Can somebody ID this tree?

[BigPat]

This is definitely off topic but I have lived in my house for 20+ years and the whole time there has been a tree at the bottom of the garden which has red plum like fruits. I have never known what the tree or fruit is or whether it is edible so every year the fruit comes, drops and I think to myself “I must find out what this is...” then I forget.

So I am hoping someone on here is a keen gardener and knows what the tree is and whether the fruit is edible.

Here are some pictures...The leaves go from green to deep red and the fruit is deep red as well.

 

[jall55]

No pictures Pat

 

[BigPat]

Should be showing now

 

[Waz77]

Cherry

 

[Waz77]

Second thoughts just looked at first pic and it's hard to make out the scale

 

[Smellydog]

Looks to be a cherry to me too.

 

[Border]

The leaves look prunus and the fruit malus. It also looks ornamental so I'll go with ornamental apple cherry

 

[Waz77]

2nd pic looks like cherry, on the first the fruit look too big but maybe an optical illusion?

 

[Waz77]

If its not cherry it'll be purple leaved plum

 

[enfieldspares]

Seriously, and not intended as a joke answer, I'd e-mail the Royal Horticultural Society.

 

[Smellydog]

Down load a plant identifying app.

 

[BigPat]

I will take some pictures with a tape measure tomorrow to show scale.

 

[C.J]

I will take some pictures with a tape measure tomorrow to show scale.

And cut a fruit in half !

 

[BigPat]

 

[TURNBOLT]

It is just what you say.Cherry plum,

 

[Laurie]

I reckon it's a malus. They were common when I grew up in Perth in the 50s, 60s planted as semi-ornamentals by the local council adjacent to roads and all those other bits of otherwise not good for much plots of grassland.

If they're what I think they are, the fruit is edible, juicy, but a bit on the sharp side even if sweeter than many crab apple varieties. We kids would occasionally eat them. (We ate everything in those days!) Most people reckoned they were only any good for making crab apple jelly.

A quick Google comes up with lots of red varieties of Malus, mostly with smaller rounder fruits. There has been over a half century of plant development since the time I'm thinking of and the trend is apparently away from the small to mid-size trees I remember to small standards for suburban gardens. But here's a couple, one of fruits like 'yours', the other with the purplish leaves I remember but with much smaller rounder apples.

Toringo Scarlett™ Crabapple Tree | 12L Pot | Malus 'Toringo Scarlett' | By Frank P Matthews™ £59.99

Buy Standard Apple Malus Era Redlove - Best Value for Money - Gardens4you

 

[Tugmanade]

Download the “picture this” App, take a picture & it’ll tell you all you need to know.

Ade

 

[finnbear270]

Would make some fantastic meat dressing, along the lines of cranberry but much much better.

 

[enfieldspares]

The crab apple tree in my parent's house didn't look like that at all. Nor did the fruit. They looked like this. But regardless of the differences if you can do make some jelly it'll be fantastic with game, especially hare. Or even with woodpigeon. But don't waste it with pheasant. Save your bread sauce for pheasant.

 

[Apthorpe]

Cherry plum. Prunus cerasifera. Frequently delicious either raw or cooked. Use like damsons. Pile in.
There are a wide range of varieties....some green leaved, some copper/reddish. Fruits vary by type from yellow to purple-black.