Hi, can anyone help me to identify two shrubs growing in the garden of the house I have moved into. The first has narrow leaves with serrated edges; it grows green seed cases during the summer which dry and crack in late summer; inside there are small dark brown nuts. The first three pictures show the leaves and nuts. The second shrub has purple / green leaves; it has sparse fruit in mid to late summer which look like cherries, and have a stone very like a cherry. One picture of the leaves and fruit.
Yes, I immediately recognized the first one: Xanthoceras sorbifolia. There is one growing at the entrance to the garden, here. It's a very uncommon cultivated plant -- so I'm intrigued about where the previous owner found it and how old it is now. The plant here at the garden rarely fruits (none this year). Peter Wharton, the late curator of the Asian Garden, relayed to me in a conversation a couple years ago that he thought it might be an excellent plant for the interior of BC (I suspect he had seen the conditions where it grew in China), and that we ought to trial it there. Apparently someone's already done that! And another BPotD entry about it: Xanthoceras sorbifolia
Daniel, Thank you for your reply. I inherited a very elaborate garden from the previous owner and am benefitting from her expertise. Unfortunately I am a beginner so I am still trying to learn some of the things that are planted here. The Xanthoceras sorbifolia was well established four years ago, at a wild guess I would say it was planted eight to ten years ago. It is florishing here despite little attention from me and fruits every year. A picture is attached.
Douglas and Ron Thanks for your suggestions. Looking at other photos on the web I think that the fruit is bigger than the Prunus Virginiana - they are around 3/4 inch in diameter. I managed to track down a spring picture with the blooms.
Prunus x cistena. I too thought the fruit shown looked to be the wrong size (and shape) for P. virginiana. In addition that tree flowers and fruits in spike-like clusters. And the leaf shape and margins yours appeared to have in the twig photo was not right for that species. Otherwise P. virginiana and P. x cistena were two likely candidates for your climate region. I have not seen the fruits of P. x cistena so I just put "purple-leaved Prunus".
