Now, after 4 years living at our current home, we've only just noticed that
a tree in our back garden 'may' be a cherry tree! The tree now stands at
around 10ft and in the spring had white flowers. Now it has what appears to
be cherries (I daren't try one, just in case!), mostly yellowy green at the
moment but a few at the top are a bright red. For the size of the tree, the
cherries (if they are) are quite scarce in relation to the leaves.

I'd be interested to know if this is a pleasant suprise, or alternatively
are we going to have to be extra vigilant with our young son if it's
actually some kind of poisonous berry?

I'll try to get a picture or two uploaded somewhere to see if anyone can
help me out, but based on what I've wrote so far, any ideas?

TIA

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 21:53:04 +0100, "Nel"
wrote:

Now, after 4 years living at our current home, we've only just noticed that
a tree in our back garden 'may' be a cherry tree! The tree now stands at
around 10ft and in the spring had white flowers. Now it has what appears to
be cherries (I daren't try one, just in case!), mostly yellowy green at the
moment but a few at the top are a bright red. For the size of the tree, the
cherries (if they are) are quite scarce in relation to the leaves.

I'd be interested to know if this is a pleasant suprise, or alternatively
are we going to have to be extra vigilant with our young son if it's
actually some kind of poisonous berry?

I'll try to get a picture or two uploaded somewhere to see if anyone can
help me out, but based on what I've wrote so far, any ideas?

TIA

Can you describe the leaves on the tree? Cherry leaves are elongated,
quite large, not smooth. Cherries are borne in dangling bunches.
They look just like the bunches you see in the shops.

The message ws.net
from "Nel" contains these words:

Now, after 4 years living at our current home, we've only just noticed that
a tree in our back garden 'may' be a cherry tree! The tree now stands at
around 10ft and in the spring had white flowers. Now it has what
appears to
be cherries (I daren't try one, just in case!), mostly yellowy green at the
moment but a few at the top are a bright red. For the size of the
tree, the
cherries (if they are) are quite scarce in relation to the leaves.

I'd be interested to know if this is a pleasant suprise, or alternatively
are we going to have to be extra vigilant with our young son if it's
actually some kind of poisonous berry?

I'll try to get a picture or two uploaded somewhere to see if anyone can
help me out, but based on what I've wrote so far, any ideas?

Assuming you're in the UK, and it's deciduous, possibilities include
harmless crab apples, cherry, sorbus, hawthorn species, none of them
poisonous and birds will take most of the fruit as soon as they are
ripe.

Janet.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote after"Nel" typed these words:

Now, after 4 years living at our current home, we've only just noticed
that
a tree in our back garden 'may' be a cherry tree! The tree now stands at
around 10ft and in the spring had white flowers. Now it has what
appears to
be cherries (I daren't try one, just in case!), mostly yellowy green at
the
moment but a few at the top are a bright red. For the size of the
tree, the
cherries (if they are) are quite scarce in relation to the leaves.

I'd be interested to know if this is a pleasant suprise, or alternatively
are we going to have to be extra vigilant with our young son if it's
actually some kind of poisonous berry?

I'll try to get a picture or two uploaded somewhere to see if anyone can
help me out, but based on what I've wrote so far, any ideas?

Assuming you're in the UK, and it's deciduous, possibilities include
harmless crab apples, cherry, sorbus, hawthorn species, none of them
poisonous and birds will take most of the fruit as soon as they are
ripe.

And don't forget Mirabelles, cherry sized little plums.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

If the birds eat them, they aren't poisonous, unless you see a lot of dead
birds.

Dwayne

"Nel" wrote in message
eenews.net...
Now, after 4 years living at our current home, we've only just noticed
that a tree in our back garden 'may' be a cherry tree! The tree now
stands at around 10ft and in the spring had white flowers. Now it has
what appears to be cherries (I daren't try one, just in case!), mostly
yellowy green at the moment but a few at the top are a bright red. For
the size of the tree, the cherries (if they are) are quite scarce in
relation to the leaves.

I'd be interested to know if this is a pleasant suprise, or alternatively
are we going to have to be extra vigilant with our young son if it's
actually some kind of poisonous berry?

I'll try to get a picture or two uploaded somewhere to see if anyone can
help me out, but based on what I've wrote so far, any ideas?

TIA

The message
from "Dwayne" contains these words:

If the birds eat them, they aren't poisonous, unless you see a lot of dead
birds.

That's wrong advice. Birds and humans have very different digestive
systems so what is poisonous to one species may be harmless to the
other.

The commonest examples in Britain are yew berries and fruits of some
members of the nighshade family; birds eat both with no ill effects, but
they are poisonous to humans. Other examples are birds that can safely
feed on carrion (raw rotting meat) and the faeces of other species.
Humans can't.

Janet

In article ,
Janet Baraclough writes:
| The message
| from "Dwayne" contains these words:
|
| If the birds eat them, they aren't poisonous, unless you see a lot of dead
| birds.
|
| That's wrong advice. Birds and humans have very different digestive
| systems so what is poisonous to one species may be harmless to the
| other.
|
| The commonest examples in Britain are yew berries and fruits of some
| members of the nighshade family; birds eat both with no ill effects, but
| they are poisonous to humans.

That is true.

| Other examples are birds that can safely
| feed on carrion (raw rotting meat) and the faeces of other species.
| Humans can't.

That isn't. We have a scavenger's digestive system, and are one
of the relatively few mammals that can eat rotting food. While
uncooked carrion and faeces are a bit more of a problem for us
than mere overripe fruit, we are pretty resistant to the problems
that they cause.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Janet Baraclough writes:
|
| Assuming you're in the UK, and it's deciduous, possibilities include
| harmless crab apples, cherry, sorbus, hawthorn species, none of them
| poisonous and birds will take most of the fruit as soon as they are
| ripe.

As far as I know, the only members of the woody Rosacaea in the UK
with poisonous fruit are various 'laurels', and all are evergreen.
Can anyone think of a counter-example, even including all native,
naturalised or garden species?

It isn't a good idea to overeat on the kernels or pips of several
species, and some contain really quite a lot of cyanide, but I am
thinking of the flesh.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:

And don't forget Mirabelles, cherry sized little plums.

How could I forget mirabelle? They make delightful plum brandy. We had
friends in France who had a licence to distill it, and rocket fuel
wasn't the word!

Quetsch was another variety, and that made a stronger-flavoured brandy.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Dwayne" contains these words:

If the birds eat them, they aren't poisonous, unless you see a lot of dead
birds.

Never use that as a yardstick. Some birds eat things which would
disagree with you no end. Rabbits (admittedly, they aren't birds) will
eat fair amounts of some poisonous fungi - including the death cap.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

The commonest examples in Britain are yew berries and fruits of some
members of the nighshade family; birds eat both with no ill effects, but
they are poisonous to humans. Other examples are birds that can safely
feed on carrion (raw rotting meat) and the faeces of other species.
Humans can't.

The fleshy part of yew berries can be eaten, the (deadly) poison is only
in the seeds. (I eat the berries of some of the nightshades - well, two
of them, anyway.)

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Janet Baraclough writes:
|
| Assuming you're in the UK, and it's deciduous, possibilities include
| harmless crab apples, cherry, sorbus, hawthorn species, none of them
| poisonous and birds will take most of the fruit as soon as they are
| ripe.

As far as I know, the only members of the woody Rosacaea in the UK
with poisonous fruit are various 'laurels', and all are evergreen.
Can anyone think of a counter-example, even including all native,
naturalised or garden species?

But are we sure it's Rosaceae? The OP didn't specify
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

The message
from Jaques d'Alltrades contains
these words:

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

The commonest examples in Britain are yew berries and fruits of some
members of the nighshade family; birds eat both with no ill effects, but
they are poisonous to humans. Other examples are birds that can safely
feed on carrion (raw rotting meat) and the faeces of other species.
Humans can't.

The fleshy part of yew berries can be eaten, the (deadly) poison is only
in the seeds.

I know. But the point is, birds safely eat the whole yew berry
including the seed, and we can't. Their digestive tract doesn't break
down the seed, but emits it in perfect condition to grow into a new yew
wherever the bird poohed it.

Janet.

Janet.

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

The fleshy part of yew berries can be eaten, the (deadly) poison is only
in the seeds.

I know. But the point is, birds safely eat the whole yew berry
including the seed, and we can't. Their digestive tract doesn't break
down the seed, but emits it in perfect condition to grow into a new yew
wherever the bird poohed it.

Pooh-pooh!

(= yew-yew)

Actually, the chances are that we would do the same, as per tomato seeds
- but all you have to do is to chew one...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

I'll try to get a picture or two uploaded somewhere to see if anyone can
help me out, but based on what I've wrote so far, any ideas?

Here's a few pictures taken Yesterday - Unfortunately my camera isn't very
good
(or I don't know how to use it properly!!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16402628@N00/25165284/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16402628@N00/25165277/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16402628@N00/25165281/