mystery tree; please to identify

kirone

So I put this in the wrong place again...please forgive this newbie...

I asked this in the incorrect place earlier, but now I figured out how to post a new thread and will ask correctly.

I have 2 trees in my backyard in Philadelphia. One is a Magnolia and the other is the mystery tree. I thought it may be some type of Japanese Cherry tree, but obviously not the kind with the big pink flowers. My tree blooms in early, early spring, even before the Magnolia blooms. It is small and the branches and trunk seem brittle. The blooms are small white flowers. The leaves are green and don't change when fall comes. In fact, it kept many of it's leaves nicely green throughout the cold and snowey winter here.
If anyone could help I would appreciate it. I will then ask about trimming it when we figure out what it is.

so I am uploading a number of pictures. Maybe someone can figure it out. You can see the mystery tree with the magnolia. I am also posting the leaf next to the magnolia leaf and on our bird feeder as well as the trunk and general pictures.
Thanks,
Kir
P.S. some of the pictures resized funny. Sorry

Attached Thumbnails

           

   

Brent Ferris

Unfortunately the pics of the leaves and the trunk, and the bark on the trunk are not really sharp enough to identify. But the leaves on the last pic look like Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). THe whitish flowers come out early, and while the individual flowers are quite small, they come in a cluster (raceme) that typically droops from the branch, or the tip (at least) droops. The fruit is edible, but mostly pit. Many people consider it a weed. Grows to about 25 to 30 ft tall. Susceptible to Black Knot. The branch if chewed has a very distinctive odour, and taste, making Identification easy in the future. Don't eat too much, it contains cyanide (as does the pit).

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kirone

Thanks for your insight. I googled pictures of the choke cherry. The leaves do look like our tree's leaves but ours is not that big. I know for a fact it has been on my property for at least 25 years. It never had fruit. Could that mean it is a male? The flowers are only there when it blooms and that's it. There are no flowers after that. I will try and take some more pictures today of the trunk closer up and more of the leaves.
Thanks again,
Kir

Jamie Myers

Phylladelphus ??

kirone

I don't think it is a shrub. I thought you were playing a joke on me with the Phyladelphius sice I live in Philadelphia, but I looked it up and see that there really is a Phyladelphius.
Here are some more pictures.
Thanks,
Kir

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Jamie Myers

Definately a shrub. Still looks like a Mock orange to me. Have you any photos of the flowers and fruit?

kirone

The flowers came and went before the magnolia even bloomed. It does not have any flowers now and never ever has had fruit. The flowers were small and white and not a string of flowers just single buds.

Brent Ferris

The flowers probably have both male and female parts in the same head. The leaves appear to be opposite which would eliminate cherry. There are a number of shrubs that have opposite arrangement of leaves. The bark reminds me of Honeysuckle (Lonicera) or perhaps Mockorange (Philadelphus) -- which you said it wasn't -- or maybe a Viburnum. I don't suppose you have pics of the flowers, or remember what the flowers smelled like? How big were the flowers -- distance side to side or diameter, # of petals, and while they were single flowers, are there any spent stems of flowers left you could post a pic of? That we might see the structure.

The fruit isn't going to look like an apple or cherry, but probably more like a small seed capsule.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

kirone

well I had a friend look at it who thinks it is a shrub too, just tall. You may then be right anout the Phyadelphius. The flowers were single and small like nickle or dime size maybe a quarter at the largest. They didn't have a nice smell as I remember and came and went very quickly. The leaves stay green throughout the winter. I will keep a look out for the "berries" and let you know if I see anything.

Brent Ferris

In Forestry, a shrub can grow up to about 30 feet.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

kirone

I didn't know that. I guess you learn something new every day.
Thanks

Eden Keeper

Philadelphus crossed my mind, but mentioning that the leaves stayed on in winter indicated that in could be one of the (tardily deciduous) shrubby honeysuckles, Lonicera spp., that are invasive exotics.

kirone

I google imaged the locicera and there were a few pictures that looked like it with the small white flowers. Maybe that is it.
Thanks