Fruit and Seeds pt. 5

Finally, part 5. This entry has been quite delayed, just under a year in fact. I took new photos for the Black Currant (Ribes nigrum) and got some photos and filled out the entry for the Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.). The common scale still remains a canadian quarter, which is 23.88 mm.

What a fun project, all inspired by an encounter with an Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) with some then unknown seeds I noticed in their scat.

Black Currant, Cassis (Ribes nigrum)

Habitat of plant : Backyards and intentional plantings. Escapees found along roadsides and in thickets. Prefer loamy soils.

When is fruit ripe : July - August

Size of seed : 2.5 - 3 mm long

General description of seed : Small pale oval, with pointed end.

Notes : 3 - 12 seeds found per fruit.

Aronia, Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Habitat of plant : Swamps, wet woodlands, bogs, also dryer sandy slopes and old fields.

When is fruit ripe : August - October, and sometimes fruit will persist through shriveled on the shrub.

Size of seed : ~ 3 mm L x 1.5 mm W

General description of seed : Small, longer than wide, reminiscent of an tiny Almond. Rounded at one end, pointed at the other.

Notes : Up to 30 seeds per fruit

Saskatoonberry, Serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush, (Amelanchier spp.)

Habitat of plant : Forest understory, forest edges, sand plains, rocky cliffs, fencerows, municipal plantings.

When is fruit ripe : Late June-July.

Size of seed : 4 - 4.3 mm.

General description of seed : Dark, quarter Moon shaped, with rounded edges, sometimes with a slight and faint hookish quality.

Notes : Each contains 2-5 seeds.

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

Habitat of plant : Low ground, swamps, thickets. Sunny riparian edges, edges of woodlands, roadside ditches.

When is fruit ripe : Late August - September.

Size of seed : 3 mm L x 1.5 mm W.

General description of seed : Small many bumpy ridges. Rounded along the length on the dorsal side of the seed, coming to a point at the terminus. Ventral side wedge shaped, or concave depending on specimen.

Notes : Final microscopic images taken of seed collected from a different plant in 2020.

If you want to see all of the previous entries check out the links below:

Part 1 : Glossy Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica), Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus var.)

Part 2 : Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternafolia), Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

Part 3 : Grape (Vitis spp.), Swamp (Silky) Dogwood (Cornus obliqua), Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum), Nannyberry (Vibernum lentago)

Part 4 : Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus vitaceae)

Part 5 : Black Currant (Ribes nigrum), Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

And as a bit of a post script to my future self, here are some useful links for seed identification:

US department of Agriculture

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Carrion Beetles pt. 1 : Nicrophorus tomentosus

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Common Burdock