Sumac revisited

I visited the tree noticed at reference 1 again yesterday. Noting also that as well as the small, primary tree, there are a large number of vigorous suckers in the rough ground in front of the old telephone exchange.

This time noticing what look like a few remnants of flowers. And this time Google Images has changed its mind. Not a unanimous vote, but top of the heap is now the Chinese sumac (Ailanthus altissima) of reference 2 from a different family from the staghorn sumac.

I found the accompanying drawing convincing. As was the talk of it being considered a seriously invasive pest. Form of the flower remnants noticed last time, absence of fur on the stems and red flowers from the tree explained. All we need now is some seeds.

It was also the occasion for what might be the last picking of blackberries of the season, outside the Screwfix shed. Small but tasty.

While underneath was a spreading, flowering shrub of some sort, the small pink flowers of which were attracting a lot of bees. Google Images suggests Symphoricarpos x chenaultii Rehder and the short Wikipedia entry says that Symphoricarpos × chenaultii, the Chenault coralberry, is a nothospecies (hybrid) group of shrubs in the honeysuckle family. It was grown in France in 1912 as a hybrid S. microphyllus × S. orbiculatus. Which all looks very plausible. And which will have to do for now.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/08/plants.html.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima.