What tree

Saw a lovely tree this morning, sadly without my camera. Have brought some berries home to see if I can grow it from seed - ideas on its identity would be very valued.

Its a small tree, no bigger than a rowan. Clusters of red berries from a single stem. Single oval dark green leaves, with a serated edge - about the same size as a beech leaf.

Any ideas????/

 

Have a look at this, Fran...
http://www.esveld.nl/plantdias/02/2868.jpg
the RHS encyclopaedia says it has winged fruits that ripen reddish brown.
Did you notice if the leaves are opposite, which would make an acer a possibility, because it certainly doesn't sound like an ash.... :rolleyes:

 

Clusters of red berries tend to suggest to me the rose family (rosaceae) and there's loads of them, from hawthorns to whitebeams,even some of the small crab apples.
Any chance of a pic Fran?

 

Thanks Dendy - the leaves were not opposite and the fruit was very very red.

Thanks Pete - I'll try and take a camera when next I go past it, and see if I can get some close ups. I think your right that its one of rose family. Its definitely not Hawthorn, or whitebeam - but I found a picture of a crab apple that looked similar but was not able to see the leaf. The berry which hangs in clusters is slightly larger than a hawthorne berry.

I'll see if I can get a piccie - difficult when walking the pup - he does tend to jiggle

 

It oculdn't be one of the cotoneasters, could it, Fran? some of them are very oval on leaf - although, not serrated on the margins...... I sw one yesterday that was a small tree rather than a large bush.
Or there's that crataegus that's not a hawthorn - but it has spikes, and you'd have mentioned those. Well - I'll keep thinking :rolleyes:

 

There are some possibilities amongst the crataegus family - but I haven't got any very good pictures...
http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/crataegs.php
I'm off to bed now - hope pup lets you get some relatively steady photos!

 

Try my old fave Crataegus prunifolia. There's some pictures of it on some old posts of mine, but since Photobucket kicked its bucket for me I can't resurrect them from my end. Nice crackly bark, and slightly shiny leaves on the upper surface. Cracking autumn colour

 

here's a link to a google image search on that one.... looks possible
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=crataegus+prunifolia&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&sa=N&tab=wi

 

You wonderful people - that is exactly what it is. The leaf shape is right, the fruit colour and clusters are right - even the shape of the tree.

Magic - its not like my common hawthorne - but this I will definitely try and find - beside attempting to grow from the seed.

Brilliant - my grateful thanks.

 

take plenty of those seeds,Fran! We'll all be wanting some.... It's just the right sort of thing to add to my wildlife area...... :D

 

I will indeed be collecting more - having only brought back half a dozen. Got to shell them out of their fruity outer coat I think - as I recall thats the way to do it.

Had a look in my local garden centre, but they didn't have it. Will see whats available online too.

 

I've heard of soaking them - but have never done it.... Good luck! :D So long as you don't have to simulate the conditions of going through an animal's stomach to get it to germinate..... :eek:

 

Chiltern Seeds have it!!!

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo.asp?pe=DBFAJJGIQ_+crataegus+prunifolia&cid=211