What species of shrub is this (UK)?

Question

It might not be native. It is one of only a couple of such plants growing next to the canal, near my village in Leicestershire, England.
Here's a picture:
http://i16.tinypic.com/6b4mnhg.jpg

It's definitely not an Elder or a Sloe. Come on guys!

Nope. It's not cherry-laurel.

If it is called a shallal that isn't how it's spelt. There is no botanical match for shallal on Google or Wikipedia.

Huckleberry my *ss

Answer 1

I'm going with Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). The terminal bud isn't quite right... but the leaves and fruit seem to be.

Buckthorn suckers freely, is a large shrub to small tree and the twigs often end in points giving it the effect of having thorns.

There are many other Buckthorn species.

I hope that this helps

Answer 2

If it's a UK shrub then it's most certainly the Alder Buckthorn[Frangula alnus] Height up to 5m. A rather open ,thornless bush,native to damp hedgegrows and scrub in England and Wales. Oval leaves have wavy margins;dark green ,turning yellow in autumn. Pale green,5 petalled flowers appear in May. Berries ripen from green to black.

Answer 3

Your leaf arrangement is opposite on the one stem I can see clearly. Leaves are in pairs but each successive pair is rotated 90 degrees, I think. If true these are decussate. The leaves also appear whorled near the lateral twig tips.
The leaves are either obtuse or ovate with double toothed or serrated edges.
The fruit appears fleshy. If you open it is it single seeded, a drupe, like a cherry or holly? Is it like an apple with several seeds in the center, a pome? Are the seeds just embedded in the flesh like a persimmon?
Is this a tree or a shrub? What is its height? Texture and color of bark? Is it ridges or in plates?
What are the flowers like, where are the anthers and stamens?. The shape of the flower's grouping, is it a raceme or corymb?
Try using a key with this data
http://trees.stanford.edu/key/key_opposite.htm#ten
http://www.colby.edu/cgi-bin/plant_family_id
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/Forsite/Idtree.htm
http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/cgi-bin/fullrecord.pl?handle=30090135
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/MANHART/TWIGS/key.htm
http://www.realtimerendering.com/trees/trees.html
http://www.bomengids.nl/uk/hoofdsleutel.html
I believe this is in the rosaceae family related to apples, hawthorns and cherries or a kind of Vibernum based on the detail I can see.
http://www2.volstate.edu/jschibig/tree%20key.htm

Answer 4

it is not sloe there is no `bloom`on the fruit .also sloe are deep purple ,not black.if you can recheck the plant/shrub .
are the leaves `leathery?
between 2-10" long(variouse cultivars)
did you see the flowers ?where they long clusters?
if answer to above is yes .i would suggest Prunus laurocerasus. the cherry laurel.
ps all parts of the plant are poisonous-prussic acid.
hope this helps

Answer 5

Looks like common elder to me

Answer 6

Looks sort of like shallal. A native of the Pacific northwest wood lands. If it is, we use it here for greenery in floral arrangements.

Answer 7

This looks like a Griselina littoralis to me.

Answer 8

Maybe a chokeberry
http://www.soilandwater.co.stearns.mn.us/Tree%20Program/Black%20Chokeberry/black_chokeberry.htm

or a buckthorn?
http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/parks/environment/buckthorn/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckthorn

Answer 9

Spindle tree (one of the elagenaus family)

Answer 10

Maybe inkberry. Ilex glabra http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ILGL&photoID=ilgl_007_avp.tif
Earlier post probably meant gaultheria shallon-salal