Native Plants

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Thursday - June 24, 2010

From: Coventry, CT
Region: Northeast
Topic: Plant Identification, Shrubs
Title: Identification of shrubs with red berries in Connecticut
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

In my yard there are bushes about 4 1/2' tall with red berries. The berries are bright red and somewhat translucent with striations visible through the skin.I thought they were gooseberries perhaps, but while they appear in two's (sometimes 3's)they are are more squat (like a blueberry) than the photos I've seen and the leaves are different. Their leaves are dark green, have pointed ends with a generally oval body (kind-of the classic "leaf shape") They are slightly fuzzy to touch, as are the brown, woody stems which grow from a wood-like stalk. Any ideas on what this plant may be?

ANSWER: