h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A friend of my wife's has a bush in her garden, that she found growing in woodland in Scotland, several years ago. It has red berries on it now but earlier in the year, it had foul smelling and waxy, white flowers. The leaves are dark green, shiny and lance shaped. The foliage is dense and waist height but has she has clipped over the years, this might not be its true form. It could be a wild plant or a domesticated one, dumped (a common occurrence round here). It is also multi- stemmed and the bark is smooth and grey, like beech.

It sounds like holly, but I assume you would recognize holly, so probably not. How large are the white flowers?

It could also be Cotoneaster. If there are thorns, it could be Thorny Olive, though I don't remember its blossoms as smelling foul.

Try this link:

http://www.hunker.com/13428366/how-to-identify-a-shrub-with-red-berries

Privet seems to fit the bill. stinky white flowers that become red berries.

That is intriguing - I wouldn't describe privet as foul smelling, but it is definitely a distinctively strong scent...

I wondered if it was a waxflower http://www.newcoventgardenmarket.com/blog/florist-guide-waxflower but it seems unlikely.

I'm still waiting to hear whether the stinky white flowers are large or small. Knowing that would be helpful. I'd also like to know whether the bush has thorns. If not, we can rule out Holly and Thorny Olive.

It's not holly.

It is not cottoneaster or waxflower, grew the former in our last house and the leaves of the latter are long and thin, so not broad enough. If I could post photos it would help, if I had photos that is. I didn't see the flowers or smell them, so I only have the owners description to go on myself.

Don't think it is privet either - seen it often enough. Perhaps I could send photos to Dmitri or put them on Twitter or Facebook, if anybody here is on either of the latter.

Yes, we have Twitter @h2g2_Guide and Facebook is 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition'

Good.

We keep eliminating possibilities, which is also good. it's just that there seem to be a lot of bushy plants with white flowers and red berries.

Could it be one of the woody varieties of nightshade? (Solanocaea)

Nightshade? That is an interesting possibility...

I think I shall have to pop round to Jan's and take numerous photos of the bush itself (bush plus close ups of berries and leaves) and post the results on Facebook: I could pop round and take snaps now but for the fact it is dark here in the UK and getting arrested in her garden as an intruder, wouldn't do my reputation with her or anybody else for that matter,any good.

That sounds like Bittersweet (a nightshade species), except that its flowers seem to be purple, not white

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/single_weed.php?id=82

We look forward to seeing the photo of the mystery bush in due course, but in the meantime we got your other photo

http://www.facebook.com/341327959239272/photos/a.531842833521116/2637698152935563/

What do you think, Researchers? Do you agree with Paigetheoracle that it is Sea Buckthorn?

Sea Buckthorn would be related to various types of olives or Buffaloberries.

Definitively no species of nightshade (leaves sounded wrong anyway, but that's certainly no nightshade now I see it.

Dunno, sorry.

Yeah, that sea buckthorn looks much more like it.

I wonder if it would be worth growing for the berries? I live near a floodplain. The water table is not very far down, so this might be a good place to grow them.

It is not the one I need help with but the weather, this being Scotland, isn't reliable and the friend is only in during afternoons and we are spending this weekend moving into a new house (see Post for photos), so it is not a priority in my life at the moment

I would have described sea buckthorn as having orange, not red berries.