Tree Identification - does anyone know what it is please?

[Russel Sprout]

Hi

The photos were taken a month or so ago. I'm happy to take some more now and / or to take any further photos that may help ID it.

Many thanks

Link to photos:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...fg?usp=sharing

[ameno]

Definitely a crab apple of some sort, although I couldn't tell you the precise variety.

[Russel Sprout]

Thanks ameno.

It has been suggested on another forum that it could be a prunus, most likely a cherry plum... Well, I didn't have a clue what it was/is, so narrowing it down to two is a very good start!

Does anyone else think it could be prunus (or crab apple)?

Ta

[peanut]

Have you looked at it again recently? It could have fruits on which would ID it for you.

[Russel Sprout]

Yes, I looked just now actually and couldn't see any fruit. I did take a couple of photos of the tree as it is now, seeing as the photos above are over a month old. I also took a couple of close ups of the bark, one of the main trunk, and one of a primary branch. Here's a link to the additional photos:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...G6?usp=sharing

Many thanks

[ameno]

Thanks ameno.

It has been suggested on another forum that it could be a prunus, most likely a cherry plum... Well, I didn't have a clue what it was/is, so narrowing it down to two is a very good start!

Does anyone else think it could be prunus (or crab apple)?

Ta

There are species of purple-leaved cherry plums, but this one is definitely a Malus (apple) species.
The leaves are pretty distinctly apple, and most importantly the flowers. The shape of the sepals behind the flowers is a dead giveaway. Only apples have them in that shape, and most Prunus species don't even have individual sepals, and all of them shed them along with the petals after pollinating, unlike apples were they become part of the fruit.

[Russel Sprout]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge ameno. I really appreciate it.

There's not a single fruit on the tree. Could this be due to lack of a pollinator close-by?

Also, do you have any general advice on what we can do to make the tree more healthy? It looks a little straggly and sorry for itself!

Ta

[nickdub]

Just picked up on this thread, so apologies for butting in. My take would be that growing any sort of fruit tress in close proximity to large forest trees, as seems to be the case here from your photos, is much less that ideal, if you want the tree to fruit that is.

I garden on the edge of some woodland, and the only way I would bother with a fruit tree located as that apple is, would be if I was going to clear fell the surrounding trees, to leave an open patch of ground in which to grow fruit. Another option would be to take some cuttings off the tree and either try to root them and/or chip bud them on to a rootstock in a more open position somewhere.

Fruit trees need light and air to produce - they are if you like the pampered pets of the tree world, and trying to grow them out in a forest is similar to trying to raise a domestic pet while surrounding it with wolves .

[Russel Sprout]

Absolutely no need to apologise... The more the merrier!

All points taken and thanks for sharing

The close forest trees are actually on the other side of the stream, but you're right - they are still close. I'll see if I can take a pic to show the proximity a little better. There is another apple tree close to the one in question. It fell a few years back (before we moved in), and had an abysmal year last year. But this year - following a prune and sort out - it seems to be doing well. Lots of little apples at the mo. We'll see how many mature... I mention it though because I guess it is showing that the spot can't be too terrible.

Anyhow, would be great to hear your further thoughts after I've got and uploaded the photos.

Ta

[ameno]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge ameno. I really appreciate it.

There's not a single fruit on the tree. Could this be due to lack of a pollinator close-by?

Also, do you have any general advice on what we can do to make the tree more healthy? It looks a little straggly and sorry for itself!

Ta

Either lack of pollinator, or possibly this is an inter-species hybrid, many of which are sterile so won't produce fruit.

[Russel Sprout]

Hmmm, that's interesting. And I guess there's no way of telling for sure without getting a pollinator and seeing what happens?

In all honest, we're not big fans of the tree. It's a mess, but more importantly it's situated in a position which isn't too great when looking out of the house. So we'd rather it be done, but we don't want to give it the chop if it has a use. And a crab apple tree would indeed be useful.

Decisions, decisions!