Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Wednesday - July 31, 2013
From: Fallon, NV
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Plant Identification, Edible Plants, Poisonous Plants
Title: Identification of shrub/small tree with small purple fruit
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Hi! I have a tree/bush that has come up on its own in the backyard. This year it set what looks like small purple plums. Is there any chance that they might be poisonous?ANSWER:
Below are some native plants that occur in Nevada (except for the pokeweed) that have purple fruit. There may be others that I have failed to show, but this is a good start. There is no guarantee that your plant is native and I don't really know much about it except that it is a shrub/small tree with purple plum-like fruit, so I can't really offer a confident identification and, therefore, can't assure you that it isn't poisonous. The only plant on the list with the potential to be poisonous is the chokecherry (seeds or foliage) and the pokeweed berries.
Frangula betulifolia (Beechleaf frangula) Here are photographs from Southwest Environmental Information Network.
Frangula californica (California buckthorn) Here are photos and more information from Southwest Environmental Information Network and from Wildflowers in Santa Barbara.
Ribes hudsonianum (Northern black currant) Here are photos and more information from Central Yukon Species Inventory.
Ribes lacustre (Prickly currant) Here are photos and more information from Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture University of Washington.
Ribes oxyacanthoides (Canadian gooseberry) Here are more photos and information from ARKive.org.
Ribes viscosissimum (Sticky currant) Here are photos and more information from Malheur Experiment Station Oregon State University.
Prunus virginiana (Chokecherry) has small fruits that change from red to dark purple as they mature. They are astringent, but can be used in making preserves and jelly. Here is more information from Rook.org. The seeds of all Prunus spp.are listed by California Poison Control as of Major toxicity—"These plants may cause illness or death" if ingested. Livestock can be poisoned by ingesting the plant material (see Cornell University's Plants Poisonous to Livestock).
Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon serviceberry) Here are more photos and information from Southwest Colorado Wildflowers.
Amelanchier utahensis (Utah service-berry) Here are more photos and informatio from Plants for a Future.
Vaccinium caespitosum (Dwarf bilberry) Here are more photos and information from University of Washington.
Vaccinium uliginosum (Alpine blueberry) Here are more photos and information from Plants for a Future.
Finally, there is one plant that has been found in the adjacent states of Oregon, California and Arizona, but not in Nevada. Nevada's climate doesn't really support this plant EXCEPT that it might grow in someone's irrigated yard if brought in by a bird that had eaten its berries. The plant is Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed) and you can a distribution map from the USDA Plants Database. It is considered both highly toxic AND edible. In particular, the berries are highly toxic.
Now, if none of the suggestions above are your plant and you have (or can take) photos of it, please visit our Plant Identification page to find links to plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification.
Below are photos of the berries of a few of the plants listed above.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification of 3-leaf plant with red berries in Utah
July 27, 2011 - I would like to send you a picture to ID a 3 leaf plant with red berries. Could you give me an email to do that? Thanks.
view the full question and answer
Fog fruit?
June 29, 2009 - In your native plant database listing for Phyla nodiflora one of the common names seems to be misspelled (fog instead of frog). FYI, if wrong, please let me know.
view the full question and answer
Plant ID from San Marcos TX
June 07, 2014 - My dogs love to eat the leaves of a certain little orange wildflower. It might be Wedelia or Texas creeping oxeye. Have you ever heard of this?
view the full question and answer
Plant identification for Redding, CA
August 11, 2012 - I have a volunteer plant that has dull green leaf with tiny white flowers that turn into a small black berry the size of a raisin. Can you identify it? I live in Redding, Ca. They are popping up in th...
view the full question and answer
Identity of a yellow-flowered wildflower with prickly burs
May 20, 2013 - Hi there.
We have seen a wildflower, probably invasive, that is at least in Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties. We have tried to identify it without success, The structure of the plant is remark...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |