Red, black and blue berries: which tree?

Small, soft fruit, often bright. Red haws, rowan berries, yew and holly; black elderberries; blue sloes. The colour, and whether they hang in bunches or sit in flat heads, narrow it down. Some are poisonous: this page is for naming the tree, not for picking fruit to eat.

What to look for

  • HawthornRed haws, one pip in each
  • RowanFlat heads of scarlet berries
  • HollyRed berries among glossy spiny leaves, on female trees only
  • YewA red cup, open at the tip
  • ElderDrooping clusters of small black berries
  • BlackthornDusty blue sloes
Hawthorn: hawsHenry Miller, CC BY 4.0HawthornRed haws, one pip in each Rowan: berriesDavid Ashcroft, CC BY 4.0RowanFlat heads of scarlet berries from August Holly: berriesHollyRound red berries, on female trees only Yew: berriesJohn Witton, CC BY 4.0YewRed berry-like cup, open at the tip Elder: berriesElderDrooping clusters of small black berries Blackthorn: sloesNicola Crockford, CC BY 4.0BlackthornDusty blue sloes, black under the bloom Cherry plum: plumsPaul Cook, CC BY 4.0Cherry plumRound plums ripening yellow or red Common whitebeam: berriesScott Shanks, CC BY 4.0Common whitebeamDull red berries, two seeds in each Dogwood: berriesDogwoodPurplish black berries on dark red stalks Juniper: berrieschrisdt, CC BY 4.0JuniperRound and black under a bluish waxy coating Midland hawthorn: hawsDon Loarie, CC BY 4.0Midland hawthornDeep red haws, two or three stones Purple-leaved plum: plumsAndrey Polstianoi, CC BY 4.0Purple-leaved plumRound purple plums, a few among the leaves Swedish whitebeam: berriesSwedish whitebeamOval scarlet berries, freckled with small specks Wild cherry: cherriesWild cherryRound red cherries darkening to purple
In the app

Not sure? Ask the app

  • Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely names the tree
  • No signal? The guided keyOne simple question at a time, about what you can see
  • Every part, through the yearSo you can name it in winter as surely as in June
  • A short round each dayUntil you know them on sight
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Photographs: Henry Miller (CC BY 4.0), David Ashcroft (CC BY 4.0), cjoynson (CC0), John Witton (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Nicola Crockford (CC BY 4.0), Paul Cook (CC BY 4.0), Scott Shanks (CC BY 4.0), nick88 (CC0), chrisdt (CC BY 4.0), Don Loarie (CC BY 4.0), Andrey Polstianoi (CC BY 4.0), bobwardell (CC0), kirstyshannon (CC0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.