
Someone on another site suggested persimmon but I think they are too small and the wrong color?

BMN, Thanks for the suggestion. I researched dogwood and the picture I saw had the berries growing in bunches. These were single, none bunched together.

Next time I am getting a picture of the whole tree, but that won't be for a week or two.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: BMN on September 23, 2008, 03:23:00 PM
Some dogwoods have single berries.

(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a79/bmnash/dogwoodberry-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Don Stokes on September 23, 2008, 03:25:00 PM
How big is it? It looks a lot like flowering dogwood- the berries are not always in bunches. The fruit are that color, and around a quarter inch in size.

Deer and squirrels like them.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 23, 2008, 03:27:00 PM
Hmm that is similar. I don't remember this one have those little bunches at the base like that, but it looks the closest to anything I have seen so far.

Are those common in the SW PA area do you know?
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: BMN on September 23, 2008, 03:37:00 PM
I've never been to SW PA but I would guess they would be very common. My place in the Missouri Ozarks is covered with them. The white flowers make for a beautiful site during the spring turkey season.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 23, 2008, 03:44:00 PM
QuoteOriginally posted by Don Stokes:
How big is it? It looks a lot like flowering dogwood- the berries are not always in bunches. The fruit are that color, and around a quarter inch in size.

Deer and squirrels like them.
The tree or the fruit? The tree was crab apple sized I would say.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: gblrklr on September 23, 2008, 03:59:00 PM
Although you are a little too far north, it looks a little like a Mayhaw.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: stringstretcher on September 23, 2008, 04:57:00 PM
Looks more like a crabapple to me
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Missing Impossible on September 23, 2008, 05:04:00 PM
Took the same thing to work last week and someone there said it was a variety of crabapple.  The tree did have long thorns.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 23, 2008, 07:05:00 PM
Well all I will say about crabapple is, I have never seen a crabapple that had a pit and not seeds or one that had soft "flesh" on the inside like a peach. Every crabapple I have ever seen has been hard as a rock, this wasn't.

Next time I go back I will take my camera and get better pictures of the tree, the leaves, the bark, etc. I didn't think of any of that until I was already home.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Don Stokes on September 24, 2008, 09:45:00 AM
Coop, I was wondering about the fruit size, but the tree should be relatively small if it's dogwood. Dogwood trees have bark that's broken up into blocks, and if growing in the woods it is an understory tree. No thorns, leaves simple.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Talondale on September 24, 2008, 10:10:00 AM
Looks like the fruit has a stem on it (left side in picture).  If so it's definitely not a dogwood berry.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: spuman on September 24, 2008, 02:29:00 PM
Hawthorn?
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 25, 2008, 08:59:00 AM
I hope to go back Saturday or Sunday and get some better pics. It did have a stem on one end and the other appeared similar to a tomato.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Kevin Bahr on September 25, 2008, 09:04:00 AM
Looks like a crabapple to me.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Pat B on September 25, 2008, 01:59:00 PM
Take pics of the tree, the leaves and if you can get a pic of the fruit on the tree. Any identifying charactoristics would be a big help.
I thought Hawthorn also when I saw the fruit and you mentioned the thorns.
You can get a Audubon Field Guide for trees in your area and it has leaves, fruit, bark and tree shape to help identify. Pat
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 25, 2008, 02:37:00 PM
Yeah about a month ago I gave my copy of AFG for trees to a friend of mine, lol.

I can almost guarantee it's not a crabapple.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Deadsmple on September 25, 2008, 04:43:00 PM
looks to me like Hawthorn but I'm no expert and have little knowledge of them.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: guzzi2000 on September 25, 2008, 05:15:00 PM
Looks like what we always called thorn apples, but I think the correct name is as Spuman mentioned is Hawthorn.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Missing Impossible on September 25, 2008, 05:38:00 PM
It's a hawthorn tree.  Took my tree guide out yesterday, I corrected the guy at work.  Looked at my dogwood before going out and the hawthorn has much larger fruit.
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Izzy on September 25, 2008, 05:39:00 PM
Funny you brought this up.I saw a mess yesterday while hanging stands and in 25 years of hunting I dont remember seeing them before.The ones I saw were mixed in with regualr apples and the thorns were defintely there like in your pic.Ive seen the trees as long as I can remember but Ill be damned if I can remember seeing the fruits.Anyway, I would imagine theyll be on the deer and bears menus  in the next month theyre everywhere.Tons of apples too.    anyone know for sure if deer eat em?  :pray:
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Izzy on September 25, 2008, 08:31:00 PM
Anyone?
Title: Re: Fruit ID question
Post by: Coop on September 26, 2008, 07:22:00 AM
Yeah I have seen this tree for years but this is the first time I have ever noticed the bright red fruit on it lol.

I didn't see any signs of the deer eating them, but there are so many apples and acorns in my area this year I am worried they will be hard to pinpoint. There is almost too much food so they have a lot of options as to where they will eat.