Can you tell us where on the planet this neighbour’s yard is? So far I’d guess a Prunus but that could be way off.

I see an Agave in the yard there so guessing it is somewhere in a zone 8 plus climate. The tree looks like a Magnolia grandiflora to me but with some issues. Not sure why a Southern, Zone 8 Southern Magnolia would look so much worse than the Northern,Zone 7 Southern Magnolias in my yard, so I may be way off too.

It looks like a Chestnut, Castanea sp. of unknown breeding to me. I can't make out any toothed leaf margins in the picture, but the wavy edges make serration a possibility.

I'm in zone 8b Southeast Coastal Georgia. What kind of picture would help identify the tree more successfully?

A clear closeup of the leaves and smaller stems and any flower or seed remnants you might spot.

SE Coastal Ga. could make it a Redbay possibly, Persia borbonia.

Prunus serotina?!

Agree with floral and Jay - looks like black cherry, whose native range includes south Georgia and the northern half of Florida

Can you tell us the size of the leaves? Some of the suggestions have vastly different sized leaves because we don’t have any sense of scale. Also can you tell us if it’s evergreen?

My ID suggestions are based on what look like leaves glossier and twice the size of a Black Cherry. Could just be the picture. The thin, drapey small branches are very Black Cherry like.

It's not an evergreen. I'll get a better close-up of the leaves later today. We've never seen it flower or fruit after 4 years.

Being deciduous eliminates a couple of the suggestions. And don't forget to give us a sense of scale.

properly prune that pruning stub ...

it also reminded me of serotina .... the wood when cut.. can give you a momentary aroma of cherry cola .... but you have to have one good sense of smell .... and perhaps the right time of year ..... its kind of weird.. since it doesnt work with crushed leaves ...

you might also see a littter of small cherry pits under the tree .. and it would have bloomed in spring ... and rather stunk up the area if there were a lot of flowers ...

i used to call it the furniture cherry.. as compared to the fancy fruit cherry ....

or its not a prunus serotina ....

ken

Here are some close ups of the leaves if that helps in the identification.

Those pictures are only marginally helpful. It's still not saying Prunus serotina to me. The leaves are just too big and shiny. The bark does not look right either.

I agree with Christopher. And even in coastal Georgia, I would have a hard time accepting Prunus serotina being more green than not in late November. They sure as heck aren't here! In fact, one would have a hard time finding any kind of cherry with leaves still firmly attached, let alone green!

Prunus serotina is the first to shed its leaves and get naked here. I have a doubt with the still green leaves too.

We still have no indication of the size of those leaves. Some clear close ups of bark and buds would also be helpful.

Do the leaves have a strong scent when crushed?

I just checked, and my Prunus serotina still has all it's leaves, way up here in northern Illinois.

Leaves up to 6" long, and 2" wide.

That is shocking Jay. My oaks are already naked. They are the last to go.

No smelll at all. I might just have to keep it a mystery tree and enjoy the beauty of it.

I’m sure you could get an id if we had more detailed and clearer pictures to go on. And is the leaf size a state secret?😉

Prunus still with leaves, while all the Oaks have dropped their leaves already.

The bark could be P. serotina. Black Cherries lose their noticeable horizontal lenticels, and become like that when they age. Prunus persica is another possibility?

I'm not trying to keep the leaf size a mystery. I thought the close-up pictures would help clarify their size. What information would be necessary to help id the tree?

Hold a ruler beside the leaf while photographing it for size. Also give a similar close up photo of a twig.

@frdnicholas Cut a small branch with leaves off the tree. Place it on a white neutral background and take IN FOCUS pictures of the leaves and small twigs in good quality light. A ruler or object of known size next to it will show scale.

Being that P. serotina is a native tree with a wide distribution, there is going to be a good deal of genetic diversity in the species. The Ga. tree has a lot of P. serotina going for it, but it sure does not look like my Appalachian Black Cherry.

@Jay 6a Chicago your Prunus with leaves, multi trunks and dark colored bark looks a lot like my Fire Cherry, Prunus pensylvanica. Mine are completely bare and have been for a month or more. They hold their leaves only a bit longer than P. serotina.

Prunus pensylvanica (Bird Cherry, Fire Cherry, Pin Cherry, Red Cherry) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

Christopher, my photo of the larger thicket might be pensylvanica. P. pensylvanica is scarce in my area, and is mostly found in sandy areas like Dunes. There is only one observation for it in my county, whereas there are many observations for P. serotina. I have a small prunus that I think is serotina, and the leaves are smooth on the underside with no pubescence, and I see no nectary glands at all, so it's very hard to tell the leaves apart. The flowers are different though. P. serotina, P. pensylvanica, and P. persica each have distinct flowers.

Could be we all just say the OP has a Cherry tree and leave it at that.

My black cherry has been completely bare for a month, but there's genetic and site differences...... As mentioned above, if I take a thin, live stem and scrape off the bark w/my fingernail, I get a "cherry" smell.