Anyone know what this shrub is?

[Seeker]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=21587&c=553

i was out in the kisatchie hills wilderness area (west central louisiana) on new years day and took a picture of this shrub. they're common in the area, but i don't know what it's called. berries are out and leaves are green. the shrub itself is thorny, usually not more than a couple feet high, and has a grey stem. the leaves are pretty small, about 1/2'' by 3/4''. the berries are about 1/3''. the shrub seems to die off while its still pretty small, and then it easily breaks off at ground level. makes good firewood, though the thorns are tricky. the young growth is pretty tough and not easily broken. new and old growth together seems common, but sometimes you'll find a dead one off all by itself (well, your shin will :() when you're not looking.

i think it's some sort of haw family member. the 'little hip hawthorne' (Crataegus Spathulata) is the closest fit i can get out of my guidebooks, but it's not exactly right. The berries are different somehow, but that may be because of age or something.

Anyone out there who knows what it is? :confused:

[warraghiyagey]

I think it's called a Red Berry Plant.:)

[Montego]

Reminds me of a Choke Cherry (Prunus Virginiana).

[warraghiyagey]

Reminds me of a Choke Cherry (Prunus Virginiana).
Seriously, that is what it most looks like to me.

[emerald]

Ilex vomitoria yaupon holly? It's evergreen, produces red fruit and grows in the area mentioned.

[Seeker]

Reminds me of a Choke Cherry (Prunus Virginiana).

(yes, it does look like the famous 'red berry plant'. that, and about 10 others!)

Choke Cherry's what i was thinking too, when i took the picture. then i looked in the book and got confused, all that's listed as being called "Choke Cherry" is Prunus serotina, or Black Cherry. but these leaves are smaller, and more oval than pointed, and the fruit is more clustered by the stem than hanging single from a branch... and there are those spines... (did i mention i really dislike those things?:mad:)



Ilex vomitoria yaupon holly? It's evergreen, produces red fruit and grows in the area mentioned.

Yaupon was in the book too, but i blew over it because there was no mention of the thorns. but in re-looking it, the berry clusters and leaf description match really well (though there was still no mention of the spines.)

thanks all for the input.

[Critterman]

.........Yaupon was in the book too, but i blew over it because there was no mention of the thorns. but in re-looking it, the berry clusters and leaf description match really well (though there was still no mention of the spines.) ........

It looks just like the yaupons we had in Texas.

[Ramble~On]

Prunus serotina is a tree not a shrub, doesn't have berries like that and the leaves are much longer.

This looks a lot like a Hawthorne...the leaves don't look big enough to be Crataegus mollis and if any of the berries have dots I'd guess it's Crataegus opaca.

[burger]

I agree with everyone else who said Yaupon Holly. Those leaves are a dead ringer for it. If it's not yaupon, it's some other kind of holly for sure (there are several kinds).

[emerald]

Are not all hawthorns deciduous and would they not have been leafless on January 1? I've never been to Louisiana, but I think those who believe it's a hawthorn may be forgetting something important.

[burger]

Are not all hawthorns deciduous and would they not have been leafless on January 1? I've never been to Louisiana, but I think those who believe it's a hawthorn may be forgetting something important.

Yaupon holly is evergreen. That's one of the big reasons why it's used so often for landscaping in the South.

[emerald]

I read in a reputable source the "boxwood" wreaths at Colonial Williamsburg are actually yaupon holly wreaths.

[budforester]

I found some pictures (http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/ilvo.htm)of yaupon; they seem to match.

[Seeker]

I finally got hold of our resident plant expert and he said it is definitely Ilex vomitoria.

Thanks all, for your help.

[warraghiyagey]

I finally got hold of our resident plant expert and he said it is definitely Ilex vomitoria.

Thanks all, for your help.
That doesn't seem like a very nice name for such a pretty plant.

[Blue Jay]

I finally got hold of our resident plant expert and he said it is definitely Ilex vomitoria.

This is exactly the shrubbery that the Knights who say NEEEET where looking for. I hope that was straight forward enough.

[warraghiyagey]

This is exactly the shrubbery that the Knights who say NEEEET where looking for. I hope that was straight forward enough.
You must bring me one shrubbery.

[emerald]

You must bring me one shrubbery.

A nice one: not too big and not too expensive with shiny red berries and evergreen leaves. You know, one that's pretty to look at but won't be browsed.

[Seeker]

That doesn't seem like a very nice name for such a pretty plant.

Doc (herbologist/PhD, not medical) told me that the berries are eaten by birds and racoons, and deer frequently browse on the leaves. he also said the leaves can be dried and then boiled into a caffeinated tea. apparently, cabeza de vaca) spanish explorer) recorded an east texas tribe of indians used it ceremonially before going off to war. a strong enough tea will cause vomiting, and the vomiting proved they were worthy warriors. hence the name.

[warraghiyagey]

WHy not call it the Barf Berry??:-?