Trees with decorative fruit

Trees with decorative fruits

The following list is of trees whose brightly-colored
fruits are usually decorative for some time after the
leaves have fallen. Birds soon attack and strip the
berries on a number of kinds almost as soon as they
are ripe, but the following are less severely attacked.
With some trees, berries are only borne on female trees;
in many instances nurserymen can select these.

CERCIS SILIQUASTRUM The Judas tree carries
red and purple pods from late summer far into the winter.

COTONEASTER FRIGIDUS Heavy crops of clusters
of rich bright red are borne in autumn and early winter.

CRATAEGUS All the thorns carry crops of
haws, the more striking including C. durobrivensis
with large red fruit lasting well into winter; C.
lavallei has large orange-red berries that hang
into the new year; C. mollis, the red haw, has
very large red fruits which drop rather early to make
a spectacular carpet under the tree; C. orientalis
has large oval or yellowish-red fruits; C. prunifolia
has large, red fruits, combined with crimson autumn
foliage; C. punctata has large, slightly pear
shaped dull crimson fruits; C. wattiana, the
Altai Mountain thorn, has large, translucent, yellow
fruit.

CYDONIA OBLONGA The common quince, has
golden fruit which combine effectively with the yellow
autumnal leaves.

EVODIA HUPEHENSIS Female trees bear clusters
of scarlet berries.

IDESIA POLYCARPA Female trees carry bunches
of bright red berries in autumn.

ILEX x ALTACLARENSIS I. aquifolium
the hollies, are among Britain’s most beautiful
berrying trees, though fruiting only on female trees.
I. a. bacciflava (fructu-luteo) has yellow berries.

MALUS The crab-apples, mostly carry fruit.
The best include the following:

M. x alden-hamensis, fruit numerous
small, deep purple; M. eleyi, bright crimson;
M. ‘Gibb’s Golden Gage’, waxy yellow fruit; M.
`Golden Hornet’, bright yellow fruit hanging late;
M. `John Downie’, large, narrow fruits, yellow
with red flush, flavour good; M. prunifolia and
its cultivars, ‘Cheal’s Crimson’, fastigiata, pendula
and `Rinki’ have red fruits hanging long on the
tree; M. purpurea has light. crimson fruit; M.
robusta, the cherry apple or Siberian crab, has,heavy
crops of longlasting small fruits, the two cultivars
being `Red Siberian’ and ‘Yellow Siberian’; M. `Wisley
Crab’ has large, deep-red fruit.

PRUNUS though some of this genus, eg,
cherries, carry attractive fruit, they are eaten by
birds even before ripening. SORBUS The mountain ashes
and whitebeams often have decorative berries, but on
most species they are eaten at an early stage by birds.
The following are usually exceptions: S. cashmeriana,
large, glistening white, hanging late; S. esserteauiana,
very large clusters of small scarlet, or in (lava,
yellow fruit, hanging late; S. hupehensis, large
clusters of small white fruit, turning pink, and hanging
late; S. `Joseph Rock’ has amber-colored, long-lasting
berries; S. sargentiana has great clusters of
small, orange-red berries; S. scalaris has bright red,
small fruits.