red berry or seed?

[thomas.dunn]

Hello all,

I took this photo of what appeared to me at the time to be red berries,

but now I am not sure and am interested in finding out exactly what they are.

red "berry" is oblong and is only about 1/3 inch long. Usually hanging off in groups of 2, 3, or 4 and they have little knobs on the opposite end of where they attach. I found them in little patches usually nearby the base of sugar maple trees near the south shore in Massachusetts, USA.

I believe they had pasty insides. I took a couple home, and after drying out, I find they have a single small black seed inside.

Thanks for any help!

-Tom

[Cereus-validus-...........]

Looks like a fruiting stem of a Barberry (Berberis).

fruit is by definition a berry.

[thomas.dunn]

Thanks a lot! Looking at the photos, I definitely think you're correct.

-Tom