Hi all! First of all, I'm overjoyed to have found this community. It's a most awesome free resource that appears totally invaluable in its scope and level of activity. So, diving right in with my first post here, I have this tree in my back garden (Upstate New York, urban setting, full sunlight, decent drainage). and am wondering what it might be. I've poked around online to get some facts but this is all I can offer, along with a few identifying photos. This sapling is about 5 feet tall and I am guessing about 4 years old, though I may be way off. Its leaves are lanceolate to somewhat ovate, in an opposite configuration. The venation appears arcuate and the margins of the leaves are finely serrated, to the best of my identification. The stems are alternate on the main branches. The bark is smooth and shiny, with whitish/brownish lenticels. A few berries grow off the stems, always directly above where leaves are attached. They are ripening from red to black at the time of posting (mid-August). The trunk is about 2 inches thick at the base, and (judging from a smaller sapling I removed today), the plant is not deeply rooted. It's younger cousin came out quite easily. I kept coming up with dogwoods when I was searching for this, but none of them pictured seemed to have the rough leaf margins that this plant does, hence the title question. Could it be a cherry or mulberry or something else entirely? Nothing quite fits! Attached are four photos giving visuals on this specimen. If I can get it identified correctly, I'll then decide if I can move it to a more appropriate place (i.e. find out how large it might get and what time of year I should transplant it) or determine whether I should remove it entirely. I am trying to avoid invasive and non-native plants in my garden as I develop it. Thanks so much, everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing the feedback here! Gavin
Ahh, thank you Saltcedar! I did click past some Rhamnus species in my searching today, but didn't put two and two together, it seems. However I think you're correct, based on the pictures I'm able to pull up of R. cathartica. Furthermore, it sounds like most states classify this as a noxious weed, so I should probably remove it post-haste! Gavin
