@ViburnumValley 25' high, brittle, I thought it might be an overgrown chinese privet, but it doesn't stink enough.

looks like a Privet (Ligustrum spp.) to me ...no idea which one

I think the alternate leaves will exclude Privet, although I have no idea what this is

Prunus lusitanica Potuguese Laurel, Cherry Laurel. Or Bay laurel.

Okay, stuff to look up, are any of those in ericacaea? Okay, laurels are Ericacaea. I thought it was a chinese privet also, but it doesn't stink enough, and the leaves are wrong. Not expecting it to turn out to be a cherry laurel tho, still narrowing down this tree, thanx. Anybody else any ideas?

Can you zoom in on those little white flowers, that appear to be in clusters?

I'm suspecting some sort of Vaccinium sp. - related to Blueberries.

How about this bad boy?

https://aggie-horticulture.tam...

Farkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum)

Zooming didn't do much good, Too high a fluorescent glow, I expect more flowers on cherry laurels, and this 'tree' is bigger than they supposedly grow,

But I did find some reddish new growth.

Aroma is green, but not unpleasant, and I cannot smell a bay laurel at all. Farkleberry, prob not, stays dark green thru snow and ice( what little we have) by the way, they kicked me because ALL they would give me was Ericacaea and a google said heathers and heath, and I wanted more, chuckl. The flower resembles the farkleberry flowers but those are tiny and few- too old VV?

kittriana said: 25' high, brittle...

• Farkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum)
• Uploaded by kittriana

Sure looks like Vaccinium arboreum (farkleberry) to me...

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/pl...
Sparkleberry is a small, deciduous to evergreen shrub or tree that may grow 10 to 20 feet tall. It can be found in rocky woodlands, sandy woodlands

Facebook locked you off the site?
They did that to me like 10 years ago... Tried to tell me that I didn't use my name in my daily life... load of crap!

No way to explain to them that I absolutely do use my name in my daily life...

That any other name they tried to saddle me with... might make me searchable in LEO databases... but my friends would never be able to find me...

Facebook... a place for friends...

FB is having Tx size issues in court down here for their blocking issues and favoritism, I don't really like being there except for jokes, chuckl. Part of the problem was I posted on a day when no one down here could get anything but single emails, single pictures to cross the net. I tend to trust VV estimation of plants, and you are probably both of you right with Farkleberry. While it has blooms I am going to try again on a picture.

If you have been able to collect branches/twigs with flowers on them, then you should be able to get decent closeup pictures of the flowers to show their characteristics. I can't argue with you about how to do that. All I'll say is "Practice, practice, practice". If one location (wood deck) doesn't provide good results, try another. Sidewalks, countertops, contrasting color towel (no reflection off that surface), your hand - there are myriad ways to do this, and each person has to figure out what works for them.

Flowers in Ericaceae are urn-shaped (bell-shaped), and quite different from the usual five-parted flowers of Rosaceae member plants. Your photos should be able to show that difference clearly.

I appreciate your estimation of my abilities - but Texas is a whole 'nother world from Kentucky. You have a lot of plants there I have never seen in person, nor the growing conditions that are everyday matters for you. It looks to me that this plant is growing in a crowded understory condition, so it isn't surprising to me that you are not seeing many flowers. Age is a virtue, not a hindrance, to the floriferousness of this species. But crowding/competition/shading will restrict the allocation of resources, and it looks like in this case the plant has steered energy to leaves to photosynthesize rather than flowers and reproduction.

Most of the pictures you can look up online will show big individual specimens flowering like mad in garden situations. Those are not equivalent to the conditions of the plant you have shown us.

Had mom in law duties today, but I think I can take my sunshades out and filter the white glow enough tomorro to get your pix. Getting slow now at 70 yrs and have to study some, its a very new species to me as well and yet, maybe when I get those grapevines, yaupons and smilax in better control, I might actually keep it, (this area has only been home to me for the last 5 yrs).

All I will say is that I'm somewhat familiar with your nationwide travels and exploits, so I expect a few thorny vines are not going to keep a solid Texan down.

We are a patient lot here at NGA, and will look forward to further information when available.

The property next to mine was just cutover last week... Like everywhere else in the deep south...

The only thing left standing is the farkleberry bushes...





Was going to photograph the trunks of the ones pushed over and driven over... but it's all just too awful...

And all those trees are headed to mill where they get turned into pellets and shipped over to europe and burned in the steam plant for electricity....

Flower petals are a closed rounded bell shape, no larger than 1/8th"

Found a contrast before the sun was close





Even with my reading glasses and little old digital camera I am now cross eyed and hope these are clear enough to see.

Others here are probably more familiar with evaluating Ericaceae, since I live and work on limestone based calcareous soils - but I think those are <>Vaccinium</I> sp. flowers.

Given a little activity by your local pollinators, you should see some fruit in the not too distant future - which you can then share with us. You could further help with ID info by providing a ruler or other measuring device in your pictures of flowers, fruit, and foliage. Finally...some clear closeups of the stems and trunk/bark on the mature plant may provide some other diagnostic value.

Vaccinium arboreum is supposed to be

"...one of the most handsome native understory plants in the deciduous woods..." and "...the bark exfoliates and is composed of grays, rich browns, oranges and reddish brown..."

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, 5th Ed., Dirr 1998

I'm sticking with Farkleberry/Sparkleberry/Tree-huckleberry till disproven.

measured a bamboo pole I keep for frisbee in tree removal to 19.5', the bush lays over to the west to reach the sun, but the branches that are standing hit 18.5' for ht





The soil is sandy and dry under pines that make every other tree I have look like an understory tree. I personally haven't seen the leaves lighten in color-here they stay dark green, berries I will have to watch for, and in all honesty, I haven't found anything else even close to resembling this evergreen. So am sending VV and Stone a heartfelt thank you and an agreement case closed.

@Stone, that is heartbreaking. What are they going to do with the property?

Prolly continue to hunt bambi...
Bastards had a blind built in the middle of the property line... took it down and stacked the material just on my side while cutting everything down... including trees on my side... leaning over that way...

Bambi loves them some cutover... makes populations explode!

Uh oh, do you have recourse?