another tree id...

[soy]

Anybody know what this scrub tree is? it is surrounding a stand of Cottonwood It is by but not buckthorn ,Got a couple that are about big enough for billits if it is worth the trouble.... thanks for any help

[TacticalFate]

That's common buckthorn, Rhamnus catharica. Don't know why you think it isn't, buckthorn can have variable bark but the leaves and berries give it away easily

[soy]

The hart wood is not orange and the Berry's are not red.....but I suppose that would be European buckthorn.... so is it bow wood or best left in the woods

[TacticalFate]

Common buckthorn and Euopean buckthorn are the same species. if the cambium is bright orange, its a buckthorn.

I've cut buckthorn where the heartwood was not orange, but  peachey/salmony, so an orange heartwood is not a good indicator. Leaves and fruit are the best indicators for plant ID. Don't know why you think the berries should be red on buckthorn, they are black when ripe.

[soy]

Thats just what I have seen...their was no color aside from white on the stuff in the pics on the ones I cut+ the leaves are bigger then what I am used to seeing on Buckhorn....maybe I'm just confused on what I thought was Buckhorn I will put pictures of that up tomorrow in comparison thank you for the help

[blackhawk]

The leaves n fruit in the pics you posted are rhamnus cathartica(European Buckthorn) ......now to confuse you more there's also a similar but different species called frangula alnus(Glossy Buckthorn),and some folks call it European buckthorn as a nickname when in fact it isn't...lol..so maybe your idea of what buckthorn is,is the later....but the pics of leaves and fruit is rhamnus cathartica.....and yes its excellent bow wood

[soy]

so is the glossy buckthorn good for bow would as well ???I hope because I have some drying

[mikekeswick]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhamnus_(genus)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_spinosa

[blackhawk]

I've never used glossy,but its in the same rhamanacae(spelling?) family,and I'd imagine you can get a bow from it as well

[soy]

Thanks I guess we r fixen to find out