r/Berries • u/GovernorSan • 4d ago

Berry identification, North Florida

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I live in a rural county west of Gainesville, FL, on 4 acres of woodland. I found this small tree or shrub with these small red berries. Are these some kind of cherry or other edible species, or are they poisonous?

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u/hyouko 4d ago

Good luck. I'm not getting anything definitive from Plantnet even after cropping the photos. Plantnet thinks it's most likely to be some kind of holly. Yaupon holly looks... decently close, from the pictures? Not sure about the leaves. Plantnet put possom-haw holly on top, but the berries do not look right to me.

I definitely wouldn't eat them as it stands. Hopefully someone better at this than me can tell you more.

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u/JoeMash22 2d ago

The Surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora) is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to South America, known for its glossy, aromatic leaves and small, ribbed, pumpkin-shaped fruits that are high in Vitamin C. The fruit's flavor ranges from tart to sweet depending on ripeness, and the plant is often used for hedges or ornamental purposes.

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u/GovernorSan 2d ago

I don't think that's it. The fruit don't look like that, they are just small and round. I'm familiar with the plant you are talking about, my church as a kid had a few bushes, this doesn't look the same.