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Extrafloral nectaries

beckyjaneplantirSu7H1KbeckyjaneplantirSu7H1K Posts: 21
in Plants
Hi everyone. I know cherry trees commonly have extrafloral nectaries but do you know if apple trees also have this defence against pests? I have 2 trees in my garden, i thought one was a cherry tree and one was an apple tree but they both have Extrafloral nectaries now, so is it possible they are both cherry trees instead? 
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  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    I think the easiest way to identify the trees is from the bark and the leaf shape.  Cherry leaves are more elongated than apple leaves.  Apple bark is grey-brown, non-shiny and often fissured; cherries have much shinier bark, often with horizontal banding.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited July 2021
    Cherry trees.....Prunus have these on the leaf stalk.see eg below
    To the best of my knowledge malus .....apple trees never have these on the leaf stalks.

    Quote  wwww......"Extrafloral nectaries (also known as extranuptial nectaries) are specialised nectar-secreting plant glands that develop outside of flowers and are not involved in pollination, generally on the leaf or petiole (foliar nectaries) "

    https://www.google.com/search?q=Extrafloral+nectaries+prunus&rlz=1C1CHBF_enGB785GB785&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZqc-UwOPxAhUYt6QKHWYTD_8Q_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1280&bih=577

    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Liriodendron said:
    I think the easiest way to identify the trees is from the bark and the leaf shape.  Cherry leaves are more elongated than apple leaves.  Apple bark is grey-brown, non-shiny and often fissured; cherries have much shinier bark, often with horizontal banding.
    Cherry tree leaves are very varied depending on sp.
    Below is a leaf from Prunus incisa Kojo no mai.
    See pic 3 above also.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • beckyjaneplantirSu7H1KbeckyjaneplantirSu7H1K Posts: 21
    These are pictures of one of the trees. Can you tell if it's apple or cherry? Also is the stem OK, it looks odd changing colour part way up, and is there a disease in picture 2 of is that normal? :worried:
  • beckyjaneplantirSu7H1KbeckyjaneplantirSu7H1K Posts: 21
    This is the other tree, as you can see it's being eaten by caterpillars! 😱 apple or cherry tree? Thank you 😊
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Both appear to have nectaries.
    Therefore both Prunus....Cherry.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • beckyjaneplantirSu7H1KbeckyjaneplantirSu7H1K Posts: 21
    Thank you. :smile:  Do they look diseased to you at all? they just don't look healthy to me and i don't know how to save them. 
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    You seem to have 2 threads asking the same questions...  :)
    Is there any possibility of planting your trees in the ground?  They are unlikely to do well if kept in pots long term.  If you can plant them out, clear away the grass in a circle around a metre in diameter for each one, and plant it in the centre.  If you must keep them in pots, they need more soil - but don't put more on top of what you've got, because the tree's trunk must remain at the same height relative to the soil. Take the tree out of the pot and put more soil under and around it when you replace it.  Multipurpose compost isn't suitable for long-term planting; you need a soil-based medium like JI no.3.  Your trees don't look diseased to me, just a little stressed.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • beckyjaneplantirSu7H1KbeckyjaneplantirSu7H1K Posts: 21
    Sorry I'll try to delete the other post. I was getting stressed and hoping for an immediate, miracle answer so I could fix the trees ASAP. I could plant them in the ground but I'm worried because I have poor soil that it could make them worse. It's a clay, gravelly soil with lots of rocks and it can get quite dry, would this be OK? I would prefer them in the ground if they could thrive there. Thank you so much for your help. So you don't think it's anything like cankers affecting the trunks? 
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Is it the dark areas on the trunk of the second tree that concern you?  It's hard to see them properly.  The second-to-last photo has dark patches where the little branches come off the main stem, but I can't see them well enough to guess if that's canker or not.  The first tree is a bit of a funny shape but I'm not seeing anything very bad on its trunk.  Maybe if you could take close-up photos of the particular parts which concern you, we might be able to advise you better.

    Cherries like fertile soil - but clay soils tend to be fertile, so you may be ok there.  Gravel shouldn't be a problem, because it aids drainage, though if the rocks are big you'll need to remove enough of them to spread out your tree's roots.  But the main thing lacking from your soil if you say it's "poor", is almost certainly organic matter - compost or manure will definitely help your tree to thrive.  When it's planted and well watered in (a whole big watering can full), put a thick layer of home-made compost, or well rotted manure or composted bark (both available from garden centres) over the area you've cleared of grass, but not against the trunk.  Carry on giving it a really thorough watering every few days if the weather is hot and/or dry.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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