Hi all, I'm a total noob here, and I photograph and try to id wild plants and flowers in my province of Manitoba as an ongoing life project. I've come across this short, unassuming little "shrub" with yellow-green berries before, but have not been able to id it anywhere. The individual thick stalks come up from the ground, or possibly meet at the bottom, and then spread out. (In my hurry I didn't take the time to study it properly.) The plant is between 1-2 feet tall, and there was about 5-6 stalks in all. It was growing in the middle of a limestone quarry (Stonewall, Manitoba), in rock, with very little soil - mostly clay and stone. The berries grow in a bunch, and their stems are mostly vertical - they don't really drape toward the ground. Perhaps there were berries near the bottom of the stalk as well, but they've been eaten. There were no leaves on it, and the berries are obviously from last season (survived our winters no problem). Buds are forming at the top of the stalks, as it is spring. The little branches seem staggered, not opposite. Yet, near the top third of the stalk (in pic#1) there is a ring of scales that indicate perhaps there were leaves there. The stalks seem very heavy for the thin branches that come out from it. I assume it is a type of bush, as it is short, and stalks are woody. I've never seen it other than in this state, so I can't tell you what it looks like in the summer. I wasn't sure were to post this, since it's probably not a garden species, nor a conifer... Thank you kindly for any ID's, as I continue to try to find out what it is. (I hope I didn't overwhelm you guys with all the silly details).
Fruit makes me think gooseberry. ??? Welcome to the Forum! And: there is no such thing as a silly detail.
I'm pretty sure it isn't a gooseberry - I say this because I've grown gooseberry in my garden - they are much larger and the berries are see-through and have hairs - plus the stalks have lots of spines. But thank you nonetheless :)
Yes, this is definitely Poison Ivy, now in a separate genus, Toxicodendron radicans or, most probably, Toxicodendron rydbergii (less hairy berries). Can cause debilitating allergy for sensitive people. Sensitization may occur after one or several encounters. Luckily, I am not sensitive to it and can walk through the thicket of poison ivy with no problem.
Wow! I have poison ivy growing all over the place, and have never seen fruit like that. Huge 'trunks' on the vines, yes, but giant berries??? Yikes!
Wow, okay - thank you guys. That is the last thing I would have thought of. Are the berries reaction-causing as well? Good thing I didn't touch them. Mystery solved - and I feel kind of silly, it being such a common plant... :D
