| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Scarophion |
Unidentified black berriesI found these near jct 18 of the M6. There were no flowers so I don't know where to start looking in my little guide. I don't think they're blackcurrants. Any ideas? |
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| jamanda |
No - Not black currants - the leaves are all wrong. I wondered Rose of Sharron - I have one in the garden which has black berries on at the moment, but I don't think the leaves look right for that either.
Welcome to the site by the way 
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| gil |
Deffo not blackcurrants.
I would be inclined to think they are not edible. Haven't got a book to hand, but try looking up bryony. |
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| jamanda |
Bryony has strings of red berries. Unless there is a kind with black berries too. | ||||
| cab |
Funny looking thing.
Would help to know something about the plant; how big, what it looked like, where the berries were attatched, etc. Having looked up J18 on the M6 and determined that its in Cheshire, if I had to stick my neck out I'd say alder buckthorn. The leaves look spot on for it. If memory serves its got two hard seeds in the berry. Poisonous. Edit: The Cheshire thing is important 'cos I believe you see this beasty more often over that side of the country, and I associate this plant with Cheshire for some reason. Don't know why, I've never been out looking for such things in Cheshire, but I think it must have been on a list of places you find it that I've read. A pic of alder buckthorn for comparison here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Rhamnus_frangula.jpg |
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| Scarophion |
Thank you 
That looks just like it. With teeny white/greenish flowers on the ends of it's branches. After much Googling it looks like you can use it as a laxative.  Not so good for pies then.
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| cab |
Depends who you feed it to 
I'd leave this one well alone though, my reccolection (and I'll look it up again later when I'm home) is that its far from being a gentle laxative, if you get my drift 
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| freebie59 |
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| mochyn |
Hello freebie59: just a completely off-topic note to say hello: Are you a makem, then? I only ask because my old chap is too. He'll be very pleased to see your avatar. | ||||
| cab |
Is it really? I don't recall seeing it up there, but then again, I haven't been out that way in yonks. I still can't call it the 'stadium of light'. I've tried, but being a Geordie I can't avoid the obvious rhyme... |
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| Green Rosie |
Alder buckthorn was my forst thought too | ||||
| Slim |
is that what we call glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus or just somewhat similar? (#$*#$%^ invasives) | ||||
| Green Rosie |
Alder buckthorn is Frangula alnus - it's native here 
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