Please Identi-tree!

[bsmith6356]

Hi there-
I live in the outside city limits of Charlotte, NC, on a wooded property. The original owner of the house (early 1990s) is/was a professional horticulturist, and I often come across a trees or bush he planted that I can't identify. This is one of them. It's 11' tall, unable to grow to much due to surrounding cedar trees. The leaves are currently 5 1/2" long, and have serrated/toothed edges. Not saying it's anything unique, just curious how hard I want to work at giving it room to grow.
Thank you in advance for any input!
BSmith

 

[TreeLogic]

Maybe sawtooth oak? Quercus accutissima?
Could we get better close ups of the leaves, trunk, and a shot of full form? Thanks.

 

[bsmith6356]

Hi Logic...here you go!
Unfortunately I can't get a very good full form shot, I tried but it blended too much with surrounding trees. The last pic is the best that I could do.

 

[TreeLogic]

Possibly Prunus caroliniana....

thanks for the better pics. someone else should chime in soon.

 

[Leroy]

I was thinking Prunus as well.

 

[easyphloem]

Cherry laurel


SZ

 

[TreeLogic]

I thought the leaves were a little too serrulate at first, but looking at the trunk, I agree that it's probably Cherry Laurel. If so, they grow like a weed in the Carolinas, and I wouldn't be too worried about getting rid of it.

 

[oldoakman]

Not cherry Laurel! Not certain what is it though.

 

[colemanjessenz]

Macadamia by the looks of it , any nuts around?

 

[colemanjessenz]

Scratch that , similarish, but not macadamia

 

[TreeLogic]

Sourwood maybe?

 

[TreeLogic]

OK, a couple of pics of cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana - I believe) from my back yard. Two different trees, one serrated margin, and one without. The larger trees (2nd pic) have small cherries (fruit) on them right now. Smith's pics from above seems to have more of a whorled branch tip than these. Right?

 

[TreeLogic]

I think I got it! It's a red tip - Photinia

 

[TreeLogic]

Photinia serrulata...

 

[oldoakman]

Much better.

 

[easyphloem]

Believable.

SZ