# Who here knows trees?



## quattljl (Aug 8, 2018)

I have two trees in my back yard that I can't seem to identify. They don't appear to be native to the area as I can't find anything similar listed on websites showing typical trees for the area. Are there any arborists here that could identify these for me?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEuW8Phrddt39BhfwFesdVa9v9is_2ZSzQ/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/197qDghFuCfuCk5UtcTYHatJbCIlCwzFk2Q/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19wN2-O0TXMIPBdRrmw-FjlSs2sOKS3UhaA/view?usp=drivesdk


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## stotea (Jul 31, 2017)

Send the photos and your question to your local state university's extension office. I bet they'll get you an answer within 24 hours.


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

Not an arborist, but it looks like a young Mulberry tree that hasn't produced fruit yet. Usually spread by birds eating the mulberries and passing along the seeds. The edible fruit kinda looks like a blackberry and they stain EVERYTHING below it (if the birds and squirrel don't eat them first). Most of the leaves are serrated and heart shaped but you can have some tri-lobed ones. It's a great shade tree and the birds love the berries but just wait, I had one appear suddenly near the house about 5 years ago and now I see about 10 to 12 new ones all around the property.
You can do a quick google search to see which kind (there are 4), but in the southeast, the red Mulberry is a native tree.


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## quattljl (Aug 8, 2018)

After doing some googling, it does look like a mulberry based on the leaves. But I've been in my house 4 years and this tree has never bore fruit. Does it have to be a certain age before it starts to grow fruit?


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

quattljl said:


> Does it have to be a certain age before it starts to grow fruit?


That I don't know. 
The fruit does not last long. I usually see the fruits in late spring and they are gone/eaten within a few weeks. Fruit production time is very short (maybe a month?).
I should rephrase that it was 5 years ago that mine got big enough for me to notice it. So I would imagine it is probably at least 10 yrs or so. I noticed fruit for the first time last year.


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

I found a little more information about mulberry trees. They tend to fruit after 10 years of age, and there can be male only, female only or both, male and female trees. Obviously the male trees don't bare fruit; however, they can change to females and start bearing fruit any year. So yours could be a male tree and that's why no fruit.



> You can find individual mulberry trees that are dioecious-with only male flowers or only female flowers. But right next to such a tree might be a monoecious specimen, bearing both male or female flowers.





> sometimes mulberry flowers start out as one sex and transform halfway through the season.


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## masci (Apr 26, 2019)

There's an android phone app called plantnet that is quite good at identifying plant species from pictures of leaves, just FYI. It's pretty amazing how well it works.


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## quattljl (Aug 8, 2018)

I just downloaded it and have it a try. First recommendation was a red mulberry, but the leaves also look very similar to pictures of an American Basswood.


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

quattljl said:


> ,but the leaves also look very similar to pictures of an American Basswood.


If I remember correctly, Basswood trees tend to bloom in early summer (obvious yellow flowers ). Also, Basswood leaves tend to have a bit of a "notch" where the stem enters the leaf and the serration of the leaves is deeper. 
Sticking with red mulberry.


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## quattljl (Aug 8, 2018)

:thumbup: Red Mulberry it is!


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

quattljl said:


> :thumbup: Red Mulberry it is!


One sure fire way to tell the difference between mulberry and basswood...the sap.
Break off a leaf right at the branch and wait a few minutes.

Milky sap=Mulberry. Clear sap=Basswood









I broke off a leaf right at the branch and you can see just above the leaf node a milky drop of sap.


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## quattljl (Aug 8, 2018)

So I tried this little trick yesterday. Milky sap confirms it is a mulberry tree.


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