That is definitley not an elderberry. We have gobs of wild elderberry and they are more of a shrub than a tree, plus, the berries are very tiny, in large clusters and when ripe are a very dark purple.

The fruit, the bark and the leaves on your tree look like some variety of a crabapple to me.

When I do a google search for Thundercloud tree, it gives several links to a flowering plum with that name. But your fruits do not really look like plums.

Hopefully someone here can ID it for you.

Linda

Crabapple?

Here is a link that might be useful: pic of crabapple w/ fruit

Looks like the same ornamental crab as I have in my backyard. The fruit are too tiny for me to bother harvesting and processing, but the waxwings usually strip them over the winter. The show of blossoms in the spring is quite spectacular.

Yeah, looks like a crabapple to me, too. In any case, it is definitely NOT an elderberry. The fruits look pretty small though, so I'm inclined to agree with cooksnews that it is a flowering (ornamental) variety.

Yes, it is an ornamental crabapple. The birds will love them.

I really think it's a crabapple, and I teach plant ID. I'm not sure of the variety, but it looks like one I gave to my folks a couple of years ago. It's definately not elderberry, as they have compound leaves (a leaf with "leaflets") and your tree has single leaves. It's most likely some variety of crab apple. Prairie Fire is a common variety with redish leaves.

I went to close out my Windows and I had one open to the crabapple variety search, and I found one listed called "Thunderchild" with this description. Does it sound like yours?

"Delicate pink blossoms turn white with age. The leaves are deep purple and turn bronze in the fall. The fruit is small and dark red. A compact tree with an upright spreading habit. Prairie-hardy and resistant to fire-blight."

I think you're all correct. It must be a crapapple tree. I am sure it's not thundercloud but thunderchild. Hubby must be mistaken!

I spent the entire evening looking at crabapple trees and the one we have could be a Flowering Thunderchild Purple Prince. Now that all makes sense. Hubby kept telling me that we needed the "thundercloud" so our real apple tree would be fruitful. Our real apple tree didn't do too well this year. Ironically the crabapple tree exceeded our expectation. Maybe I should use the crabapples to make jam and apple juice instead. LOL

Thanks all!

Al

In Estonia similar fruit is called paradise apple and the fruit is canned in sweet with vinegar liquid. It comes out very nice sweet sour pickled kind of apple and is an excellent side for chicken, turkey or light pork.
I can look up a recipe, if interested :)

Crabapple was my first thought too.

I made 10 jars of crabapple jelly last week....lovely stuff!
Linda c

Def a crabapple! A friend I had in Wisconsin had one in her back yard.

My grandmother used to make the BEST crabapple jelly. Her tree had tiny fruits. Took the recipe to the grave with her, darn it. I keep buying it everytime I see any at a market or festival and it's all too sweet compared to what hers was like.