Name That Plant

[Kevlar]

Ok, whoever (whomever?) did the landscaping in our yard, had a very strange and ecclectic taste in foliage. This leaves me (pun intended) frequently scratching my head, wondering what in the hell is growing in my yard. I know there are some very botanically literate people here (Plant Woman, TLR... I'm looking at you), so I'm hoping the vast wealth of knowledge here can help ease my confusion.

I'm starting with one that's stumped all the amateurs up to now. This is a bush about 6 feet tall (2 meters), and they are bisexual (I'm not sure what the right term is, but I have one that's male and one that's female):

[Ymir's blood]

:bunnythrust:

[Crumb]

What do they taste like?

[The Lone Ranger]

It looks, at first glance, like something in the genus Prunus. That's the genus that contains the plums and cherries. (Plus peaches and apricots.)


But it's not really possible to say just from the pictures. (If your plants are dioecious -- that is, some plants have male flowers and others have female flowers -- that's an interesting clue, since most members of the genus Prunus are monoecious.)


First, what do the flowers look like and how big are they? Do they have 5 petals per flower? More than 5? Less than 5? What color are they? Are they singular, or are they bunched into racemes (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:raceme&ei=ts42SqTzCIKEtwfSwenXDA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title) or (less likely, I suspect) panicles (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:panicle&ei=JM82SqK1LIW_twe-_4nVDA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title)?


How big is a fruit? Is the fruit fleshy, and is there a single, large seed inside? (A drupe.)



All in all, I'd guess that it's in the genus Prunus, but even if that's the case, there are a lot of possible species it could be. (It was most-likely planted, and isn't a native.) More information would be necessary in order to positively identify it.


Cheers,

Michael

[Deadlokd]

Call it George.

[lisarea]

I have no idea, but boy howdy do they look familiar. I'm thinking we had them in our yard in New Jersey, and I have a vague recollection that someone told me they were poison.

That ought to help you narrow it down!

[Kevlar]

First, what do the flowers look like and how big are they? Do they have 5 petals per flower? More than 5? Less than 5? What color are they? Are they singular, or are they bunched into racemes (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:raceme&ei=ts42SqTzCIKEtwfSwenXDA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title) or (less likely, I suspect) panicles (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:panicle&ei=JM82SqK1LIW_twe-_4nVDA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title)?

The flowers are already gone and I don't remember the color. But I do remember they are raceme. Maybe I should try and take a picture of the remnants of the male flower.


How big is a fruit? Is the fruit fleshy, and is there a single, large seed inside? (A drupe.)


They are about as big as a peanut, it is fleshy and has a single seed inside. I bit into one to give it a taste and it turned my mouth completely numb. Wouldn't say it tasted sour, just numbed the entire mouth very quickly.


All in all, I'd guess that it's in the genus Prunus, but even if that's the case, there are a lot of possible species it could be. (It was most-likely planted, and isn't a native.) More information would be necessary in order to positively identify it.


Most definitely acquired from a nursery and planted by previous owners. The tags are still on the plants but are completely unreadable.

Thanks for the help!

[Kevlar]

Ok, the first one was pretty tough so let's move on to the next mystery plant. This one is a vine and I have no idea whether its natural or been planted. However, it doesn't really matter because it's going to be eradicated. Notice how it's choking out the bamboo (which I would also eradicate if I knew how):

[Dingfod]

Wild grape?

[Dingfod]

Ok, whoever (whomever?) did the landscaping in our yard, had a very strange and ecclectic taste in foliage. This leaves me (pun intended) frequently scratching my head, wondering what in the hell is growing in my yard. I know there are some very botanically literate people here (Plant Woman, TLR... I'm looking at you), so I'm hoping the vast wealth of knowledge here can help ease my confusion.

I'm starting with one that's stumped all the amateurs up to now. This is a bush about 6 feet tall (2 meters), and they are bisexual (I'm not sure what the right term is, but I have one that's male and one that's female):Pin or Fire cherries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_cherry) have fruit that is 5 to 7 mm diameter, about peanut sized. All parts of the them are poisonous except the flesh. That's why the numbness, maybe?

[Deadlokd]

Ok, the first one was pretty tough so let's move on to the next mystery plant. This one is a vine and I have no idea whether its natural or been planted. However, it doesn't really matter because it's going to be eradicated. Notice how it's choking out the bamboo (which I would also eradicate if I knew how):

Harriet.

[Qingdai]

That second one looks likes hops to me. Hop (plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hop_(plant))
So you may look for some weird light green fluffy pine cone shaped "flowers."
It's easy to train. You see a lot of people using it as a sun screen and running it up wires. It gets about 20 feet long.

[livius drusus]

Hop as in "we only use the greatest hops direct from Germany" hop? Also, bamboo is a complete monster to eradicate. You have to pull up all the crawling root system and then you have to do it again. For years.

[Kevlar]

Pin or Fire cherries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_cherry) have fruit that is 5 to 7 mm diameter, about peanut sized. All parts of the them are poisonous except the flesh. That's why the numbness, maybe?

That one is very close. Of all the cherries I've looked at, they all have a rounded body, my berries are oblong like a kiwi (definitely not a kiwi). The skin isn't smooth either, it's covered in light brown spots.

[Kevlar]

As far as the vine goes, I have seen no noticeable flowers or fruit.

[Qingdai]

Hop as in "we only use the greatest hops direct from Germany" hop? Also, bamboo is a complete monster to eradicate. You have to pull up all the crawling root system and then you have to do it again. For years.


Yes, those kind of hops. We grow a lot here, so much so that Germany imports hops from us. So Germany "only uses the greatest hops direct from Oregon, " frequently.

[Kevlar]

That second one looks likes hops to me. Hop (plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hop_(plant))
So you may look for some weird light green fluffy pine cone shaped "flowers."
It's easy to train. You see a lot of people using it as a sun screen and running it up wires. It gets about 20 feet long.

After a little Googling, I think you are right! I haven't seen any flowers yet, but it's a young vine that's not planted in full sunlight. So maybe I'll think about replanting in a better location...

[Qingdai]

If you get a bunch of hops, you can sometimes trade them to home brewers for beer!

There are enough hops here that sometimes they volunteer.

As to removing the bamboo. I sold my last pickup truck to a guy whose job was removing bamboo from people's houses, so tell me if you are having trouble getting rid of it.

[Kevlar]

I could definitely see how someone could specialize in such a thing, I'm curious as to how much a person would charge for such a service. My only bamboo solution would involve kerosene and amonimum nitrate.

[The Lone Ranger]

I'm tempted to say your bushes are Prunus emarginata, commonly known as Oregon Cherry or Bitter Cherry. The species is native to your area (and often sold by nurseries), about the right size, and has most of the characteristics you describe. If you're sure that you have a male plant and a female plant, though, it wouldn't fit, because Prunus emarginata has hermaphroditic flowers -- that is, the flowers have both male and female organs.

Even so, there are a lot of different hybrids of various Prunus species that are created and sold by nurseries, so it may not be possible to identify it at all. If the tag is sufficiently legible that it appears to read "Prunus x somethingorother", then it's almost certainly a hybrid. (If there's an "x" in a plant's name like that, this indicates that the plant is a hybrid of two different species.)



Your vine does indeed appear to be Hops (Humulus lupulus) which, incidentally, is in the Hemp family. If that's what it is, it should produce very distinctive-looking "cones."

http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Cannabaceae_pics/Humulus_lupulus.jpg


Cheers,

Michael

[Kevlar]

Ok, I took a closer look at those two plants and I think I had the wrong idea. They were planted next to each other, very similar growth and appearance, so I just assumed they were the same species. Now I see that one has leaves that grow two symmetrically per node and the other has single leaves that grow in opposite directions out of each node. They both have very different flower structures too, what I thought was a male was actually producing very tiny dark fruit and had flowers on a single stem that branched into many, instead of a bunch of flower stems coming straight out of the branch.

So, being the sex thing was the biggest obstacle to the cherry theory, it's probably quite apparent now that it is some sort of sour cherry.

I chedcked the vine too and it does have little hops flowers on it! Since it is wrapped around bamboo, it's hard to tell the small hops flowers from the bamboo stems.

[The Lone Ranger]

Yup. Sounds like you have a cherry of some sort. By the way, I would not suggest tasting the fruit of any plant that you don't know the identify of. Even in the genus Prunus, there are some species whose fruits contain sufficient concentrations of toxins to make a person ill.

Cheers,

Michael

[Kevlar]

Just like my wife's cooking. :rimshot:

[Plant Woman]

Your first plant is commonly called Cornelian cherry, but is actually a dogwood, Cornus mas (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=COMA21&photoID=coma21_003_ahp.tif). It is a bit weedy and birds liberally spread the seed around. The second one is hops, and I grow two kinds here. They were for hubby's brewing although he never used them. I may give the hop flowers away on Craig's list though.

To get rid of the bamboo. Dig as much as you can out of the ground, plant grass seed over the top and keep it mowed until they are starved out. It may take awhile but it is the easiest way to get them under control in my opinion. That is if it's a running type bamboo. From what I can see in the picture it looks like a clumping bamboo. In that case just digging it out is all you need to do. However, clumping bamboo is beautiful and makes a nice screen that has a pleasant rustling sound when there's a breeze, and it doesn't spread, I would keep it in that case, unless you don't like it of course.

[Qingdai]

Cornus Officinalis is used in medicine, it's not toxic, but very astringent. I don't know about that species, but it's pretty.

[Kevlar]

Hey PW!

I'm not real bamboo savvy, but there is one big main clump of bamboo but there are definitely runners spreading out. The hops are growing on one such outcropping. If it wasn't for the way the plant spreads I wouldn't have any problem with it at all.

[Deadlokd]

You all suck for ignoring my hilarity.

[Ensign Steve]

I chuckled. I found it subtle. Until you pointed it out.

[Deadlokd]

What can I say? I'm a thanks whore.

[BrotherMan]

:pat:

[Deadlokd]

Ahh, validation. :relieved:

:ffangry: BotherMen! :D

[Kevlar]

Mystery plant #3:

This one I already know the answer to but it's still an interesting plant that everyone knows but doesn't know. It grows on vines and mine is supported by a lattice. It makes a dense canopy of leaves that protect it's fruit, which dangle down beneath the shady roof of leaves. This one is definitely dioecious (I'm 100% sure this time) and the pictures below show the immature fruit:

[Qingdai]

Kiwi?

[Plant Woman]

Yup a kiwi wiwiwiwiwiwiwi

Actinidia

[Plant Woman]

Hey PW!

I'm not real bamboo savvy, but there is one big main clump of bamboo but there are definitely runners spreading out. The hops are growing on one such outcropping. If it wasn't for the way the plant spreads I wouldn't have any problem with it at all.

Then you might try my method of control.

[Kevlar]

Wow, I thought that was going to be a tough one, but Qingdai and Peedub were johnny-on-the-spot.

Whoever planted this kiwi, put it in the shade, so it doesn't grow mature fruit. The canopy has gotten so heavy that I will have to come up with a new strategy for supporting it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this plant either. I'd love to keep it but it's going to require some expensive overhauling, and might require an expert to show me how to properly support it.

[Crumb]

Could you move it?

[Kevlar]

The biggest problem I have with moving it is it's planted exactly on the property line, so half the root system is in my neighbors yard and under a fence. I've got to figure out something in-place or it's weight will eventually start warping my fence (the lattice is supported directly by the fence).

[Smilin]

Let me quote Dingfod and suggest Dynamite.

There's no problem that a liberal application of Dynamite can't fix.

[The Lone Ranger]

Members of the genus Actinidia (Kiwis) can usually be propagated via cuttings. If you take some cuttings of your plant, with a little patience, some rooting compound, and a little luck, you should be able to get some little kiwi plants that you can plant wherever you like.


Cheers,

Michael

[Kevlar]

Ah yes, I can clone very easily... I even have a bottle of Olivia's sitting around somewhere. Can you clone hops?

[The Lone Ranger]

My understanding is that it's very easy to propagate hops by taking cuttings of the rhizomes.

Cheers,

Michael

[Crumb]

Oh maybe you can spare some kiwi starts for some yet to be determined :ff:ers in your area... (too bad I don't have a yard at this time.)

[godfry n. glad]

My understanding is that it's very easy to propagate hops by taking cuttings of the rhizomes.

Cheers,

Michael

Like iris?

Hey....That I can do.

So...probably any doofus can do it.

I'm suspecting that it was planted with the bamboo to use the bamboo as a climb support.

[godfry n. glad]

I've been told by those who've had them in the city that you don't want a pair of them anywhere near the house. During pollination, evidently the one of them (male/female) stinks mightily (fly pollinator?). Plant away from the door and downwind.

They may want lots of sun, but wherever you put them will be shady, as they produce copious quantities of leaf.

And it was a very popular plant around the Pacific Northwest beginning in the 1980s. I had a friend who had them covering a wall formed by the back of commercial buildings that separated his residential lot from the busy street.

[Qingdai]

I think they smell good, like pine-y hoppy beer.
:beer:

[Dingfod]

Let me quote Dingfod and suggest Dynamite.

There's no problem that a liberal application of Dynamite can't fix.I was going to suggest nuking the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure, but dynamite works.

[Deadlokd]

with a little patience, some rooting compound, and a little luck, you should be able to get ....where.... you like.


Cheers,

Michael

:bunnythrust:

[Plant Woman]

Remember too, that actinidia needs a male for pollination so there has to be a male either interplanted with it or nearby. You probably know this already, but just in case. Does any leaves have pink blotches in them?

[Plant Woman]

:bunnythrust:

That bunny seems to follow you everywhere these days.

[Kevlar]

Remember too, that actinidia needs a male for pollination so there has to be a male either interplanted with it or nearby. You probably know this already, but just in case. Does any leaves have pink blotches in them?


Interesting that you asked that question, as I was a little confused by that. The plant actually had many white (they may have had a slight reddish hue) blotches during the early Spring, but I wasn't sure if that was normal or not.

[Plant Woman]

There are a few species that have the white blotches. But I was wondering if you had the male with the pink and white blotches. Trying to identify the species name too. If you had the male Actinidia kolomikta, it has the pink and white blotches on the leaves and very showy. Which would make it easier for you to differentiate between the male and female clones so when you propagate you will have both. With the heart shaped leaves and being one of the more popular kiwis grown, I am betting it is Actinidia kolomikta.

Because its in shade the variegation may not be so pronounced.

Easiest propagation is of the softwood cuttings in early spring. However, you can also do semi-ripe cuttings in July/August or ripe wood ripe wood in October/November. Or collect the seeds and grow them on but you won't know the sex of your seedlings for awhile. You only need one male with several females to get a crop of fruit but most of your seedlings will be male.

ETA to add a comma or two. Plus leave this link (http://www.clematis.com.pl/wms/wmsg.php/3119527.html) to an image of the one I propose it to be. Also this page is good for showing some of the different varieties, plus some good pruning tips for maximum fruit production.